Humidity paranoia with all-solid acoustic!

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Gmountain

Don't sweat it. There are millions of guitars out there, on beaches, in the woods, up north, down south, in the desert, in air conditioning, and in non air conditioned spaces. There was even one on the space station.

Other than reading about it here, have you ever heard anyone complain about humidity? Ever hear Eric Clapton or George Harrison worry about it? Any manufacturer provide warnings on their website?

Boards like this tend to get weird on things like that. If you are comfortable, then your guitar will be fine.

Yeah, these guys certainly don't care about humidity:

[url]https://www.taylorguitars.com/sites/default/files10_SymptomsofaDryGuitar.pdf

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitar-...ehumidity.html

[Gmountain]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Yeah, these guys certainly don't care about humidity:

[url]https://www.taylorguitars.com/sites/default/files10_SymptomsofaDryGuitar.pdf

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitar-...ehumidity.html

And if you read it, it says rapid changes in humidity and temperature, like putting your guitar next to a fire.

No one in their right mind would read that and say that their home temperature has to be 72-77 degrees. Even Martins are exposed to cod- you know, they don't ship guitars from the Nazareth factory in climate controlled trucks.

Lots of folks don't have air conditioning and somehow their guitars survive winter and summer. They play outside in the summer. I've seen people play outside in cold weather. I've seen them play in humid and hot environments. I've seen guitars on boats, and in the tropics, and somehow they survive. Keeping a guitar inside of you home won't hurt it if you are comfortable.

Nowhere does it say your guitar has to be in a humidity and temperature controlled case.

I get it. people spend money and it's a very nice instrument, but it isn't made of gossamer. You can overdo worrying about it.

[Ramesses]

Craigslist in colorado is full of cracked guitars. Solid wood guitars at pawn shops will have multiple cracks if they've been in the shop for more than a few months. Even solid top lam b/s guitars will all at a minimum look and feel like corduroy in a pawn shop. Its been raining here for a week and my indoor hygrometer says 25%. Thats the typical higher end of the spectrum.

If you live anywhere in the intermountain west and to a lesser extent the midwest then you should always be paying close attention to your guitars humidity. You don't have to be obsessive, but just a little care and attention will save you from a crack.

[sidneystreet]

Originally Posted by Gmountain

...Keeping a guitar inside of your home won't hurt it if you are comfortable...

While your statement is generally true most of the time, you are over-stating your case a bit.

I might be perfectly comfortable all winter in a home heated by a wood burning stove, fireplace, or even a gas furnace. However, the relative humidity would probably be in the single digits.

So are you sure that any guitar would be perfectly fine sitting out on a stand all winter, merely because I am comfortable?

[Gmountain]

I think you need some humidity to be comfortable.

When we heated our home with a wood stove the humidity did get low. It was very uncomfortable, so we always kept a big tea kettle simmering on the stove to add moisture to the house.

Originally Posted by Gmountain

I think you need some humidity to be comfortable.

When we heated our home with a wood stove the humidity did get low. It was very uncomfortable, so we always kept a big tea kettle simmering on the stove to add moisture to the house.

The problem is, everyone has different thresholds for "comfortable."

My solution was to buy a room humidifier for the winter and dehumidifier for the summer. Can't recommend this route enough for those who feel worried or stressed by these issues. I keep the room around 45% RH.

I've heard from folks in more extreme cold climates that they can't maintain 45-50% humidity without forming condensation indoors, but for the rest of us, it's not an issue.

[smurph1]

Originally Posted by Claude Bolz

"And does anyone have any advice "

Decaf?

LOL. . Yeah it will be fine . Enjoy your instrument. Put a few dings and scratches
in it. It will sound better!

[Napman41]

If your comfortable than your guitar is comfortable. Don't over analyze it.

[sirwhale]

Just buy carbon fibre. No worries.

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by dtrainwater1

I literally feel like I'm doing something bad to my guitar by taking it out. I feel almost as if I'm slowly destroying it (not to be overdramatic) every time I play it. On top of that, the humidifier usually reads around 60% in the case, so I then worry about over humidification when it's in there! I tell myself that I'm just being irrational, but then images bowed tops, sharp frets, and separating joints always creep back into my mind. Has anyone else experienced this paranoia???

Not me. Wood is not a sponge. It does not take up or give off moisture in an instant. It takes days/weeks. I have several quite expensive acoustic guitars and basses. I'm not at all concerned if the RH is between 35 and 70% in the case. Day to day flunctuations don't make much of a difference.

Besides, guitars will usually show other signs of low humidity before they crack the soundboard. Exposed fret ends, sinking top, higher action and such.

[Pinetreebob]

I have had a solid top acoustic crack on me at the end of a long winter so I do humidify inside with an Oasis humidifier the case now and keep my guitars in their cases when not playing. I didn't do it before and regret it. I do not have a humidifier but will place a Vicks vaporizer in the room, they are less than $20.
Other than that I don't worry about it.

[Rodger Knox]

I have several factory made (Gibson, Yamaha, Ibanez) guitars ranging from 30 to 50 years old that have never seen any type of humidity control, and hang on the wall most of the time. None have cracks due to low humidity, and last winter there were several weeks with RH below 20%.

I doubt there's much cause for concern as long as the RH is above 30%.

It is a case of better safe than sorry, the likelihood of a crack at 30% is much greater than 40%.

[kydave]

Humidity paranoia with all-solid acoustic!

Yes, it is rampant! ... with "Paranoia" being the operative word.

I notice you haven't returned since post # 1. Where do you live?

[mcbean]

Whether humidity gets too high or too low, the guitar will tell you when bad things are happening, and as long as you're paying attention then those things can be fixed. The top can swell, or cave in, you'll notice changes in action and string buzz, etc. etc.

Humidify, and then worry about addressing issues when they come. I didn't know about humidifying when i got my first all-solid wood guitar and I started having some issues. I took it to a trusted tech, thinking I just needed a setup, and he put a humidifier in the case for a few days and the guitar came right back....and by that point, no setup was required...so he just gave the guitar back with no money changing hands.

Bottom line, most problems are fixable if you catch them soon enough. If you're humidifying, you're unlikely to run into any major ones.

[dtrainwater1]

Thank for all of the replies! Plenty of opinions to go around, I see! I am in Louisiana, so humidity is pretty much always above 60% outside. A/C & heater lower it indoors, though. It seems that with what I am currently doing, I just need to take some of the most prevalent advice here and RELAX