# Dry Wood Tone vs 'Wet' Wood Tone



## ed2000 (Feb 16, 2007)

We know that humidity in guitar woods causes physical changes in guitar tops. Regarding tone quality, does 'wet' wood sound different from a 'dry' wood?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Yes, a wet guitar sounds "slooshy" and the wetter it gets, the "slooshier" it sounds.

Seriously, you would likely need some very good ears or an anechoic chamber to hear the difference.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

It really depends on of far the boat has sank at that point. If the boat is six feet under you would have a very different tone then say you were on the bow of that sinking ship and the guitar was only getting ocean spray and the sweat off of Celine Dion's brow


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2015)

Steadfastly said:


> Yes, a wet guitar sounds "slooshy" and the wetter it gets, the "slooshier" it sounds.


now there's a new term for tone. or lack of. lol.


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## garrettdavis275 (May 30, 2014)

I would think wood that wasn't properly dried prior to manufacture would sound dead as hell. Dark and choked off. Not very musical if you catch my drift. The extra weight and moisture between the fibres would inhibit and absorb a lot of resonance. Wood that is properly dried wouldn't likely absorb enough moisture to make a huge difference in the tone (within reason). It gets pretty well sealed from the finishing process. Not completely but pretty close.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

It is also only absorbing water...not tree sap 



garrettdavis275 said:


> I would think wood that wasn't properly dried prior to manufacture would sound dead as hell. Dark and choked off. Not very musical if you catch my drift. The extra weight and moisture between the fibres would inhibit and absorb a lot of resonance. Wood that is properly dried wouldn't likely absorb enough moisture to make a huge difference in the tone (within reason). It gets pretty well sealed from the finishing process. Not completely but pretty close.


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## garrettdavis275 (May 30, 2014)

shoretyus said:


> It is also only absorbing water...not tree sap


No, not a lot of sap in the atmosphere. Quality observation.


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## garrettdavis275 (May 30, 2014)

Also, the bigger tone-killer, over and above green wood... is pinecones. Those things will rattle like a bitch on open chords.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Pine Top Perkins had a hell of a time with it 


garrettdavis275 said:


> Also, the bigger tone-killer, over and above green wood... is pinecones. Those things will rattle like a bitch on open chords.


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## garrettdavis275 (May 30, 2014)

Sure did. Between the 'cones and trying to play with 2 chainsaws for hands he wasn't even good enough for a punk band. Poor bastard.

... on the plus side, he did have 2 chainsaws for hands. So that was pretty sweet.


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## ed2000 (Feb 16, 2007)

So it doesn't really make a difference if the same guitar is played at the ambient humidity index in Halifax or Las Vegas? (probably gets a bigger paycheque in Vegas)


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I'm sure it takes a while for humidity differences to take effect. For example, I keep all my guitars in a room at 45-50% humidity which is where a luthier will tell you your guitar should be. But if I bring it outside for an hour or 2 at a different humidity, the wood isn't going to change it's humidity drastically. Unless you are putting it in an oven or something, the wood's humidity should be fairly stable for a while.


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## garrettdavis275 (May 30, 2014)

knight_yyz said:


> I'm sure it takes a while for humidity differences to take effect. For example, I keep all my guitars in a room at 45-50% humidity which is where a luthier will tell you your guitar should be. But if I bring it outside for an hour or 2 at a different humidity, the wood isn't going to change it's humidity drastically. Unless you are putting it in an oven or something, the wood's humidity should be fairly stable for a while.


^^^ This. Properly dried wood is pretty darn stable, kilns used to be my summer job growing up. And if you're playing back to back gigs in Halifax/Las Vegas without making any provision for the temp/humidity change, your guitar's setup will be the issue, not the tone. It won't become waterlogged because you're standing next to the ocean.


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