Guitar humidifier choices …

Hey, Stan here, thanks for checking out my blog concerning the impacts that humidity can have on your acoustic guitar and learning what steps you can take to deal with the problems of low or high humidity, regardless of which one of these environments your guitar lives in.

You’ve come to the right place if your looking to learn about humidity and its impact on your acoustic guitar and for specific recommendations for a guitar humidifier to help combat its impact on your instrument.

First and foremost, I just want to clarify that I will be giving you an unrestricted, unbiased and honest review of the guitar humidifier I have found to be of value for the task of keeping my guitar in its best playing condition year around.

What you’re about to read are the ESSENTIAL details you need to know before trying to deal with the problems that humidity can pose for YOUR acoustic guitar. You will also have some good information on what I think, are the best guitar humidifiers you can buy to deal with the problem of dry enviroments.

This is a review site: Click on product link to visit the official product information website.

First things first – Must-haves to protect your guitar

Common Sense – Please keep the following in mind:

• Keep your guitar away from extremes in temperature or humidity.
• Avoid slow sustained CHANGES in humidity.
• Purchase an accurate humidity gauge …. and use it!
• Make sure you use a good humidifier in the Winter, and Summer when your air conditioner is on!
• Avoiding sudden temperature and humidity changes. (This should keep you from having any finish checking problems).
• Don’t leave your guitar out for long periods near a heating vent, wood stove or radiator or in direct sunlight near a window. This will dry it out fast!
• Do not leave your guitar in the trunk of a car for long periods.

Required tools to protect your acoustic guitar:

• Hard shell case or gig bag: These provide a protective environment that you can control. Without either one, you will have to work on controlling the much larger environment of a whole room and that can really be a daunting task. So, start here. If don’t have either a hard case or gig bag for your guitar, get one as soon as you can.

• Accurate humidity gauge:You will need this handy device to determine the

  

  Analog Hygrometer

  humidity level and temperature of the environment your acoustic guitar is exposed to. Without it, your guessing and you don’t want to do that as you work on controlling and monitoring the humidity levels in the environment your guitar is exposed to. You have two basic options, an Analog Hygrometer or Digital Sensor. I recommend the latter for day to day monitoring as it will be more accurate and respond to changes quicker than an analog gauge will. But an analog hydrometer does not require batteries, so is good to consider for backup. (Link above will give further product information).

• I specifically recommend the Caliber III Thermometer Hygrometer. I own

  

  Caliber III Hygrometer

  this little electronic wonder for the following reasons:

1. It never requires calibration
2. Its has an easy to read large display
3. Has memory that stores high and low readings
4. Comes with a magnetic mount
5. Accuracy +/- 1% humidity, +/-1 degree temperature
6. Dimensions: 3.5″ x 1.25″ x .25″
7. Light weight: About 2 oz.
8. Fits perfectly in my guitar case
9. Low cost

Click on product link to visit the official product information website.

• Guitar Humidifier – For exposure to dry environments: Wow, there are a bunch of guitar humidifers on the market to choose from. I will give you two specific examples as these are the ones I use year around and they provide consistently good, reliable performance.

Planet Waves Acoustic Guitar Humidifier- Number one

Planet Waves Humidifier

on my list and is strongly recommended. Here’s why:

1. Suspended by the strings, it never touches the guitar body. (If you don’t like mounting it this way, simply fit into your guitar’s sound hole on the bass or treble side).
2. No clips or fasteners which can scratch the guitar finish.
3. Exclusive non-drip design releases moisture evenly and slowly.
4. Sponge humidifier. Easy to refill, with filtered or distilled water by dunking then squeezing dry.
5. Does not require additional wiping as the Dampit does.
6. Price

Dampit Guitar Humidifier Super- Number two on my list

Dampit Humidifier

and works well:

1. Plastic sound hole cover included. (Darn handy for humidifying only the inside of your guitar).
2. Humidity check “meter” included. (Please don’t rely on this for accurate readings. Use your fancy gauge or sensor).
3. Fits F hole guitars easily
4. Sponge humidifier. Easy to refill, but a bit more work than the Planet Waves humidifier because you have to wipe it dry after squeezing it dry.

• Dehumidifier – For exposure to humid environments:

• Keep your guitar in an air conditioned room and monitor for excessive drying with your humidity gauge or sensor.
• If A/C is not a possibility, and humidity levels test high;

  

  DampRid

  50% or higher; pick up a packet of DampRid. Pour some into a small plastic container with holes in the top, then place in your guitar case or gig bag, Monitor humidity levels and replace with new DampRid as necessary.

Guitar Humidifier – Usage Guidelines

What you are shooting for is to maintain an environment inside your case or gig bag that is between 40% to 50% relative humidity. If its possible to do this in your home, great. If not, use the tools; mentioned above; to keep the humidity at the proper levels year around. Your guitar humidifer is your best friend. Get to know it well.

Tips

• If you have an expensive guitar, review the manufacturer’s specific requirements as related to humidity. Also, stop and check with the Luthier at your guitar shop to get his or her opinion regarding the impact of humidity on your guitar and the use of a guitar humidifier. Remember that damage from low or high humidity IS NOT covered by your guitar’s warranty.
• There are some great videos on YouTube covering this subject. Bob Taylor from Taylor Guitars has a few that are quite informative and they show you exactly how to use  guitar humidifier. Review these as time permits.
• If caught without a humidity gauge or sensor use the following general guidelines:

1. In areas of the country that are very dry, or where cold winters are the norm, or where the relative humidity consistently remains in the 20-to-35 percent range, re-wet your humidifier every five to seven days. (Homes with wood-burning heaters frequently have extremely dry interiors).
2. If your humidity is consistently in the 35-to-45 percent range, re-wet the humidifier every 10 to 14 days.
3. Working musicians who routinely perform in dry regions and winter climates should keep their sound-hole humidifier moist all the time. In extremely dry areas of the country, where the humidity is consistently 20 percent or lower, it’s good to use a second humidifier in conjunction with the sound-hole humidifier. The second, or supplementary humidifier should be left in an open area of the guitar case or gig bag; like under the headstock. Instruments that spend a lot of time outside of their cases, and/or under hot stage lights, require a higher-than-normal amount of humidification.

Thank you for visiting my web site. I sincerely hope that it has helped you by providing the information regarding a guitar humidifier which you may need to keep your acoustic guitar playing its best. Please fell free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Stan

Click on product link to visit the official product information website.

Please Note: Technical references take from: “A Call for the Standardization of Humidity Levels at Musical Instrument Dealerships” From Stoneman Guitars. Used by permission.

Humidity can be an issue.

Understand humidity and you’ll see how a guitar humidifier can help

A thorough understanding of humidity and how it affects guitars is becoming more essential to acoustic guitar manufactures and dealers everywhere. For guitar owners, it is not necessary to have a ‘thorough’ understanding, only a basic awareness of how temperature and moisture affects YOUR guitar. Then, learning what you can do to prevent your guitar from suffering the perils of too much or too little humidity. A good motivation for picking up the key points, and gaining  a basic understanding of how moisture and temperature impact your guitar is the fact that your acoustic guitar’s warranty does not cover any damage related to humidity or temperature extremes.

The fundamental facts you need to be aware of are:

• Ideal temperature required to maintain the integrity of your acoustic guitar is room temperature, or approximately 70 degrees F,  or 20.5 C.
• The humidity range proven to be the best for solid wood acoustic guitars is about 40% to 50% relative humidity.

Please watch the following video from Taylor Guitars to see a great demonstration of what a dry environment can do to your guitar. I found this to be very interesting.

The Humidity Chamber by Taylor Guitars

OK, that looks scary is humidity posing a risk to my guitar?

Good question. I would say that the answer is yes and here is why. If you heat your home in the Winter months with forced air heat or a wood stove these heating systems can drive temperatures up and humidity levels dangerously low for guitars. (In my home in the Winter, using forced air gas for heating, the relative humidity will be 36% or less). In the Summer months, using an air condition system will lower the temperature, which is good, but an A/C system also de-humidifies the air. Because these heating and cooling systems are used by a lot of us, this places your guitar in an environment that you should monitor for temperature and humidity all year long.

The other side of the coin, too much humidity, can be a problem too. High humidity can cause the top and back, especially on flat-top and classical guitars, to expand and rise—making string action high. In extremes, humid environments can cause softening of the glues used to build your guitar.

Keep in mind that your guitar is at risk because wood is a porous, organic material, and is affected dimensionally by changes in the amounts of moisture it contains. Acoustic guitars made from solid woods are without doubt more susceptible to the effects of changes in humidity than laminated instruments would be requiring more attention to their condition and the environments they are placed in.

But manufactures properly dry and age their woods, dosen’t that protect my guitar?

Most all guitar manufacturers are faced with critical decisions regarding the relative humidity and temperature at the facilities used in which they build their guitars.  Most manufacturers choose about the same humidity.  Through years of experience, they have all arrived at similar conclusions.  Generally they build at 75 degrees and 47% relative humidity.  They could choose 35%, and their guitars would never crack due to dryness, but they would literally blow up and pop in higher humidity.  They could choose 60% and the guitars would do great in Hawaii, Seattle and the Midwest in the summer,  but they would crack into pieces in Winter when it gets dry.  The  environments that manufactures create give their guitars the absolute best chance for survival when exposed to extreme conditions for a SHORT period of time.  They will, however, become damaged if they are exposed to extremes for long periods of time.

Other possible impacts on your guitar of temperature and moisture extremes

• Cracks in the Wood
  Cracks in the wood are typically caused by changes in temperature and humidity.

• Finish Checking
  Finish checking (very small splits in the finish), usually occur in Winter and is typically the result of suddenly exposing a cold instrument to the shock of warmer temperatures. (Left overnight in a car parked outside, then brought inside).

To understand how a guitar humidifier helps – What is humidity anyway?

Relative humidity is expressed as a percentage of air’s capability to hold moisture at a given temperature. For example, 30% relative humidity means that the air is holding 30% of the moisture it could possibly hold at a given temperature. The moisture content for wood and the relative humidity for air are measured quite differently. In wood, a 6% moisture content is present at 30% relative humidity and 72 degrees F temperature, (about 22.2 degrees C).

• Keep your guitar away from extremes in temperature or humidity.
• Avoid slow sustained CHANGES in humidity.
• Purchase an accurate humidity gauge …. and use it!
• Make sure you use a good humidifier in the Winter, and Summer when your air conditioner is on!
• Avoiding sudden temperature and humidity changes, should keep you from having any finish checking problems.
• Don’t not leave your guitar out for long periods near a heating vent, wood stove or radiator or in direct sunlight near a window.
• Do not leave your guitar in the trunk of a car for long periods.

Now that you know what dangers your acoustic guitar is at risk for my review on the next post will take a look at the guitar humidifiers that I think work best and are the easiest to use.

Please Note: Technical references take from: “A Call for the Standardization of Humidity Levels at Musical Instrument Dealerships” From Stoneman Guitars. Used by permission.

Guitar humidifier is a necessity.

You probably need a guitar humidifier if you own an acoustic guitar. Read on, you should find this information to be helpful.

It’s Winter and here in the Northwest that means cold days with low humidity. And my forced air gas heating system keeps the inside of my home even dryer; below 40% relative humidity.

Now, if you live in a similar dry weather environment, or generally dry climate, you may have noticed that this has an impact on your acoustic guitar and a guitar humidifier can help you.

This can cause the bridge to sink a bit, causing your strings to buzz when they did’nt in the Summer. The top or bottom of your guitar may lose it’s shape and this could lead to the back, top or sides splitting or cracking if the wood in your guitar gets too dry. It can also cause the beautiful finish on your guitar to crack as well, especially if has been out in the cold and then brought in and played before it got a chance to warm up in its case.

When I first started playing guitar, no one thought to mention all this information to me and after three seasons of dry winters the bridge of my guitar sunk down and the top was warped with two concave valleys down each side of the bridge. I had to take it in to a shop to get it repaired and though I don’t remember the specific amount of the bill, I do remember that I was not happy because the repair bill was hard to swallow. Use of a basic guitar humidifier would have save me a lot of headaches.

So, I want to share what I have learned about using a guitar humidifer to help care for that beautiful guitar you saved for and hopefully you will not run into some of the problems I did early on in my playing career.

Now, if this is sounding good to you, please read on. I have some great detailed information for you on how to properly keep your guitar humidified, how to use a guitar humidifier and what products help best and specifically what to keep an eye on as the seasons come and go.

I hope that you have enjoyed my web page. Please don’t panic! There is an easy way to deal with this problem, and the cost is very low.