i have a larrivee acoustic om. purchased in december 2007. love it, but have noticed that the fretends are becoming pretty sharp.
after some reading, i've seen that this can be caused by low humidity. i purchased a guitar humidifier from planet waves - here is a link to it:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GH/
however, it doesn't seem to be using too much water. when i try to refill it the next day or day after that, it basically overflows right away.
is that normal? i read that it is supposed to be slow in how it releases humidity but i'm not sure if there's anything i can do to make it go faster. i'm thinking of switching to my old guitar (a laminated yamaha beginner) for a week or two just to make sure that the guitar doesn't crack or have other problems from low humidity.
any suggestions/comments?
thanks!
pab
Hey there,
A few things.
Those PW devices take a few days to completely dry out and they don't require very much either to resaturate them.
Here's what I'd do:
Put in your Humidifier then put your guitar in a case at least over night if not a whole day.
Keep it in its case when not playing
I'd also look into getting a room humidifier, they're relatively cheap, like $30 or so from Wal-Mart or other stores.
Another option would be to put a bowl of water, glass, not plastic on your radiator, heat duct (if on the floor) or next to your heating element. If you have those that are up on a wall or out of the ceiling you can't do the water bowl trick.
Fill the bowl as needed.
Here's a thread over on the Acoustic Guitar Forum:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119158
G-Luck
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
thanks dagwood. btw, the link was very helpful. i do have a room humidifier but i guess it is a pretty large room so hasn't solved the problems.
thanks again,
paul
I live in Vegas, has to be one of the driest places on the planet. I use a Vicks humidifier, the one that pumps out tons of water out the top and http://www.guitarcenter.com/Kyser-Dr--Stringfellow-Lem-Oil-100103477-i1134468.gc . The humidifiers that go in the guitar and then in the case don't do squat here.
i'm not sure if there's anything i can do to make it go faster.
You don't want to make it go faster. The humidifier is designed to be gradual for a reason.
Rapid changes in humidity (or temperature) are much more damaging than the instrument spending time in less-than-ideal conditions.
Be patient and let it come up to humidity gradually.
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
ihowever, it doesn't seem to be using too much water. when i try to refill it the next day or day after that, it basically overflows right away pab
Read the back (or inside the cover) of the box, you only need to refill once every week or 2 weeks depending on the the humidity where you live. Use distilled water.
Bob Jessie
