Guitar Humidification in Australia

[Acousticologist]

Just checking if there are any other players based in australia, and how you go about humidifying your instrument here.??

 

Based in Perth, it's been around 35-38 degrees celsius for the last 3 weeks. Humidity (according to planet waves and Oasis systems is around 45%...

 

It's not a comfortable state for humans - how do the guitars react and feel about this??

 

Is it more common to humidify in winter?? (even though's it's usually rainy and moist)

 

 

Really want to look after my new Gibsons... Would appreciate any advice.

[EuroAussie]

Im from Adelaide but have lived in Prague for last few years. If the room humidity is fine then you got nothing to worry about. Otherwise i recommend a room humidifier. I use it here and does the job covering a big room.

 

I assume you have ducted AC to keep the room at a reasonable temperature. Normally here in Prague i only use a room humidifier in winter, is summer when the windows are open its usually around 45%.

[SuperG]

I'm in Sydney where lack of humidity is generally not an issue. Perth will be a different story. My hygrometer reads 55-75% many months of the year, so technically my guitars are over-humidified, but I haven't had any issues yet—touch wood. This is indoors, but I often have the windows open so there isn't a huge difference between interior/exterior spaces.

 

In winter and other random days the humidity in Sydney is 'low' at 40-45%. This is when my guitars sound their best, and it's about as low as it ever gets. As such I tend not to use humidifiers anymore. I did for a while but I think I overdid it on one guitar (before I had a hygrometer and was effectively guessing when humidification was needed). The guitar survived but the glue in the case softened and started seeping through the velvet lining and I had to replace the case.

 

A guitar at 40-60% humidity shouldn't need much attention at all. Below that you should humidify, above that you may want to consider AC and/or a de-humidifier. Heat is a different matter, but for a few days at a time it shouldn’t affect things. Just beware of direct sunlight and keep an eye on the hygrometer.

[onewilyfool]

You know how the toilets flush counter-clockwise in Austraila???...... Well when you install those humidifiers made in the USA....you need to install them upside down, because humidity moves backwards in Austraila....other than that.....there should be no problems....

[TommyK]

I think 45% is guit tar comfortable. Yes, it is a tad uncomfortable for humans. Take your shirt off.

[Acousticologist]

so pretty much this isn't a problem for us Aussies??

 

I need not worry about humidifying my flock?

[TommyK]

so pretty much this isn't a problem for us Aussies??

 

I need not worry about humidifying my flock?

 

I wouldn't make that broad a statement If memory serves me, and sometimes it don't, Australia is a fairly sizable country. If the humidity in your guit tar room is 45% today, I wouldn't turn on the humidifier. Winter is coming to Australia, so as far as tomorrow? All bets are off.

[strat-o-steve]

Your guitar can be comfortable at almost any temperature, except extremely hot! This can cause glue joints to "creep" or come apart all together! Cold doesn't matter so much, as long as you let the guitar SLOWLY reach room temperature for the area you will be opening the case and playing in. If your humidity is around 45%, then you are spot-on.....that's the humidity level the Gibson factory is kept at :) You can stray from this level a little bit, anywhere close within 8 or 10 points of 45% humidity will not harm anything, especially for a little while (like a couple of days). You will know when the guitar is getting too dry.....the fret ends will start to catch your skin on your fretting hand a little, the action may become low and buzzy, and the finish will start to try to sink in to the grain more (allowing you to see and feel the wood grain in the finish).

[EuroAussie]

My experience with my Gibsons is that they sound best between 40 - 45%. Currently in the Czech winter the room humidifier is working 24 hours a day and that keeps the RH at 35% which i find is still fine and they all sound good, no symptoms od dryness.

 

However I found that they are very precious darling when humidifcation reaches 55% or more, they just get that 'swampy' tone very quickly, cant deal with it well at all..

 

 

 

Your guitar can be comfortable at almost any temperature, except extremely hot! This can cause glue joints to "creep" or come apart all together! Cold doesn't matter so much, as long as you let the guitar SLOWLY reach room temperature for the area you will be opening the case and playing in. If your humidity is around 45%, then you are spot-on.....that's the humidity level the Gibson factory is kept at :) You can stray from this level a little bit, anywhere close within 8 or 10 points of 45% humidity will not harm anything, especially for a little while (like a couple of days). You will know when the guitar is getting too dry.....the fret ends will start to catch your skin on your fretting hand a little, the action may become low and buzzy, and the finish will start to try to sink in to the grain more (allowing you to see and feel the wood grain in the finish).

[brians356]

I notice a lot of people blindly humidify their guitars for no good reason. 45% (assuming your gauge is accurate) it nearly spot on perfect. Most manufacturers cite 47% as "ideal" and that's where they keep their factories.

 

My opinion is far more guitars get too much humidity than too little. If you live in a harsh winter climate, heater laboring night and day, and RH measures in the 30s for weeks on end, then one might consider humidifying, however all one needs to do is store the guitars in a spare unheated room or closet, where the temperature remains below human comfort and the RH goes up correspondingly. It's much easier to raise RH by removing the heat source than to add humidity. Just get a decent RH gauge and trust it.

 

Brian