Humidifier necessary?

[gmiller1122]

I have a 10 year old Alvarez acoustic and I've heard conflicting
thoughts on using a humidifier. One person says definitely, while
another says the important thing is to keep the ROOM's humidity at a decent level.

Do I need one? Can it hurt?

I've found 2 kinds at American Musical -- one that seals the soundhole, the other that you actually put water into. If I need one, which is best?

Any feedback is much appreciated!

G

 

[Dunder XIII]

I always use humidifiers in my acoustics guitars. The reason is that I live in Montreal where in the winter the humidity level drops to 30% (because of eletric heating). You need to get yourself a hygrometer to monitor room humidity. You can find those at your local Radio Shack store. If the room humidity is between 45% and 65%, you don't really need to humidify your guitar (unless its a spanish one). If its below, you do. Both room humidifiers and sound-hole humidifiers will do and both have their plusses and drawbacks. You could read the document at: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...643743/content/g=home/s=techtips/doc_id=88261

You should not over-humidifier too much either. If the humidity level goes over 65% you might need to buy a dehumidifier or use a dryed-up sound hole humidifier. The reason being that glues might not hold as well.

As for your query, I personnaly use sound-hole types, but it has lightly damaged my cedar-top seagull :-( If your guitar has a finish, I don't think it will hurt it.

 

[Fusioninspace]

I had my Seagull soundboard split last year because of being to dry. I had it fixed and it sounds good as new, but I always keep a soundhole humidifier in it now... and keep an eye on the little humity indicator thats on the cover.

The guys at the guitar place said that this only happens to solid top guitars. So your $100 el cheapo will always be okay no matter what the humidity and your $2,000 Martin will be toast unless you watch the storage conditions. They also suggested keeping the guitar in a case when you're not using it. that's probably a good idea - but I like it as a decorative wall hanging as well as playing it.

 

[TexRoadkill]

I read that keeping it in the case is worse because of the drastic change when you pull it out to play. I live in AZ and it's always dry here and I dont do anything special to humidify the guitar. I have a solid top Larivee that is a year old and no problems so far (knock on wood).

My understanding is that once the guitar is aclimated you are okay. If you are traveling and exposing the guitar to extreme differences then you will have problems.

 

[philboyd studge]

I live in the desert too and don't do anything special to my acoustic instruments and have had no problems with cracking. I think it may well be the change from humid to dry can have an effect. Had a Martin style mandolin that literally blew up once (collapse) in the change from beach humidity to a high altitude ski area.

 

[gmiller1122]

Thanks for the feedback, guys.

I was once told that humidifiers can actually do some damage if not used properly AND that when you move your guitar to a new place, let it sit in the case for awhile to get it used to the air and humidity.

Now if I can just stop knocking the damn thing over. What a clutz.

 

[Nightbanana]

re: humidifier

I just went through this situation. I had to spend around $200 (thank god it wasn't anything serious) to fix some cracks that opened up on my upright bass. My advice is to look into a room humidifier rather than one that fits in the instrument. By keeping the room at constant humidity, around 30-40%, your instrument will absorb enough moisture to prevent cracking. I bought an emerson moist air humidifier, which has an adjustable fan, and adjustable humidity level. It regulates humidity by automatically turning on/off as the room humidity varies. If your istrument is worth a lot of money, I definitely wouldn't use an instrument humidifier, there's too much danger of something bad happening. If you are touring a lot then an instrument humidifier may be your only option.

 

[Treeline]

Yep. Me too.

I live in Vermont, where the winter humidity can get really low. The problem is that wood shrinks when it dries out. Imagine the stresses on a 1/8" thick plate of spruce, loaded with a couple hundred pounds of string tension and attached to rigid sides throughout its entire edge. When the relative humidity hits ten or twelve percent the thing will simply fracture!

There may be other hints of pending humidity trouble, as well. I have a Taylor with an aftermarket set of frets. (Long story, I expect; anyway, someone did a fret job on it and the frets are a whisker long). It's fine until mid February, when the fingerboard has lost enough moisture so that it actually shrinks - but the frets do not. I get little hairline cracks on the binding and a shredded forefinger from playing barre cords. It straightens out about April, though.

I have an old Gibson acoustic with a "Gibson crack" that has rendered the instument (temporarily) unplayable. It happened because I ignored humidity changes over time. The large pickguard expands and contracts at a different rate than the spruce to which it was glued. A stress crack developed right along the edge, from the bridge to the soundhole; from the other edge of the soundhole right up the side of the fretboard, lifting right off the braces. There's over 1/8" displacement at one point. Ouch.

Laminated top instruments don't suffer as much because the top is reinforced by the individual plies of wood oriented each at 90 degrees to the next. The sound suffers in comparison to a solid top, but it's much stronger and less expensive to build.

I minimize the problem by keeping a whole house humidifier (WalMart special) going all winter and try to keep the room where the guitars live at about 40 % RH. You can get an el cheapo humistat from the local Radio Shack (even a hardware store will have a twelve dollar special) to keep an eye on it. I have a dampit for inside the case, which I charge when going out, and in the past I've used a soap box with a wet sponge in it.

Learn about humidity and wood!!