West Music Staff Blogs

With the snow starting to fly (grr) and heaters turning on, wooden instruments are suffering because of the lack of humidity in the air. Tuning pegs are starting to slip or stick. Instruments that originally had no trouble staying in tune now need to be tuned constantly. The best thing to do right now to keep your instrument happy is to keep it humidified.

Dampits are the best thing to use during the winter months. Dampits typically start at about $9.00. They are a long, green sponge that can be inserted in the f-hole of your instrument. Simply soak the Dampit, wipe off the excess water, and carefully slide it into your instrument.

Don’t force it in or you could move the soundpost out of place! If you do not feel comfortable putting it inside your instrument it can be stored inside your case. Just don’t set it on top of your instrument. Wooden instruments don’t like to get wet! Dampits can be kept inside your instrument while playing. They come with a little chart that measures the humidity level in the air and you can use the Dampit accordingly.

If you are still having trouble with your pegs, using a little peg dope might help. A tube can cost anywhere from $5.00-10.00. Apply a little bit on the pegs that are causing trouble. Use it sparingly! A newer instrument may need more drops then an older one.

Still having trouble? It may be time to take it in to one of our highly skilled luthiers. As the wood expands and contracts the pegs may need to be refit. The pegbox should also be checked for any damage or pressure cracks. If you keep getting your pegs refit, eventually you will run out of peg and will need to get some new ones.

Wooden instruments do need a bit of maintenance to keep then in good shape during these colder months. Simply keeping it humidified will help prevent a lot of costly repairs. When practicing be sure to check your instrument for any cracks or splitting seams. If you see anything wrong with your instrument or hear some buzzing sounds when you play, make an appointment to have it checked over.

With a little bit of TLC you can keep your instrument sounding beautiful all winter long.