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So, the humidity levels right now in my place are between 50-60%. From fall -spring, it is a constant 40-45%. So my question is, is that to high to get this guitar started? The wood has been dried and stickered so I am wondering at this point, is there any ill effects from the humidity level? I read somewhere that at a certain point at the wood has been dried and exposed to changes, the less of an effect it has later. Of course, i don't believe everything I read...Any opinions?

Frank, I recommend getting a dehumidifier. 50-60% is high for doing things like bracing the top and back. I try to keep my humidity level around 43-47% max. Even at that I'm a little worried what will happen to a guitar I'm building for a guy in Denver. The humidity is so low there that I'm tempted to buy him a case humidifier just to be on the safe side.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

Yea,
and Denver is dryer too.

High Hummidity! You call that HIGH! Here in sunny and HUMMID Sarasota, Fl That's near bone dry! (no laugh). I keep my shop between 45-55% RH. BUT! I have to remember that most of my customers are going to play their guitars at the Beach, on their Porch/deck, on their Boat, in some sweaty night club, where ever...in SRQ the hummidity is always 80-90% some days even higher. So sometimes I let the guitar sit out on my deck (most of us have decks not porches) and see what happens. More often than not I tell my customers to keep their guitars in a hummidity controlled room but even with a/c on all the time normal hummidity is about 60%.

So to answer your question "can you build", why certainly, just remember where/who you are building for and what the hummidity will be there. My understanding is that guitars will take on hummidty much better than they fair when drying out...so don't ship to Arizona.

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Dave Bland

remember...

"If it doesn't play in tune...it's just pretty wood"

Good point Dave. I should have said high for my place. That is dry compared to some other places!

So, I have a new question then, if you build taking into account where the guitar will "live", what if the guitar lives in an area with big humidity flucuations?

[QUOTE=FrankC] what if the guitar lives in an area with big humidity flucuations?[/QUOTE]

In that case I would build at the lower end of the fluctuations. That way when the humidity drops there is less risk of things drying out and cracking.

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Dave Rector
Rector Guitars

During the summer I can remove as much as 5 gal. of water a day from my shop and in the dry winter months I add as Much as 5 gal. a day. I keep it at a constant 44-48% and if t gets out of that range building stops.