MIMF

Hi, I'm Stephen and just joined up.

I apprenticed with Yuris Zeltins at The Blue Guitar in San Diego starting in 1969 and worked with him for 34 years. My wife and I moved up to Idaho in 2005 where I'm building steel strings and venturing into classical. I still do repair and am the "Authorized" repair shop for C.F.Martin in Idaho.

I'm looking forward to helping folks here and to learn from you as well. This looks like good place to hang out.

Thanks.

Glad you found us Stephen! And yeah, we think it is a good place to hang out...hope you'll think so, too!

Welcome aboard, Stephen.

Hi, Stephen! How's business in Challis? My folks live a few minutes down river from you, and you've met my mom Wendy at the Messenger.

I've visited your website, and I'd love to visit your shop next time we're in town. What's it like building in Central Idaho where RH is so low all the time? I'm guessing you've got that under control, what with the high quality product you produce and the repair work you do.

Welcome to the MIMF! This is a good place.

Thanks for the welcome, gentlemen!

Jason, I'm on the Salmon River, 12 miles up river from Challis. When I first got here I sealed the shop up and had a humidifier going, kept it at 35% RH, but gave that up after a year and now build at the "normal" 25% inside the shop. I have a lot to say about the humidity thing and am convinced that if people build above 40% they're making a big mistake! I'm not alone in this and my guitars can, and do, go anywhere.

Please come see me next time you're in town and thanks for the welcome!

Yeah, "I know where you live." Ha-ha!

Well, this is your post, so you can go on about your views on humidity, or lack thereof. Lower construction humidity will allow for the possibility of a higher playing/living/storage humidity without damage, but not t'other way around. It's encouraging to hear that a RH as low as 25% can work, but you think even the "accepted" 45% is pushing the upper end?

Yes! 45% is mildew! 40% is the highest one should go. OK so you live in Florida or Georgia and you're never gonna go anywhere, then 45%.
But it's insane to build guitars such as Martin and expect no problems in the Rockies or desert country, which a huge part of the west is. Nearly every Martin that comes to me has a collapsed top. If they're here for warranty work there's nothing I can do. In the first couple of years I went through the noise of humidifying the case with all the pontifications I've seen on this forum. But then the guy goes to play a gig outdoors and within a few minutes all that moisture is on it's way out!
People ask me how to take care of their new guitar. I say guitars like to be as comfortable as you are. Hanging out in the hot sun inside a black case ain't that comfortable. It's easy for them to understand. Dry, warm, weather is comfortable. You'd think Martin and Taylor would get that! No, Ol' Bob is filling his newspaper full of all these precautions. And people buy into it, why not? He should know!

So my instruments can travel to Florida...yes they might have to swap the medium saddle with the lower if their action goes up. But they can lead a normal guitar life. They live in a white Calton case just so I don't have to worry about them out there.

Yeah Jason, I should start a new thread about this.

Do so; I'll follow it.