guitars, heating and winter

bermudianbrit · November 2020

HI all,

I am working from home all the time now, as most of us are these days.
My Martin stays in its case in my office, which is subject to reasonably wide temperature changes. We of course don't heat it during the night, or when I'm not in the room, but when I'm working during the day, the heating will come on for a few hours to keep things comfortable.
I am concerned about the effect of this over time on the Martin, which is a GPC-35E and is therefore of good quality.
There has also been talk of moving my electrics into that room, and basically getting all my stuff out of the way of my partner's office space too when she starts using her own room as an office. The electrics are of comparable cost/quality.
My questions are:
1. To what extent is heat damage a concern regarding the acoustic in its case as it currently is?
2. What about the same effect on electrics?
3. If I wanted to put up wall hangings to hang the electrics, would that substantively increase their exposure/risk of damage due to the heating issue?

Thanks

VimFuego · November 2020

this seems to be more of an issue in the US where they tend to use forced, dry air type heating, thus drying out wooden instruments. In the UK where we tend to more ambient heating, I've never found it an issue. I think this may also be possibly that we don't have the same massive temp swings they get in a lot of the US (i.e. it rarely gets very cold here).

drofluf · November 2020

I think that sudden changes in humidity are more of a threat than temperature changes, although the two are linked. So I’d suggest getting a humidity meter and monitoring that first. Ideally it should be in the range 45-55%.

Where in the world are you? Your username suggests that you may not be in the UK....

bermudianbrit · November 2020

I am in the UK, midlands to be specific. I'm just not from here

thermionic · November 2020

Buy a hygrometer, then you’ll know if you need to do something.

crunchman · November 2020

It does depend on how hot you have your heating.

Warmer air can hold a lot more water vapour, so as you heat the air indoors, the same moisture content gives a much lower relative humidity. How much lower the relative humidity gets depends on the difference in temperature.

In most parts of England, if you keep your central heating at a sensible temperature (say 20 to 21C) then it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Nobody used to bother with all these humidifiers 30 or 40 years ago, but most older guitars I've seen haven't suffered. With better insulation, there is more of a tendency to have houses ridiculously hot now, so if you do have your heating set at 25C, then it may be an issue.

Devil#20 · November 2020

I think it's humidity you need to watch primarily. With my acoustics I keep a humidity meter in the case with each one. They keep a record of the max an min humidity from switch on. I check every so often if it's outside of an acceptable range but even when it's been particularly cold or hot it's rarely varied a great deal. The case will buffer sudden changes. They're about a tenner. They also keep a record of temp too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inkbird-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Temperature-Humidity/dp/B00RMO6B6E/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=inkbird+humidity+detector&qid=1604770627&sr=8-9

malcolmkindness · November 2020

Devil#20 said:

I think it's humidity you need to watch primarily. With my acoustics I keep a humidity meter in the case with each one. They keep a record of the max an min humidity from switch on. I check every so often if it's outside of an acceptable range but even when it's been particularly cold or hot it's rarely varied a great deal. The case will buffer sudden changes. They're about a tenner. They also keep a record of temp too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inkbird-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Temperature-Humidity/dp/B00RMO6B6E/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=inkbird+humidity+detector&qid=1604770627&sr=8-9

Absolutely, this is what you need.

jellyroll · November 2020

In my experience, heating in winter can cause reduced humidity and affect the guitar. Some guitars are more sensitive than others. Worth monitoring it.

Cranky · November 2020

Maybe get a "humidicase" for the Martin.

I was under the impression that it's two separate issues: temperature and humidity. You don't want wild temperature swings, this is bad for the wood, which to me means keeping the thermostat set consistently. And with the ac/furnace going, keep a humidifier running in the room to keep the air moist.

richardhomer · November 2020

My Martin lives on a stand in my office. I tend to keep an eye on it - any marked alteration in neck relief would be a sure sign something’s changed.

My (somewhat unscientific) approach is the window is kept open and I tend to dry towels on the radiator to add a bit of moisture into the air. The radiator is also set at a lower temperature than those in the rest of the house.

TheMadMick · November 2020

What is usually more of a problem are abrupt changes in conditions. Can ruin a perfectly good piece of wood (or guitar).

Keeping a guitar in its case can iron out such changes as it is reasonably well insulated and internally it is sealed from its wider environment.

As mentioned before, the changes in UK are usually fairly small - so if the wood has been well seasoned (and I'd expect a Martin to be well seasoned) then there shouldn't be a problem.

thermionic · November 2020

I’m not convinced keeping a guitar in a case is the perfect solution it’s made out to be. There’s a YouTube video somewhere showing how poorly sealed they are, and all that foam and plush lining is basically a sponge. My Taylor has always lived in its case but showed signs of suffering from high humidity (bellying up of the top and gradually increasing action). Since then I’ve kept a decent-sized silica gel pack in the case.

ToneControl · November 2020

what is the building and room structure, and how cold and hot does it get?
Is it in the centre of the house?

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

guitars, heating and winter

Comments