I trust him of course...but I guess there 's some modern alternative to the "damp-sponge-in-a-bag", isn't there?How are your guitars best maintained?
I believe that it is necessary that each guitarist owns a hygrometer . The air humidity should be between 50% and 60%. The instrument should never be put near a heat source or into a hot car. Also humidity harms. Generally one can say: " where humans feel well, the guitar also feels well'. You should not leave the guitar in the suitcase, the instrument needs air, the wood wants to breathe. Industrial guitars react differently to such effects , because the woods are not naturally dried. For the tone of the guitar it is very important that it is played frequently. Against dryness you can put a sponge in a perforated plastic bag and store it into the string container . Against humidity the same with rice in the plastic bag. It absorbs the humidity. Most important: Leave repairs only to an specialist!
Comments
Prior to that, the proper lack of humidity was causing my frets to protrude on the edges, and the character of the guitar, and the action was changing unreliably. I've read of very good gypsy guitars splitting without proper humidity. It's an inexpensive way of protection your guitar. I'd strongly suggest getting a case humidity gauge as well. Too much moisture, or too little, can ruin you instrument - let alone play havoc with your tone and action.
Charlie
I guess I'll buy a couple of those Oasis.
What about Hygrometers?
Do you have a favourite one?
http://www.planetwaves.com/pcaredetails.aspx?id=7
Beware though because there has been a product recall due to a defect in a few batches.
For those of you out there with Dupont VR's, Favinos, Busatos, etc?
What do you use?
So - the biggest thing with humidification is to remember that guitars don't like shocks... so always use moderation. The instrument is made up of many parts... some thicker than others... some denser than others... all of which warm up / cool down / humidify / dehumidify at different rates due to their material and structure. When things get to expanding/contracting at different rates, only three things can happen. 1.) If you're lucky, the glue is strong enough to hold and the wood is elastic enough to absorb the forces. 2.) The glue gives up 3.) The wood gives up. So care for the temperature and humidity of your instrument like you'd steer a ship... many small increments in the right direction.
Will a European made guitar be a better target for humidity and temperature than a Canadian one ?
Let say you have a Dupont and a Shelley Park, both with Maple backs but one come from Canada and the other one not. It's easy to assume that the Canadian tree will have been exposed to wider temperature and humidity differences while it won't be the case for some maple trees in Europe under a much milder climate.
So, under the same condition, the Dupont will crack and the Shelley Park be OK ? Does it make any sense ?