Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Weather affecting Guitars?

  • 27-11-2010 10:54pm
    #1
    pswanto
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 75 ✭✭


    Just wondering has anyone noticed a big difference in there guitars of late? my martin is buzzing loads the past two days, where as normally its perfect? just wondering could the cold weather over the last few days have affected it so much? has this happened to anyone else?


Comments

  • #2
    Dord
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,817 ✭✭✭✭Dord


    pswanto wrote: »
    Just wondering has anyone noticed a big difference in there guitars of late? my martin is buzzing loads the past two days, where as normally its perfect? just wondering could the cold weather over the last few days have affected it so much? has this happened to anyone else?

    It's quite common. Wood is affected by temperature change. When it's hot wood will contract and when it's cold wood will expand. You might need to do a small truss rod adjustment to rectify the issue. Some instruments don't need much at all but I've had others that required seasonal adjustments.


  • #3
    pswanto
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 75 ✭✭pswanto


    ya i know all about wood and temperature and humidity and stuff it just seems to have been a very rapid change over the last few days? but i suppose this is my first winter with my martin?


  • #4
    bennygrc
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭bennygrc


    This is not movement of the wood.

    Wood expands and contracts as it loses or absorbs moisture. Moisture is absorbed or lost by the wood cells which are alligned along the grain. Consequently seasonal changes in wood dimension occur primarily accross the grain - in the case of a guitar neck this translates to changes in the fret board width. You've probably seen guitars with bound fretboards where the neck wood is proud of the binding producing a lip which can easily be felt. This is a result of moisture loss from the unfinished fretboard. The neck wood remains at a fairly constant moisture content as it is mostly sealed by the finish.

    What causes a backbow in guitar necks in winter is contraction of the truss rod. Steel contracts uniformly with a drop in temperature. Consequently when you get a drop in temperature in winter the truss rod tightens while the neck wood remains largely the same given the oriented nature of woods expansion/contraction.

    Guitars with a simple 1-way truss rod often require seasonal neck adjustment. 2-way truss rods are usually immune from this problem since they act as a discrete component - the material contraction acts equally on both the compression and tension elements. There are numerous designs of truss rods used in guitars.


Advertisement