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Post by mickey on Oct 13, 2014 15:04:56 GMT -7
I've never worried about this issue before now, and I've kept eight Fender/Gibson electric guitars and two Martin acoustics in my room throughout the year with no humidity control for a number of years now. I've never noticed any issues arising from the atmosphere. I live in the South of England. About a year ago I bought a very nice Taylor 814ce, and Taylor quite rightly publicise the dangers of too much or too little humidity, so I started to think about it. Recently I bought a hygrometer which showed a healthy 47% relative humidity in that room most of the time. That was in the Summer. Now that's over and the weather is cooler and damper, it's showing between 58% and 64%, which most of the advice says is too high. The acoustics are kept in their cases when not being played, and for the last couple of days I've kept the hygrometer in the Taylor case with the guitar, rather than standing in the room, to monitor it. The reading is a bit lower, but still only just below 60%. As I said, I've never noticed any problems arising in the twenty two years I've lived in this house. In a previous house the story was different, that house was damp and it caused some damage to a Guild acoustic I bought at the time, so I think I'd recognise signs of over humidifying my guitars, but it doesn't stop me wondering, and anyway by that time it would be too late.
I know you can buy devices to control the humidity in individual instruments, and I could go that route, but I wonder if it's necessary. I could buy a small dehumidifier for the room, which might just keep the humidity down to an acceptable level in the damper months. Or I could, as in previous years, do nothing but regularly monitor my guitars.
What do you do to keep humidity down? I realise some will be concerned more with lack of humidity, but I don't think that will concern me, though of course I've never bothered to measure it before so I might be proved wrong.
Thanks, any advice gratefully received!
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Post by bryan0418 on Oct 13, 2014 15:25:10 GMT -7
You can use packs of silica gel to reduce the humidity in the case. Just keep a close eye on them to make sure too much humidity isn't being removed. Taylor's love to be between 45-55 percent humidity.
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Post by mcook217 on Oct 13, 2014 15:40:56 GMT -7
I was the same as you. I never did anything about humidity for about 10 years then I started having issues with one of my acoustics that the top started to bow a bit giving me some issues with playability/string height. So I started taking humidity seriously so I wouldn't end up having some costly repairs. So I got the Planet Waves system that comes with a few little packets that you stick in the case and hanging from the strings in the sound hole. It's great because you don't have to do anything to keep it up as long as the guitar started out properly hydrated. The packets will release or absorb water from the air depending on what is necessary to keep a steady approx. 50% humidity. The packets should last you about 6 months or so. If the packets start drying out you can take them into the bathroom with you while you're taking a hot shower and it will absorb the humidity in the air and revitalize them. Just make sure when you're using the guitar keep the packets in the case and keep the case closed up tight. If the air is too dry in the room it will release all of it's moisture to hydrate the room. The initial cost is only about $20 and then the replacement packs are cheaper when you need them later on.
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Post by bigplay on Oct 13, 2014 17:56:03 GMT -7
+ 1 on the planet waves. I use them on my Taylor. To get it right the first time I had to take a hair dryer to the case a few times and left the case by the heater vent. I put a meter in the case and every time I checked, it was around 47% Like Mathew said no worries for almost 6 months.
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Post by muZician on Oct 13, 2014 22:29:08 GMT -7
^^^^same as above
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Post by mickey on Oct 14, 2014 1:14:17 GMT -7
Thanks guys, I've ordered the Planet Waves Humidipak system. I'd heard about it but was a bit sceptical after some apparent initial problems when it first came out, but it seems to be tried and tested now, so I'll give it a go.
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Post by mickey on Oct 18, 2014 10:02:05 GMT -7
Well I've had the Humidipaks in the case with the guitar for a few days now, but I didn't take any steps to reduce the humidity first, and it's stayed around 58%. While this is probably OK, I would still like to get it down to 47% or thereabouts. Will the Humidipaks eventually do this on their own, or do I actually need to get the hairdryer on the job?
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Post by bigplay on Oct 18, 2014 12:43:43 GMT -7
Mickey I didn't have the patience to wait LOL but they say it will eventually come down. I first started using them in the winter so I put the open case in a small bathroom over the floor vent overnight wait over.
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Post by Luke on Oct 20, 2014 7:59:13 GMT -7
I use the Planet Waves Humidipak as well. My local store turned me on to them. Have had great luck with them.
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Post by mickey on Oct 20, 2014 23:53:40 GMT -7
FWIW I emailed Planet Waves customer care and they suggested I should try to get the RH in the case down first, then put the guitar back in with the Humidipaks.
However, a common view seems to be to keep the RH between 40% and 60% and it "should" be OK. Not sure how reliable that is.
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Post by zpilot on Oct 21, 2014 3:59:59 GMT -7
FWIW I emailed Planet Waves customer care and they suggested I should try to get the RH in the case down first, then put the guitar back in with the Humidipaks. However, a common view seems to be to keep the RH between 40% and 60% and it "should" be OK. Not sure how reliable that is. 40 to 60% should work pretty well for you. It's only the extreme levels of humidity, or lack of, that I have seen cause a problem. You'll still need to make minor truss rod adjustments with the changing seasons.
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