Official Luthiers Forum!

What is the effect of cold weather vs hot weather on guitar tonewoods?
Below and above what temp should I not attempt to build/repair?

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

If it's comfortable for you, it will be comfortable for your guitar and wood. Be more conserned with the humidity. If your keeping the guitar where you build it and you build it within 40-50% RH range or so you'll be fine.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Like with any material wood contracts when cold and expands when hot. Humidity and temp togather play a bigger role because the wood easlly hydrates and dehydrates. So if it is cold and damp the wood reacts differnt than cold and dry. I heat my shop so I pay more attintion to the humidity.

That's a good point Michael. Fortunately, I don't have much temp swing between seasons in my shop. Basements can be good at times. Rarely, but sometimes.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thanks for the replies, I'm living in Western Maine and my shop is not
heated. It's around 40/45? now (1st snow today, mixed with rain and hail…),
humidity about 55%. I'm hurrying up to finish my 1st build and a couple of
repairs, I live in Maine so I'm used to the cold, don't know about the guitars
though…

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Also keep in mind that glues like titebond shouldn't be used below about 60 degrees or you get chaulking and a weak joint. Keep warm up there

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

Laurent, the reality is that you have to keep your temperature and humidity as stable as possible during the whole build. You risk all kinds of problems with those low temperatures. Get the stuff into the heat, and get the humidity regulated, or you're looking for troubles.   

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

[QUOTE=Don Williams] Laurent, the reality is that you have to keep
your temperature and humidity as stable as possible during the whole
build. You risk all kinds of problems with those low temperatures. Get
the stuff into the heat, and get the humidity regulated, or you're looking
for troubles.   [/QUOTE]

Don, what kind of troubles specifically? Will the plates become more
unstable, glue joints more fragile? It's only since a couple of days that it's
been slightly cold, the build is completed I just have to do the fretting,
nut, saddle and set-up today. Since the past week when I glue something
I bring the guitars in the house afterwards where it's around 60/65?, I
also bring the guitars inside at night and leave the clamps slightly longer.
I don't really have a choice anyway but I'm curious to know what kind of
troubles, if any, might lie ahead for me…

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Should you seal the endgrain of stored wood?

Glue weakness issues, finish cure issues, wood expansion/contraction issues and/or cracking/fracturing issues. There is a reason why we go crazy watching our temps and humidity levels.
Here's an example.
This Spring/Summer I repaired 3 Maton guitars from Australia. Here in New England, the temperatures and humidity levels are very different from the build conditions in Australia. All three had center seams on the tops open up from tailblock to the bridge. Trust me...you don't want to be repairing top cracks on all your guitars...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."