Every year we see a large number of guitarists come to us with the same complaints; Winter cracks, sunken tops and an unplayable instrument. Whilst properly taking care of your guitar, the winter months are the hardest. Not only the cold, but especially the drought is hard to endure for your guitar. The low humidity / drought can cause the top to drop, the fretboard to shrink, the strings to buzz, the finish to tear and the bindings to detach.
How can you tell that your guitar is too dry?
The easiest way to see that the guitar is too dry are frets that point outwards (not always the case!), buzzing strings and a much lower (too low) action. Also a shrunken top, shrunken fretboard, teared and cracked finish and a loose binding are signals that the guitar is too dry, in these cases action must be taken immediately. Of course you are more than welcome to bring your guitar to us for repair.
How can you protect your guitar against the drought?
Our tip; from the beginning of November till the end of March we recommend you store your guitar in the case with an Oasis humidifier, which are available at our store! If this is too expensive, you can also use a piece of "oasis" (commonly used for arranging flowers) or a sponge in a small plastic container (with holes in the top). Let the oasis / sponge naturally fill with boiled or distilled water, this can then be placed with the guitar in its case. To find out what the humidity of the room is, we advise the purchase of a hygrometer, we ourselves have good experiences with the ones made by Taylor, also available at our store! Between 45 and 55% is perfect for the guitar, the hygrometer automatically gives a signal when the humidity drops below 40%. If the guitar is well moistened in the winter months there is hardly any chance of damage. Naturally, damage that comes from weather conditions aren't covered in our warranty-package. We can however repair everything for you if necessary.
In short
Most guitars are made to withstand temperature changes, but guitar care is necessary to keep your instrument in proper shape. Do not forget to check the humidity level of the place where you store your guitar and remember that when you switch on the heater or air conditioner, you change the humidity in the environment where you store your instrument. Use the tips mentioned above to keep your instrument at the right humidity level.