by Franz Fleckenstein

Created on: June 30, 2007

Currently I work in a music/guitar shop and am responsible for the setup and maintenance of solid top (real wood, not veneered) acoustic, classical and electric guitars. Humidity is easily the factor that you will need to pay closest attention to when expansion and contraction are pertinent with your wood working projects. Although I don't have experience with furniture or cabinet making, the concepts of temperature and moisture characteristics are the same. Keep in mind that the correct values of proper moisture depend on the type of project you are working on, I will do my best to throw in some examples other than guitar maintenance.

Briefly:
Guitars are most stable in environments that have steady humidity, temperature, and circulation conditions. For most guitars, a 40% to 60% humidity climate is most desirable and keeps the guitar not only stable from changing action heights and fret movement, but also prevents full-depth cracks, splits, finish etching/cracking and bridge pull (strings pulling the bridge off the guitar). Too much humidity can lead to rotting and neck problems (waving neck). Temperature is less important than humidity and is more of a nuisance than a hazard. Bringing a guitar in and out of temperature variations will throw it out of tune and in severe cases can change the action of the guitar. It is very important to keep guitars out of direct sunlight due to finish deterioration, discoloration, and drying/cracking. Circulation is more important than many people realize. With humidity as high as 60%, guitars and other wood products run a chance of rotting due to mold and stagnant air.

Fixes:
So what can you do to prevent or correct the above listed issues? With regards to humidity, you can either humidify an entire room with a electric humidifier (cool mist only, NOT warm mist) or humidify each individual instrument with sound-hole or case humidifier that must be refilled more frequently. Temperatures are easy enough to control. Simply keep the particular area in the range of 68 - 78 degrees.(72-77 for the pickiest guitar techs). Circulation is obviously a "no-brainer" too. If the area is excessively dusty (or has spiders) you should take an air compressor and blow out the inside of the guitar to remove dust and webs. You don't need much circulation but a reasonable amount is desired. If your guitar does happen to crack, you need not throw it out or panic. Although it may be visually unappealing, nearly any crack can be filled and sealed. This

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