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Post by bobcarter on Jan 24, 2021 19:28:11 GMT
So, until last week I'd thought that worrying about humidity levels was only something you needed to do if you lived in the US or if your guitar collection was worth more than your house. Until last week, my only concession had been not turning on the radiator in the guitar room.
But recently my Larrivee developed a buzzy top E string around the 12th-15th fret. I gave the truss rod a few half-hearted tweaks, although I suspected it probably wouldn't make much difference that far up the neck, and sure enough it didn't.
I normally try to take forum advice (present forum company excepted of course - advice here is excellent!) with a pinch of salt, much like avoiding self-diagnosing medical problems with Google. But I found an interesting post suggesting it could be a classic symptom of a dry spruce top and suggesting a home-made humidifier as a remedy.
So I followed the advice to get a film canister (even I'm not retro enough to still have one of those, so I used an old tablet box), poke some holes in the top, put in a bit of damp sponge and shut my guitar in the case with it for a while.
I checked after a day - no change - and again after two days - still no change.
But on day three, hey presto! The top E was sounding just fine all the way up the neck.
Not sure why I've had a problem this year after 10 years with the guitar, but I suspect being home more with heating on this winter might have something to do with it.
Anyway, apparently humidity is not such voodoo after all! 😀😀😀
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Post by jangarrack on Jan 24, 2021 21:56:18 GMT
That's an interesting story and I'm glad it had a happy ending. It's also really helpful to know as we get quite wide variations in humidity where I live. Just out of interest, do you know what amount of humidity change caused this and where abouts in the case do you put the cannister?
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Post by bobcarter on Jan 24, 2021 22:11:53 GMT
That's an interesting story and I'm glad it had a happy ending. It's also really helpful to know as we get quite wide variations in humidity where I live. Just out of interest, do you know what amount of humidity change caused this and where abouts in the case do you put the cannister? No idea about the humidity level, I'm afraid - I went down the budget route so haven't invested in a meter. But I laid the case flat on the floor and put the canister under the heel so there was no risk of me dripping water onto the guitar which I figured probably wouldn't be good! 😀
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jan 24, 2021 22:45:36 GMT
Pleased that worked out for you Bob. Hope you are keeping well and staying safe.
keith
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Post by otis1960 on Jan 25, 2021 0:05:38 GMT
I started to take humidity seriously once I had a ‘serious’ guitar; previously everything just hung on the wall or sat on a stand. A humidity monitor is an inexpensive investment, as are most of the humidifiers available. My best find was the Arion humidifier, sadly difficult to source at the moment, but highly recommended. It is a rectangular plastic tube containing a hydrogel which you top up with water, then put in the case with your precious possession. Under normal conditions you will only have to top it up every 2-3 weeks, using any old tap water that you might have access to. The neat thing about this system is that it operates reversibly, so will absorb moisture in higher humidity situations as well as humidifying your guitar when the ambient humidity is low. I really rate these, and only wish that I could get hold of more at the moment! (If anyone comes across a UK retailer with some in stock then please shout)
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doc
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Post by doc on Jan 25, 2021 3:50:11 GMT
Is this what you’re looking for, otis1960 ? www.amazon.co.uk/Protec-H1-Arion-Case-Humidifier/dp/B001BAMOE8I know that there have been other discussions on this subject but I still don’t know if I need to address this. How would I know if the humidity is too high? What would the effect be on the guitars. I suspect that low humidity is a rare occurrence in the west of Scotland but I suppose it must vary. Should I be bothering about this? Any advice out there? edit: My guitars are kept in cases when not being played (or dropped)
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Post by bobcarter on Jan 25, 2021 7:52:15 GMT
Pleased that worked out for you Bob. Hope you are keeping well and staying safe. keith Thanks Keith! Yep doing OK thank you. Hope you are too! 😀
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Post by Onechordtrick on Jan 25, 2021 8:24:45 GMT
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Post by jangarrack on Jan 25, 2021 9:31:00 GMT
Onechordtrick that is a really helpful post post that answers questions I've had in my head for ages, but not asked, so thanks for that. Despite having always been told the best place for a guitar is in its case, mine are always hung on the wall and only put away if I see a significant change in humidity, although until reading your linked article, I wasn't sure what that level was. I had guessed it to be around 50% so wasn't far out, but that was just a lucky guess. I've got 2 hygrometers in the room where my guitars are kept and as they both give the same reading, I assumed they were probably correct, but I will now try the calibration process as shown in the article. Humidity here this morning is 47%.
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doc
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Post by doc on Jan 25, 2021 10:56:02 GMT
Thanks for that, Onechordtrick. I’ve ordered one of your recommended hygrometers this morning. Thanks also for the information on humidity levels.
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Post by otis1960 on Jan 25, 2021 13:18:22 GMT
Is this what you’re looking for, otis1960 ? www.amazon.co.uk/Protec-H1-Arion-Case-Humidifier/dp/B001BAMOE8I know that there have been other discussions on this subject but I still don’t know if I need to address this. How would I know if the humidity is too high? What would the effect be on the guitars. I suspect that low humidity is a rare occurrence in the west of Scotland but I suppose it must vary. Should I be bothering about this? Any advice out there? edit: My guitars are kept in cases when not being played (or dropped) That's the exact one Doc; I had seen that Amazon had stock, but only in the US, so I was hoping to find a UK supplier rather than have to have them shipped across the Atlantic. Alan Gregory in Didsbury are my usual source; they are unable to get a reliable supply from Japan at the moment. If I can't find a UK stockist soon then it will have to be the big A.
Thanks for looking.
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Post by Martin on Jan 25, 2021 19:35:32 GMT
I opened this thread warily, expecting horrifying photos of a yawning crack caused by RH of 39%! Humidity (and temperature) is something I take much more seriously than I used to. Not because I think my guitars will immediately disintegrate into toothpics, but because I've experienced how the playability and sound can change significantly if these are not consistent, and within a safe range. Good point Bob about being home more, having heating on more often, causing a drier atmosphere in your guitar room. That is almost certainly the case.
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colins
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Post by colins on Jan 25, 2021 20:44:02 GMT
I always paid great attention to maintaining a stable RH in my wood storage room, trying to keep it in the 45-50% range which is where I liked to build. RH does tend to vary a fair bit in the winter where rainy damp weather can raise it considerably and cold frosty weather lowers it, central heating does not help the situation too much either. I kept a portable dehumidifier in the room set to 45% RH, if I noticed the RH dropping too far below this then a trough of water would be placed in the room with then end of a tea towel in it on a frame, capillary action would draw it up and evaporate it, raising the RH. Guitars would also be stored in there, in their cases of course, the cases would slow down any change in RH affecting the guitar itself.
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Post by bellyshere on Jan 26, 2021 12:41:28 GMT
I have humidity sensors around my house and run a dehumidifier in winter. I’ve found big fluctuations in sensors though. I’ve had two side by side before and they gave vastly different readings. Quality ones are the way to go. My house generally sits between 50 and 60 and haven’t had any problems with my guitars. I sometimes wonder if it is worth getting the case dehumidifiers though, for the nice gear. Just to be safe.
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Post by cgb on Jan 28, 2021 20:02:15 GMT
I've never bothered much before with specific reference to my guitars, mainly because some of the old Japanese ones feature laminates and seem incredibly resilient of all sorts of conditions... I do however try and keep the house well ventilated and 'dry' (i.e. avoiding 'damp' issues etc). In an old house such as ours this is of course very important!
I always thought absolute humidity was a much better measure. Relative humidity changes with the temperature of course (clue is in the name) so if your house temp drops by 2 degrees the RH increases even if there is no more moisture in the air. Your house temp could climb 5 or 6 degrees but again, the same amount of water in the air will the cause the RH to drop (possibly quite significantly).
Conversely, be keeping the RH constant throughout the year, unless your house stays at a dead constant temperature all year round, you are actually varying the amount of moisture in the air. So surely as a result, you also vary the amount of moisture in your guitars' timbers?
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