Humidity

Frankieabbot · July 2015

The recent hot, muggy and humid weather that we have had here has made me think about what it may be doing to my beloved little Tanglewood acoustic. Sat there on its stand in the bedroom while i'm downstairs trying to get the perspiration to evaporate from my brow and keep myself cool. It's not the Nevada desert, but is a humidifier required?

ESBlonde · July 2015

Probably not, keeping it in the case will slow any dramatic changes in temp and humidity. The weather in the UK is so variable that it's unlikely to cause long term issues. You rarely see nitro finishes all checked here like you do in north ameriky. Avoid radiators, direct sunlight and long term storage in cars/vans. You can buy case type devices to regulate humidity (from ameriky) but that is not considered necessary for us skinny pink people this side of the pond.

ToneControl · July 2015

in the Uk you need a humidifier in the winter

mine are on hygrostats and rarely come on at all in the summer

in the summer, just make sure the room doesn't get really hot, or getting guitars in the sun

crunchman · July 2015

As @ToneControl said, it's an issue in the winter in the UK not the summer.

The relative humidity varies with temperature as the air can hold more water vapour at higher temperatures. If the humidity outside when it's 0C is 40% then inside at room temperature it will probably be half that or less for the same air. The difference in temperature is key.

Personally I don't bother with humidifiers in winter but I do live in the south of England and I don't have the thermostat very hot. If you live in Scotland and/or you have your heating set on 25C then it would probably make sense to get one.

thermionic · July 2015

I think humidity is a problem here. My hygrometer throughout a typical "sunshine and showers" summer is typically reading 60% or higher. That's a bit more than the optimum of 45-50%. I have no way to prove it, but I suspect that the gradual rise in action over the years of one of my acoustics is a result of the top absorbing some water and bellying up slightly. It's a Taylor, and they're made in California where the factory is kept at 47%.

Most of what you read is from the USA, where large parts of the country get dryish summers and proper winters when the heating is constantly on.

Sassafras · July 2015

Keep them out of direct sunlight. That can lead to all sorts of problems from faded finish to warping.

Lewy · July 2015

thermionic said:

I think humidity is a problem here. My hygrometer throughout a typical "sunshine and showers" summer is typically reading 60% or higher. That's a bit more than the optimum of 45-50%. I have no way to prove it, but I suspect that the gradual rise in action over the years of one of my acoustics is a result of the top absorbing some water and bellying up slightly. It's a Taylor, and they're made in California where the factory is kept at 47%.

Most of what you read is from the USA, where large parts of the country get dryish summers and proper winters when the heating is constantly on.

I agree. Whilst excess humidity is less damaging to guitars than being too dry, it can totally affect the playability of a well made (ie. all solid wood, not over-built, lightly finished) acoustic in exactly the way you describe and also lead to your guitar sounding muffled/dull.

I've seen RH swings from 35% to 70% over the last week. My acoustics are staying in their (virtually airtight) cases when not in use and I'm using a dehumidifier to get my music room down to 45-50% when I'm around and know I'm going to want to play or record. When humidity is right I also tend to open all the cases just to keep them at a nice humidity level inside. I've found in-case products such as the planet waves humidi-paks to be reasonably effective at humidifying but totally ineffective at dehumidifying cases. The only way I've found that works is to have the case open in a room with the right RH for a decent amount of time.

My little Larrivee parlour seems pretty impervious to humidity so I keep that out all the time if I just want a quick pick.

thermionic · July 2015

Nice to hear someone agrees with my observations. I can feel the dampness in the air these last three days and my hygrometer is currently reading 70%. My Taylor will remain in its case for a few more days with only a silica gel pack for company!

I haven't tried measuring the humidity inside the cases, but I keep a decent sized silica gel pack in there as I suspect the foam and plush would absorb a lot of moisture if exposed to 70% humidity for a while. I've certainly never experienced the symptoms of a dried out guitar.

Dodge · July 2015

My Taylor is generally kept at 45-55% RH and out of direct sunlight in my home studio. If the RH moves too far away from that, it goes in the case either with or without a humidifier.

This on the other hand is less fussy:

guycp · August 2015

Yup BIG problem in the far south west where we have wet summers. RH can reach over 80% here in Penzance and living in an old granite farmhouse doesn't help. Low humidity Not generally a problem in a British winter because our winters are rarely that cold or dry and our summers are rarely hot and dry for sustained periods. High humidity levels are the problem especially in coastal areas in the summer months. So I have 2 x dehumidifiers running in the house and try to keep the room where I keep guitars below 60% It's a struggle! Ideal humidity level for storing fine guitars is 40 to 50 % Effects on lightly built well made acoustics like Martins are dramatic from swelling up behind the bridge making action go up to making the guitar sound dead and unresponsive. Can be dried out slowly, but can cause structural problems. Not so much of an issue on certain acoustics (no names) which are more heavily constructed, or electrics. No problem with getting too dry in the UK normally. Dangerous time of year is summer -warm wet weather. If you have this problem you will be amazed if you manage to reduce the humidity and dry out the guitar a bit. It will sound more resonant and tone will come back! Guitar will be a joy to play again.

mgaw · August 2015

well im sure im probably wrong but i never put my £££££ acoustic in its case or regulate the humidity in my house...coastal Cornwall..it is a lightly built American OM ...never have done and NEVER had an issue...maybe im tempting fate!

Lewy · August 2015

78% @ 21c and rising in Berks today!

Ultimately, I think if you don't do anything about humidity and it doesn't affect your instruments .... or the effect on your instruments doesn't manifest itself in the way you use them....more power to you. No point in obsessing about something for the sake of it.

But it definitely affects mine to varying degrees and I detect a very definite return on the effort invested in regulating humidity.

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