So, I have a Johnson acoustic guitar that I bought about 10 years ago at a pawn shop in Fayetteville. She's a purdy blue thing with a cutaway and I'm sure she has a name that I can't remember at the moment. My boyfriend at the time taught me a few songs and how to play certain chords, but then we broke up the following school year. I didn't know anyone else who played guitar, so I played a little on my own over the past few years, but didn't really learn anything new. I decided, recently, to play her a little more and maybe learn some new songs (just for fun), and realized the strings were in desperate need of replacement. I finally bought some new strings today and came home to change them.
Upon close examination, I discovered that the poor thing is terribly warped. Really, I didn't even need to look closely. A blind person could tell from across the room that the bridge has completely warped the top of her so badly that the strings are a good 1/4" away from the fretboard (no exaggeration). No wonder I'm having such a hard time playing! I would love to get a new guitar, but I simply don't play enough to justify the expense, so I just put new strings on it and decided to keep tearing up my poor little fingers.
Maybe I could get it fixed, but I doubt it would be worth it even if it were possible. I've never been particularly good at the guitar, but I'm still kinda sad. Oh, well.
Upon close examination, I discovered that the poor thing is terribly warped. Really, I didn't even need to look closely. A blind person could tell from across the room that the bridge has completely warped the top of her so badly that the strings are a good 1/4" away from the fretboard (no exaggeration). No wonder I'm having such a hard time playing! I would love to get a new guitar, but I simply don't play enough to justify the expense, so I just put new strings on it and decided to keep tearing up my poor little fingers.
Maybe I could get it fixed, but I doubt it would be worth it even if it were possible. I've never been particularly good at the guitar, but I'm still kinda sad. Oh, well.
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Definitely get a little humidifier for it. You can undo some of the warping by putting a little moisture back in the wood. Dampits are pretty cheap and work great, but you can make a suitable substitute with a film canister, a hole punch, and a piece of sponge. Just make sure to wring out the sponge and dry off the outside of the canister - you don't want water to actually drip onto the wood, as this will make things worse.
Good luck!