Do you need to humidify a guitar with layered back and sides?

[RoyBoy]

Yes, yaharadelta is exactly right. Solid spruce moves a lot with humidity changes, enough to change the action enough that some players actually keep two saddles, one for summer and one for winter.

[KevWind]

Answer is yes better safe than sorry
BTW fret protrusion from even a minuscule amount of neck shrinkage is possible in very dry situations, regardless of laminate or solid body configurations.
And why I use two Oasis, one in sound hole and one in head compartment for the neck

[Dru Edwards]

The top is still susceptible to dryness regardless of the construction of the back/sides. The fretboard can also shrink when dry resulting in sharp fret ends. So, if you humidifying your other guitars you may as well do you laminated back/sides ones as well.

[EZYPIKINS]

If you live in my area where in winter, temps reach down below freezing frequently. Everything needs some humidity.

[Willie_D]

A guitar is made up of a lot of different materials.
Wood for the top. Bracing and kerfing. Back & sides. Bridge. Binding. Glue. Different species of wood, grains running perpendicular to one another in places. And every single bit of that responds to changes in temperature and humidity differently from the next.

Keeping things as stable as possible only makes sense.

I vote yes, humidify.

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Come and live in a stone house in Wales built in 1820; you won't need to humidify anything!!!!!!!

Damp!
My mother once set a mouse trap and it caught a trout!

[fartamis]

Humidifying your guitar ... this is very important.

[BillyMays]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Come and live in a stone house in Wales built in 1820; you won't need to humidify anything!!!!!!!

I live in a 2.5ft thick brick building built in 1870 in possibly the most humid city in the USA, I feel your pain. 60% relative humidity is a great day!

[Shadowfox]

With a solid top, yes. There is a noticeable tone difference in my Martin DX1 if it is properly humidified, or if it is dried out.

[FingahPickah]

Originally Posted by PeteyPower16

I live in New York State where it gets extremely dry in the cold winter.

I have an all-solid-wood guitar and I use an Oasis humidfying unit to keep it in a reasonable range. I also have a guitar with a solid top and layered back and sides?

Do I need to humidify the solid top guitar with layered back and sides?

Do others have experience with the Oasis system, and are there others that folks prefer and have experience with?

Thanks for your input!

I live in New England. Yes you should. Oasis humidifiers (tubes, crystals, distilled water) are easy and effective as are D'Addario Humidipaks which I keep in my cases year round to maintain humidity stability.

[macoshark]

Here in the southwest my Yamaha fingerboard split with cracks. Moving from Hawaii I had no idea about humidifying. Now I have tupperware with holes on the lids and a wet sponge inside. I keep both my guitar and TW with sponge in the case. I heard the old timers used to keep apple peelings in there case.

[buddyhu]

Can’t hurt.

I had a Yamaha that had laminate back and side and a solid top. I didn’t make any special effort to care for it, but I did keep it in its case when I wasn’t using it. It travelled to many different micro climates, and spent 5 years in the high desert that is Salt Lake City. No cracks, don’t recall frets protruding.

And back before the concern about humidifying guitars dawned, many guitars survived nicely....but some didn’t.

If you are in an area that has big humidity swings, it is probably wise to humidify.

[musicman1951]

In NY you really want to consider adding humidity for the humans as well.

[edcmat-l1]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Damp!
My mother once set a mouse trap and it caught a trout!

LOL..........

[Wellington]

Solid top, neck, braces may all be affected, but I've had some cheaper lam b/s guitars that I never humidifier, due to lack of knowledge at the time, but other than fret edges poking out a little there were no ill effects, and I live in Saskatchewan where winters really suck.