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

[hakkolu]

Hi,

I, like many of you, worry about the humidity levels of my acoustics. I tried many different ways, in case, room etc. I look at my hygrometer every couple of hours.

This obsession got me thinking... Since guitars made of solid wood (or any other wood instrument for that matter) have been around for at least a hundred years, how did the guitar owners manage humidity back in the olden days? Is it possible that they didn't care? And the instruments were fine anyways?

[SpruceTop]

Most likely, they weren't all that aware and didn't bother. Cracks were likely thought of as normal wear and tear on an instrument. Then again, I'm likely to quickly find out I've over-simplified my response to your questions ...

[tomiv9]

Most people didn't know or care about humidity, and many instruments suffered as a result.

[jed1894]

Great question and topic!

I have an all solid classical made in Spain that I pulled from my dads shed when he died. No telling how old it is. I had it appraised and found out it was all solid hand made over 40 years ago....probably longer. That thing has never been humidified and probably been around the world, twice. Perfect shape! No truss rod either.

[Pitar]

Wild guess, no one even thought about it.

[mmasters]

I think only the best made quartersawn wood guitars remain to this day crack free. They seem to be able to handle the low humidity better.

[Looburst]

Yep, just wasn't even a consideration back in those days. Bill Collings said it best. If you bought one of those "Depression Era" guitars new, the guitar cost was somewhere around $10.00, a soft shell case was $5.00 and a hardshell case was $15.00, so how many people bought a hardshell case, almost nobody. And many didn't even buy a soft case, so it's a wonder that any survived at all. Humidity wasn't even talked about back then.

[lowrider]

One thing to think about is that those old houses were pretty leaky. Heated air flowed out while new air flowed in. Oil and before it coal was cheap and you just cranked up the furnace some more. Come the energy crises of the 70's and everyone started chaulking, house wrapping, foam filling and super-insulating. Also, we now have the dreaded hot forced air heat, the dryest heat ever thought about. Those old houses mostly had steam heat. Remember those old radiator valves hissing out steam?

Winter weather isn't necessarily dry outside. Right now I'm at my Woodstock house. I built it and it has all the good wrapping, chaulking and super-insulating. The humidity inside is 36%, but outside it's 60.

[Don54]

Just my GUESS.

Back then, guitars were more thought of as tools and were not as expensive (relatively speaking). If they cracked, it was probably equivalent to a microwave going out. Maybe not the best analogy, but the idea is that if it breaks, you go out and get another one. Information on humidity and care was not as readily available.

Today, many people are paying hundreds and often times, thousands for guitars for a variety of reasons (ie our musical heroes played them, we saw it on tv, AGF induced gas, etc, etc) Guitars almost have a slight mythical quality to them. So they’re much highly valued. They’re beautiful. They cost a lot and with the availability of information via the internet, we’re learning how to better care for these instruments that we highly value.

[GBS]

Just from life experience, when buying my first guitar back in '67 it was mentioned to me, but not at the emphasis it is now. And yes, the shop did try to get me to buy a humidifier, which I did..but then quickly got too lazy to check after the first week. Amazing that I still have the first guitar (Gibson LG-0).

I related it previously here, but stopped into a nearby small shop a couple of months ago, and got to talking with the owner. We traded tales of all the "used to knows" on the local scene. I commented on the water beading up on the windows due to the humidity and being very cold out. She related how when they first opened the shop in the very early 60's, no one really talked about humidity control. They locked the shop up for their first Xmas break and went away for four days. Were careful to leave the thermostat turned up. A storied Minn. cold snap (very, very far below 0!) happened. They came back to find several guitars on the floor, and all of them with major cracks and related damage. Lost all of their inventory - some very high end. Very close to losing the business at that point. Since then they've always been very careful about proper humidity levels.

[Rimshot]

60's and later I remember clay moistened with water in pill containers. Before that I heard stories of using potatos and apples in the case

[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.

All sorts of humidification devices were tried. Sliced apples in the case were one solution, on toward moist sponges and cloths placed in with the guitars. Mostly, I think most owner just didn't worry too much about it.

[L20A]

My first guitar was a 1970 Yamaha laminate. It was stored in a chipboard case. It went with me to Basic Training and spent a lot of time outside and in very dry humidity conditions.
As a result, the braces started to come loose.
The guitar developed a funny buzz from the loose braces.
This all happened about my third year of owning the guitar.

I took the guitar back to where I origonely got it and was told about humidification at that time.
He suggested that I place an apple inside a sock and put it inside the guitar case.
I did this with my guitars until Dampit first came out.
I used them until something more to my liking came out.
Now I use homemade soap dish/sponge humidifiers for my guitars.

[Mr Fingers]

I lived in a home in NE w/ a wood-burning stove. There was always a pot of water on the stovetop, letting moisture back into the air. Not very scientific, but in many areas, that's what was done when things get dry. The human body doesn't like ultra-low humidity much.

[Silly Moustache]

My house is a double brick skinned cavity wall insulated building with double glazed windows and doors and heated by gas fired water filled radiators.

I have hygrometers in all cases and in my lounge, and it gets down to mid '30s but I don't worry too much. Hygrometers in the cases are all showing within reasonable parameters.

I do vaguely remember talks abut keeping half an apple in cases, but probably didn't know why.

Someone here suggested Water beads (what are they really for?) in soap box cases, but if I crane my head a little I can count six vases of floers in this room, so I'm not that concerned.