Acoustic Guitar Humidifier

rusty50 · #1 12-30-2009, 12:08 PM

I have a new acoustic guitar, A Yamaha FX 335, and am new to acoustic guitars. I love how it plays and sounds but I am getting some fret buzz on the high E string between about the 10th and 14th frets. I talked to a local guitar repairman on the phone and he said it could possibly be that the guitar has dried out in this winter weather and needs moister. So I was wondering what kind people use for their guitars.

Tunes · #2 12-30-2009, 12:55 PM

Most here just use a plastic soap dish that has holes drilled in it with a damp sponge inside. The softer plastic soap holders, like you would use on a camping trip seem to work best, as the hard plastic is brittle and hard to drill holes in.

Just use an everyday sponge, cut to fit, and kept damp but NOT dripping wet. You don't want water dripping on your guitar, and the soap dish keeps the sponge away from everything.

Just drop the dish in your guitar case whereever there is room, and check the sponge every week or so. If you want to be more precise, buy a small digital hygrometer and put it in the case also to check the humidity levels.

This should work fine for most conditions. If your area of the world is VERY dry you may have to go with "DAMP-ITs" that go inside your guitar. These are long worm like sponges that are designed to go inside the guitar, and also have a sound hole cover to really trap moisture inside. The cover would only be used for extreme dryness issues.

Hope this helps. Somewhere within the last week or so some one posted some great pics of the classic soap dish sponge holder.

32Ford · #3 12-30-2009, 01:10 PM

Thanks for that info. If anyone has that link to look at those pictures it would be greatly apprecaited. Thanks.

PoorMansCollin · #4 12-30-2009, 01:16 PM

I keep a ziplock bag with a sponge inside my guitar all day. Does not affect the sound and no hassle. I simple remove it every few days and add water to sponge.

-ST- · #5 12-30-2009, 01:21 PM

Do it yourself humidifiers on youtube

Have fun.

rusty50 · #6 12-30-2009, 01:25 PM

Yes, I would also like to see the pictures. Thanks for all the help. As a matter of fact the repairman I talked to earlier mentioned the soap dish method. I will have to check into it.
For a case I have a gig bag. Will that help or will it not hold the moisture? I figured with that I could use a piece of "cling wrap" over the sound hole. I think it would stick enough to seal it but not leave any sticky residue like tape.
Funny, I was just looking at the "do it yourself humidifiers on youtube". Here's my idea, damp sponge in a plastic bag with holes cut in it, use some clips to hang it from a string in the sound hole, cover hole with cling wrap, let set. Whatduyu think?
Here is a video on youtube on making the soap dish method. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0sQ1...eature=related

32Ford · #7 12-30-2009, 01:31 PM

If you do a search on "soap dish" using the search feature here it will come up in the thread titles. Good stuff.

rusty50 · #8 12-30-2009, 01:50 PM

Found the soap dish link. http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...ight=soap+dish

rusty50 · #9 12-30-2009, 02:24 PM

Here is something quick I made up based on my idea, no clips required, it fits snug enough to stay in place. The bag has holes cut in it and is hanging off the back of the guitar.

superkeating · #10 12-30-2009, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty50

I have a new acoustic guitar, A Yamaha FX 335, and am new to acoustic guitars. I love how it plays and sounds but I am getting some fret buzz on the high E string between about the 10th and 14th frets. I talked to a local guitar repairman on the phone and he said it could possibly be that the guitar has dried out in this winter weather and needs moister. So I was wondering what kind people use for their guitars.

You could have one of two things going on. The first is, of course, the drying out. There are alot of sound hole humidifiers you can get on the market and they work pretty good.

The second thing, which happened to me, is that you possibly have a two piece neck. This means that the fret board is all one piece but the neck itself is two. They meet at the 10th to 12th fret at the body. The two pieces could expand at different rates causing the buzz. It's a $200 +/- acoustic guitar so that might be the issue.

Usually, you can see this yourself if you turn the guitar over. You might either need to raise the action or get the neck worked on. If ya love your geetar, get it fixed. I had my neck set up and it fixed the fret buzz.

Yours Truly,

Patrick Keating

ljguitar · #11 12-30-2009, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty50

I have a new acoustic guitar, A Yamaha FX 335, and am new to acoustic guitars. I love how it plays and sounds but I am getting some fret buzz on the high E string between about the 10th and 14th frets. I talked to a local guitar repairman on the phone and he said it could possibly be that the guitar has dried out in this winter weather and needs moister. So I was wondering what kind people use for their guitars.

Hi Rusty…
I'm a fan of humidifying when guitars need it, and not humidifying when they don't. I have several hygrometers ($7 at Walmart), and keep track of humidity in my playing room, and in my cases where the guitars are stored sometimes.

Inside the case I use a combination of Kyser Lifeguard soundhole humidifiers and a ziplock/sponge humidifier. In my experience the Lifeguard are the simplest commercial units, and the only ones which still work when the guitar is out of the case.

I throw out the ''locking ring'' and just balance the Lifeguard under the strings, and it (like most other guitar humidifiers) is merely sponge in a soft housing. I've been using these for about 10 years, and none has ever failed, leaked nor gotten mold.

It's easy to forget that the fingerboard is not finished and will shrink if not humidified. Hence two humidifiers in my cases...and out here in WY I can keep a case at about 40-42% fairly easy. I could force it higher, but not be able to hold it there all the time...so I just let em settle in at 40%...

I build my own sponge-in-a-ziplock-with-slits-in-it units, and give them to my students as well (we build them together). I used to be a fan of plastic soap dishes till I found mine rolling around underneath the headstock (sitting on top of the headstock one day too) and didn't like that...so I switched to ziplocks - both function to release humidity equally well.

Living in very dry climate, I use two sponges in a bag stored under the headstock area. When I travel I reduce humidity by removing the soundhole humidifier first, then sponges from the bag one at a time. I prefer two thinner sponges to one fat one for this reason...

Short video showing you how to build your own - click

The main things are:

You need a Hygrometer to know when/if you need to humidify...your house humidity will be different than weather.com reports for your area/city
Reliable method of humidifying...
Wring sponges out well...
Keeping the humidity steady is as important as safe...less change to the action of your guitar

Hope this helps...

rusty50 · #12 12-30-2009, 03:19 PM

Thanks Patrick for the info. Yes I love my guitar dearly. It has an amazing sound and plays like a dream. I want to solve the problem (or have it solved by some one that knows what they're doing). I have had it for only a week so I'm wondering about it drying out already. It was in a climate controlled acoustic guitar room. You go in there and you have to start shedding the winter gear because it's a little warm. So could a guitar dry out in two weeks, one week in lay-away and one at home? I live in the Northern Mid-West and it gets really dry in the winter.
I have a two year extended warranty so I could have it repaired or replaced. I played another one like it at the store today when I took it in to be looked at but it's not my "Natale". I named her Natale, nat being short for natural finish. Any way, the guy at the store adjusted the neck a little and said to give it a couple of days to adjust to the tension.
Speaking of raising the action. I noticed there is a groove in the saddle at the problem string and was wondering if that was the problem but the repairman on the phone said if that was it there would probably be buzz all the way up the neck.
I looked at the neck and it's two pieces alright but not at the 10th-12th frets. As you can see it's at the head stock area. So hopefully that's not the problem. I know the guitar didn't make the noise when I took it home from the store so I'm hoping it's the lack of moisture.

KevWind · #13 12-30-2009, 03:41 PM

I like these http://www.oasishumidifiers.com/original.html for ease of use You just fill em with water and when they wrinkle and contract . fill em up again. A Hydrometer is a good investment also

roberts · #14 12-30-2009, 05:38 PM

My experience with Dampits is they last 2 years, then the internal sponge literally crumbles and disintegrates. I like the Planet Waves but they've downsized the humidifier to basically a tiny sponge that has to be recharged every other day. I've been switching over to Oasis - they're low maintenance and efficient.

rusty50 · #15 12-31-2009, 12:48 PM

Well I went on a quest for answers and a solution for my guitar today. The first place I went to "Woodcraft" wood working supplies and bought a non-digital hygrometer. While there I asked about wood and humidity. The guy said humidity can change wood in minutes.
Then I went to Walmart and bought some soap dishes and in the hardware section I found a digital humidity and temperature monitor.
Then I went to Guitar Center where I got the guitar to see about a humidifier. I bought a "Planet Waves" acoustic guitar humidifier, item# GH. I asked the guy there about humidity and fret buzz. He said that would definitely cause it.
So now I am going to set up the guitar in the gig bag with the sound hole humidifier, a humidity gauge and a soap dish with holes and a sponge.
Right now the digital hygrometer is registering at 32% humidity in the room where the guitar is.