Post by JeffinMSSince the topic here is Humidifiers, I have a question as well. I
havent ever humidified any of my guitars. But my wife just bought me
that Tak and Id like to keep it in as extrodinarily good condition
for as long as possible. I would assume humidifieng would be on the
list of things to do. But, what if it were kept in a case in a house
in a relative average temp of 78 degrees say 90 % of the time and
taken out maybe 10% of the time with maybe only a 4-5 degree change
(Until Summer, then it will go from 70's to high 90's for short
periods when the guitar is taken in and out of cars). The humidity
here is pretty well consistent year round with an average of 74% with
a slight rise in the summer. In these conditions would it still be
neccesary to humidify. Currently all 8 guitars, 2 hollow bodies, 3
accoustics and 3 solid bodies are all kept on stands in the open at
right around 78 degrees and with a fan going. Very low humidity as
well, probably 65-75 %.
I'd suggest a couple of trains of thought.
1) the humidity inside your house is probably
quite a bit different from that outside. Heating and
A/C change the relative humidity.
2) Humidity CHANGES are pretty rough on wood. If the
guitar was kept at 35% all the time (lower than ideal)
or at 75% (higher than ideal) it would probably survive
better than if it went through changes of 10% or more
all the time. Here in Phoenix, for example, it might
be 18% during the morning, then an afternoon monsoon
comes through and bumps it up to 80%.
A humidifier, any humidifier, will help to "levelize"
those drastic changes. Planet Waves is currently marketing
one that "works both ways" to humidify and to de-humidify.
But in real life, any passive, sponge type humidifier will
do that. Recall back to high school biology and "Osmosis".
Remember that? Diffusion through a semi-permeable membrane?
The sponge releases moisture when the environment around it
is dry. The sponge absorbs moisture when the environment around
it is wet. Trying to maintain homeostasis. If you live in the
south and it's 95% humidity and you don't have A/C that's
drying the air, you put a wet sponge on the counter and it
stays wet. It doesn't dry out. Likewise, if you put a dry
sponge on the counter under those conditions,
it soaks up water from the air and gets soft.
So for the $12 that a humidifier costs, it's cheap insurance.
Post by JeffinMSLumpy, what type of humidifer do you recommend for an electric?
I use the same Martin "snakes" that I use for acoustics.
On an archtop guitar, I stick the snake in the F hole.
On a solid body, I fold the snake in half and wedge it
in the strings between the pickups.
Post by JeffinMSPersonally, I would say don't worry about it on a solid body guitar. I
don't, but the neck may shrink a bit leaving the fret ends sticking
out a bit. This is very common, and is easily fixed by a decent
luthier with a file. Generally only has to be done once and from
that point on you can just leave the guitar be. As other posters
have said, however, you will probably have to tweak the truss rod
from season to season, but this is common, too.
When the neck shrinks and/or when you continually adjust the truss
rod, you're changing the shape and dimensions of the guitar. I
prefer to try and keep the guitar in the dimensions that the
designer specified.
Besides the structural shrink/expand effects of humidity,
there is a very real sonic difference in a dry vs a humidified
guitar. Even guitars with a finish, like solid bodies, absorb
moisture from the air at all the points where there is no
finish. And particularly on an unfinished fretboard.
I've posted the link to my humidifier guide before.
Here it is again, along with some of my other guides.
http://search.reviews.ebay.com/members/songthief_W0QQuqtZg
Lumpy
--
Did you do a lot of those Emergency Broadcast Warnings?
Yes. Had it been an actual emergency, I would have had told you.
www.lumpyvoice.net