Spalted Maple
I left my acoustic guitar in the closet over winter, and it's buzzing etc from being dried out. Salvageable?
Hey all,
I got a Washburn Spalted Maple Acoustic/Electric over the summer. I put it in my closet in October with full intentions of getting humidifiers etc, but it slipped my mind and I just took it out today. My apartment gets pretty dry.
My strings sound fine when I give it a strum. However, there is a buzzing sound produced from the bridge when I play any fretted note on the high E string, or any note on the 1st fret of the other strings.
If this is an issue with my guitar drying out, is this something you can reverse? Can I give it a set-up and hope for the best? Did I drop $600 on a gorgeous instrument just to screw it up through negligence?
Don't worry too much - this is most likely quite easy to fix.
And no, I don't believe this buzzing is caused by a loose brace. When a brace comes loose, you will hear a very articulate vibration from the sound board (try tapping the sound board just to make sure). Also, it there's changes to the profile of the sound board - the action will get higher, not lower. The strings will - potentially - cause the top (sound board) to lift slightly, since the loose brace will weaken the sound board.
Consequently, if the drying out has caused one or more braces to loosen (which may indeed happen), then buzzing will not be a result.
I suspect that you have experienced some minor climate changes to the neck (it is wood after all). And as a result, the neck probably has moved. In this case it has likely bowed slightly backwards (think towards you when you hold the guitar in playing position).
If this is the sole case, then it may be countered by a simple re-adjustment of the truss rod inside the neck. Do not attempt this yourself until you know how to do it. It is a very simple and straight forward procedure, but you must be proceed with care. Let an experienced person have a look at the guitar!
Another possibility is that one or more frets have come loose as a result of the neck drying out. This is not very likely on well crafted instrument, but it is possible. However, since you say that you have buzzing all the way up on the high E-string, my guess is that it's a truss rod issue.
Loose frets is also possible to fix, but more costly and quite a bit more labor intesive.
A third option is that you have gotten a "beak" in the neck. This usually occurs where the neck is joined to the body. Think of this as the neck forming more of a sharp angle at this point (where the neck and body is glued together). Such a beak may also be the result of drying wood and it is far more labor intesive and expensive to fix.
The buzzing may also be a combination of the above factors. Let us hope it is just the truss rod - something I suspect is the case. If you run your fingers carefully along the side of the neck and you feel the edge really sticking out (the ends are sharp...), then you may also have loose frets or an angled neck/body joint.
So for future reference, don't store the instrument like you have described. Hang it on a designated wall hanger if you plan to keep it out of duty for a while, and you'd be better off. Taking a look at the air humidity from time to time will definitely not hurt your guitar 
If things turn out for the worse - remind yourself that you could have ruined a far more costly guitar. Even adding another zero to the $600 price would not take you to the upper region of acoustic guitars. I really don't mean to insult you, but a $600 guitar is not that expensive. I have had people ruining guitars that almost could buy you a nice, new car. One guy even watered the inside of a really expensive, vintage one. That was a $15,000 Gibson, thank you very much...
 Spalted Maple Lathe Turning Wood M843  US $5.50
|
 pepper spalted blackline black maple root burl turning pen blanks wood US $10.00
|
 Spalted curly blackline orange maple turning pen blanks wood US $17.00
|
 Blackline spalted blue maple root crotch turning pen blanks wood US $15.50
|
 10PC SPALTED MAPLE TURNING WOOD SPINDLE BLANK LATHE US $11.50
|
 Spalted Maple Burl Turning Blanks Knife Scales US $3.00
|
 8 Acrylic stabilized spalted maple pen blanks US $23.00
|
 spalted maple bottle stopper blanks 1pc US $2.00
|
 Spalted hard maple turning bowl blank US $20.00
|
 SPALTED AMBROSIA MAPLE TURNING WOOD PEPPERMILL BLANKS PEN BLANK SCALES 6073 US $13.50
|
 Big Leaf Maple Highly Spalted 3x3x13 US $25.00
|
 SPALTED MAPLE BURL SLAB 19 X 16 X 1 5 8 001 US $24.95
|
 Maple Soft Spalted Stabilized Pen Blank 3 4 x 5 Blanks US $3.44
|
 Big Leaf Maple Quilted Spalted 6x6x175 US $13.00
|
 Big Leaf Maple Highly Spalted 3x3x11 US $25.00
|
 Spalted Silver Maple Wood Turning Bowl Blank Lathe 12 x 12 x 4 US $33.00
|
 SPALTED MAPLE KNIFE SCALES 001 US $4.95
|
 SPALTED MAPLE KNIFE SCALES 002 US $4.95
|
 SPALTED MAPLE KNIFE SCALES 003 US $4.95
|
 4PC SPALTED MAPLE TURNING WOOD PEPPERMILL BLANK LATHE US $14.95
|
 4 SPALTED MAPLE BOWL BLANKS LATHE TURNING BLOCK R7 5 US $32.00
|
| Powered by phpBay Pro |
 |
Spalted Maple Handcrafted Wine Bottle Stopper
 |
DescriptionGive the gift of Exotic Wood - this handcrafted Wine Bottle Stopper exudes luxury and will be the talk of the table at your next dinner party! Each wine bottle stopper is carefully crafted from exotic woods, and therefore each one shipped will be different from another - the picture illustrates four of such stoppers... Features
|
 |
Wok Set, Left - Right Hand Stir Fry, Spalted Flag Maple, Usa Made
|
DescriptionWok - Left and Right Hand Orientation! Functional Kitchen Decor. Hostess, shower, executive or Wedding Gift. A special treat for the chef in your home, this functional and beautiful Kitchen Pair is functional and ergonomic! It includes: a Pair of flat stir fry spatulas, freehand cut on our bandsaw of natural Spalted Ambrosia Beetle (Flag) Maple Wood... Features
|
 |
Spalted Maple Napkin Rings
|
DescriptionMan and nature often grapple over who can create the most beautiful object. Here they work in tandem. Spencer Peterman, who recovers and turns fallen trees into works of functional art, each of these one-of-a-kind napkin rings is made from spalted maple... |
 |
Mannington Adura Plank - Spalted Georgian Maple LOCnGo Natural Vinyl Flooring
|
Description16 S/FT, 16 per Box, 36 Inch long, 4 Inch wide, 4 MM thick, 27.500 lbs, Beige, Plank, Smooth, Interlocking edge, Interlocking end, locking floor installed without glue sold by the box. Features
|
 |
Queen Knives 4190SMB Drop Point Skinner Fixed Blade Knife with Fossilized Spalted Maple Burl Wood Handles
List Price: |
DescriptionQueen Knives - Drop Point Skinner Fixed Blade Knife with Fossilized Spalted Maple Burl Wood Handles: Model QN-4190SMB. 8" overall fixed blade. 3 3/4" D2 drop point blade. Full tang construction. Fossilized spalted maple burl wood handles... |
 |
Queen Cutlery Drop Point Hunter Fossilized Spalted Maple Burl Handle D2 Tool Steel Knife
List Price: |
DescriptionQueen Drop Point Hunter Fossilized Spalted Maple Burl Handles. 8" overall, 3 1/2" satin finish D2 tool steel drop point blade. Full tang construction. Embossed leather belt sheath. Features
|
 |
McDermott 58in Classic Series M85B Two-Piece Pool Cue
List Price: |
DescriptionMcDermott Classic Two-Piece Pool Cues combine the latest technology with high quality construction, exotic woods, and beautiful inlays to continue their reign as one of the leading professional cues! This beautiful billiard cue features a an exotic spalted maple forearm and sleeve... Features
|
 |
Queen Cutlery Sabre Hunter Fossilized Spalted Maple Burl Wood Handle D2 Tool Steel Knife
List Price: |
DescriptionQueen Sabre Hunter D2 Tool Steel Blade Knife. 8 1/2" overall length. 3 3/4" polished tool steel clip blade. Fossilized spalted maple burl wood handles. Full tang construction. Embossed leather belt sheath. Features
|
Volt Blades
Diamond Willow
Highly Figured
Sears Craftsman
Furniture Walls
Cherry Pen
Hands Magnifying
Boring Spade
Wood Glue
Stabilized Jumbo