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D'Addario Humidapacks...


kidblast

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I live in VA, where I get the worst of both worlds. Extremes range from RH up in the 70's between May and October, 20's and 30's the rest of the time.

 

Worse yet, my house is rather open-plan, so I don't have an enclosed music room. And even worse yet, I have mostly F-hole archtops, which preclude the use of devices you can hang into the soundhole.

 

To humidify my guitars in the Winter (which is the part that scares me most) the best I can do is use a combination of D'Addario Humidipacks in the case (near the headstock and near the heel) plus damp-it tubes in the F-holes. Besides getting the action a couple millimeters lower, though, I have never had problems.

 

The real test is one of my most prized guitars, an 1826 Lacote that I use as my nylon-string go-to. It has remained playable throughout the Winter by using the same combination--although this one has a traditional soundboard hole, so I was able to hang a plastic-encased sponge.

 

I know that Gibson advocates a RH between 40 and 50 (IIRC), but I have to wonder what people did throughout the history of music, with prized instruments lasting centuries nonetheless. In the end, it can become a bit of an end-in-itself obsession.

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hey buc!

 

climate here in the winter is brutal, bone dry. I have 2 Oasis tubes, the SJ200 gets one, the '06 Taylor GS Series Jumbo gets the other. I'm charging them at least every other day, or every day just topping them off.

 

For the Taylor Nylon, the Dampit has been doing it's job That the D'Addario packs are reactivating in that case is a good sigh, as they are supposed to grab the excess moisture as well as disperse in dry settings.

 

I have a new Dampit coming this week to replace the older one,, it still seems to hold moisture long enough, so I will an use that for something else. JMO, but. These really are the most effective, and easy to use, and probably safest. if a humidack or oasis tube leak, could be a disaster. although the oasis are pretty safe as long as you let it all dry, and discard the gelatin pellets and replace once a year as winter approaches.

 

I use soap boxes with about 16 holes drilled that have sponges cut to size that I keep damp sitting up under the head stocks in each acoustic case.

 

I put a hydrometer in the cases, left for few hours to get a reading of the cases.. they seem to set at around 40.. not perfect, but not 20 % RH either

 

Cases are closed when I'm using the guitars and they stay in those cases when not played. Action has stayed put on all 3, so I don't think the tops are moving/sinking much if at all.

 

another few months to go still....

 

 

 

 

Just wondering what guitar cases you are using?

 

My Paks last great because we have 3 days humid, wind turns and 3 days dry, 1 day hot, 2 cold, 5 wet, 7 .....you get the pic?

 

But one of my guitars, OM-A, is stored in a top of the line Hiscox Artist, and it is a fair bit insulating - I often pull the guitar out and it is still in tune...after all those weather changes! Guitars in lesser insulated Hiscox Pro II models not so.... And in the ordinary cases, miles out of tune..... [mellow]

 

Could be worth trying an Artist case?

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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hey BK..

 

 

Using the standard brown tolex, dark red interior.

 

My rational at this point is the guitar was dry to start with, so it sucked all the moisture out of the packs. They are just about back to a more liquid state

with the Dampit and the soap-box humidfier at the headstock pocket. Leaving the packs in too, since they should hold any excess moisture.

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I've had great success with the packs. I'm in Southern Ontario, Canada and certainly it's extreme dry here during winter months. forced air heating doesn't help either.

 

Not sure if OP mentioned but is the room the guitars are stored humidified?

 

I have all my guitars in their cases in one room. Humidipacks in the cases and the room has a humidifier. Never had any issues. The packs last for quite some time.

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I've had great success with the packs. I'm in Southern Ontario, Canada and certainly it's extreme dry here during winter months. forced air heating doesn't help either.

 

Not sure if OP mentioned but is the room the guitars are stored humidified?

 

I have all my guitars in their cases in one room. Humidipacks in the cases and the room has a humidifier. Never had any issues. The packs last for quite some time.

 

 

The OP is from me. No humidification in the storage room/closet, Although I think next year, I am going to try and sort that out and some how get a small room humidifier in there, it's a closet that I had setup to hold about 20 guitars, (maybe 8feet deep, 5feet wide.) it would be easy to keep that area controlled.

 

I do keep them cased when not in use..

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I use an oasys hanging under the humidipaks in the winter and humidipaks only in the summer. I normally add water to the oasys once a week. I have forced hot air here on Long Island and the humidity gauge hasn't broken 30 since November. The paks last a year but it's not maintenance free. I just assume the paks and the oasys do a better job at buffering than just the oasiys and I don't worry if I'm gone for 1 or 2 weeks.

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