Ukulele Care
Your Cornerstone Custom Instrument was built with well seasoned and acclimatized woods that have been in my shop for many years. My shop is humidity and temperature controlled to make sure the woods don’t go through any unnecessary stress. We’ll leave that to the strings!
I keep the shop at an RH ( Relative Humidity) of just under 50% (target 48% which I think its optimal). So here are some suggestions for you to keep your instrument safe and worry free. Extreme humidity and temperature changes can be detrimental to your instrument.
UNDER 20% RH: PROBABLY IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE!
20-35% RH: You can start to feel the grain of the wood as the finish appears to be getting sucked into the wood. The action is getting low and the wood is stressed. The frets may be extending pass the edges of the fretboard and you can fell them poking out. Wood could crack. Time to get your instrument to a humid place quickly!
35- 45% RH: A few days of this is OK, but it’s time for some humidification. The wood is drying out and the soundboard is beginning to shrink and “sink” in a little bit. Don’t panic but do take some action.
45-55 RH: This is the perfect RH situation for your instrument. Enjoy it!
55-65 RH: A little on the high side but not detrimental to your instrument.Most likely you’ll notice the action is now a bit higher. If this is the norm for where you live you could have the action adjusted and keep the instrument in that range for most of the time. Keep in mine the action will get lower and possible cause unwanted string buzz if brought to a lower humidity.
65-75% RH: Too humid, though a few days of this is nothing to worry about. The wood is swelling, the action is getting higher, and the thin plates of your instrument are slightly stressed. Don’t panic, but you will have to lower your humidity if this keeps up.
70-80 RH: This is a high stress zone! As the wood swells the finish could separate or crack, the wood however is not as likely to crack as in conditions of extremely low humidity, but coupled with high heat this is a danger zone.
Warranty
A new Custom Cornerstone Ukulele is guaranteed to be free from defects in workmanship and materials for as long as it remains in the original owner’s possession. Player’s Edition Ukuleles have a 3 year limited warranty. This limited warranty is non-transferrable and only applies to Ukuleles purchased new. Cornerstone Ukuleles are built using the utmost care and from the best materials available. No shortcuts are taken.
This warranty does not cover wear and tear from normal use nor any damage caused by misuse, abuse, unauthorized modifications, unauthorized repairs, improper maintenance, accidents, exposure to adverse temperature and/or humidity.
Shipping and insurance charges to the Cornerstone Workshop are responsibility of the owner. We will pay return shipping if the Ukulele is found to require warranty work. Cornerstone Ukuleles is not liable for any damages that occur in transit to or from the workshop.