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Post subject: Termites?!
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 5:16 pm
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I went to a friend's house and some of his furniture has termite holes.

I can't help it, everytime I see this I wonder if termites could damage a guitar.

I have read many topics about this in other forums but most users take this subject as a joke, so most of the answers are useless.

Does anybody here know if dry wood termites can damage a guitar?

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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 6:40 pm
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Termites will eat right through your guitar case if they get it in their minds to do so. Keeping it in the case is not a good enough prevention measure to guarantee your guitar doesn't get damaged. Termites will eat just about anything made of wood or wood byproducts. The thing about termites is, you likely won't see them coming. They don't scurry across the floor. They dig tunnels and sometimes make tunnels out of mud and then they travel that way. If you live deep in the heart of termite country then I suggest two things. Keep your guitars on steel shelving away from the floor and walls and pay someone to come by your place a half dozen times a year to keep them away from your home and/or exterminate the ones already there.

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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 7:22 am
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With woodworking as a hobby, I have seen termite damage to furniture, but never to guitars (except where termite damaged wood was used to make the guitar). While termites will eat just about anything that has cellulose, they don't seem to attack what isn't easily reachable from another piece of wood, and I also doubt they would bother boring through the lacquer of a guitar if they could eat your yummy garage instead.
And even drywood termites prefer wood that has been subjected to moisture, so it's weakened. That's generally not the case for guitars.


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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 8:26 am
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It would add a new style of reliced guitars. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:26 pm
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The building I live in was tented a few years ago. I asked the termite guy about guitars and he said he'd never heard of termites bothering one, but then again he didn't think it would be impossible. As for the tenting: he suggested that leaving them in the condo would be okay as long as they were in their cases or covered up. "Can't hurt" was his opinion ... and he offered to inspect any that I might take with me while I had to vacate for any sign of damage.

I still can't say for sure though because they never found any signs of termites in my particular unit to begin with. Just outside in the storage shed (with a direct path to the ground), but of course I never leave guitars in an outside storage shed.


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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 6:04 pm
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It would be unlikely that your guitars suffered from termite damage.
But if you leave them in a dark, moist place for long periods of time then maybe.
Termites don't migrate from one pleasant niche to another very quickly.

Your guitars would suffer more damage from excessive moisture and mold and other issues by being stored in a damp and dark place much more rapidly then termite wear..
Now of course if you are talking about somewhere like Australia or the African continent then insect problems are more pronounced...

I can recall seeing minor termite holes in some furniture in my family's house over the years but never any damage to any of my guitars....

You are worrying needlessly.... These days I would be much more concerned with carpenter ants.. :shock:

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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:44 pm
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Good to know...

I've read many threads about this in other forums, but most people seem to reply only about wet wood termites, the ones that migrate through mud tunnels and only grab the woods that are near their way.

Dry wood termites are much more mobile, those are the ones that normally attack furniture in a house... Good to hear that someone actually had those in his furniture and they didn't eat his guitars.

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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 3:53 pm
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Think about this, out of all the vintage amps and guitars you have seen in your life, how many had termite damage ??

I have never seen any instrument dating back to 1890 with any sign of termite damage...
The finish on most guitars over the years have been anything but ecofriendly.
That and the fact that other than upright piano's, guitars rarely stay in one particular spot for a long time. even if they are up in an attic for 20+ years....

I think this is akin to the boy who cried wolf ..... I also would be more worried about a repeat of the Nashville flood and the catastrophic loss of instruments...

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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 7:12 am
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I have to agree with the general consensus here in that I guess it's possible, but it seems REALLY unlikely. I suspect that it would take a SERIOUS infestation before termites even noticed a guitar and even then, with the finishes used on most guitars, I strongly suspect they'd go for something a bit more...ummm...palatable. Chances are you'd know about the termites LONG before they got to your guitar. I have seen one guitar (which I currently own) where the body was chewed on by a dog (judging from the teeth marks, my guess would be either a Rotty or Pit puppy), but in my many years of playing and of all the guitars I've seen in those years, I have yet to see one that actually had termite damage.

Of all the things that I would worry about concerning a guitar...humidity, temperature, theft, damage from normal playing conditions, etc., I don't think termites are anywhere on the list. So yea...again I guess it's possible, but unless your house/apartment/dwelling is SERIOUSLY infested (in which case you have bigger concerns than your guitar), it seems so unlikely as to not really warrant any concern.

Just my own $.02 worth.


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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:59 pm
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the late great Wesley Willis.


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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 8:45 pm
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If this is a new road worn category, then I have a beautiful, or horrible ´79 StratocasTERMITE ! the poor thing has been eaten and carved by these little monsters. Weird thing is that it sounds incredible. Interesting story, I might upload some pictures, but this is my first post here.


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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:35 pm
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Welcome to the Forums, orlandoontiveros.

Sorry to find that you have an issue with your guitar. The sound is certainly important. Think of the bright side. Leo Fender started without much of a body. :P A termite devoured neck, however, would definitely be difficult to play.

If you can manage to show us your photo(s) we’d love to see what you have there,


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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Fri Sep 28, 2018 11:35 am
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This is definitely giving me goosebumps.


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Post subject: Re: Termites?!
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 3:21 am
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Wow that was quite a video.


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