How did they humidify in the 20s, 30s, 40, 50s, 60s etc...

[Mandobart]

People didn't have the internet to obsess over this kind of thing then. They had World Wars, worldwide financial collapse, the space race, arms race, etc. Now we tune out all of that and discuss these wide-ranging topics that few of us really care to understand so long as we can express our opinion...

[Doug MacPherson]

Back in the sixties I remember the old timers used to put a slice of apple in the case to "wet" the guitar.

[1Charlie]

For most of its life, I paid no attention to humidity wherever I kept my '73 Guild D-35. 40 years of cold to hot, dry to humid and back, in a closet, or under a bed.

It is crack-free. Same holds true for a '31 Gibson and a '34 Martin I own. All built with air-dried wood.

FWIW, I do keep them in a humidified room now...

[rokdog49]

I still think humidification or lack thereof is one of the most over-blown fears among this generation of acoustic guitar players. At least it would seem so.
Having said that, I can understand not wanting a $5000 guitar to be damaged in an environment where the humidity is constantly below 30% or above 60%.
Anyway, I never understood the tropical rain forest atmospheric conditions in some of the GC's acoustic rooms I've been in. It sure ain't like that in my house where my guitars reside outside their cases in 35-55% humidity depending.
Those fluctuations are gradual BTW.

[Paraclete]

A few thoughts....

The most sturdy and resilient instruments survived. My 200 year old violin survived mostly intact until it encountered NW Iowa winters when I was in college. Fortunately, the crack it suffered was minor and very manageable under the care of a skilled luthier.

The aging and drying methods of wood were different than they are today.

It’s not an over-blown fear to worry that your $4K guitar might crack. When you invest serious money into something, you want to take care of it. As I mentioned, even the most long-surviving instruments are prone to damage in extreme conditions. Better to be a little overly vigilant than have to deal with repairs.

[barley]

I never gave humidification a single thought regarding my Martins purchased in the mid ‘70s until 8 years ago. They were kept in their cases in a closet or under a bed. There have been zero cracks or finish problems as a result of humidity, or anything else. I’ve lived in the Kansas City area the entire time with no humidification in the house. My guess is that the guitars were subjected to less than 20% humidity for three months per year for 30 plus years.

Since that time, after being educated, I’ve kept them in a room with a room humidifier during the months that the furnace is running.

[muscmp]

they didn't. that may be why you don't see too many that made it this far. plus, the guitar wasn't really popular until rock n roll. it couldn't compete in the big bands and so they weren't properly cared for, mentally and physically. only later did it stand out and became a front instrument. people didn't have the $$$ to buy one during the 30s until after WWII.

play music!

[heavy_picker]

I used a Dampit humidifier in the 1960s for my Gibson J50.

[codecontra]

Does anyone here really know or is it all just speculation? I mean, guitar building has been around for a couple thousand years. The 1920s, 30s and 40s were not really that long ago. I think possibly there was some knowledge that a certain humidity range was good for guitars, no? In which case, a wet sock or rag in a case might have sufficed (as it does now).

[srick]

Remember that with old guitars (like so many other things: cars, buildings, people), only the hardiest have survived. So you have a big observational bias going on here.

To use the car analogy, when was the last time you saw a 1971 Vega, a 1973 Pinto or a 1991 Yugo? You haven't, because most of them have turned to rust!

[jwellsy]

I think old timers understood humidity quit well. they had a different vocabulary about it. But, they figured out how to stay comfortable. And if they were comfortable their instruments were comfortable.

They didn't have AC or forced air heat sucking the moisture out, and every picture of a wood stove had a water kettle on it.

[pagedr]

Quick question regarding humidity, thought it might be easier just to ask in here rather than starting a new thread.

I live right off the ocean in SoCal and the humidity in my apartment is pretty much always around 55-65% according to my hygrometer. I always keep my acoustics in their cases unless being played, but I'm guessing the humidity levels in there are pretty much the same as in the apartment.

Are there any options out there besides buying a dehumidifier? I don't think the small, cheap ones would do all that much, but I also don't want to get a big industrial one as my apartment isn't that big either.

[codecontra]

Originally Posted by pagedr

Quick question regarding humidity, thought it might be easier just to ask in here rather than starting a new thread.

I live right off the ocean in SoCal and the humidity in my apartment is pretty much always around 55-65% according to my hygrometer. I always keep my acoustics in their cases unless being played, but I'm guessing the humidity levels in there are pretty much the same as in the apartment.

Are there any options out there besides buying a dehumidifier? I don't think the small, cheap ones would do all that much, but I also don't want to get a big industrial one as my apartment isn't that big either.

Some here may disagree, but I think you’re perfectly safe within that humidity range. I certainly wouldn’t recommend dehumidifying your space for the sake of your guitars.

[rct]

Didn't care. Guitars were made of wood and some form of plastic and some form of metal. They weren't made of unicorn horns and rainbow dust. We took them out and used them, and over the course of an average year they averaged out to be just fine.

I'm surprised any of us lived through it all.

rct

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Nctom

Probably the main difference in the guitars today and those in the past is in the materials used. Instrument woods in the past were air dried, sometimes for years, and assembled under unhurried, more natural conditions than today. Even cheap instruments were built this way.
Today, guitars are built from kiln dried woods, glued up, sprayed, and shipped out as fast as can be done with little or no consideration of conditions outside the plants where they are made...

Originally Posted by 1Charlie

For most of its life, I paid no attention to humidity wherever I kept my '73 Guild D-35. 40 years of cold to hot, dry to humid and back, in a closet, or under a bed.

It is crack-free. Same holds true for a '31 Gibson and a '34 Martin I own. All built with air-dried wood...

Originally Posted by barley

I never gave humidification a single thought regarding my Martins purchased in the mid ‘70s until 8 years ago. They were kept in their cases in a closet or under a bed. There have been zero cracks or finish problems as a result of humidity, or anything else. I’ve lived in the Kansas City area the entire time with no humidification in the house. My guess is that the guitars were subjected to less than 20% humidity for three months per year for 30 plus years...

Problem in a nutshell: Kiln. Dried. Woods...

Originally Posted by muscmp

...the guitar wasn't really popular until rock n roll. It couldn't compete in the big bands and so they weren't properly cared for, mentally and physically. Only later did it stand out and became a front instrument. People didn't have the $$$ to buy one during the 30s until after WWII...

If you're talking flattop guitars, I agree 100%; when it comes to archtops, however, it's quite a different story IME. In case you're not aware, acoustic archtops were the guitar of choice for serious players before WW II (and some years thereafter); an entire school of "classical archtop" flourished from about 1925-1940 (if you've had any contact with the original Mel Bay method books you're probably peripherally familiar with the concept, and there's a load of period stuff on YouTube) and the vintage Gibsons/Epiphones I've played over the last 50 years or so have been, as a whole, significantly better-maintained than their flattop counterparts - commensurate with the virtuoso status of both the instruments and the guitarists using them. Maybe it's just a New York thing, but I've also found them to be far more plentiful, even in the pricier examples - I've yet to handle a prewar D-45, but I've played more L-5's, Super 400's, Emperors, and Deluxes than I can count, and seen a whole bunch that I didn't get my hands on - proof positive that working musicians will buy the best they can afford regardless of economic conditions. As far as competing in the big bands, a properly-played 17"/18" (or larger) comp box - yes, there's a very specific technique involved that most guys under 55 have never been taught nor even seen first-hand - has no problem cutting through a full-boogie 20-piece horn section; these babies project like crazy and develop their tone in front of, rather than within, the body, so it's not always obvious to the player just how loud they really are - I've played some non-cutaway Emperors that were absolutely explosive, and I recall a story of one big-band rehearsal where the guitarist was asked to lighten up on his 19" Stromberg Master 400, that he was drowning out the rest of the rhythm section (um, we're talking unmiked/unamplified here... ). Great contemporary lead instruments, BTW - the big ones have a rich bass and smooth treble as well as considerable cut and punch - and far more versatile than what you may have been led to believe...