winter set-up/summer set-up

[Donal]

We just had a thread about humidifying instruments during the heating season. Then it occurred to me, I remember reading/hearing from multiple sources, references to people getting winter and summer set-ups for their guitars.I seem to recall some people have one saddle they use in summer, and a different one for winter. I have the impression that this is/was a very common practice. But it would seem that if you kept your instruments properly humidified, you wouldn't need a set-up to accommodate the different seasons. Is the idea of keeping your instruments humidified a relatively recent thing? :?

Don.

 

[fronobulax]

I know some pro or semi-pro cellists who routinely switch the posts inside the body that are under the bridge as support as the seasons change. I never really asked them why. It may be as simple as humidity control on a cello is much harder than that of a guitar.

Personally, I am of the benign neglect school of maintenance and believe "if it ain't broke then don't fix it". So I would like to believe that someone who has seasonal setups is doing so because they can tell a difference that I am insensitive to. But I would never do it unless I could tell a difference.

 

[silverfox103]

I have to agree with Frono, don't fix it, if it ain't broke.

I have had acoustic guitars for 30 plus years. I never humidified anything and never a problem. Then, I found "Lets Talk Guild" and I am now deathly afraid of not keeping everything humidified.

Tom C.

 

[jte]

My F47-CE is really stable so I don't do much other than tweak the truss rod in the spring and late fall. But the A-50 (flat top from 1995, not an early arch top) just SOUNDS better with different strings too. I use Phosphor Bronze mediums in the spring/summer, and when the weather changes in the late fall she sounds better with 80/20 lights. Weird, very weird, but after managing a guitar store from 1977-1988, I learned to let the guitar tell me what she wants instead of me forcing her to be something.

Hmmm... there's a reason guitars are shaped like women.

John

 

[jgwoods]

I used to have 2 saddles- higher for Winter, lower for Summer, but since they get better treatment in Winter these days with a humidifier I have not found the need for 2 saddles.

Benign neglect works for most folks, and most guitars. Obsessive attention to humidity, temperature, dew point, UV, and sun spots works too, but takes a lot more time. :roll:

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I have known about humidifying guitars for probably 25 years.
I live in Utah, the second driest state in the Union.
In the earily years, our humidifiers were apples in a sock, placed inside the guitar's case.
In those days, I would get some buzzing in my guitars in the winter.

I had 3 guitars back then.
One was a Yamaha L-20A Custom built which came with 2 saddles. One for winter and one for summer.
I did switch them when needed.
I never did anything with my Martin D-35 or my Guild 12 string,
except add the apple.
The Martin would get a little buzz in the winter, if I strumed it hard.
The Guild had a high action and never buzzed.

Now days I have in-case humidifiers in all cases and a room humidifier that runs year round.
I also have a humidifier on my centeral heating for the winter.

I don't have to do anything to adjust any of my guitars now.
Proper humidity does make a difference, but I do miss the smell of the apple at times.

 

[killdeer43]

I've lived in northwest Washington state for 34 years. What is this humidifier thing everyone keeps talking about?
I mean, when you think about it......oops, gotta run....it's starting to rain again! :wink:

Later,
Joe