jedzep Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Amen, amen my friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 The most important thing you need to know before you humidify anything is "what is the humidity in your home" If you live in an area that gets dry once in a while you probably don't need to humidify anything. Cooking, showering and running the dishwasher will keep your house humidified enough. If you live in an area where humidity drops below 30% in the winter when heating your home you're better off humidifying your whole house. Your shin, hair and all wood products not just your guitars will thank you for it. But unless you know what your Relative Humidity is you're just guessing and over humidifying is almost as bad as under humidifying. I keep my guitars out on stands and wall hangers so I can enjoy them and play them when ever I want to. If I have a few minute or waiting for the wife to get ready when we're going out I can grab a guitar and noodle around instead of nagging the her to hurry up. My wife even decorated them last Christmas with Santa hats and scarves. Ah thank god ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Pete Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 It seems modern guitars may be more susceptible to cracks from low humidity because the wood used today is not as dried out prior to building as in older guitars. Also the wood from old growth forests with thin growth rings is becoming more rare. Also it seems newer wood has large cells that will absorb more moisture making them change more when the humidity changes. These cells in older guitars have permanently shrunken so they don't swell as much when it is humid. I just had a 1957 Southern Jumbo come through my shop and it doesnt seem to have any cracks and the owner never used a humidifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usernameinvalid Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 I just had 1957 Southern Jumbo come through my shop and it doesnt seem to have any cracks and the owner never used a humidifier. Where did this 57 SJ live most of it life. If it lived where the RH was between 35-60 and dropped and rose slowly every year there would be no need to humidify it. But if it spent the summers in a humid environment and wintered in Arizona that guitar would be full of cracks unless it was humidified. So the fact that this guitar is 59 years old and has no cracks is irrelevant without knowing it's history. It seems modern guitars may be more susceptible to cracks from low humidity because the wood used today is not as dried out prior to building as in older guitars. Could be one of the reasons but I thing it's because modern houses people change the climate in their home more rapidly than in the pasted. With air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. Both these remove moisture from the air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Ah thank god ! Lighten up, Francis. I'm sure you have pics of your dog wearing shades. (BK?) Username- feel free to have your wife FESTOON your guitars and put up a pic. Maybe it'll start a Christmas tradition thing around here (the horror). However, personally, a J-200 is too much of a valuable guitar to leave out on a wall for years and years. . . many horror stories of what happens when the "guitar wall" is also an exterior wall. "Username" brings up some interesting points to those who wonder how those old guitars survived. How many actually survived is a good question, as well. Anyone have an old oil burning boiler for their old house? Some had a blower system pushing out heat from a central heat exchanger before heating oil systems became reliable and more widespread. Then came the advancements in home insulation, and forced (hot) air systems to do an even better job in drying out guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victory Pete Posted November 24, 2016 Share Posted November 24, 2016 Where did this 57 SJ live most of it life. If it lived where the RH was between 35-60 and dropped and rose slowly every year there would be no need to humidify it. But if it spent the summers in a humid environment and wintered in Arizona that guitar would be full of cracks unless it was humidified. So the fact that this guitar is 59 years old and has no cracks is irrelevant without knowing it's history. Could be one of the reasons but I thing it's because modern houses people change the climate in their home more rapidly than in the pasted. With air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter. Both these remove moisture from the air. It lived in New England, in an old house with a heating system. How about the fact that older guitars were in drafty houses with wood stoves? I am sure the RH changed quite a bit in those houses. How about 150 years ago? It seems then the guitars would really have a problem in the winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 If you live in an area that gets dry once in a while you probably don't need to humidify anything. Cooking, showering and running the dishwasher will keep your house humidified enough. Tom is in New Hampshire, winter time the RH Levels are in the 20s and below. Same for my location (Central Mass). I can tell you with absolute certainty, as I've seen a few of my friends who own guitars have serious problems with not maintaining their instruments. Cracked sunken, tops, Bridge separation, fret sprout, and some of these were guitars in the $3,000 ball park. sucks to be them, don't be them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usernameinvalid Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 I can tell you with absolute certainty, as I've seen a few of my friends who own guitars have serious problems with not maintaining their instruments. Cracked sunken, tops, Bridge separation, fret sprout, and some of these were guitars in the $3,000 ball park. sucks to be them, don't be them... We've all seen guitars and have friends who have damage on guitars from being to dry. I've also seen guitars with mold inside because of paranoid owners who humidify their guitars for no other reason than some one on the internet said they had to. The bottom line is know what your RH is and do what's best for your Guitars and other organic things in your home. I choose to humidify my whole house to keep my Guitars(6), mandolin, ukulele, key board, wife's guitar, leather and wooden furniture, cabinets and anything else that benefits from moisture when the RH drops below 30%. Which it does where I live for at least 3-4 month most years. If you choose not to humidify your home and just do your guitar cases that's up to you and just fine with me. I'm not here to argue how you humidify your belongings. To tell some one to humidify without knowing anything about their surroundings is not doing them any favors. It lived in New England, in an old house with a heating system. How about the fact that older guitars were in drafty houses with wood stoves? I am sure the RH changed quite a bit in those houses. How about 150 years ago? It seems then the guitars would really have a problem in the winter. I'm sure the RH changes a lot in some places and most guitar from those places may or may not have survived. How many 150 year old guitars are there from Arizona and how many are from the gulf coast? But we're not here to debate how old guitar survive. We're here because NHTom said he needed an education on humidifiers and if they are needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHTom Posted November 25, 2016 Author Share Posted November 25, 2016 Yes, sorry I missed the question.......... I live in New Hampshire, USA. Now that I'm curious, I think I will grab a cheap humidity gauge just to answer the question for myself. Thanks, NHTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted November 25, 2016 Share Posted November 25, 2016 The bottom line is know what your RH is and do what's best for your Guitars and other organic things in your home. yep agree. 45 to 55 RH is a good goal. I think I will grab a cheap humidity gauge just to answer the question for myself. Planet waves makes one that goes in your case, that's the way to go. cheaper ones might not give you a good reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Chavez Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 A university education is needed and, to be perfectly honest, and other forms of education are also viable college or university degree then you need. Essay Writers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 A university education is needed and, to be perfectly honest, and other forms of education are also viable college or university degree then you need. Essay Writers How did your English composition course go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Gotta' love the poor grammar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I'm one 'a them uns that learnt poor grammer ta survive livin' in the middle 'a non-elites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 This is sooooo strange. Like it was posted from someone spamming to get people to click on 'essay writers', in hopes of getting more smarter in writing good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the other side Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 This is sooooo strange. Like it was posted from someone spamming to get people to click on 'essay writers', in hopes of getting more smarter in writing good. And more better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 and more gooder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 FWIW - to add another datapoint on 'humidity'. For 5 years we lived in a well built house in Central Mass. Built in 1915, they only used a few pages of newspaper as 'insulation' on the outside walls, which were stucco over wood, with plaster inside. Three stories plus a basement. Started it's life with a coal furnace with steam heat. When we moved in the furnace had been converted to oil. The house had tons of wood inside, panelling, crown molding, cabinetry, built in book cases, etc. : it was all in perfect shape. So, approximately 180 years of obvious fluctuation in temperature and humidity didn't cause any damage at all. And, my '64 LG1 in it's original simulated brown aligator brown cardboard case - where it resided 95% of those 5 years, never suffered any damage, cosmetic or otherwise at all. I'm of the opinion that many who say their guitar was damaged by humidity or dryness, actually are deflecting. I'd guess in many of the cases they don't want to admit they left it in a car in the sun, in an unheated attic, or loaned it to their brother in law not knowing he planned on taking it to the beach. And then there's the risk of filling your cases with little Sponge Bobs, dripping wet - and leaving them all winter as the sponge, case and guitar dry out for a month or so. The big fluctuations in a short period of time causing trauma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I'm of the opinion that many who say their guitar was damaged by humidity or dryness, actually are deflecting I'm in Central mass, I wish I had the pictures of the damages done to guitars that people I know have had to deal with by these conditions caused in the winter. Cracked sunken tops, bindings damaged from fret sprout, necks warped/askew-ed... it's real.. very real.. I will say that my oldest guitar (a 1978 Alvarez Yari DY74 seems almost impervious to the climate changes... so something definitely with the way finishes have evolved has made probably made instruments more sensitive to the changes in climate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 I'm of the opinion that many who say their guitar was damaged by humidity or dryness, actually are deflecting I'm in Central mass, and you're just wrong in this.. I wish I had the pictures of the damages done to guitars that people I know have had to deal with by these conditions caused in the winter. Cracked sunken tops, bindings damaged from fret sprout, necks warped/askew-ed... it's real.. very real.. Damn straight it's real! I've known the occasional jackass who subjects guitars to absurd conditions, too, so won't suggest that doesn't happen sometimes. Witness the lady who left her Gibson B25-12 string 'stored' in the trunk of her car through an entire Michigan winter: talk about relic'd! My luthier showed me that one before/after he restored it. However, if most of us didn't take reasonable winter precautions, we'd be up the proverbial creek. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Didn't say problems caused by humidity aren't real. Didn't say humidity isn't one of the Top 3 reasons guitars get messed up. Didn't say MOST cases blaming humidity were deflections. Did say MANY cases of guitar damage are blamed on humidity when there was another cause. We see posts here all the time form folks who are new too the nuances of 'humidity and your guitar' and we happily respond to their 'education needed' posts. My only point is that someone who hangs their guitar on an exterior wall that faces the sun, or stores it in the basement corner will blame humidity when the actual cause was their lack of knowledge. And, by extension, some who don't even realize in this day and age - the dangers of a super-heated car - may be too embarrassed to admit that they left their guitar there and tell the luthier 'it was that dang humidity'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 10, 2017 Share Posted February 10, 2017 Didn't say problems caused by humidity aren't real. Didn't say humidity isn't one of the Top 3 reasons guitars get messed up. Didn't say MOST cases blaming humidity were deflections. Did say MANY cases of guitar damage are blamed on humidity when there was another cause. We see posts here all the time form folks who are new too the nuances of 'humidity and your guitar' and we happily respond to their 'education needed' posts. My only point is that someone who hangs their guitar on an exterior wall that faces the sun, or stores it in the basement corner will blame humidity when the actual cause was their lack of knowledge. And, by extension, some who don't even realize in this day and age - the dangers of a super-heated car - may be too embarrassed to admit that they left their guitar there and tell the luthier 'it was that dang humidity'. As reference 'the occasional jackass' mentioned above. It's too bad that some folks have to actually be the jackass before learning better, but at least it gets their attention😐 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 Agree. I was a jackass when, at age 18 I took my second brand new Gibson to play on a Long Island Rail Road train station platform at night in the rain. Humidity was 101% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 That's how I learned. A kid (relatively speaking) with a new Martin D-28 that got left in the truck overnight in sub-zero weather. Hated myself for months over that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasAK Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 This is something I grabbed off this forum years ago. I have shared with many people with strings & wood instruments. Guitar Humidity 100%; You shouldn'treally be playing your new guitar out in the rain 95%; This is dangerous for your instrument; glue joints are compromising rightnow and the thin wood plates are highly stressed and buckling due to theirswollen condition 90%; This is far too humid for your instrument; the action of the strings isvery high; maybe it's time for some air conditioning for both of you? Badthings are possibly going to start happening to your instrument 85%; Too humid; your wood plates are beginning to swell with the moisture; thisisn't good 80%; A little too humid I think (plus, aren't you getting uncomfortable?);soundboard movement is starting to affect the action (making it higher over thefrets) 75%; Probably getting too humid; if it keeps up you may actually notice thesoundboard movement; sort of OK for awhile 70%; OK for awhile but don't let the guitar get too warm; more wood movementwith the soundboard bellying out somewhat perhaps 65%; A little too humid; there might be a small bit of wood movement but don'tpanic 60%; Still sort of OK 55%; Not too bad 50%; OK 45%; PERFECT 40%; OK 35%; Time to think about humidifying your guitar; the soundboard is starting tosink in; probably will be OK for a few days so don't panic (yet!) 30%; It is really time for humidifying your guitar, (a few days might be ok);action starting to get low; maybe you can start to feel the ends of the fretsbeyond the edge of the fretboard (which has shrunk back due to moisture loss);install the Planet Waves Guitar Humidifier when you are not playing theinstrument 25%; Time to be really concerned; time is not on your side; take correctiveaction now; use the Planet Waves Guitar Humidifier and put the guitar in thecase until the dry conditions are over; cracks are planning their assault;frets are hanging over the edge of the fretboard now 20%; Danger Will Robinson!!! You are living on the edge now; huge stresses arebuilding up in the plates of your expensive instrument and; cracks may start toappear at any moment; the soundboard is sunk in and you have string buzzes 15%; Give me a call and we can discuss a time slot for your repair 10%; Now we need more time to fix all those cracks and glue the thing backtogether 5%; It's over! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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