Does the G&L factory have a climate-controlled environment?

[Jim P]

Hey all! About this time every year discussions seem to rise up about fret sprout. Of course, we all know that it's due to the lack of humidity in the neck wood when this occurs, but other questions also arise as to why this occurs more often in some guitars than others and why USA models seem to be less prone than imported models. While I've had to address this issue with my own G&L guitars, I've always been able to remedy the situation by simply installing a case humidifier while keep my guitar in its case.

That said, does the G&L factory have a climate-contolled environment in which they store and/or cure their neck woods so that the wood remains relatively stable before assembly? Since the climate in Fullerton itself can be very humid as well as dry at times, I would think they would maintain steady humidity levels indoors, but I would ideally like to hear from someone who's on the inside to explain their processes. Dave? Craig? Dean? Tim? Any info would be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance!

Jim

[Anglewood]

The G&L Factory does have a "drying room" in which they store neck blanks before they are cut, but beyond that, there is no climate control at the factory. There are roll up metal doors connecting most of the shop to the outdoors and they remain open pretty much all the time. Not sure how this would affect fret sprout, but that is how it is set up.

Lates,

Connor

[Deuce]

Jim:
I'll attach some pictures here, because I have been in the climate controlled neck drying room. Dave McLaren was kind enough to give us the tour many moons ago and I'm guessing things are pretty much still the same. Here are some pics of the drying process:
Neck Blanks:


In The Drying Room:


Hope this helps.
Deuce

[Jim P]

Thanks guys! Yeah, this helps! I only asked because I was in a bit of a heated discussion with a guy about large guitar manufacturing companies and whether or not they had humidity-controlled environments. He claimed they didn't, and upon looking at some Gibson and Fender factory info, I found that they did indeed install fairly extensive systems. In fact, both Fender and Gibson have systems that are similar to irriagation designs where they periodically spray water into the room from the ceiling to maintain a constant relative humidity level of around 45-percent. The discussion initially arose from a question about fret sprout in which many other questions came about regarding the notion of why some guitars tend to be more prone to this occurance than others. Obviously, if guitar necks are treated and assembled in an environment that contains too much moisture, once they're introduced to dry weather, frets will sprout almost immediately. Funny thing is, one can go into a Guitar Center at about this time of year and find dozens and dozens of guitars with fret sprout.

[Marty]

I live in AZ, fret sprout is like ka-ka,

It happens.

[jazzrat]

Don't know about factory conditions...just know that the birds eye neck on my Legacy is very stable with no fret sprout. Without a doubt it was cured properly.