Apprise Music Lessons

show your guitar some love and humidity. If you have ever had one of your guitars split or crack over the winter, you are not alone. Frustrated, upset, and gene...rally NOT covered under Manufacturers warranty. If you live in our area (Northern Alberta ) cold, dry winters combined with your nice warm furnace...can really dry out that wood. It's science. Here is an excerpt from our L&M Guitar care guide that helps to explain. Handling and Storage A guitar is a delicate instrument and must be treated with care in order to prevent structural or cosmetic damage. You should always handle your guitar with extreme care; guitars can be easily damaged from impact or rough handling, even when inside of a case. Never store your guitar near a heater or in direct sunlight, and never leave your guitar outside or in the trunk of a car, especially during extreme heat or cold. Humidity Wood is hygroscopic, which means it will release or absorb moisture into the air around it, causing it to shrink or swell. Prior to a guitar's construction, the wood is dried and seasoned to achieve stable moisture content. After construction, the wood in the guitar will continue to release or absorb moisture depending on the humidity in the air around it. If the guitar is exposed to a dry environment, it will begin to release moisture into the air, causing the wood to shrink. If it is exposed to a humid environment the wood will absorb moisture from the air and begin to swell. These changes have implications for the playability and longevity of the guitar. The ideal conditions for your guitar (and your violin, cello or piano) are between 18C - 24C and between 45% - 55% relative humidity. These conditions are the same as those in the factory workshop where the guitar was built. Keeping the guitar within this range will ensure that the wood will not release or absorb moisture, and help avoid potential trouble. Effects of Humidity Change High humidity can cause acoustic guitar tops to swell, resulting in uncomfortably high action; a setup can usually address such issues. Extremely high humidity can cause glue joints to release, and finishes to distort or peel. High humidity can also cause necks to warp or twist, and metals components to rust and corrode prematurely. Low humidity may cause sharp fret ends to protrude past the edge of the fingerboard as it shrinks. Acoustic guitar tops will begin to shrink inwards, resulting in low action and fret-buzz. Prolonged exposure to a dry environment will lead to warped necks and loose frets. Severe dryness will cause cracks to form and glue joints to release as the wood shrinks. Controlling Humidity We strongly recommend the use of a hygrometer to monitor the temperature and humidity level to which your guitar is being exposed. A small digital hygrometer is inexpensive and will allow you to evaluate if you are exposing your guitar to harmful conditions. Just about everyone who owns a guitar in Canada will find they have to take special precautions in the winter to combat low humidity. Oasis guitar humidifier Oasis Guitar Humidifier Kaiser Lifeguard Guitar Humidifier Kaiser Lifeguard Humidifier The most effective way to maintain proper humidity in the winter is to keep the guitar in a case or bag and use an instrument humidifier. There are many models of instrument humidifiers available which all perform the same basic function. They provide a moisture source inside the sealed environment of your guitar case. When you put your guitar in its case with the humidifier, the dry air will draw moisture from the humidifier, instead of your guitar. Used properly, it will provide enough moisture to prevent your guitar from the worst effects of dry winter air. It is crucial for all guitar owners to understand the relationship between their guitar and the environment around it. Exposure to extreme temperature and humidity conditions can cause serious and sometimes irreparable damage. Canada's dry winters are to blame for a large portion of the serious performance problems we see in repair shops. It becomes dangerously dry in almost all regions of Canada in the winter. If the relative humidity falls below 45%, you should be taking steps to protect your instrument.

We have online lessons!! www.apprisemusiclessons.com