EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY
e survival of your banjo depends greatly on the environment you
put it in. Made largely of wood, the banjo is easily aff ected by changes
in temperature and humidity. Deering aims to keep the factory at
about 70-77 degrees Fahrenheit and 35%-45% humidity, and these
are the optimum conditions for your banjo.
It is important then, that you take all possible steps to maintain
your banjo at room temperature. A rapid change in temperature, or
exposure to cold can create cracks in the fi nish called “lacquer checks”
that are not repairable under the warranty.
If you must take your banjo out in freezing temperatures, keep it in
the case. When you bring it inside, let it sit in the case so that it can
come up to room temperature slowly.
Allowing your banjo to become too cold or hot invites a crack or
warp in the wood. Heat, as is often found in a closed car on a hot day,
can soften or blister the fi nish and change the contours of the wood,
causing the neck or resonator to warp.
Humid weather increases the moisture content of the wood, causing
it to expand or swell. A gradual increase in humidity won’t generally
do permanent damage; but high humidity in combination with high
temperature can weaken glue joints or even open them up.
As you get used to adjusting your banjo, you will fi nd that a couple
of minutes now and then, making the needed adjustments, will
improve the sound immensely. General use and weather changes will
cause your banjo to need a good tune-up now and then. It is to your
advantage to become profi cient at making adjustments from the start.
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