How to take care of an all-solid mahogany guitar?

[angelo_]

I bought online an all-solid mahogany guitar.
How do I take care of it? I don't want it to get cracks. I know cedar is less susceptible to cracks than spruce, but what about mahogany?
The humidity level where I live is 45-65% depending on the time of year, but my guitar room is close to a stove and so the humidity is probably lower there than in other rooms. This is my first acoustic guitar, the others are solid-body electrics and they don't really care about humidity.
Should I keep the guitar in its gig bag for some hours before opening it once it arrives?

Thanks.

[FingahPickah]

Originally Posted by angelo_

The humidity level where I live is 45-65% depending on the time of year, but my guitar room is close to a stove and so the humidity is probably lower there than in other rooms. This is my first acoustic guitar, the others are solid-body electrics and they don't really care about humidity.
Should I keep the guitar in its gig bag for some hours before opening it once it arrives?

Thanks.

It's generally recommended that during cold winter months - don't open the box until it's acclimated to room temperature. (some suggest 24 hours).

I treat ALL my acoustics (Spruce, Cedar, Mahogany) with the same care.

Even solid body electrics have fret boards which can crack and/or shrink causing sharp fret edges.

My tips:
- Keep a hygrometer in your guitar room to monitor humidity.
- Use in-case humidity control https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ9O_T5ZRBM
- Keep instruments in cases (not on stands for days).

[Rosewood99]

By yourself hydrometer. As Long as it doesn’t go below 40° you should be OK. I doubt the stove is going to drop yours that low. if it does for a significant amount of time then buy yourself a humidifier. I’ve had an all mahogany guitar for 10 years and it’s never had cracks. And for the first five years I owned it I didn’t even have a humidifier and there were days when humidity dropped below 40°.

[Stonehauler]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

By yourself hydrometer. As Long as it doesn’t go below 40° you should be OK. I doubt the stove is going to drop yours that low. if it does for a significant amount of time then buy yourself a humidifier. I’ve had an all mahogany guitar for 10 years and it’s never had cracks. And for the first five years I owned it I didn’t even have a humidifier and there were days when humidity dropped below 40°.

I think you meant Hygrometer.

Hydrometers are used for things like brewing and determining the sugar content of the must, wart, or finished product by measuring the specific gravity of a liquid

Hygrometers are used to measure the relative humidity of the air.

I only point this out so the OP doesn't buy the wrong product. Both are useful, but for different hobbies. (I am also a homebrewer...music and beer, nothing better)

[TedBPhx]

Which Hog did you get? I’m gassing over one of those new little Taylor GTs.

[rmp]

for a "new arrival" you want to avoid rapid changes in temp.

not sure where you live, but right now, in Central Mass, it's about 20 degrees.

if I was receiving a guitar today, I'd bring the box inside, and leave it alone for a few hours hours. (4/5 or so)

Then I'd open the box up and fan some room temp air in, and leave it alone for another 2 hours or so

once you reach your hand inside the box, and it doesn't feel cold to the touch, you can take the case out.

leave it for another 2 hours.

Slowly open the case a crack and reach your hand inside, if it feels really cold still. close the case, and leave it be for a few more hours.

Alot of people advise 24 hours, and that's a safe/sure bet.

but as long as it's a gradual acclimation, it should be fine.

again, all depends on where you are.. if it was sipped fed ex or ups, it's probably been in a cold environment for a few days while in transit

you just don't want it to go from 20 degrees, to 70 too quickly. that would be bad.. and this has nothing to do with humidty, managing that comes AFTER it's acclimated.

[Stonehauler]

Originally Posted by angelo_

I bought online an all-solid mahogany guitar.

Should I keep the guitar in its gig bag for some hours before opening it once it arrives?

Thanks.

Yes. I just purchased a guitar from an online dealer. Due to it being winter, they recommended that I have a humidipak placed in the case to help prevent humidity loss during shipping, and to also let it sit in the packing box for 24 hours to let it come up slowly to ambient temperature. I asked "what about if there is damage to the shipping box when I receive it?" Their response was to document the damage and to let them know (take photos, etc.), but still to not open the box until the next day.. It's all about controlling the speed of the heat transfer. The more insulation you have around it (shipping box, manufacturer box, case or gig bag, etc.) the slower it will come up to temp, meaning it will have more time to ease up to ambient.

This will be a tough 24 hours for you, but it's worth it. Please post photos of it once you have been able to take it out and examine it. Lot of us like to live vicariously through our fellow addicts on the forums and celebrate your new addition!

[bsman]

I have had two all-hog guitars: A Martin 000-15 (since traded) and a Waterloo WL-12MH (two years old this month). Both were kept - mostly in their cases - without a hydration pack in an un-humidified home in Northern Cal - where the humidity can fluctuate greatly but tends to be very low in the summer. Neither ever had any issues with stability or any apparent cracking. Based on that I think that perhaps mahogany is more inherently stable and less subject to extreme reaction to humidity changes...

[mawmow]

I take care of all my acoustics the same way in my music room.

I keep the hygrometry by 45% during the cold season just hanging a wet towell.

I used to use the devices hung through the strings, but became fed up filling those
with distillated water while I had twenty acoustics to nurse in their cases !

[mr. beaumont]

I'd start by just getting a hygrometer and seeing what the humidity in that room really is...I'm guessing it's probably fine.

I have a whole house humidifier which keeps me in the 40's all winter, and in 20 years in this house I've never had a guitar dry out or crack, and many are kept out on stands.

[doublescale1]

I live in Michigan where it's our humidify time of the year with the forced air furnace running a lot. I switched over to the Humidipack system for my mahogany/Tasmanian Blackwood Taylor 322Ce and my Spruce/Rosewood - Spruce Mahogany Martins all with great success - pretty much low maintenance humidity control year round, it gets "southern-states" muggy here in the summer too. I did get the Taylor humidity App thing - that's really the easiest way to check in on the guitar - all of them are stored in their cases in the same place so I have assumed if one is good, they all are and so far after two years that seems to be the case.

[DBW]

Wash your hands before you play it, store it in its case, don't keep it near a heater.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Stonehauler

I think you meant Hygrometer.

Hydrometers are used for things like brewing and determining the sugar content of the must, wart, or finished product by measuring the specific gravity of a liquid

Hygrometers are used to measure the relative humidity of the air.

I only point this out so the OP doesn't buy the wrong product. Both are useful, but for different hobbies. (I am also a homebrewer...music and beer, nothing better)

Thanks. Auto correct got me

[Malcolm Kindnes]

I'm sure it will be fine. I have an all mahogany 000 which I use for gigging and travelling and I don't take any special care of it. It seems to be very stable.

[emtsteve]

In addition to all the humidity related advise, and to wash your hands before playing, I will add the suggestion to play it hard and often. Mahogany needs a bit more vigor to break in but once they do, you are rewarded with some awesome volume and killer hog tone. I think it's a big reason those old mahogany instruments sound so good.