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Temperature and Humidity
The neck of a stringed instrument is a battleground of two opposing forces. The string tension or the modern steel string guitar tuned to 440 hz. (traditional concert pitch) is about 180 lbs. This is a lot of force against the truss rod, neck wood and fret board. There is a balancing act between string tension and resistance of the neck.
Neck relief is measured in thousandths of an inch. The truss rod provides a counter force against string tension. It is a delicate relation and many things can upset the balance.
Temperature, both hot or cold can cause the neck to shift. During summer the inside of a trunk, trailer, or the sunny back seat of a car, particularly with the windows rolled up can warm the neck and affect the instruments action. A car might be 120 degrees and every time the instrument is subjected to high heat the wood relaxes and becomes flexible. Heating the wood is how the figure eight sides of the acoustic guitar are made. When wood gets hot it moves. A hot ride in the back seat can knock your guitars action right out. Repeatedly placing the instrument in a hot environment is a sure way to lose good playing action. Keeping your prized instrument in its case tends to keep it cooler and more stable.
In the winter,setting your instrument near a heat vent or fireplace does the same thing. That guitar leaning up near the fireplace may seem romantic but the heat relaxes the neck wood and string tension pulls a bow into the neck.
Cold temperature is also dangerous for your instrument. In northern climates, an unheated space is a poor place to store your instrument. Its impossible to adjust a cold neck because the temperature makes the neck more rigid than it really is.
A good rule of thumb is that if you are not comfortable then neither is the guitar. Not too hot and not too cold and your string action will stay where it should. Once you get your neck where you want it. Protect your action by keeping the instrument in its case and away from extreme temperatures.
Humidity is another enemy of the stringed instrument, especially the acoustic guitar. Humidity has a great effect on the sound of an acoustic instrument because as the instrument absorbs moisture or drys out. The sound of the instrument changes. The tops and backs of great hand crafted acoustic guitars are carefully 'tuned' to produce specific notes. As the moisture content of top and back wood changes the voice of the instrument also changes.
In winter time when the furnace comes on and the home is subjected to 'dry' heat the instrument also drys out and often begins to sound nasal and gritty. Discerning musicians who are in the know employ a moisturizer in the sound hole to keep the guitars natural moisture content in balance.
By the same token when the rainy season comes and there is humidity in the air the instrument begins to absorb water and starts to sound flabby like it is made of cardboard or plywood. It loses its ring, its pluck and pop. and that great sound won't return until the moisture equilibrium of the instrument is restored. Often this is when the season changes.
Surprisingly, an acoustic guitar will invariably sound its best in the season in which it was built because of the moisture content of the wood at the time it was tap tuned. If a top plate contains 5% moisture content when it is tuned then during the rainy season when moisture goes up to 6% or 7% the sound changes and you lose the 'pop'. Its the same way with heat. If the plates are tuned at 5% moisture content and the 'dry' heat of the furnace drys out the same plate to 4% or 3% then the instrument begins to sound nasal and gritty. The only way this can be fixed is to carefully control the humidity around your instrument.
Violin players often come into the shop in winter complaining of a sudden harshness in their instrument. And in the rainy season they complain that the 'sweetness' is gone. Careful coontrol of the environment is the only solution. Awareness of these factors is the key to keeping your prized instrument at its best.
Since there are routed unvarnished cavities at both ends of the neck where the trussrod is located excess humidity and moisture can soak into the neck on the ends and cause humps and swelling at either area.
Temperature and Humidity
The neck of a stringed instrument is a battleground of two opposing forces. The string tension or the modern steel string guitar tuned to 440 hz. (traditional concert pitch) is about 180 lbs. This is a lot of force against the truss rod, neck wood and fret board. There is a balancing act between string tension and resistance of the neck.
Neck relief is measured in thousandths of an inch. The truss rod provides a counter force against string tension. It is a delicate relation and many things can upset the balance.
Temperature, both hot or cold can cause the neck to shift. During summer the inside of a trunk, trailer, or the sunny back seat of a car, particularly with the windows rolled up can warm the neck and affect the instruments action. A car might be 120 degrees and every time the instrument is subjected to high heat the wood relaxes and becomes flexible. Heating the wood is how the figure eight sides of the acoustic guitar are made. When wood gets hot it moves. A hot ride in the back seat can knock your guitars action right out. Repeatedly placing the instrument in a hot environment is a sure way to lose good playing action. Keeping your prized instrument in its case tends to keep it cooler and more stable.
In the winter,setting your instrument near a heat vent or fireplace does the same thing. That guitar leaning up near the fireplace may seem romantic but the heat relaxes the neck wood and string tension pulls a bow into the neck.
Cold temperature is also dangerous for your instrument. In northern climates, an unheated space is a poor place to store your instrument. Its impossible to adjust a cold neck because the temperature makes the neck more rigid than it really is.
A good rule of thumb is that if you are not comfortable then neither is the guitar. Not too hot and not too cold and your string action will stay where it should. Once you get your neck where you want it. Protect your action by keeping the instrument in its case and away from extreme temperatures.
Humidity is another enemy of the stringed instrument, especially the acoustic guitar. Humidity has a great effect on the sound of an acoustic instrument because as the instrument absorbs moisture or drys out. The sound of the instrument changes. The tops and backs of great hand crafted acoustic guitars are carefully 'tuned' to produce specific notes. As the moisture content of top and back wood changes the voice of the instrument also changes.
In winter time when the furnace comes on and the home is subjected to 'dry' heat the instrument also drys out and often begins to sound nasal and gritty. Discerning musicians who are in the know employ a moisturizer in the sound hole to keep the guitars natural moisture content in balance.
By the same token when the rainy season comes and there is humidity in the air the instrument begins to absorb water and starts to sound flabby like it is made of cardboard or plywood. It loses its ring, its pluck and pop. and that great sound won't return until the moisture equilibrium of the instrument is restored. Often this is when the season changes.
Surprisingly, an acoustic guitar will invariably sound its best in the season in which it was built because of the moisture content of the wood at the time it was tap tuned. If a top plate contains 5% moisture content when it is tuned then during the rainy season when moisture goes up to 6% or 7% the sound changes and you lose the 'pop'. Its the same way with heat. If the plates are tuned at 5% moisture content and the 'dry' heat of the furnace drys out the same plate to 4% or 3% then the instrument begins to sound nasal and gritty. The only way this can be fixed is to carefully control the humidity around your instrument.
Violin players often come into the shop in winter complaining of a sudden harshness in their instrument. And in the rainy season they complain that the 'sweetness' is gone. Careful coontrol of the environment is the only solution. Awareness of these factors is the key to keeping your prized instrument at its best.
Since there are routed unvarnished cavities at both ends of the neck where the trussrod is located excess humidity and moisture can soak into the neck on the ends and cause humps and swelling at either area.