Buzz after string change

Drying can indeed cause the top to sink, lowering the action. Conversely, overhumidification can cause the top to belly up, making the action too high and screwing up the intonation. (I've done that.)

Sounds like you may need to get a humidifier and use it, but don't overdo it.

The truss rod adjustment needs checking, too. That, of course, will also change with humidity.

You might try just taking it in to a guitar shop and see what they recommend. Every guitar shop i've been to will give your guitar a look over first to find the problem. If its a new problem and you have used the same size strings then I would just get someone to check it.

Did you tune it with an electronic tuner set at 440hz??
Are any of those frets or the ones farther down the neck taller than the others??

Thanks for the advise, I will first try to get some humidity in the house, If no luck, I do know a music shop witha a great luther thats been alot of help to me before.

Thanks!

If you're going to do it with house humidity, you've got to shoot for 50% relative humidity, which is a tall order in the winter.

I was thinking of an in-case humidifier, like the soundhole one Gibson shipped with my SJ-200. Has a perforated plastic tube with a sponge inside that you wet, squeeze out enough so it won't drip, slip it between the strings inside the guitar and a plastic flange on the end hangs in the strings to hold it.

Thanks Ric, I checked and $8 at MF. I'll give it a try.

Bet it helps. Just use it when it gets dry and the top's sinking. When I got the Gibby, the boards were full of humidification hysteria and Gibson had a warning in the case with the guitar that they wouldn't honor the warranty if it were damaged by drying out. So I put the humidifier in there all the time. Like I said, the top rose and the thing wouldn't intonate worth a toot. Didn't damage anything, it went back to normal when I quit overhumidifying it. I've since heard of people ruining expensive guitars by overusing humidifiers. Likewise, people have had solid tops crack from drying out. 2 or 3 years ago Gibson put out a press release that's probably still on their site somewhere advising of these hazards, and recommending to watch for changes in the action height. If it gets too low, the guitar's drying out and needs humidification. If it goes too high, back off on the humidification, it doesn't need it. Seems simple enough.

Great advice! ... check the rod too though ... mine are almost all electrics and you southern folks don't know dry in the winter. :lol: -20 will freeze dry everything. Forced air heat running 24 / 7. My electrics all need truss rod adjustments every spring and fall. The maple necks are the most vulnerable. The mahogony ones need little adjustment and my composite ... well ... none!

About 1 hour south of me they just got 12 feet of snow in one week ..... but not me :P

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2867930&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

We've just been hit by a blizzard! Must be an inch of it out there! :shock:

I'll bet you have some cabin fever TRGuitar. You should have alot time to work on some new licks. We have not had a flake so far this year.

I did place a order for a in-case humidifier. The Epi came with a humidty guage in the case. It is reading 38% now. I don't know how accurate it is but once I receive it latter in the week I'll shoot for 50% and keep a check on it. I'll give it a while to acclumate before any rod adjustments.

Thanks

There you go. Keep it at about 50% for a few days and see what you get.

Solid body electrics usually aren't as sensitive to humidity changes as acoustics, being pretty well sealed all over with paint and varnish and made of thicker wood besides. As TR noted, the necks are affected, but more slowly than the body of an acoustic, which is quite thin and unfinished on the inside.

This morning we had every bit of 2 inches of snow. The snowplows and salt trucks have been running by here all night and morning. They've been on alert all winter with hardly anything to do, so they're getting it all out now. Went to church and didn't find a soul there. I'll go look again in a few minutes. No message I can find about it being closed.

Cabin fever for sure! But I live just north of where all that stuff dropped. We only have a few feet here. You wouldn't think 60 or 70 miles could make such a difference but that is the nature of lake effect snow off Lake Ontario. I'm just enough north of it it dosen't affect me as much. Up til recently it had been a very mild winter. January 13th the snow came and has stayed. (But who's counting?) Thats when it got cold too. It's warm out today though. It's 18 degrees above zero.

Hey Ric, we got a couple inches here last night too. Business as usual though here. I'm heading south come April to visit my daughter in Florida and see my new baby grand daughter. She is due to arrive the end of March. That will fix that cabin fever for sure! :D

Yeah, that'll fix it!

Heck, I get excited when my daughter brings our "grandtortoise" up for a visit. I spoil the little sweetie, as grandpas are supposed to do.

I went back to church and it was apparently closed. Dunno how they announced it but I didn't get it. We're supposed to have a board meeting at 5:00. Hope we do, because I got last month's meeting minutes typed up and finished an hour and 45 minutes ahead of it. Probably the earliest I've ever gotten that job done. :lol:

I live in the north and I actually have two bridges for my Washburn, one winter and one summer. I play with a fairly low action and after some experimentation found that all I have to do is change the bridge during a string change in the appropriate season, I don't have to touch my truss rod and it seems to work well.

I also recommend having the guitar checked out, sounds like the problem is past the area that the truss rod can affect very much. Also, have the heel looked at to make sure that it hasn't come loose, if it has, it should be covered under warranty.

Thanks racetruck1
I'm going try the humidifier for a while, Maybe 2-3 weeks and if no luck, I will take it to be checked out. I have used a local gutair shop for a set up on my Fender last year, the owners seemed very sharp. He is also a Epi dealer if needed. I don't know if he does warranty for them but the only Epi warranty centers listed on Epi site near me is Gutair Center. I would rather he look at it first if no luck with the humidifier.

Thanks