[Clanky44]

Hey folks,

I just picked up a Planet Waves Humidity & Temperature Sensor. I'll be placing this inside my Casino case. I've got the same Oasis Humidifiers in both my Gretsch and the Epi cases, stored next to each other, it should provide me with hopefully some warning of lowered humidity levels throughout the winter months.

My question is what level of humidity is acceptable?... I've read on some threads that 45% to 55% is ideal, the Planet Waves pamphlet states "40% - 45%".

As a side note, I've had the unit set up in my living room now for a few hours, and it's reading 39%, I'll soon place it inside my Casino case (w/ humidifier) to see what the difference is inside vs. outside the case.

[ArchtopBill]

For your Epi, 40-45% should be fine. There may be some classical guitars that require higher (handmade in Spain Ramirez where humidity levels are naturally higher.) Your poly finished Asian guitar should be pretty stable.

Neat hygrometer. I had not seen that one before.

[Gordy01]

The humidity you maintain depends on where you live. I live in a very dry climate. It would be almost impossible to maintain 40% here.
I think you should let your guitar acclimate slowly. Keep a humidifier in the case, but eventually the guitar will come into balance with your climate.

Some are going to disagree, but after a year in a drier climate I do a setup, filing the sharp fret ends down and everything is fine.

[Clanky44]

Gordy01, on 05 January 2012 - 10:04 PM, said:

The humidity you maintain depends on where you live. I live in a very dry climate. It would be almost impossible to maintain 40% here.
I think you should let your guitar acclimate slowly. Keep a humidifier in the case, but eventually the guitar will come into balance with your climate.

Some are going to disagree, but after a year in a drier climate I do a setup, filing the sharp fret ends down and everything is fine.

Thanks Bill & Gordy for the input,

Unfortunately I live in southern Ontario (Canada), where the furnace runs all winter and sucks most the moisture out of the air, then in the summer we'll get 2 to 3 weeks of 70 to 80% humidity.

[Gordy01]

Clanky44, on 05 January 2012 - 11:24 PM, said:

Thanks Bill & Gordy for the input,

Unfortunately I live in southern Ontario (Canada), where the furnace runs all winter and sucks most the moisture out of the air, then in the summer we'll get 2 to 3 weeks of 70 to 80% humidity.

I live in Alberta. Same thing.
A guitar that is well acclimated to a dry climate can travel to a more humid climate with little or no effect, unless it stays in the more humid climate for an extended period.
The largest change you will see is in the width of the neck.
A guitar that has been kept in a humid place will shrink slightly when taken to a dry place, most noticably in the neck width, exposing fret ends that feel sharp.
A guitar that is kept in a dry place, will expand slightly when taken to a humid place. As the fret ends are already shortened to the smaller neck width, this has no effect.

You may find that as the seasons change you will have to tweak the truss rod, or possibly bridge settings to keep your guitar playing the way you like it.

[Cthulhu fhtagn]

I have read that one should have a special room built in the house so that one can control the level of humidity.

Guitars are very sensitive.

[RaSTuS]

Cthulhu fhtagn, on 06 January 2012 - 06:07 AM, said:

I have read that one should have a special room built in the house so that one can control the level of humidity.

Guitars are very sensitive.

But then what happens when you have to take the guitar out of that room to gig or go to practice sessions and jams etc ???

I've heard the same thing, but in practice I think it's a wank, the guitars would suffer far more damage going from that controlled environment out into the world at large, it's more practical to keep them in the ambient weather conditions of your area, that way they won't suffer any sudden changes in conditions that can cause any problems.

[hilm3]

Cthulhu fhtagn, on 06 January 2012 - 06:07 AM, said:

I have read that one should have a special room built in the house so that one can control the level of humidity.

Guitars are very sensitive.

Nah ... just cigars. Guitars can visit.

[rdsmith3]

I've heard that 40% to 60% is fine for guitars, similar to what makes people comfortable.

I like this hygrometer because I can calibrate it.

HygroSet II Round Digital Hygrometer for Humidors



Then get this to calibrate it

Boveda One-Step Calibration Kit

[tweed2]

RaSTuS, on 06 January 2012 - 06:50 AM, said:

I've heard the same thing, but in practice I think it's a wamk,

OK Rob, I'll bite. Is wamk a misspell? I can't find it in my Aussie slang dictionary (getting ready for my trip in November), what does it mean?

[RaSTuS]

tweed2, on 06 January 2012 - 01:52 PM, said:

OK Rob, I'll bite. Is wamk a misspell? I can't find it in my Aussie slang dictionary (getting ready for my trip in November), what does it mean?

LOL, it means an act of masturbation, and a wanker is someone who masturbates (everyone really), but usually meant in a derogatory sense, unless the person saying it is smiling, in which case it's a term of endearment.

I thought that it was universal, not an Oz thing, looks like we both learned something Pat.

[tweed2]

RaSTuS, on 06 January 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

LOL, it means an act of masturbation, and a wanker is someone who masturbates (everyone really), but usually meant in a derogatory sense, unless the person saying it is smiling, in which case it's a term of endearment.

I thought that it was universal, not an Oz thing, looks like we both learned something Pat.

OK, a misspeel then? Wank and not wamk? I kinda figured, but then I was always bad a foreign languages.

[RaSTuS]

tweed2, on 06 January 2012 - 02:05 PM, said:

OK, a misspeel then? Wank and not wamk? I kinda figured, but then I was always bad a foreign languages.

Ah, I get it now, my bad mate, it was a typo, fixed now. Like mispeel, LOL.

[tweed2]

Doh!

[RaSTuS]

tweed2, on 06 January 2012 - 02:16 PM, said:

Doh!

My eyes are so bad I can't differentiate between 'm' and 'n', and that's why I put 3 question marks after questions, otherwise they look like an 's' to me.

[Hemingway Jones]

I've always wondered what the move is with this. I keep a humidifying system in my AJ Pro to keep it at 45%, but then I doubt my Mass condo is 45% and if I go outside in the summer, it will be closer to 90%!

Is it important to keep them humidified for storage??? Or is the entire exercize a complete waste of time!

For years no one I knew used humidifiers, although classical musicians use them almost universally.

Hmmm, I'm confused. Theories?

[LPDEN]

RaSTuS, on 06 January 2012 - 06:50 AM, said:

But then what happens when you have to take the guitar out of that room to gig or go to practice sessions and jams etc ???

I've heard the same thing, but in practice I think it's a wank, the guitars would suffer far more damage going from that controlled environment out into the world at large, it's more practical to keep them in the ambient weather conditions of your area, that way they won't suffer any sudden changes in conditions that can cause any problems.

I tend to agree with this, as long as the ambient environment isn't so dry that it shrinks the wood obviously... Just the same, I keep my guitars in their case with case humidifiers so at least if they do get exposed to far below the recommended 45% humidity level for any extended period of time that may actually effect them, that at leasy they can be "recharged", so to speak, by going back in their case. The case humidifiers I use for my electrics work great and only need "recharging" every 2 weeks or so, whereas the acoustic sound hole humidifier's sponge needs more frequent re-moistening (every 4 to 5 days in the winter months). There is certainly a measurable difference in the sound and playability of a properly humidified acoustic guitar as most probably know.

[Svet]

40-50 is a perfect range. This comes into play more with guitar that are built using real woods. I maintain a 70 degree f temp and a humidity level between 45 and 50 year round. I accomplish this by using a dehumidifier in the summer months and in the dry winters I use two console humidifiers which I purchased at sears. They are made by kenmore and are basically a tub with filters that uses two fans to circulate moisturized air. This is much more effective as the guitars see a constant envirnment both in and out of the case. If you are only keeping the case humidified and you bring the guitar out into a room that is in the 20-30 range it can dry out a guitar in a few hours.

[Svet]

http://m.sears.com/p...er=03215420000P

Get one of those. I use three in my home. Not only is it good for your guitars it's good for your skin, your nasal passages/ sinuses and your wood furniture too.

[Jovis-davis]

Very interesting, this is a topic that few of us think of. I might have to get a humidity gauge and put it in my guitar room. Good thread!