How do you guys humidify?

[heymisterk]

I live in northern Ohio, where temperatures fluctuate wildly and humidity is usually pretty high.

But in the winter months, I obviously turn on the heat, which is forced air and really dries my house out. In fact, I am thinking that for my guitars, my house is not paradise: temps ranging from 55 to 70 in the winter, with low humidity.

I don't have any kind of humidifier. I generally keep my guitars in their cases with a case humidifier. That said, I keep my Alvarez Yairi out at all times and honestly, in the 15 years I have owned it, I haven't noticed any negative effects. I also keep my MexiTele out since I'm most likely to reach for it.

How do you all handle humidification? Or do you?

[TommyK]

Film canister filled with cotton, hung in sound hole from strings.

[ChanMan]

/shrug

 

I live in Tennessee where the humidity is perfect all the time no matter what?

 

 

I litterally do nothing.

[Zonkers]

Semi-closed room, 2 humidifiers set to 45%, all my semi hollow and hollow bodies in that room. Not so worried about the solid body guitars. Near Boston, so the house dries up really fast with the heat on.

[Versatile]

I do nothing

 

V

 

 

 

[surfpup]

I do it the natural way - by living in Florida. I have to dehumidify in the summer!

[surfpup]

My Gibson acoustic came with a little tube you could hang from the soundhole.I know some guys on here with a large stable of guitars opt for whole room or whole house humidification instead.

[animalfarm]

In Texas we have HIGH humidity in Summer, LOW humidity in Winter,

Guitar wood expands and contracts accordingly.

Soooooo, as Summer/Winter appraoch, ALL guitars come out onto Stands

for a few weeks to allow the wood to adjust, then SET-UP time.

 

I do a minimum of 2 set ups a year for each guitar. I keep my necks

pretty dog-gone straight, and action LOW at 4/64ths for both HI and LOW

E strings.

So, a good, solid WINTER set-up goes down the Toilet when Summer

hits and the wood expands, causing "backbow" and fret buzz. A Summer

set up goes off in Winter - wood "shrinks", no fret buzz, but intonation

drifts and I see a slight "upbow".

 

All just personal preference. Of course, if you're in a hurry, you can do THIS:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bhlEXBaI3Y

[ShredAstaire]

My house has a humidifier built into the furnace so in winter, i crank that up and the house is nice.

 

Without it, it gets very dry...so dry that i get shocks all over the place!

[Riffster]

I use a room humidifer during the winter when the heat is on, I have gas heat.

 

I was using a small humidifer the last couple of years but I just bought a couple of Vicks filter-less humidifers at WalMart. I like this design better since it does not rely on filters that get pretty nasty right away and cost $5 a pop.

[S t e v e]

I live in northern Ohio, where temperatures fluctuate wildly and humidity is usually pretty high.

But in the winter months, I obviously turn on the heat, which is forced air and really dries my house out. In fact, I am thinking that for my guitars, my house is not paradise: temps ranging from 55 to 70 in the winter, with low humidity.

I don't have any kind of humidifier. I generally keep my guitars in their cases with a case humidifier. That said, I keep my Alvarez Yairi out at all times and honestly, in the 15 years I have owned it, I haven't noticed any negative effects. I also keep my MexiTele out since I'm most likely to reach for it.

How do you all handle humidification? Or do you?

 

 

i don't, mine hang on the bedroom wall but the radiator stays off while all the others around the house are on (in winter) never had any issues with my guitars.

[Riffster]

i don't, mine hang on the bedroom wall but the radiator stays off while all the others around the house are on (in winter) never had any issues with my guitars.

 

Acoustic guitars are much more sensitive, humidifying is a must. I can thell the tone is brighter when an acoustic is dry.

 

On electrics the effect is more subtle, after 5 years of owning my American Stratocaster I felt the fret edges for the first time last night, a sign that the wood has contracted a bit more than the fret metal.

 

Also all rosewood fretboards are looking pretty pale and dry, time for some oiling.

[surfpup]

...I just bought a couple of Vicks filter-less humidifers at WalMart. I like this design better since it does not rely on filters that get pretty nasty right away and cost $5 a pop.

 

That's a good (and cheap) idea. We run one of those in the baby's room when he's sick, and you can feel

a huge difference in the humidity when it's running.

[MrNylon]

In South Florida the A/C goes most of the time. I Always have a good size desiccant pack in my bass case. My average humidity in the house is about 50%. Outside 70's% and up. 80's% Not unusual.

[neilpanda]

I now keep my guitars in a television cabinet sitting on my rockstand.

I stuck a planet waves acoustic humidifier in there and it keeps the 5

guitars in there nice and in perfect humidity

 

Beastie

[DenverSteve]

We have very little (read none) humidity. I keep combinations of sponges in soap dishes and plastic bags, along with Kyser Lifeguards in each case.

Filling a humidifier and cleaning it weekly isn't in the cards for me.

[neilpanda]

We have very little (read none) humidity. I keep combinations of sponges in soap dishes and plastic bags, along with Kyser Lifeguards in each case.

Filling a humidifier and cleaning it weekly isn't in the cards for me.

DUDE! thats so cool!

[flyingarmadillo]

I do nothing - I figure Stradivarius violins have lasted over 300 years without humidification so there probably won't be too much problem with my guitars while I'm alive.

[NeoConMan]

FA, I spent 15 years in Houston.

I recall the humidity in my house dropping below 50% only a couple times a year at the most.

The only moisture-related issue I ever had was mold growing inside guitar cases...

 

Here in the desert, humdity will drop into the teens during the winter - single digits outside.

(Ever see a dewpoint below zero?)

 

 

I use a Hunter humidifier called a Nite Glow.

Digital display and control with a blue LED that shines through the water tank for a diffused night light effect.

Runs quietly on Low, and is barely noticed on High.

Shuts off automatically on low level.

Have to fill it almost every day when humidity drops and the heat has to run.

It struggles to maintain 35% (I aim for 40%) in a 2,000 square foot area for a few months.

In the summer (even in Arizona) it will sit for weeks without running at all.

 

 

Hints:

Don't run any exhaust fans in your house if you can avoid it.

If you need to move some air, run a central fan to move and dissipate the air throughout the house.

(Yes, ALL women hate this in cool weather.)

Just breathing puts moisture in the air.

Showers do it - the hotter, the better.

Cooking ANYTHING on the stove emits steam as water is boiled or cooked out of foods.

 

Of course, trying to keep the temp fairly constant is a good idea.

It's gotta be tough where you guys see temps below freezing and below zero for extended lengths of time.

God I love the desert!

 

[Steven Tari]

I just keep mine in their cases. In the house or in the garage, In the case when I'm done.

[L5Larry]

I do nothing to humidify, and have never had any problems.

[NeoConMan]

I just keep mine in their cases.

In the house or in the garage

 

YIKES!!!

 

I take it you're near the coast where your garage temps are somewhat consistent, eh?

 

Here in the desert, my garage swings from near freezing to 140 degrees F.

It would wreck the cases alone.

 

Seen several people here with the interior pulled loose from their cases.

They stuck them on a shelf in their garage and adhesives failed in the heat.

[WahKeen]

Cigar boxes? I actually don't. I figure if I need to, I can put on my head band and a Jane Fonda workout video and let my pores do the trick...

[flyingarmadillo]

FA, I spent 15 years in Houston.

I recall the humidity in my house dropping below 50% only a couple times a year at the most.

The only moisture-related issue I ever had was mold growing inside guitar cases...

 

Here in the desert, humdity will drop into the teens during the winter - single digits outside.

(Ever see a dewpoint below zero?)

 

...

 

 

Neo -- I've only lived in Houston since July- DFW for 7 years before that (average humidity about 15% lower), but before that I lived in Carlsbad, NM and Midland, TX for 22 years - Chihuahuan desert and transition to the High Plains - so I've seen below zero dewpoints and relative humidity under 10%. In Carlsbad swamp coolers are still more efficient than refrigerated AC for all but a couple days a year. I did occasionally us a "Dampit" soundhole humidifier on the acoustics - but it didn't seem to make much difference. I agree about mold in Houston and the moisture here can get in everything - when I lived here in '75 I adjusted the valves on my car and there was rust on the camshaft! (OHC - but it still should have had oil on it)

[NeoConMan]

Ahhhh...

 

10-4.

 

I ain't tellin' you nuthin' about humidity that you don't already know.

 

And I LOVE west Texas. B)