Best humidifier for acoustic guitar?

[Mathan Webber]

I just ordered my first really nice acoustic guitar, a Larrivee L-05. I want to take good care of the guitar from the start. In the winter time conditions become dry, so I know I need some sort of guitar humidifier. But which one?

My choices are:

DAMPIT
Large flexible tube with a sponge inside, is attached to a clear plastic soundhole cover with a humidity indicator on it.

PLANET WAVES
Moisture reservoir suspended inside the guitar body between the strings of the guitar. Never touches any part of the guitar body.

KYSER LIFEGUARD
Installed in soundhole, regulates the humidity inside the instrument. Absorbs excess moisture in damp conditions, humidifies in dry.

Let me know which you use, and why. Or, which one you think is best, and why.

Thanks,
Mathan Webber

[Krystof01]

I have a planet waves by d'addario. I saw it, thought I needed a humidifier for my Martin and subsequently bought it.

I don't know much at all about hunidifiers. This one gets refilled once a month (distilled water), it hooks onto the D and G strings (so can work in case or on wall) and that's about it.

Personally I don't think theres that much difference between them, they do the job there supposed to. I'd only be concerned if I lived in a very volatile climate, do you?

[Aaron Cheney]

I use the Planet Waves too. It's OK.
It does indeed "hook" onto your D and G strings. Unfortunately it also stretches them out quite a bit, making them go out of tune. Also, it requires a certain depth in the body of your guitar to be installed properly. If you guitar is full sized, you'll be fine.
However, if your guitar has a thinner body OR you have a lower bracing located in just the wrong place, BEWARE: It will be too deep and hit the back of the box, and for cryin' out loud, don't close your case on it!

I will probably try the Kyser this winter.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com

[Treeline]

It's touchy. Damage can be done if the humidity gets too high, and far greater damage is done if it drops too much (wood will often expand and return to its steady state without splitting; shrinking is another matter entirely). And the rate of change can be damaging as well as the actual humidity level. I've had Dampits, and they're OK; they tend to dry out when nobody's looking, and then you think the guitar is protected when it is not. Then I went to sponges in plastic soap dishes. Same thing, more water, fewer changes. Martin Simpson tells a horror story about lending a custom built instrument to a friend, who installed a sopping wet humidifier and closed the case. There was mold growing when he picked the thing up; the very best of intentions gone wrong.

By far the better tact is to keep the guitar in the same room (in or out of the case) and humidify the room. You can get a whole house humidifier for a couple hundred bucks, and room humidifiers for less. They're a hassle and have to be tended, but the payback is that the guitar is in a relatively constant humidity environment - not what happens when you refill the dampit and stick it in the soundhole again. Use the dampit when you go out, and don't let the instrument dry out; RH can drop to 10 % or less at zero degrees. A guitar top under tension will split if it ever reaches that level.

Keep a couple of humistats around; they can be had for five bucks (or a hundred) apiece and tell you the relative humidity. Most builders try to build to about 45 % RH, so keep the room there if you can. Feels good, too.