twist

[bobarino]

so, here's the deal:

i have this chinese-made squier tele.
during the summer, when it's hot and the air is dry, the guitar is fine.
but when winter comes, with its lower temperatures and humid air, the neck twists.
basically, the guitar is only playable for 7 or 8 months per year.
would it be a good idea to leave the guitar in the backyard, exposed to the direct sunlight, on those few dry winter days?
would it even make any difference?

pic:

 

[captcoolaid]

Hooly shit that straightens in the summer.

 

[bobarino]

Hooly shit that straightens in the summer.

yup.

 

[TeleDog]

I'd say winter is cold and dry, if you run a heater then your house is dry as a bone. That tends to cause a lot of problems in acoustic guitars. Summer is humid and hot, therefore the wood doesn't tend to shrink.

I've never seen a maple neck go through that much trouble, usually they're rock hard and stable. But if that stuff works again in the summer, get a humidifier and make sure your guitars remain at more or less the same humidity levels all year around.

If it was mine, and the guitar was a player, I'd buy a new neck. GFS sells necks for cheap if you want to go basic. That stuff shouldn't be happening to a maple neck!

My two cents.

 

[Indyclone]

I's say it was poorly sawn, it's not shrinking equally in changes in humidity.

 

[TeleDog]

I's say it was poorly sawn, it's not shrinking equally in changes in humidity.

It shouldn't be happening like that even if the neck wasn't quarter-sawn. This is a huge amount of warp, it's like the neck is made out of some sort of soft wood or something.

 

[bobarino]

I'd say winter is cold and dry, if you run a heater then your house is dry as a bone. That tends to cause a lot of problems in acoustic guitars. Summer is humid and hot, therefore the wood doesn't tend to shrink.

where i live it's not like that... summer is extremely dry...
winter is so humid that often i find my guitars covered in water spray (it looks like water spray).
all my guitars remain fine (even the acoustics) when exposed to those insane levels of humidity
except for the tele (see pic) and the les paul (nitro coating cracks).

 

[TeleDog]

If you say so... but a maple neck shouldn't warp like that. Get a new neck, and for the sake of your guitars make sure you at least try to prevent drastic changes in humidity. It hasn't happened to you, yet, but trust me, you're not the exception to the rule, you're just lucky.

 

[bobarino]

If you say so... but a maple neck shouldn't warp like that. Get a new neck

you don't think exposing the guitar the the direct sunlight during the afternoon on drier winter days would be enough?

edit - what about pointing one of those heaters with a fan right at the neck for a while?

and for the sake of your guitars make sure you at least try to prevent drastic changes in humidity. It hasn't happened to you, yet, but trust me, you're not the exception to the rule, you're just lucky.

what's it exactly?

also, could you provide a link to those gfs necks, please? thanks.

 

[TeleDog]

IT means the acoustics getting damaged. It happened to a guy I know who lives close by and never, ever, ever had a problem with his D28.. This year though, strings stuck to the fretboard.

Sure, here's the link to GFS, they're CHEAP necks, but for the price they're a good value. You can get a neck with a shaped peghead or you can buy a blank and shape your own. Up to you, maple or rosewood board. Make sure you get a TELE neck and not the Strat neck, pocket and shape are a bit different.

Necks and Bodies

 

[bobarino]

thanks for the link!

 

[TeleDog]

No problem, I posted instructions on how to make a cheapo humidifier for your acoustics, not a substitute for the good stuff but it'll help through the winter if you don't wanna spend big bucks. It's in the Tonefreaks section.

 

[Feeling Supersonic]

Guitar ist bent.

 

[bobarino]

the sun was shining bright and warm today so i left the guitar exposed to the direct sunlight
(just to see if the neck would dry enough to un-twist)
and went to take a shower.
i came back after a while and found this sad scenario:

 

[es345guy]

Kitteh is trying to help. Is your cat a luthier by the way?

 

[bobarino]

Is your cat a luthier by the way?

nah, he's just a perv.

 

[MenaceMartin]

Guitar ist bent.

Ja ja! Nasty

 

[BillB1960]

the sun was shining bright and warm today so i left the guitar exposed to the direct sunlight
(just to see if the neck would dry enough to un-twist)
and went to take a shower.
i came back after a while and found this sad scenario:

Luthier kitteh sez...


Only way to straighten nex is old skool

 

[es345guy]

Luthier Kitteh = ode skooo

 

[bobarino]

so, here's the deal:

i have this chinese-made squier tele.
during the summer, when it's hot and the air is dry, the guitar is fine.
but when winter comes, with its lower temperatures and humid air, the neck twists.
basically, the guitar is only playable for 7 or 8 months per year.
would it be a good idea to leave the guitar in the backyard, exposed to the direct sunlight, on those few dry winter days?
would it even make any difference?

pic:

Hooly shit that straightens in the summer.

yup.

so, it's summer already.

i haven't even played that guitar for months.
i have been playing the sg, the lp, the washburn, and the hello kitty.
for some reason i decided to check on her 10 minutes ago.

i just had to take a pic and post it here.

compare the winter pic up there ↑↑↑ with the summer pic down here ↓↓↓

what a difference, huh?