Humidity Questions

[gotmayo?]

I live in south Louisiana, and is as far as i know probably one of the most humid places on Earth. I like to play my bass outside and was wondering if i might cause any kind of permanent warping to the neck, or if there is anything i should know regarding the subject because i probably dont already know it.

[john grey]

I can only give you my opinion and observations.
I live in deep Southern Arizona. We have Monsoon now (& through Summer) so we get HOT rain in massive amounts; so I know just what you're talking about.
I DO have some issues because out here (in AZ) we ALSO get times of totally ZERO humidity. Therefore we can run from 90-100% humidity and heat (well into 115+) to dry weather that can run from snow in the Winter and deep heat during other times (other than Winter).

The effects on wood can be drastic. The variables can be many. is the wood dense, does it have a it's own oils, resins. Does it have a finish and it's thickness / density? When guitar necks have open (unfinished) fret-boards, they have an ability to absorb moisture.When they have really any naked surface, they can absorb moisture. The time of exposure and the thickness make a difference also. On an acoustic guitar, this can be a serious issue due to the thinness of the construction and open woods. In an electric Bass (guitar, etc), many of the newer designs have a strong polymer clear coat in addition to paint. Maple necks often have polyurethane clear-coat on the fret-board and neck in total.

The issues are not so much the level of moisture (to a degree) but the CHANGES that may occur during the course of months or years to exposed woods. Woods that are under tension have the greater potential for alteration. To the best of my understanding the idea is to prevent drastic alterations in conditions in short time frames & of wide degree. This can occasionally have negative results depending upon a great deal of variables which we can't really account for unless we built or saw how the instrument was built (consistency of grain and related wood / strength consistency issues).
I would do the best I could [to remove from exposure] as many CHANGES, these things can bring to the surface, problems in wood which is under tension or bearing weight, etc.

I am careful to not facilitate changes in air-moisture, temperature exposure to the best I can. I have seen the results and they vary from very correctable but annoying things to serious problems. YMMV.

[ZanaZulu807]

I stay in Mississippi and I play outside quite a bit.... I make sure I stay in the shade, wipe down the neck regularly, and when I'm done I occasionally put a little oil around the frets; generally I have no problems. However, my problems usually come around winter time when the wood shrinks and the frets sprout out. Can't tell you how many times I've cut my left hand doing runs up and down the neck...

[john grey]

Originally Posted by ZanaZulu807

However, my problems usually come around winter time when the wood shrinks and the frets sprout out. Can't tell you how many times I've cut my left hand doing runs up and down the neck...

Frankly, that's pretty noticeable shrink.