Solid wood guitar storage

Zonular · January 2022

Hey guys

Saw a faith slope shoulder all mahogany going for a great price. Picked it up, sounds great, only worry I've never owned a all solid wood guitar before
Other than watching humidity (bought a cheap meter) and keeping in a case, what do I need to do other than play it?
Keeping the case upright is ok?

munckee · January 2022

My all solid acoustic is on a wall hanger in the lounge and I don’t seem to get any issues, apart from the occasional feedback from the sound hole.

crunchman · January 2022

munckee said:

My all solid acoustic is on a wall hanger in the lounge and I don’t seem to get any issues, apart from the occasional feedback from the sound hole.

I have a Furch out on a stand full time with no issues.

Unless you are up in the wilds of Scotland and/or have your central heating on "cook me" settings, it shouldn't be a major issue.

Mellish · January 2022

I use a D'Addario Humidipak in the case. In summer I'll run a dehumidifier to keep the RH in the room at 50%. Other than that, all I have is an Oasis Caliber lV hygrometer in the room

TINMAN82 · January 2022

Guitars in cases get played less, so my Martin is on a wall hanger.

Unless the case is humidity controlled it doesn’t make a huge difference, so I’m told.

As long as humidity in the room is around 40-55% and temp 18-22 degrees without fast swings it should be fine.

Devil#20 · January 2022

I got a couple of Inkbird humidity monitors off Amazon for about a tenner each and just throw one in the case with the guitar. It gives the current humidity and temperature but also stores the min and max that the guitar has been exposed to. It's never varied too much when it's in the case at all. I might re-deploy them with my camera gear instead. I think they are prone to getting fungus on the lenses if the humidity gets too high. I did have quiite a large dry cabinet but it got damaged in transit and no longer controls the humidity at a constant lever. I've not replaced it as they are a bit expensive to buy one the size I had now and not sure they are really that necessary in NW England (even though it seems to piss down rather too much for my liking).

bertie · January 2022

in the UK, unless you live in a pond, or have central heating on full blast with no ventilation, there's nothing to worry about

Zonular · January 2022

@bertie in the case from faith, it specifies storing the case flat? Never heard of that before

TINMAN82 · January 2022

bertie said:

in the UK, unless you live in a pond, or have central heating on full blast with no ventilation, there's nothing to worry about

In modern houses yes. In damp areas (like Scotland) with older houses the humidity can get surprisingly high, eg 60plus without active dehumidification.

Jez6345789 · January 2022

I have never done anything special in the uk and my acoustics are solid wood sit on stands in the spare bedroom/music room radiator off but other than that been all good.

here in Spain I don’t have anything expensive so do not worry too much but I was given a couple of these as a Christmas present.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Govee-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Temperature-Greenhouse/dp/B086YYL439/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1PR9JW3C81Q5&keywords=Humidity&qid=1642548698&sprefix=humidit%2Caps%2C329&sr=8-5&th=1

Like they have an app as welll as Max min being on the coast it can really do four seasons in a day but two years in nothing seems to complain inside house at the moment seems to be running between 35/40% but summer it can run from 30-80% but it’s sort of cyclical and never stays high day in day out so far everything seems to have adapted.

if I had a high end guitar then I would approach it differently but nothing I have is not replaceable.

Tannin · January 2022

Jez6345789 said:

here in Spain I don’t have anything expensive so do not worry too much

if I had a high end guitar then I would approach it differently but nothing I have is not replaceable.

If you had a high end guitar you would be in Monaco instead of Spain.

bertie · January 2022

TINMAN82 said:

bertie said:

in the UK, unless you live in a pond, or have central heating on full blast with no ventilation, there's nothing to worry about

In modern houses yes. In damp areas (like Scotland) with older houses the humidity can get surprisingly high, eg 60plus without active dehumidification.

we do have older houses in England too

Mellish · January 2022

Storing with the case flat is, I suspect, their idea of safety. I store upright and no issues because of that

more · January 2022

The damage is mostly done with low humidity, and even then it would take time to dry the wood so badly for it to crack . I have owned guitars for years , I have lived in unheated and centrally heated houses . I have guitars in every room in the house , including the attic. So far not one has been damaged by humidity changes . I think as long as your sensible, don’t lean guitars against radiators or hanging in a south facing window , your be fine.

Lewy · January 2022

Managing your guitar's humidification isn't just a matter of damage, it's a matter of sound and playability too. You can pay no attention whatsoever to humidity and there every chance your guitar won't suffer structurally. But there's also every chance your guitar won't be sounding or playing to its potential.

more · January 2022

Lewy said:

Managing your guitar's humidification isn't just a matter of damage, it's a matter of sound and playability too. You can pay no attention whatsoever to humidity and there every chance your guitar won't suffer structurally. But there's also every chance your guitar won't be sounding or playing to its potential.

What you are saying is true , however . It's not guaranteed, but most decent guitar makers will store wood and keep their workshops to about 45/50 % humidity. The UK is actually a humid country that doesn't change much thought the year . For most soundboards to swell up and become flat sounding they need to be in about 75% for some time . The average humidity in most houses is well below that, Houses that have a average humidity above 70% will have peeling wall paper and mould

Lewy · January 2022

more said:

Lewy said:

For most soundboards to swell up and become flat sounding they need to be in about 75% for some time .

Not my experience at all.

Things start getting noticeable with my guitars after time spend in the low 60s and unmanaged RH in my house would stay above that for 3/4 of the year.

sev112 · January 2022

This summer was really moist - all of my acoustics suffered for the first time. Sounded dead, and much higher action

Zonular · January 2022

Any tips

sev112 · January 2022

In humid times, and in modern houses which are (too) well sealed - open your windows, or don’t close them fully, buy some cheap hygrometers off eBay (£10 for 3) and see what your guitar rooms range are. If you hang tour washing out in rooms, buy a dehumidifier and use it. It’s astonishing the amount of water that mine takes out

drofluf · January 2022

sev112 said:

In humid times, and in modern houses which are (too) well sealed - open your windows, or don’t close them fully, buy some cheap hygrometers off eBay (£10 for 3) and see what your guitar rooms range are. If you hang tour washing out in rooms, buy a dehumidifier and use it. It’s astonishing the amount of water that mine takes out

With the cheap hygrometers (or probably expensive ones too) it’s worth calibrating them. I’ve got 2 cheap ones; one’s spot on, the other out by 8%. Of course even if uncalibrated it will still show relative changes.

This article explains how to: https://www.famous-smoke.com/cigaradvisor/how-do-you-calibrate-a-hygrometer with “simple kitchen items”

it’s a a cigar site, probably a smokier version of this place, but humidity is humidity.

Mellish · January 2022

@Zonular ; it's all been said. Aim for 45-55% RH. I target 50% and I'll aim for that all year. To help me, I'll use a D'Addario Humidipak which I'll keep in the case. I'll use an hygrometer so I can monitor room RH. Then, in summer when humidity climbs, I'll use a dehumidifier to knock it back down to 50%. Some might say "overkill" but I'd rather be safe than sorry

sev112 · January 2022

Yes, calibrated all 3, all 3 were surprisingly accurate

PS the other useful advantage of buying a dehumidifier is for when you drop your birthday present book in the bath, like it did yesterday !

Mellish · January 2022

I'm off, got to walk Mrs Mellish home from our daughter's. Hope the book is OK

ToneControl · January 2022

crunchman said:

munckee said:

My all solid acoustic is on a wall hanger in the lounge and I don’t seem to get any issues, apart from the occasional feedback from the sound hole.

I have a Furch out on a stand full time with no issues.

Unless you are up in the wilds of Scotland and/or have your central heating on "cook me" settings, it shouldn't be a major issue.

depends on your house
some houses get very dry in the winter

ToneControl · January 2022

bertie said:

in the UK, unless you live in a pond, or have central heating on full blast with no ventilation, there's nothing to worry about

central heating plus ventilation can get you to 30% humidity in my house

ToneControl · January 2022

I use a humidifier, with a hydrostat
When it's cold, the heating is on, aiming for 22C-23C
when it's frosty or snowy, humidity can get really low indoors: the temperature differential between indoors and outdoors is what drives the low RH indoors, especially if you ventilate your house. I can explain the physics

Aside from damage, the other things that happen if you let your guitars vary in humidity and get dry are:

large variation in neck relief and action from day to day = playability
Sharp Fret ends sticking out - permanently = playability
guitars going out of tune all the time = playability
as well as acoustics risking damage

Zonular · January 2022

I don't know if the UK has the same energy rating system, but I've a few things to get sorted before I'm worried about the heat inside the house, on the upside I have a nice selection of jumpers

crunchman · January 2022

ToneControl said:

I use a humidifier, with a hydrostat
When it's cold, the heating is on, aiming for 22C-23C
when it's frosty or snowy, humidity can get really low indoors: the temperature differential between indoors and outdoors is what drives the low RH indoors, especially if you ventilate your house. I can explain the physics

Aside from damage, the other things that happen if you let your guitars vary in humidity and get dry are:
large variation in neck relief and action from day to day = playability
Sharp Fret ends sticking out - permanently = playability
guitars going out of tune all the time = playability
as well as acoustics risking damage

If you cook yourself like that, then it's a bigger issue. Our thermostat is normally set around 20C.

It still depends on where you are in the country. Down South it doesn't get that cold outside, so the temperature difference with outside isn't that big. Like you said, it's the temperature difference that is the big issue.

That's why it's a much bigger issue in places where it gets colder. The temperature difference with outside is much bigger. I bought a Furch guitar in Sweden once, when nobody was importing them to the UK. They gave me a case humidifier as standard.

bertie · January 2022

sev112 said:

In humid times, and in modern houses which are (too) well sealed - open your windows, or don’t close them fully

most "good" modern windows do have vents in the top of the frame to allow for this.....or at least have a "notched catch" do you can leave them securely "ajar"

sev112 · January 2022

bertie said:

sev112 said:

In humid times, and in modern houses which are (too) well sealed - open your windows, or don’t close them fully

most "good" modern windows do have vents in the top of the frame to allow for this.....or at least have a "notched catch" do you can leave them securely "ajar"

Yes, found the upper ones don’t have much of an effect but the notched catch does an excellent job

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