I'm considering leaving my guitar out this winter...

[1Charlie]

There are numerous examples of guitars, both old and new, with humidity-related cracks for sale on eBay, Reverb, etc. Same goes for those with repaired head stocks, damaged when a guitar got knocked over.

The moral of the story for me is pretty simple. If I care about a guitar, I keep it properly humidified and in its case when not playing it.

I have a few beaters that I leave out on stands.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by blacknblues

..Out of its case, that is. I bought a vintage Martin 00-17 a few years ago that was never humidified and was never put in a case, in fact the previous owner did not even have a case. It was used and and abused for many years in New Hampshire but has never suffered any cracks or other issues related to humidity. I would think after 80 years the wood has stabilized by now and I want to have a guitar that I don't have to unpack every time I get an itch or a few minutes to play. Thoughts?

Hi b-n-b…
We keep the rooms I play in humidified all year round to a safe level for guitars. I leave guitars out (we have hangers on the walls) all year round.

It is handy…

[cyclistbrian]

Originally Posted by rmyAddison

My guitars have been out for decades, also have whole house humidifiers. It's not rocket science, if you want to leave your guitar(s) out, and you live in an area where humidity can get too low, you buy room/home humidifiers and solve the potential problem.

The solution is known, the cost is minimal versus the cost of a nice guitar or collection, it's even more comfortable for us humans in a properly humidified home..........humidify

Good point. We heat with wood and forced hot air oil. Come January when the outside air is frigid and bone dry we have to humidify for human health and comfort. It is a fact of life. I always sort of figured if my mucus membranes and skin are happy my guitars must be reasonably happy too.

[blacknblues]

Originally Posted by Howard Emerson

Your reasoning is a little flawed, but it's a typically seen 'logic'.

Wood is hygroscopic, and it NEVER stops responding to moisture levels in any direction, dryer or wetter.

If the seller lived in your particular climate area, you may be lucky and won't have any concerns about the guitar getting stressed.

Maybe, though, he always took a hot steamy shower with the door open right next to the room where he, generally, kept his guitar. Maybe it never occurred to him that he was keeping the area properly humidified.

Serendipity.

The amount of importance placed on humidification is usually overblown, but don't be cavalier in the other direction.

A little common sense will keep you & your guitar very happy.

HE

He did in fact live in my area and I don't believe he inadvertently humidified the guitar. When I bought it, I had a luthier do a neck reset and he commented saying that it was 'dry as a bone' and he was surprised there were no cracks.
Thanks for all the good feedback. I'm thinking a room humidifier is the way to go if I want to leave it out of its case.

[Zhoffritz]

SFRetired, you're asking for people to somehow be collecting data when they're completely ignorant of the risks of low humidity. After the damage occurs they come here or elsewhere and find out about humidity and hygrometers.

It's a rare, rare person who is going to take a guitar and collect the data on the humidity and number of days before it develops a crack. Our OP was looking like one of them but I think he/she's pulled back.

IIRC people usually post right around when a crack happens, and will say "I leave it out all the time." I'm not sure what other info they could provide.

Also, our houses are not built like guitars, thank goodness.

[Guitars+gems]

Originally Posted by blacknblues

He did in fact live in my area and I don't believe he inadvertently humidified the guitar. When I bought it, I had a luthier do a neck reset and he commented saying that it was 'dry as a bone' and he was surprised there were no cracks.
Thanks for all the good feedback. I'm thinking a room humidifier is the way to go if I want to leave it out of its case.

But, is 'dry as a bone' a good thing?

[AmericanEagle]

my guitars are always out on their stands
I have never had a problem with my guitars.
I humidify the room they are in during the cold
winter nights here in Mass, using a simple vaporizer.

[buddyhu]

I always keep my guitars in a case...just a long standing habit that was later supported by some Taylor literature I came across in the 90's: it didn't discuss humidifiers, but it talked about the symptoms of a dry guitar, and recommended keeping the guitar in the case.

I think the alleged inconvenience of taking a guitar out of a case is VASTLY exaggerated.

[raggedymike]

Leave it out. Get a room humidifier, maybe.

I, too, bought a Martin in the sixties. Never humidified. I did not even know this was a thing until maybe the late eighties. Ask a cello player what they do about humidification. In my experience, they do nothing. When it cracks, they have it fixed.

A lot of the people on this board spend their lives buying and selling high end guitars. I don't have a problem with this, indeed, I envy them. For them it makes sense to humidify because a crack will make it more difficult to sell the guitar and the guitar will fetch a lower price. This makes their hobby that much more expensive. If this is you, humidify. If all a crack means to you is a trip to the luthier to have it stabilized, then leave that baby out.

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by blacknblues

He did in fact live in my area and I don't believe he inadvertently humidified the guitar. When I bought it, I had a luthier do a neck reset and he commented saying that it was 'dry as a bone' and he was surprised there were no cracks.
Thanks for all the good feedback. I'm thinking a room humidifier is the way to go if I want to leave it out of its case.

BnB,
I'm glad you cleared that up.

I love good, old, all-mahogany Martins, and I'm sure it'll give you many years more aural pleasure!

HE

[Dave T]

All the manufacturers of the various guitars I've owned over the years all recommend keeping their guitars in their cases…but what would they know.

I've always done as they advise and keep my guitars in their cases. The "hassle" of getting them out amounts to less than 10 seconds. I've been through enough stuff in my life so I am able to handle the stress of opening the case to get my guitar. (LOL)

Dave

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by blacknblues

..Out of its case, that is. I bought a vintage Martin 00-17 a few years ago that was never humidified and was never put in a case, in fact the previous owner did not even have a case. It was used and and abused for many years in New Hampshire but has never suffered any cracks or other issues related to humidity. I would think after 80 years the wood has stabilized by now and I want to have a guitar that I don't have to unpack every time I get an itch or a few minutes to play. Thoughts?

I live in NH and have for my whole life. I leave all of my guitars out on stands year round...BUT I HUMIDIFY in the winter and DEHUMIDIFY in the summer. Not sure where you are located, but I would never even consider NOT humidifying a guitar up here in the winter, regardless of the age/history of the guitar.

Just a bit of info about me to help you understand where I'm coming from... I personally own a bunch of prewar Martins, and although I have not had any cracking issues with any of them, I do notice that in the winter (I keep my humidity in the room between 38-45% in the winter) my old guitars DO in fact dry out a bit causing some buzz a little when played in spite of my diligent attempts at humidification... so your logic of the guitar being "stabilized" after 80 years is flawed. If they did not react to changes in humidity, then my old guitars would play the same way all the time, but that is most definitely not the case. Howard is pretty much right on the money, and just because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it can't/won't happen.

You have decided to be the caretaker of that old guitar while it's in your possession, so you need to make sure it's in the best shape possible for the next person to own it down the road, and trust me... they will be thankful that you took care of it properly. These old guitars are quite fragile and delicate (as are most new guitars), and it would be a shame if something happened to it on your watch because of neglect by something as simple as humidification. Guitars are built to outlast us, and in many circumstances they do, so please do your part to preserve them for the next few generations to enjoy.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by buddyhu

I always keep my guitars in a case...

Leaving a guitar in the case all winter, without taking into account any means for humidification of the instrument while in the case, does little to nothing in terms of protecting the guitar from drying out and cracking. At some point, after opening and closing the case numerous times to play the guitar and put it back away, the case is as dry as the room it is being stored in. I have never understood the logic of players when they realize their guitar has dried out, plays like crap and develops cracks saying, "But I kept it in its case!". A case is nothing more than a very small room, so it is prone to the same temperature and humidity fluctuations as a larger room if you just kept the guitar out of the case in the first place. Humidifying is not that hard to do and you will reap the rewards for decades to come.

[DesertTwang]

I have yet to see a vintage Martin that didn't sustain cracks at some point in its life...

[fazool]

Just for some more perspective.

I did all variants of care.

When younger we had brutal winters and heated with forced hot air and a wood burning fireplace. I never paid attention and was lucky my guitar didn't crack. We all had cracked fingers and chapped lips.

Much later I kept my guitars in their cases with case humidifiers. We still have brutal winters and heat with forced hot air and a wood burning fireplace. We all had cracked fingers and chapped lips.

Recently I changed over to wall hangers and home humidifier(s). We still have brutal winters and heat with forced hot air and a wood burning fireplace. We are comfortable year round and so are my guitars.

No one argues over the time it takes to uncase/recase a guitar. Its not a matter of saving time. This isn't an efficiency study. But it's a major convenience difference. Having my guitars hanging on the wall I can pick one up as I walk by, strum a chord and walk away. I can play, get interrupted by family/pets/whatever hang the guitar come back (or not).

It sounds like a tiny thing but once you do it you will see it is a very subtle difference that makes your guitars more a part of your everyday life. Its one of those things you can't imagine needing but, once you have it, can't figure out how you "survived" without it.

I have a large whole house console humidifier, but the descriptor is generous and it can't really humidify my whole house. It's rated for 2900ft2 house. Mine is a tad over 2000ft2 and I go through 4-5 gallons of water a day. The downstairs is great but upstairs is still dry.

I added a small 1.5gal evaporative humdifier in my den, where my guitars hang. Those two keep things safe and comfortable.