riffster Posted May 29, 2009 Report Share Posted May 29, 2009 (edited) I know it is basic. ideally it should be 6-8 percent, but is 9 percent acceptable? I am looking at buying a nice piece of koa with this moisture content from Hawaii. It was kiln dried to 9 but the seller says it has stabalized to 11-12%? Any thoughts? Nathan Edited May 29, 2009 by riffster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted May 29, 2009 Report Share Posted May 29, 2009 Hawaii is a more tropical climate therefore higher constant humidity, which will make the wood stabilize at a higher humidity. If it is truely stabilized and hangs around 11-12%, that means the wood is no longer losing moisture but is no longer gaining, and has reached a balance with the surrounding air. If you order it I would give it at least a few months to acclimate to your climate. It should lose more moisture until it stabilizes to your climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted May 29, 2009 Report Share Posted May 29, 2009 Hawaii is a more tropical climate therefore higher constant humidity, which will make the wood stabilize at a higher humidity. If it is truely stabilized and hangs around 11-12%, that means the wood is no longer losing moisture but is no longer gaining, and has reached a balance with the surrounding air. If you order it I would give it at least a few months to acclimate to your climate. It should lose more moisture until it stabilizes to your climate. +1 absolutely 100% unequivocally perfectly correct answer. Unless you also live in a high moisture climate, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffster Posted May 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Thank you very much spoke and ihocky. Glad to hear that there is no issues with 9% moisture content! Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted May 30, 2009 Report Share Posted May 30, 2009 Now if you want some real fun, try stabilizing wood in Pa. Dry winters, and humid summers, plus fall and spring will change 40% humidity in one day. In fact yesterday at lunch my hygrometer read 75%, at 6:30 it dropped to 40%. Today is sitting pretty level around 40%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffster Posted May 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Your weather patterns seem similar as here near St. Louis. Its crazy! Thanks again ihocky for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Now if you want some real fun, try stabilizing wood in Pa. Dry winters, and humid summers, plus fall and spring will change 40% humidity in one day. In fact yesterday at lunch my hygrometer read 75%, at 6:30 it dropped to 40%. Today is sitting pretty level around 40%. Thats why I moved from Jersy(UGH) to Colorado. Dry all year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted May 31, 2009 Report Share Posted May 31, 2009 Now if you want some real fun, try stabilizing wood in Pa. Dry winters, and humid summers, plus fall and spring will change 40% humidity in one day. In fact yesterday at lunch my hygrometer read 75%, at 6:30 it dropped to 40%. Today is sitting pretty level around 40%. Thats why I moved from Jersy(UGH) to Colorado. Dry all year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted June 1, 2009 Report Share Posted June 1, 2009 Except lately it's unusually wet. All the way up to 50%! Hahaha. Still have wood problems though. Acoustic tops dry out and crack and fretboards go a little wonky. My strat neck slowly went unplayable. But then again it was 10 years old and probably needed a refret. A humidifier for my guitars would probably be a good idea. I notice the local guitar shop has some pretty thorough climate control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stolysmaster Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 (edited) Except lately it's unusually wet. All the way up to 50%! Hahaha. Still have wood problems though. Acoustic tops dry out and crack and fretboards go a little wonky. My strat neck slowly went unplayable. But then again it was 10 years old and probably needed a refret. A humidifier for my guitars would probably be a good idea. I notice the local guitar shop has some pretty thorough climate control. I've been here (Boulder/Denver/Firestone) for 22 years and the top on my acoustic has not cracked yet. But now you have me scared!!! Edited June 4, 2009 by Stolysmaster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 I would not worry. It's the dry that cracks it. As long as it was built in a dry environment and the guitar has survived the normal Denver weather you should be fine. Yeah I have been thinking what happened to the weather these past few weeks. Its like the Northeast???? The humidity in my shop went up 15%, I had to stop working in my guitars until the humidity is back to normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 What happens when a guitar from your dry environment hits my (NYC) wet one? I keep a sound hole humdifier in my acoustics in the winter when the humidity get low but have never thought of protecting from excess humidty (except for out right rain). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 (edited) I would not worry. It's the dry that cracks it. As long as it was built in a dry environment and the guitar has survived the normal Denver weather you should be fine. Yeah I have been thinking what happened to the weather these past few weeks. Its like the Northeast???? The humidity in my shop went up 15%, I had to stop working in my guitars until the humidity is back to normal. I don't think there's anything to worry about. We're spoiled here in Colorado. I grew up in Northeast Ohio (near lake Erie) where the humidity will frequently hit the upper 90's, and often %99, in the summer. I'm feeling ill thinking about it. If it ever got like that in Colorado, that'd be something to worry about. Edited June 4, 2009 by NotYou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stolysmaster Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 I would not worry. It's the dry that cracks it. As long as it was built in a dry environment and the guitar has survived the normal Denver weather you should be fine. Yeah I have been thinking what happened to the weather these past few weeks. Its like the Northeast???? The humidity in my shop went up 15%, I had to stop working in my guitars until the humidity is back to normal. It's a Texas Mossman, built in Dallas (fairly humid) in 1985. I moved here in 1987, 1 1/2 years later. But it has been fine this long though, so... Yeah, about the recent moisture here, my grass is loving it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 I would not worry. It's the dry that cracks it. As long as it was built in a dry environment and the guitar has survived the normal Denver weather you should be fine. Yeah I have been thinking what happened to the weather these past few weeks. Its like the Northeast???? The humidity in my shop went up 15%, I had to stop working in my guitars until the humidity is back to normal. It's a Texas Mossman, built in Dallas (fairly humid) in 1985. I moved here in 1987, 1 1/2 years later. But it has been fine this long though, so... Yeah, about the recent moisture here, my grass is loving it! As working man says a humidifier may be a good idea if the guitar is worth anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 Yeah, about the recent moisture here, my grass is loving it! just more to cut, ugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stolysmaster Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 Yeah, about the recent moisture here, my grass is loving it! just more to cut, ugh Yeah, the more time I spend with a mower in my hands, the leass time with a guitar in my hands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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