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Hi all,

I finished my third guitar over six months ago and have been playing it since, got the action and setup where i wanted it and have been very pleased with it. Not taken it out of the house much but it has been out a few times in a hard case with no problems and my house isn't humidity controlled or anything. it took a few weeks after building to settle but all stable since then. I've just moved from my old place in Kent, UK, to east cork in ireland. I'm in an old cottage which is a bit damp. Anyway, the action on my guitar is now quite high, maybe 3 - 3.5mm. I dont have any of my tools or workshop available at the moment.

Other details are that I didnt build with humidty control in the whole workshop but used a dry box cupboard and I'm pretty sure the wood was dry when i braced it. I also didnt have a spare hard case so it was in a gig bag or the move and since. I cant find any evidence of damage or loose braces but I'm not sure I'd notice a loose brace. It's a single bolt on neck joint, no tenon, cant see anything loose there.

Last thing is that the only other guitar I have with me is a 38 L-00 which hasnt moved at all but I imagine it's age explains that?

Please help with suggestions for diagnosis,

thanks

Mike

Mike not much diagnosis necessary here, you have no humidity control and it sounds like you built with very little humidity control.

What you can expect is an instrument that will be overly sensitive, at least for a while..., to RH swings. It will swell up in high RH with high action and start buzzing out with low action, sharp fret ends, possibly cracks, lifting bridges, loose braces etc. with low RH. You can check for loose braces by taping on the outside tracing the bracing patterns. If you hear a rattle you may have a loose brace.

It's a moving target...

The solution since all is said and done in terms of building, how seasoned the wood was when built with, etc. is to try to not expose the thing(s) to RH swings for as long as possible. Over time the sensitivity may lessen and then again it may not if anything critical is impacted by wood wanting to move around.

What's really on my mind though is the 38 L-OO - that's a valuable, rare, and iconic guitar. It handles RH swings better as you suspected because it's much more seasoned over time but.... nonetheless... I would not push it - this is a highly desirable instrument.

Perhaps find a way/place in your current digs to stabilize the RH in the 50% range, I know you are in a humid climate so 50% should be fine although not always easy to maintain. This likely means dehumidification for you and the instruments.

Hesh is right on. You have to build and store acoustic guitars in a climate-controlled environment or expect problems. While dehydration issues are more common, excess humidity can be just as bad. Last year I sold one of my guitars to a gentleman in Hawaii. He was out of town for a week and the power went off, subjecting the guitar to temps in the upper 90's F and 100% humidity. The guitar swelled up like a balloon and sustained permanent damage. I was able to reset the neck and return it to playability, but the impeccable fit and finish will never be the same and the neck has permanent relief that the rod won't straighten out.

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It will probably be alright.