Ultratone Guitars - Humidity and How it Effects Instruments

Instrument Care Essentials:

Humidity and How it Effects Instruments

The proper storage of a stringed instrument is essential to the lifespan of your instrument. Selecting a space for your instruments and controlling the humidity of environment in that space can be a challenge. This article is designed to give guidelines and to help you better protect your instrument.

I have found that the best relative humidity level for any wood constructed instrument is somewhere between 45% and 55%. Most Instruments live in this range very nicely. However, when the relative humidity level drops to 40% or below inside your home, your instrument's fingerboard may start to shrink, which can cause the frets to stick out slightly over the edge of the fingerboard. When the levels are 35% relative humidity or less, the frets are definitely starting to feel uncomfortable. The top of your acoustic guitar starts to shrink, causing it to bow in or near the soundhole, making the action higher, and you're beginning to notice that your guitar doesn't play as well as it used to. By the time your guitar has been living in 30% humidity for an extended period of time, you may start to see finish cracks, or even wood cracks in the top.

Sounds like a slippery slope, huh! With a simple humidifier placed inside the instrument’s case you can avoid these issues. Humidifiers can usually be purchased from your local dealer at a pretty inexpensive price.

BE AWARE!

MANUFACTURERS WILL ALWAYS JUDGE DAMAGE CAUSED BY HUMIDITY ISSUES AS DEFECTS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTIES!

The best place to store your instrument when not using it is in it’s case. Avoid leaving instruments in severe temperature situations. Extreme hot or cold climates can damage finish, playability and lastly value. Never leave your instrument in the trunk of your car, direct sunlight or anywhere that you yourself wouldn't want to be. If you’re not comfortable then your instrument isn't either! Wipe off instrument after every use. This not only prolongs your string’s life but also the life of the instrument. A clean instrument is a happy instrument! If you must store your instrument for an extended period of time, loosen the strings to avoid damage.

Another great tip is to never attempt major adjustments unless performed by a qualified repair person. Over tightening of the truss rod can result in non repairable damage and can turn your instrument into a door stop.

Remember to have fun and to always play responsibly!

  

Ultratone Guitars - How Many Drums Do I Really Need?

The answer to this question mainly depends on whether you've got a sports car or a van. Moving your drums is probably a bigger issue than how many people have. 

Most professional drummers have drum sets so large that you wonder how the other musicians fit on the stage. But just because their equipment fills an entire semi trailer, do you also need 25 drums or 05 cymbals? When you're starting out, the basics of playing drums can be mastered on a much smaller and more compact set. This is good because a smaller kit is less expensive, won't take up your entire garage or basement, and will keep you more focused until you get your skills sharpened. 

A commission hungry music sales person may want you to buy a full set with 7 shells, cymbals galore, a double bass pedal, ect. But, in all reality, you only need a snare drum, a bass drum, a hi-hat, and one cymbal to start learning how to play the drums. However, you can easily end up paying more for individual drums than you would if you were to purchase a five-piece starter kit, which consists of a snare drum, a bass drum, and three tom-toms. If hardware and cymbals aren't included, add to this a hardware pack (with a snare stand, hi-hat, cymbal stands and throne) and a cymbal pack (with a ride cymbal, a crash cymbal, and hi-hat cymbals), and you're ready to start playing a kit. The whole package should be in the $300 to $900 range for a good-quality kit. Your local music store should be able to help you to pick out the best kit for your budget. 

Okay, a pair or two of stick may help too. 

By purchasing an all-in-one set or drum kit, are you getting low-quality equipment that won't stand up as well as "pro" drums? The answer can easilly be no. These entry-level kits are usually full-size drums with good-quality hardware, especially when looking at brands such as TKO Percussion or PDP. In addition, the drums themselves are better than many higher-priced, professional-quality drums from just 10 or 20 years ago. Technology is in your corner here! Smaller drums may be cheaper, but they aren't often up to the task of growing with you, both physically and technically. Part of the investment is in long life for the drum kit. If you're starting out in junior high school, you could still be using it when you're in college and beyond. Assuming you stay with drumming, you may eventually want a new set for other reasons or you may want to add to the set with more drums, cymbals, and other percussion instruments. But for now, you're covered with as much of a drum set as you could need.