Hoping that someone can give some insight here. I have been a touring musician for 17 years and I basically use one guitar, my "frankenstein" strat. It has an original '62 slab board neck bolted onto the body of an 80's '62 reissue. Every spring and summer the neck freaks out when humid weather first hits. Sometimes the neck straightens or back bows, sometimes it goes the other way. Either way, I have to tighten or loosen the truss rod a few times a year to correct this problem, and the guitar seems to take a day or two to "settle". It's a huge pain in the ass. Is there a right or a wrong way to acclamate a guitar to humid climates? We play a lot of gigs outside and like I said, this happens every year like clockwork. Any advice would be appreciated.
-Mickey
Acclimation should always happen slowly -- think hours and even a day or two in its case where the environment has become radically different, but even that will not stop the neck from changing due to humidity and temperature shifts. Many woods are susceptible to change with humidity and temperature changes, even closed/close grain woods such as maple. One-piece necks, esp one-piece with no separate fingerboard are probably the worst for this, because all the changes happen in the same direction. Carefully designed and assembled multi-piece necks use opposing grain wood sections (quarter sawn, if possible) glued together so the changes in the wood sections act in opposition to each other and somewhat cancel. This create a lot of stability and strength. Even having a one-piece with separate fingerboard helps. But none of this helps you. The only thing I can think of that might improve the situation is sealing the neck. If the finish is worn off, that will allow moisture in and out of the neck much more readily and result in more severe and more rapid changes. Of course, your neck is probably broken-in nicely the way you like it, and you probably don't want to refinish or seal it.
So if you love the guitar, this is probably just the way it's going to be. Among my collection, I have both rock solid and highly changeable-with-season necks. Even my maple with ebony fingerboard guitar will change more than some others -- especially now that it is a "veteran" with finish wear. I love it anyway.
-=tension & release=-
Thanks. I didn't really think there was a way around the problem, and no, the neck has absolutely no finish left on the back and that's the way i like it. Oh well.
