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| Building humidity: same as environment or lower http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=20967 |
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| Author: | Jeremy Douglas [ Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
There seems to be two schools of thought on this. Those who build in the same enviroment the guitar will live in; if the average RH is 47% then they build in 47% RH. The other school of thought is you should build lower than what the average RH is where the guitar will live because the guitar can take an increase in humidity better than it can a decrease. So the question is which method do you use and why? What I'm really wanting to know is are there any downsides to building with the RH lower than where the guitar will live? For those who do build with a lower RH how much lower do you go? |
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| Author: | Rod True [ Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:38 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
Well, I'll start in on this. I certainly don't have the answer but I do have my own opinion and decision. I live in an area that can see humidity changes from 20%-90% over a 12 month period. Now, that's an outside measurement. Inside, It's more like 30%-80% with the average being 50-60%. Still a lot of room for disaster for guitars. I don't therefore build to the average as that would be 55% which would lead in the low season to cracks for sure. I tend to follow the industry and stick to building in the 42-47% range and in the low season this is acceptable and unless I expose my guitars to more extreme low humidity would I worry about crack potential. I also do not keep my guitars out of their cases. I feel that this also helps to maintain more consistent RH for the guitar and if I had a longer season (mine only lasts 30-45 days at most) in the low RH zones, I'd invest and use some humidity control devise in the way of a soundhole devise or one that fits in the case. |
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| Author: | mburton [ Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:39 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
edit: misread the question. |
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| Author: | Terence Kennedy [ Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:43 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
Most of my output lives in the midwest so I've been building a tad dry for the reasons mentioned. Around 40%. Probably a good idea to have a neck set that leaves plenty of saddle showing in case it winds up somewhere damp. TJK |
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| Author: | TonyFrancis [ Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
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| Author: | Allen McFarlen [ Tue Feb 10, 2009 2:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
I live in the Australian Wet Tropics, and humidity goes from 40% on the most ideal winter day, to off the chart during the monsoons, like we are having now. I do my best to build between 40-45 % RH, simply because if one of my instruments goes for a road trip into the tablelands, only 1 hour from where I live, it can have swings of RH down to the low 20% during a hot dry spell, depending on the way the wind is blowing. |
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| Author: | Jeremy Douglas [ Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:27 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
Wow, great replies. Tony thanks for the excellent link. Anyone else have anything to add? |
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| Author: | Andy Birko [ Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:47 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
I was just over at Dave Collins shop and this came up. He said that if he were to get back in to building, he'd control humidity to adjust the dome. i.e. he used to bake the tops at like 170 degrees for a couple hours to get them bone dry. Then you brace them in a deck at some larger radius - he seemed to think it was 65' and then let the atmospheric humidity bring it in to about 25' at 45%. This would provide some serious protection against drying out because worst case, you'd be at 65' dome. Apparently steinway does something like this with their piano soundboards and there is a difference in timbre as well. p.s. Hopefully this is not one of Dave's secrets...it didn't seem like it. |
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| Author: | Jeremy Douglas [ Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:10 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
"Hopefully this is not one of Dave's secrets...it didn't seem like it." No, you're ok. He actually talked about this in a similar thread I started before. Here's the link viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=19874 |
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| Author: | ChuckB [ Tue Feb 10, 2009 1:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Building humidity: same as environment or lower |
I like to build at 40%- 45%... Just seems safer to build at a slightly lower humidity to protect from cracks. At the same time the guitar owner has got to be on the same page, or all goes for naught. Chuck |
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