BluesKing777 Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 I saw D'Addario has rebranded the Planet Waves Humidity packs after previous spill disasters, so I thought I would treat the old L-0 a bit of moisture - the body is like an old bone. http://www.daddario.com/pwProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=4115&productid=523&productname=Two_Way_Humidification_System We are in a weird but generally kind weather area - locals say if you don't like the weather , come back in half an hour - it is a bit of everything. Anyway the poor humidity pack and sensors have been flummoxed by the local weather and the old guitar - well really the sensor said it wanted to go home - we had dry heat yesterday and a thunderstorm and really humid in the night and it is all drying out again...etc.etc.... It occurred to me that the body and neck of the guitar is 77 years old with no moisture and the new fretboard, bridge and all are brand new and full of moisture......driving case hygrometer crazy! Instructions say it will keep it at 45 - 50%, but after 3 days, it says 65%! The guage next to my work computer says the humidity is currently 50% on the dot! L-0 to the right, National would probably go rusty with moisture and the OM is not having anything near it that could spill.... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Don't obsess. Guitars are a lot more resilient than some here would have you believe. The humidity in my guitar room varies from about 40%, when the air conditioning is running, to as high as 70% in the winter with the windows open. No apparent harm to any of my guitars, other than the need to retune for about every 5% change in humidity. None of my guitars has either imploded or exploded, braces haven't ripped themselves from tops, tops haven't caved in, and necks haven't turned into corkscrews. And I have all those leaky, crappy cases. No humidifiers. No de-humidifiers. Clearly, I'm doing something wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted December 1, 2014 Author Share Posted December 1, 2014 Yes, it has been said that if we humans feel ok, the guitar is ok! So on a car trip, the Boss has fat dog on her lap so a guitar or 2 can recline in comfort and the air conditioning in the back seat! :mellow: With the humid pack, I will see how it stabilises over the next few weeks. Like Nick says, we probably don't need it, but I have read about them, they were at the music shop and I may have felt a touch guilty about playing every guitar in the shop without buying one! They do tend to wring and rub their hands a lot when they see me come in. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted December 1, 2014 Share Posted December 1, 2014 Yes, it has been said that if we humans feel ok, the guitar is ok! So on a car trip, the Boss has fat dog on her lap so a guitar or 2 can recline in comfort and the air conditioning in the back seat! :mellow: With the humid pack, I will see how it stabilises over the next few weeks. Like Nick says, we probably don't need it, but I have read about them, they were at the music shop and I may have felt a touch guilty about playing every guitar in the shop without buying one! They do tend to wring and rub their hands a lot when they see me come in. BluesKing777. Nothing wrong in trying a humidipac. It can't hurt right?! It's true I think that we that humans love an average of 48 to 50% ...and our guitars take right after us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted December 3, 2014 Author Share Posted December 3, 2014 Well it has been 5 days and I can feel a bit more moisture in the old guitar top, even a touch 'oily' feeling. It sounds way better - it sounded a bit like it had a sore throat last week when I noticed how dry it felt, Weird stuff! (I have the other PW humidity gadget with the sponge inside, but that needs the guitar to be stored flat while I like storing the guitar and case vertically....the wood told me it feels just like a tree standing up and therefore much happier! True! I am drawing the line at watering it with the hose.) BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Well, here I am a few weeks later with the weather systems I was worried about, mainly for guitars but sometimes my skin! It has been close to 110 degrees for 2 days and a massive thunderstorm about 10 miles away with a deluge predicted. Outside is like a furnace with about 10% humidity, inside with my evaporative air con, it is about 80 degrees with 53% humidity. All good as long as the electricity stays on! (Before the last days of heat, we had everything weather wise, but usually about 70 degrees with 50% humidity, and the power was off on Wednesday). I am hoping the Humidipaks and the Oasis are doing there job, but will just leave the timber guitars in their cases until later, and probably play my National Steel..... I will check measurements later.... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Thanks for keeping us appraised of the conditions. I'm also giving it a go with these humidpaks and so far I've noticed all the guitars I pick up to play sound much better. No more waiting for the perfect day to catch a guitar at its peak. I had a friend over who was trying out my gear and he felt my collection was flawless, which was music to my ears, since I often fret about how my guitars sound. (You know that feeling where every clip you her sounds better than yours? Well, no more!) I'm usually at 48 in case and 39 outside in the real world. I think it's the consistency that's helping it. Or it's created the perfect placebo effect in my mind, where all trouble resides. Either way, it's win-win. So far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Thanks for keeping us appraised of the conditions. I'm also giving it a go with these humidpaks and so far I've noticed all the guitars I pick up to play sound much better. No more waiting for the perfect day to catch a guitar at its peak. I had a friend over who was trying out my gear and he felt my collection was flawless, which was music to my ears, since I often fret about how my guitars sound. (You know that feeling where every clip you her sounds better than yours? Well, no more!) I'm usually at 48 in case and 39 outside in the real world. I think it's the consistency that's helping it. Or it's created the perfect placebo effect in my mind, where all trouble resides. Either way, it's win-win. So far. Yes, stability in unstable weather areas is the main aim - just down the road from me, they just had a massive wildfire and now a wild wild change and hail and storms coming! All efforts would be in vain if it all goes up in smoke! But yes, I have also noticed a difference in sound from the stabilised humidity guitars I have. I have ordered a few more packs and refills, but the local shops have none, so I waiting for USPS to get the package out of Chicago where it has sat since Dec28... Or lost! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I hope this package isn't from Woodwinds& Brass or whatever they're called. I ordered strings from them that they swore were en route. Finally, I put a claim in at Amazon and they refunded my $$. The package they swore was a state away never did arrive. I bought bulk paks through Amazon for Boveda oaks Seems like a decent deal. $14 or so for 50 oaks. If you're in an area that commonly catches on fire, you might consider moving. Unless, of course, you've got a deal too sweet to pass up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 I hope this package isn't from Woodwinds& Brass or whatever they're called. I ordered strings from them that they swore were en route. Finally, I put a claim in at Amazon and they refunded my $$. The package they swore was a state away never did arrive. I bought bulk paks through Amazon for Boveda oaks Seems like a decent deal. $14 or so for 50 oaks. If you're in an area that commonly catches on fire, you might consider moving. Unless, of course, you've got a deal too sweet to pass up. This whole country is a firebomb (Australia)..... and then you have nitwits lighting fires! 2 caught today but plenty more about. What does that mean? And I am waiting for the delivery from Elderly who are sensational for international deliveries. Last package was under a week.....this one is jammed up by USPS and the Holiday season - it was on delivery the day I ordered ! Doesn't matter as much as waiting for a guitar from them - now that is nervy. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I've been using the Humidipak for a few years and just went through checking and replacing all my paks. One suggestion - I've found that if the single pak you put at the headstock starts to crystalize, it can attack your finish on the neck behind the nut. I always place an extra micro cloth between the guitar and the pak at that location. That one seems to crystalize quicker than the double pak. Before I started controlling the humidity in my music room the paks would last about 3 months. Now that I try to control the room, these paks usually last a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 I've been using the Humidipak for a few years and just went through checking and replacing all my paks. One suggestion - I've found that if the single pak you put at the headstock starts to crystalize, it can attack your finish on the neck behind the nut. I always place an extra micro cloth between the guitar and the pak at that location. That one seems to crystalize quicker than the double pak. Before I started controlling the humidity in my music room the paks would last about 3 months. Now that I try to control the room, these paks usually last a year. Thanks Dave! I am a rube, but what do you mean 'crystallize'? I have noticed the headstock packs look smaller.....shrinking quicker than the others.....? So after a wild wind and stormy change, it rained quite a lot in the night and it is now back to about 75 degrees, except the humidity outside is about 85%.... I haven't opened a guitar case today, I'm not sure if I want to know....but those Humidipaks must be confused.......making noises; ahhhh, eek, a a&h, eeek...oooooohhhhh, ahhhh, pfffffffft. Any other tips? BluesKing777. PS: EAs old home town, Adelaide has had all kinds of fires and 115 degrees...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Thanks Dave! I am a rube, but what do you mean 'crystallize'? I BluesKing777. As the paks get used up, the liquid in the bags start to harden into little crystals until the pack completely hardens. As the paks crystalize, they emit a hard white residue they will start to form on the outside of the sack. I've not had any issues with the double pack in the soundhole, but I noticed early on that the single pak near the headstock was an issue. Since I started placing a cloth between the two, I've had no issues. As soon as I notice the crystals forming, I change them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 As the paks get used up, the liquid in the bags start to harden into little crystals until the pack completely hardens. As the paks crystalize, they emit a hard white residue they will start to form on the outside of the sack. I've not had any issues with the double pack in the soundhole, but I noticed early on that the single pak near the headstock was an issue. Since I started placing a cloth between the two, I've had no issues. As soon as I notice the crystals forming, I change them. Thanks Dave! I will find some cotton cloths for the headstock areas. I double checked a couple of guitars - J45 is fine and played in tune straight out of the case....OM28 also fine and played in tune out of the case as well! That sure would not have happened back in the days before I got the air con! This house was classic 'hotbox'. Both guitars did sound dry and clean like you said - normally my mind would say they are going to be 'full of socks' when this humid outside, but...... it is a bit of a weird experience! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Yes, thanks Dave for the tip. BK, sounds like we're both getting the benefits we wanted from this system. Consistent sounding guitars held to decent humidity levels. Would high levels of outside humidity dry out the bags as fast as low levels? (It's a mystery to my limited brain how this system handles both ends.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Yes, thanks Dave for the tip. BK, sounds like we're both getting the benefits we wanted from this system. Consistent sounding guitars held to decent humidity levels. Would high levels of outside humidity dry out the bags as fast as low levels? (It's a mystery to my limited brain how this system handles both ends.) All good, isn't it? I have read on the other (sometimes stupid) channel about people hanging the packs in the shower with pegs to increase life expectancy, but others warning of dire, unknown consequences if you do so..... Local weather update - outside it is now 70 degrees, 57% humidity with a sea breeze which is about the normal and makes the infernos of the last few days seem like some kind of weird dream ..........little Paks are going "warning, reconfigure, reconfigure, reconfigure, WARNING!" And another update on my parcel with refills from USPS - the tracking now says it has been "processed through a facility in Australia", which is good although strange wording as they normally give an airport or suburb name! BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Oh, the original patient - the old L-0, has an Oasis stuck in the sound hole. The body is old and the fretboard is new, so this could be a good solution to even out the different moisture levels ..... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 A new update..... My package arrived with the Pak refills...I also bought another hygrometer - the Oasis one. Oh NO! I have all 3 hygrometers next to me on the computer and they say: My old ancient history model Planet Waves Temp 24 Celsius, Humidity 40% My D'Addario model Temp 25 Celsius, Humidity 50% My new Oasis model Temp 25.5 Celsius, Humidity 48% Well, how about that for accurate equipment - I hope the Humidipaks and the Oasis thing is better made! [cursing] The local newspaper temp/hum app says 24.6 C/50% My iPad temp app says 23 C/50% H....... BluesKing777.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 5, 2015 Author Share Posted January 5, 2015 I found this in my travels - Salt test to calibrate the hygrometers: http://www.cigarsinternational.com/cigar-101/article/29/salt-test BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Howdi - me again! I did the Salt Test from the previous post - it takes 24 hours. I had my 3 various hygrometers laid out in a zip bag with the salt lid - on the kitchen table thinking the Other Half may order committal precedings, but when I mentioned it, she just rolled her eyes and went back to watching re-runs of Raymond. So I know some of you have been waiting with baited breath for some results...... Still in the bag, the Oasis was -3%, D'Addario -2% and surprise of them all, the Planet Waves which I have used for at least 7 years -14% UNDER! The respective temp readings....(Celsius) 25.7; 22; 23...... I give up and will go back to the time honoured method of sticking finger in the air and going:'Hmmmmmmm'. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 We have had everything weather-wise this week.....the other day was about 110 with 10% humidity with fires everywhere and yesterday wild thunderstorms and humidity of 90+%!!!! Isn't there a song about that? "I've seen fire and I've seen......." :mellow: And FB in Sydney thinks I've had enough cricket, I'm going to the beach for a swim..no sooner put the toes in the water and a dreadful alarm goes off: "Shark!" That gets 'em moving!!!! http://www.theage.com.au/nsw/swimmers-cleared-from-bondi-beach-after-shark-alarm-20150102-12gtd9.html So poor little Humidipaks are running to the left, then running to the right and back and forward..."HEY! Stop That" I didn't want to disturb them, so as the humidtiy reached 'Unbearable' last night, I played my '35 Gibson L50....which seems oblivious to humidity... I think I should have bought a canoe instead of blowing cash on humidity stuff - the last deluge was SERIOUS and I thought we were about to swim for it! Victoria extremes: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/victorian-farmers-fresh-from-facing-bushfires-fear-the-upcoming-deluge-20150107-12jodp.html BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 We have had everything weather-wise this week.....the other day was about 110 with 10% humidity with fires everywhere and yesterday wild thunderstorms and humidity of 90+%!!!! BluesKing777. I was working in Melbourne for several weeks in January/February a few years ago. I remember one day when it was about 95F, and the next day it was 55F. My immediate reaction was "WTF"? We've been on a roller coaster in Florida this winter as well, especially when it comes to humidity. Yesterday was 81% in my office, right now it is 48%. And that's with the windows open, and little difference in temperature. My poor guitars don't know what to think. I talk to them and try to convince them it's going to be OK. But I keep them snug in their cases unless I'm playing them. Ironically, my old J-45 (1948-'50) seems to be the least affected, although I did think I had accidentally left a T-shirt inside when I tuned it up yesterday. It's much happier right now. Guitars are temperamental creatures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 I opened one of my cases today and while all the packs were still very liquid, I did notice white dandruff on the side of my guitar. I suppose it's possible that the headstock pouch could emit some crystals that would fall on the guitar as I store it upright, but it sure seems like a longshot. The pouch we're talking about is still tucked inside the cloth pouch that came with the original set and the pack itself doesn't seem to be leaking anything. I was able to rub it off without incident using Virtuoso cleaner, but ooh, it makes me wonder.... Anyone else having this issue? (I see people mentioning the headstock area, but that's with paks that drying out.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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