Humidity

[Sitedrifter]

or lack thereof is what I am seeing since this weekend when cool dry air came into my area. The humidity levels in my house went from 48-53 to 40-44 percent practically overnight. Since I keep my guitars in the living room on display(that is where I play as well), there was no way for me to get the humidity level back to normal due to the large area. I decided to put my guitars back into my music room with a small room humidifier. The guitars are now enjoying 53 percent humidity in a 10x10 room and it seems to be stable according to my hygrometers. Only issue is the humidifier's humidistat does not work so it is either on or off so I am looking to get a new humidifier with a working humidistat that I will try and calibrate against my calibrated hygrometer.

 

Does anyone have a recommendation on a room humidifier that has a decent humidstat or at least one that can be used on a timer?

 

Thanks

[Jerry K]

If 40 is the lowest it goes I just hang out and enjoy it. My guitars sound wonderful in weather like that.

[duluthdan]

I'm with Jerry, 40 rh is fine. I have to struggle against single digits, my guitar room is littered with humidity gadgets.

[chasAK]

They do sound woodier and dyer in those conditions.

 

[Sitedrifter]

My guitars stay out in the open room so I think they need tad higher levels of humidification as compared to a guitar that is stored in it's case. I have forced hot air and the humidity in the winter can go down real low super fast. I am still looking to find the best range of humidity from various experts including Taylor which suggest 47% RH. I checked Gibson's site and cannot find a recommendation but I am still looking.

[Jerry K]

It's rare in the SF Bay area, but occasionally a dry air mass will move in and then it heats up during the day and all of a sudden the humidity is 17 outside and less indoors. If that keeps up for long guitars have a way of cracking. I always have several out so I pay attention. I have come up with a pretty good wheeze for those days. I take out a plastic tarpaulin which I use underneath a tent when I go camping and spray it with water from a garden sprayer capable of a fine mist, like the Solo sprayer. Hang up the tarp, drape it on a clothing drying rack (or any furniture, really), or just spread it out on the floor and spray it with a fine mist. In a small room the humidity climbs quickly. Sometimes I hang wet towels or wet laundry if I have those on hand.

[Del Nilppeznaf]

Sometimes when the wind blows in from Africa, I will take off all my clothes ..and build a moon cairn in my little temple..i go outside and start a fire ...then I will

 

oops..wrong topic ;)

[j45nick]

Sometimes when the wind blows in from Africa, I will take off all my clothes ..and build a moon cairn in my little temple..i go outside and start a fire ...then I will

 

oops..wrong topic ;)

 

 

The wind is in from Africa, last night I couldn't sleep.........

[Fullmental Alpinist]

 

Does anyone have a recommendation on a room humidifier that has a decent humidstat or at least one that can be used on a timer?

 

Thanks

 

Air-o-swiss

 

 

FMA

[Jerry K]

Sometimes when the wind blows in from Africa, I will take off all my clothes ..and build a moon cairn in my little temple..i go outside and start a fire ...then I will

 

oops..wrong topic ;)

 

Uhn, too much information. When you're through flogging your dummy how about getting your *** in gear and getting a hygrometer? Even in your benighted neck of the woods they probably sell serviceable ones in pet shops.

 

Oh and if you hear from Parlourman let him know we hope he gets his grades up and the rents let him back on the internet.

[ParlourMan]

Sometimes when the wind blows in from Africa, I will take off all my clothes ..and build a moon cairn in my little temple..i go outside and start a fire ...then I will

 

oops..wrong topic ;)

 

Man, I call that Tuesdays even if it's only a wee breeze from Germany.

[Sitedrifter]

Air-o-swiss

 

 

FMA

 

 

Thank you for the suggestion FMA!

[Motherofpearl]

I like mine between 40-50 anything over that is too much IMO

[Sitedrifter]

I like mine between 40-50 anything over that is too much IMO

My 5* said Gibson builds,stores and then ships the guitar in a %50 humidity environment. He himself likes to keep his guitars at %48 in the store. Seems like 45-55 is about right as far as safety margins are concerned, but %47-%50 is what a few pros I talked to like including Taylor. I will shoot for %50 as my choice humidity level and see how the guitars fair and change the level accordingly if needed.

[Jerry K]

My 5* said Gibson builds,stores and then ships the guitar in a %50 humidity environment. He himself likes to keep his guitars at %48 in the store. Seems like 45-55 is about right as far as safety margins are concerned, but %47-%50 is what a few pros I talked to like including Taylor. I will shoot for %50 as my choice humidity level and see how the guitars fair and change the level accordingly if needed.

 

A well-built acoustic such as a Gibson is not that fragile. 40 is by no means an emergency, if it's stable there. Rapid humidity change is more dangerous than even mid 30's humidity levels. If you normally keep it at 50, then the action will be a bit lower at 40 and with less water content the wood resonates like the billy-o.

[Sitedrifter]

A well-built acoustic such as a Gibson is not that fragile. 40 is by no means an emergency, if it's stable there. Rapid humidity change is more dangerous than even mid 30's humidity levels. If you normally keep it at 50, then the action will be a bit lower at 40 and with less water content the wood resonates like the billy-o.

 

 

[Motherofpearl]

To be honest I may get a swift kick in the nuggets here by saying this but I find if the humidity in my guitars is over 50% they don't sound as good maybe my ears are playing tricks on me

[Fullmental Alpinist]

To be honest I may get a swift kick in the nuggets here by saying this but I find if the humidity in my guitars is over 50% they don't sound as good maybe my ears are playing tricks on me

 

Nope. Your ears are fine. Up in the 60s many guitars start to sound tubby: the wood has absorbed a fair amount of water and doesn't vibrate as easily as it does at, say, 30%. It's also lighter at lower humidity.

 

FMA

[blindboygrunt]

Am.looking forward to del getting a hygrometer here in Ireland. Wanna see if it drops below 95% between now and may next year.

 

 

40% hahahahhaa

[Del Nilppeznaf]

Am.looking forward to del getting a hygrometer here in Ireland. Wanna see if it drops below 95% between now and may next year.

 

 

40% hahahahhaa

 

haha

 

thing is the research I have done state that most of the digital hygrometers are crap... often as much as 20% out..seem stable in the 40 to 60% margin tho..but ya know !!!!

 

usually really high RH here BBG as we know..but usually..closer to 50% indoors..even if 90% odd outside..will probably get a Western Digital one for 30 odd euro..just for a bit of research like ;)

[BluesKing777]

The weather here has fluctuated all over the shop - 30% humidity 2 days ago up to 65% this afternoon.

 

 

A hygro is good but alarming if you can't alter the situation.

 

 

I have dropped the house humidity to 48% with the central heating, but when I was practicing earlier, the guitars sounded s**** and full of socks. When I was happily playing various guitars before seeing the humidity reading dropping the other day, I thought a couple of the guitars sounded at their absolute best. I think someone here once said, that they can sound their best just as they are about to explode?

 

 

BluesKing777.

[Sitedrifter]

 

thing is the research I have done state that most of the digital hygrometers are crap... often as much as 20% out..seem stable in the 40 to 60% margin tho..but ya know !!!!

 

 

 

 

You just need to find a hygrometer that can be calibrated (Oasis, Caliber IV etc) and then use a humidpak to calibrate them. My Caliber IV was 3 points to low so I adjusted the the unit by +3 and now it is dead on testing with a 62 and 75 percent humidipak. They just came out with a 49% humidpak which would be the perfect calibration pack to use.

[Sitedrifter]

the guitars sounded s**** and full of socks.

 

 

Now I know why lots of people at a certain forum tend to say Gibsons sound like their full of socks. They are playing them in high humidity

[capmaster]

In general, woods tend to be affected already by sudden changes and short-term variations of relative humidity whereas glues react somewhat lagged. Hide glue is more sensitive than vegetable or synthetic glues. It becomes brittle when dried out too much or may plastically soften when too moist.

[blindboygrunt]

In general, woods tend to be affected already by sudden changes and short-term variations of relative humidity whereas glues react somewhat lagged. Hide glue is more sensitive than vegetable or synthetic glues. It becomes brittle when dried out too much or may plastically soften when too moist.

 

Yay! Thank god I didn't have enough money for one of them fancy true vintage guitars