Humidification??

[54stratlover]

What's the deal with humidification. Ya or Na? The Winter air here gets rather dry. Then there is the natural gas heater. I keep my guitars out for the most part. Does anyone humidify. I have 2 in the house, but the guitars are in the basement, I am wondering if i shoud move a humidifier down there since that is were the heater is also.

Any help/info appreciated!

Craig

[54stratlover]

Are there any negative aspects to humidifying?

[bbking1021]

IMO humidity affects acoustics more than electrics. It can affect both, but acoustics can have a lot more problems with lower humidity

[Gearjoneser]

I don't get it either, because everyone talks about guitars sounding better dried out. Then the flipside is a totally dry guitar where the fret ends can protrude or an acoustic's top can crack. I think there's got to be some balance, and a normal home should be fine. The problem is excessive heat or moisture.
I live in the hottest city in the Los Angeles area, so there is no moisture. I'm sure my guitars are getting more toneful by the day! LOL

[ratherdashing]

If you live in a dry climate it is absolutely essential to humidify your acoustic.

The reason is that pretty much every guitar factory in the world is on or near the coast, and as such guitars are assembled under fairly humid conditions. When the instrument is moved to your dry climate, the wood will shrink a little and everything will be a bit out of whack. In order to keep your instrument in the condition in which the manufacturer intended, you must keep it humidified.

[Mephis]

Should I do anything about my Ric? It gets extremely dry here durring winter.

[Boogie Bill]

Absolutely you should do something about controlling your guitar's environment!

Check the Taylor Guitars web-site--they have some excellent tech sheets on the perils of both low and high humidity. Acoustic guitars may show the effects faster, but solid body electrics are affected, too.

The best thing is to keep your guitar stored with the relative humidity (RH) at 45-55%. You add moisture to the air with a humidifier; these can be room-sized, house-sized, or specifically designed for a guitar case. Even a plastic soap dish with holes in it and a damp sponge can be effective.

Those little SILICA GEL packets remove excess moisture from the air--a handy thing to keep around if you live in the Gulf States during the summer, when RH rises to nearly 100%!

You measure the RH with a device called a hygrometer. You can find inexpensive models at some electronics outfits like Radio Shack, or a cigar store. Planet Waves makes one for musicians.

Best place to keep your guitar? In the CASE! Keeping in the case helps slow rapid changes in humidity that could severely damage your guitar. It's safer in the case!

Keep your guitars at proper RH levels, as it may help you avoid expensive repair bills down the road.

Bill

[54stratlover]

thanks a lot!!! i may have to go get a hydrometer.

[Robert Delahunt]

I don't humidify, but it's one of those things where if you have a guitar that you want to last forever, then sure, humidify. Heaters always dehydrate the air, so you could dehumidify not just for the guitars, but for your own body too

[Bludave]

What's the deal with humidification. Ya or Na? The Winter air here gets rather dry. Then there is the natural gas heater. I keep my guitars out for the most part. Does anyone humidify. I have 2 in the house, but the guitars are in the basement, I am wondering if i shoud move a humidifier down there since that is were the heater is also.

Any help/info appreciated!

Craig

All guitars should be stored in an enviorment of about 45 to 50% Humidity. The first thing I would recommend is to get a Hygrometer. This can be purchased for about 25$. Hang it on the wall and it will monitor the humidity minimum and mazimum as well as temp. Buy a Holmes room Humidifier. They are available at home depot and buy one large enough to keep the room at the mentioned humidity. Keep the guitars as far away from the heat as possible. If you have forced hot air in the house this sucks a lot of moisture out of the air. Basboard is less of a problem, but it is still there. The meter is key.

[appar111]

I have my guitars set up in our finished basement. It's cooler down there (64-70 degrees), and tends to be more humid. So I have a Holmes dehumidifier in the utility room next to the finished section of the basement and keep it set for the "dry" setting and leave the door open. This works great for most of the year (things stay between 40-55% relative humidity depending on if we've gotten alot of rain, etc.)

Then in winter when the heater tends to make the whole house dry, I'll just shut off the dehumidifier. Since the basement is naturally more humid, things still stay humid enough (around 35-40% relative humidity) even when the heat's been running constantly.

A cheap battery powered hygrometer like Bludave recommended is well worth the $15-25 it costs.

[Gearjoneser]

I hate getting too anal about this stuff. I prefer to keep my guitars out of their case, when they're in a normal temp controlled environment like home or rehearsal studio.

If they need any humidity, they'll get it the natural way......the Angus Young method! Sweat. haha

[stonabus]

at breedlove we keep our guitars at a constant 50%

[Jeff_H]

Taylor says 50% humidity and 70 degree temp's are ideal, IIRC. I would venture to guess that most folks keep their houses at approx 68-73 degree's average year round. Humidity is a little more of variable. I live in North Carolina, and with no humidifer my average humidity inside runs right around 50% whether I run AC or heat.

Drier climates probably need a humidifer...the rest of the country is probably ok without. Too much humidity can be as bad as too little.

[Boogie Bill]

I hate getting too anal about this stuff. I prefer to keep my guitars out of their case, when they're in a normal temp controlled environment like home or rehearsal studio.

It's worth getting anal about it when you get a nice big crack in the body of your very expensive acoustic guitar--a crack that with a few minutes of forethought could have been prevented.

If you live in a dry winter climate and you LIKE the ends of your frets sticking 1/8" out the side of the fretboard...

Or, you live in a wet climate and have to do a neck reset every few years because the neck joint collapses from the excess moisture....

For a $25 hygrometer and two minutes of vigillance each week...

Darn right I'm anal!!!!

"Hey Ole, throw a few more logs in the woodstove and let's watch our guitars shrivel up!"

Bill

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

I have my guitars set up in our finished basement. It's cooler down there (64-70 degrees), and tends to be more humid. So I have a Holmes dehumidifier in the utility room next to the finished section of the basement and keep it set for the "dry" setting and leave the door open. This works great for most of the year (things stay between 40-55% relative humidity depending on if we've gotten alot of rain, etc.)

Then in winter when the heater tends to make the whole house dry, I'll just shut off the dehumidifier. Since the basement is naturally more humid, things still stay humid enough (around 35-40% relative humidity) even when the heat's been running constantly.

A cheap battery powered hygrometer like Bludave recommended is well worth the $15-25 it costs.

Where do you live?

I'm in Massachusetts, and we're in the process of redoing our finished basement. My plan is to put a dehumidifier in the utility room, and run it during the warmer months (i.e., May through September).

- Keith

[MikeS]

I have baseboard heating in my studio, which I cannot control. In the winter months my studio gets up 80* F and as low as 18% humidity. It takes nearly 2 gallons of water a day to keep my studio at 50% RH.

On exterior walls keep an eye out for condensation and moisture damage. I've got old single paned windows that condensate badly, so I have to collect that water before it damages the drywall and window sill. It's a real pain, but a necessary evil. I'd say at absolute minimum you use a sound hole humidifier with your acoustic in a case so it doesn't dry out.