Humidifiers. Who, what, where...

HoodieMcFoodie · May 15th, 2008, 10:00 AM

G'day folks,

I've been hearing a bit lately about humidifiers and guitars, but I'm totally clueless about their applications.

Can someone please explain to me when, where and why you would need to humidify a guitar? Also the difference between leaving guitars out of the case or in their case. What are the pros and cons of either?

Regards,
Hoodie

rcalverley · May 15th, 2008, 10:07 AM

My personal opinion is they are a waste of money.

To look after your tele the only thing you have to do is try not to let it fall into a wood-chipper.

Cases are handy as they have handles which stops you from dropping the guitar into a wood-chipper.

R

symbiotic · May 15th, 2008, 10:15 AM

Humidfication is a concern for acoustic guitars but not solidbody electrics. During the winter home environments often are quite dry and this can cause the wood of an acoustic to dry and crack. This is more of a concern in places with cold winters. Keeping your acoustic in its case with a humidifier and refilling it as necessary will prevent this type of damage.

Your telecaster doesn't care though.

KevinB · May 15th, 2008, 10:30 AM

Unless your live where you see extreme swings of temperature and humidity, a humidifier shouldn't be needed for a solid bodied guitar like a Tele. Quality acoustics are another matter though. Here in the northeast USA we get very cold and dry winters, and even with a central humidifier connected to my home heating system, keeping the house much above 30% in Jan and Feb is a problem. Subjected to this level of dryness, solid wood acoustics stand a very good chance of cracking.

Room humidifiers are available (I use one for the room my guitars are kept in) for about $80-$100 although they must be filled with water every few days. A simpler solution is to keep acoustics in their cases and use a soundhole humidifier, like a Dampit.

As to whether or not to leave guitars in their cases, well I don't have little kids running around (my dogs know better!), I keep my guitars in a dedicated room, and if I leave them cased I tend to play less. So, mine are all out on stands.

maestrovert · May 15th, 2008, 10:32 AM

Don't let 'em kid ya, solidbody guitars are affected by drier than normal conditions, though not to the same extent as acoustics....you may see "fret sprout" and may also need to make a truss rod adjustment come winter time....

When i moved from S. Florida to central Michigan this past Feb., i definitely DID notice that the drier conditions (due to central air/heating) affected all of my stringed instruments -both acoustic and solidbody- to some degree....so for myself, come next winter, i'll be runnin' the humidifier Thank you....

mildwild · May 15th, 2008, 11:01 AM

This year I had a very small ( but noticeable ) fret sprout on my James Burton.

A 60's Classic in the same room wasn't affected though.

I was more concerned for the grand piano ( 1920's) in the room so I bought a room humidifer that so and within 2 weeks it was gone.

It was a cold winter and the furnace was on alot and this year was I first noticed a difference.

Vizcaster · May 15th, 2008, 03:18 PM

"Don't store your guitar in any room you wouldn't be comfortable yourself." Tee hee. Good thing that rule doesn't apply to venues.

mildwild · May 15th, 2008, 04:05 PM

I was comfortable in my living room till I felt some fret sprout.

sdcb27 · May 15th, 2008, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maestrovert

Don't let 'em kid ya, solidbody guitars are affected by drier than normal conditions, though not to the same extent as acoustics....you may see "fret sprout" and may also need to make a truss rod adjustment come winter time....

When i moved from S. Florida to central Michigan this past Feb., i definitely DID notice that the drier conditions (due to central air/heating) affected all of my stringed instruments -both acoustic and solidbody- to some degree....so for myself, come next winter, i'll be runnin' the humidifier Thank you....

+1
I have noticed tuning changes depending on the humidity of weather. When my accoustic goes a little out so is my tele. Under normal and steady conditions neither change. Wood is wood after all.
I have seen a 3 inch thick sealed peice of wood check and split severly due to a heat and humidty change within a one week period.

boris bubbanov · May 15th, 2008, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maestrovert

Don't let 'em kid ya, solidbody guitars are affected by drier than normal conditions, though not to the same extent as acoustics....you may see "fret sprout" and may also need to make a truss rod adjustment come winter time....

When i moved from S. Florida to central Michigan this past Feb., i definitely DID notice that the drier conditions (due to central air/heating) affected all of my stringed instruments -both acoustic and solidbody- to some degree....so for myself, come next winter, i'll be runnin' the humidifier Thank you....

Thank you for weighing in. I knew your move would put you in the better position to say than most of us could say.

I know in Louisiana and Florida, I don't need one, but these arid West guitars and freeze dried Northern guitars, you should be cautious.

mellecaster · May 15th, 2008, 11:11 PM

As the 2 Gentlemen above have stated, all Guitars benefit from proper humidity...electric and Acoustic, last time I checked they were both made of wood ???...but what I don't understand is why some of you don't think about yourselves, and your Family...who the Hell wants to spend all winter gettin shocked from the carpet..have your nasal membranes feel like Iraq...and yer precious Pets wheezin ???...Humidify your Home if needed....It just don't seem that complicated to me...Folks have been doin it for years.

HoodieMcFoodie · May 16th, 2008, 10:15 AM

OK, so it seems that solidbodies as well as accoustics (& grand pianos) can be affected by humidity.

So for me now the questions are;

"How do you determine if your guitars are being affected by humidity?"

"How do you measure the level of humidity in your home?"

"Is one room better than another for storage. ie, Is a warmer room better or a cooler room?"

Thanks for all your input.

Hoodie

sdcb27 · May 16th, 2008, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HoodieMcFoodie

OK, so it seems that solidbodies as well as accoustics (& grand pianos) can be affected by humidity.

So for me now the questions are;

"How do you determine if your guitars are being affected by humidity?"

"How do you measure the level of humidity in your home?"

"Is one room better than another for storage. ie, Is a warmer room better or a cooler room?"

Thanks for all your input.

Hoodie

I bought a thermometer that indicated humidity, pretty inexspensive. Its real dry in the west where i am as otheres indicated so i cant keep a perfect guitar humidity going,house sucks it up quicker then a guitar but i can get it close enough that guitars stay in tune. The humidity gauge i got is a indorr/outdoor, so it has a lead i can put inside a guitar case if needed, if one had too

gibsonjunkie · May 16th, 2008, 02:42 PM

Try one of these...

I have an older version and it works great - temp and humidity and it stores the high/low settings so you can see how much fluctuation there is in temp/humidity.

actually, this one looks better...

mildwild · May 16th, 2008, 03:50 PM

I have a Planet Waves like this

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Planet-W...16-i1134007.gc

nvosmeier · May 17th, 2008, 05:09 AM

Living in Indiana, where we run the furnace several months out of the year, will cause my guitars to dry. I could not get a long with out a humidifier.

If you live where humidity levels can go very low becuase of running the furnace etc., you should get a humidifier. Changing humidity levels can affect all guitars. There are many kinds of humidifiers. Some fit directly to the furnace. Others can just be placed in the room or even in the guitar case.

When people complain about their frets sprouting, it is time to treat the guitar. You will see the fretboard expand after a period of time. Usually within a few weeks, your guitar will be back to normal.

Too much humidity will also cause problems.

May 15th, 2008, 10:00 AM	#1 (permalink)
HoodieMcFoodie Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Age: 46 Posts: 189	Humidifiers. Who, what, where... G'day folks, I've been hearing a bit lately about humidifiers and guitars, but I'm totally clueless about their applications. Can someone please explain to me when, where and why you would need to humidify a guitar? Also the difference between leaving guitars out of the case or in their case. What are the pros and cons of either? Regards, Hoodie

May 15th, 2008, 10:32 AM	#5 (permalink)
maestrovert Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Branch Mi. Posts: 6,496	Don't let 'em kid ya, solidbody guitars are affected by drier than normal conditions, though not to the same extent as acoustics....you may see "fret sprout" and may also need to make a truss rod adjustment come winter time.... When i moved from S. Florida to central Michigan this past Feb., i definitely DID notice that the drier conditions (due to central air/heating) affected all of my stringed instruments -both acoustic and solidbody- to some degree....so for myself, come next winter, i'll be runnin' the humidifier Thank you.... __________________ Sing the Song Bro' Play on Drummer www.godonthe.net

May 15th, 2008, 03:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
Vizcaster Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Glen Head, NY Posts: 707	"Don't store your guitar in any room you wouldn't be comfortable yourself." Tee hee. Good thing that rule doesn't apply to venues. __________________ "Why don't you just make 10 louder, and make 10 be the top number, and make that a little louder?"

May 15th, 2008, 04:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
mildwild Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2004 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 445 53 Photos	I was comfortable in my living room till I felt some fret sprout. Last edited by mildwild; May 15th, 2008 at 09:20 PM.

May 15th, 2008, 11:11 PM	#11 (permalink)
mellecaster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 4,698 17 Photos	As the 2 Gentlemen above have stated, all Guitars benefit from proper humidity...electric and Acoustic, last time I checked they were both made of wood ???...but what I don't understand is why some of you don't think about yourselves, and your Family...who the Hell wants to spend all winter gettin shocked from the carpet..have your nasal membranes feel like Iraq...and yer precious Pets wheezin ???...Humidify your Home if needed....It just don't seem that complicated to me...Folks have been doin it for years. __________________ I have never owned an Ipod or Blackberry..and doubt that I ever will......

May 15th, 2008, 10:07 AM	#2 (permalink)
rcalverley TDPRI Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: South Yorkshire, England Posts: 15	My personal opinion is they are a waste of money. To look after your tele the only thing you have to do is try not to let it fall into a wood-chipper. Cases are handy as they have handles which stops you from dropping the guitar into a wood-chipper. R

May 15th, 2008, 10:15 AM	#3 (permalink)
symbiotic NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Hamilton, Ontario - Canada Posts: 8	Humidfication is a concern for acoustic guitars but not solidbody electrics. During the winter home environments often are quite dry and this can cause the wood of an acoustic to dry and crack. This is more of a concern in places with cold winters. Keeping your acoustic in its case with a humidifier and refilling it as necessary will prevent this type of damage. Your telecaster doesn't care though.

May 15th, 2008, 10:30 AM	#4 (permalink)
KevinB Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Jersey Posts: 677 4 Photos	Unless your live where you see extreme swings of temperature and humidity, a humidifier shouldn't be needed for a solid bodied guitar like a Tele. Quality acoustics are another matter though. Here in the northeast USA we get very cold and dry winters, and even with a central humidifier connected to my home heating system, keeping the house much above 30% in Jan and Feb is a problem. Subjected to this level of dryness, solid wood acoustics stand a very good chance of cracking. Room humidifiers are available (I use one for the room my guitars are kept in) for about $80-$100 although they must be filled with water every few days. A simpler solution is to keep acoustics in their cases and use a soundhole humidifier, like a Dampit. As to whether or not to leave guitars in their cases, well I don't have little kids running around (my dogs know better!), I keep my guitars in a dedicated room, and if I leave them cased I tend to play less. So, mine are all out on stands.

May 15th, 2008, 11:01 AM	#6 (permalink)
mildwild Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2004 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 445 53 Photos	This year I had a very small ( but noticeable ) fret sprout on my James Burton. A 60's Classic in the same room wasn't affected though. I was more concerned for the grand piano ( 1920's) in the room so I bought a room humidifer that so and within 2 weeks it was gone. It was a cold winter and the furnace was on alot and this year was I first noticed a difference.

May 16th, 2008, 10:15 AM	#12 (permalink)
HoodieMcFoodie Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Age: 46 Posts: 189	OK, so it seems that solidbodies as well as accoustics (& grand pianos) can be affected by humidity. So for me now the questions are; "How do you determine if your guitars are being affected by humidity?" "How do you measure the level of humidity in your home?" "Is one room better than another for storage. ie, Is a warmer room better or a cooler room?" Thanks for all your input. Hoodie

May 16th, 2008, 02:42 PM	#14 (permalink)
gibsonjunkie Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Bloomfield, Connecticut Age: 55 Posts: 637	Try one of these... I have an older version and it works great - temp and humidity and it stores the high/low settings so you can see how much fluctuation there is in temp/humidity. actually, this one looks better... __________________ The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese...

May 16th, 2008, 03:50 PM	#15 (permalink)
mildwild Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2004 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada Posts: 445 53 Photos	I have a Planet Waves like this http://www.guitarcenter.com/Planet-W...16-i1134007.gc

May 17th, 2008, 05:09 AM	#16 (permalink)
nvosmeier Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 137	Living in Indiana, where we run the furnace several months out of the year, will cause my guitars to dry. I could not get a long with out a humidifier. If you live where humidity levels can go very low becuase of running the furnace etc., you should get a humidifier. Changing humidity levels can affect all guitars. There are many kinds of humidifiers. Some fit directly to the furnace. Others can just be placed in the room or even in the guitar case. When people complain about their frets sprouting, it is time to treat the guitar. You will see the fretboard expand after a period of time. Usually within a few weeks, your guitar will be back to normal. Too much humidity will also cause problems.