What percentage humidity do your guitars sound best?

[Rosewood99]

I always thought you weren’t supposed to let humidity get below 40%?

[TBman]

Mine sound best when I can finally find the right spots to put my fingers regardless of the humidity.

[drtedtan]

Originally Posted by Italuke

I wonder if folks like, oh I dunno, Tommy E, Bryan Sutton, David Grier, Molly, etc. lie awake at night on this topic...

I doubt anyone here on AGF lies awake at night wondering about it, either.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by Italuke

I wonder if folks like, oh I dunno, Tommy E, Bryan Sutton, David Grier, Molly, etc. lie awake at night on this topic...

Strawman. No one here proclaims to lie awake at night worrying about the topic. But I know for sure Tommy Emmanuel goes to great lengths to take care of his guitar(s), on and off the road. Even that said, those who do regional, national, or international concert tours know that their guitars are gonna take a beating, and there's absolutely nothing they can do about it; simply the nature of the beast. I am beyond sure all those artists have instruments they keep at home and away from the brutality of travel. I'm betting they also put a fair amount of effort into maintenance.

As I've mentioned here before, being "a player" isn't some level of enlightenment that precludes taking care of instruments. The concepts are not mutually exclusive. All the eye-rolling on the planet will not get my $1000.00 plus repair hit I took on my Breedlove refunded, which was, in the end, a direct result of not properly maintaining it in a new environment.

If you're lucky enough to have a guitar or live in an environment where you don't perceive any maintenance problems, then carry on. But dismissing maintenance as something "pros' don't do sends a mixed signal to those who may be in a position of having problems and who should absolutely invest in monitoring the situation.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Joseph Hanna

Strawman. No one here proclaims to lie awake at night worrying about the topic. But I know for sure Tommy Emmanuel goes to great lengths to take care of his guitar(s), on and off the road. Even that said, those who do regional, national, or international concert tours know that their guitars are gonna take a beating, and there's absolutely nothing they can do about it; simply the nature of the beast. I am beyond sure all those artists have instruments they keep at home and away from the brutality of travel. I'm betting they also put a fair amount of effort into maintenance.

As I've mentioned here before, being "a player" isn't some level of enlightenment that precludes taking care of instruments. The concepts are not mutually exclusive. All the eye-rolling on the planet will not get my $1000.00 plus repair hit I took on my Breedlove refunded, which was, in the end, a direct result of not properly maintaining it in a new environment.

If you're lucky enough to have a guitar or live in an environment where you don't perceive any maintenance problems, then carry on. But dismissing maintenance as something "pros' don't do sends a mixed signal to those who may be in a position of having problems and who should absolutely invest in monitoring the situation.

I think the OP was what RH does your guitar sound best in, not about RH maintenance. Two different things. I maintain the proper humidity in my guitar's cases, but when it's time to play RH is disregarded.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by TBman

I think the OP was what RH does your guitar sound best in, not about RH maintenance. Two different things. I maintain the proper humidity in my guitar's cases, but when it's time to play RH is disregarded.

Yes, absolutely, and without a doubt, I do the same thing, although for me, and at the beach, I was forced to use a cabinet for humidity control. Cases just won't even out. For the record, I have my guitars out, sometimes at home, other times in my audio bay, often all day. I don't sweat it, and I don't pamper, but I do take care of them. I just simply don't agree that "players" have risen to a higher conscience than others and, therefore, the need for maintenance is something they no longer concern themselves with.

[Mandobart]

Like most things we discuss here, I can say I cannot tell a difference. I try to maintain the relative humidity in my music room at 40% - 50%. Sometimes it drops to 30% in the winter. Sometimes in the summer it will reach 60%. I humidify in the winter, but I don't de-humidify in the summer.

I might notice the need to retune near either of these values, but that's it. Since the change in RH is rarely sudden or drastic, I just don't notice a big difference in tone in any of the 25 instruments I keep un-cased, on hangers or stands down there.

[kizz]

Everything is relative, even numbers.

[tommieboy]

35-40% RH

Tommy

[Silly Moustache]

South East England.

Answer to question - at 50%.

Mostly, my in house RH is about 45-50%.
This year is different. Weather system has been extreme.

Heavy rain understandably raises RH, We have had very little rain for some days, but RH is over 60% rising to over 70% at night.

This isn't normal.

I have Music Nomad sound hole hygrometers in most guitars in cases.

I have inserted 600 gramme silica bags into each case.

[Robin, Wales]

Sometimes I've been playing in the late evening outside and the temperature has dropped through the dew point. I get a wet guitar that lets me know it is very unhappy!

[douglasfan1]

45-55% is alright! But not easy to keep this year.
I think for 40-60% still ok.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Dunno. I just play the dern thing. If it sounds good, I take the credit. If it sounds bad, I take the rap.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by Rosewood99

I always thought you weren’t supposed to let humidity get below 40%?

There's no "supposed to." Below 40%, the wood is more likely to crack. But that doesn't mean it will crack. I've been playing for over fifty years, and it's never happened to any of mine.

Doesn't mean it won't. But if anyone wants to play a dry guitar, there's no law against it. It'll certainly sound good. You pays yer dime and you takes yer chances.

[Tunesalot]

I live on a mountaintop in East Tennessee(reminds me of a song) without A/C, on purpose, actually have central HVAC, silly me. Super humid most of the year. My instruments definitely tell me when their noses are just above water. I have an indoor wall hygrometer which is quite often above 70. They sound better below 60. When I see people(big names, some mentioned here) perform in the Caverns nearby they universally complain about the humidity there affecting their instruments. I have drying packs in cases which don’t seem to make much difference. Seems like hanging them helps more than casing. When I lived in Marin Co CA the fog would affect them. That is where my laminate sprung apart. The more I play them the better they sound. Maybe it vibrates them and wrings out some humidity.