Humidifying dry guitars

[blackbird86]

I swear i heard somewhere that for guitars that have been dry for a long time, it's best to slowly rehumidify them. Is that true?

Just bought a room humidifier and was wondering if i should start at 35% then 40% the next day then 45% the day after.

Thoughts?

[HodgdonExtreme]

To what humidity level do you believe your guitars are currently acclimated?

Don't know if immediately subjecting them to proper humidity would hurt them, but don't see how it could hurt to slowly bring them there, rather than "shocking" them...

Also, I suspect you'll need to give the guitars a week or two at each successive (higher) humidity. A day or two at each level is not enough time for the wood to stabilize at a new moisture content.

[blackbird86]

Originally Posted by HodgdonExtreme

To what humidity level do you believe your guitars are currently acclimated?

A little over 30%

[DenverSteve]

The guitar won't go from 30 to 35 then 40% absorbed humidity in two days. I would just put it in a case with sponge humidifier and leave it for a week or two. Don't forget to refill the sponge every couple of days.

[printer2]

Set it where you want it and let the guitar decide how much it wants. I am running a closet at about 45% and placing in guitars and wood that I need to work on that start at 20% RH.

[hifivic]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

The guitar won't go from 30 to 35 then 40% absorbed humidity in two days. I would just put it in a case with sponge humidifier and leave it for a week or two. Don't forget to refill the sponge every couple of days.

Lol, it's sure crazy here in Denver Steve especially the last couple months!