Bob-Dubery
Hi all,
As I understand it the problem with low humidity is that wood starts shrinking. I have heard that at extreme low humidity there can be problems caused with the fingerboard shrinking and the fret ends starting to protrude a little.
Now I was talking to Mervyn Davis yesterday. Mervyn prefers to build his guitars very dry, so they shouldn't give problems during the dry highveld winters. We were discussing humidity and the need to humidify. He said a Smoothtalker shouldn't need an in-case humidifier because he builds at quite low humidity levels. So I said, well what if it gets to the point where I start feeling the fret ends when playing? Do I humidify then? He said something along the lines of if it gets to that point with any guitar you have problems that a humidifier cannot rectify and that a fret dressing is probably going to be required.
Anybody got any opinions on this? I have never noticed the fret-end problem myself. My Morgan doesn't like the dry highveld winters and so I keep the case humidified. It has occasionally buzzed as the top shrinks and pulls the action down, but I have never felt the fret ends as a result of fingerboard shrinkage. But then it does have a bound fingerboard. But my Taylor has an unbound neck and I can't say I've noticed that problem on the Taylor either.
AlanRatcliffe
Listen to Mervyn - he knows whereof he speaks. ? The woods used are
"Fret sprout" (as it is known) is rare and is the result of a very dry fingerboard - one that hasn't been oiled for years. It's also more prone to happening with ebony than the more common rosewood, which tends to hold it's oil for decades. Even with ebony, if it's been properly cured before using (it prefers air drying to kiln drying and for a longer period than most woods), sprout is extremely rare.
