humidifiers

[dane]

I too knew nothing about using a humidifier in my guitars for decades. It just never seemed to be a well known part of maintenance in the past. I suppose back in the day there could have been things written in guitar player magazines, but to be honest I really never read them and was more concerned on learning playing techniques and style then maintenance. But now that I’m older, and hopefully wiser and playing better quality guitars, I have seen the error of my ways. I normally use Kyser Lifeguard humidifiers but love the floral foam idea! Thanks Taylor Martin Guild. That’s a +10 in my book and one I’m going to try. 8)

 

[oldflattop]

I first learned about humidifiying acoustics back in the 70's. I went to a pig roast and the host instead of hiring a band had an open mic nite. As I was getting ready to go up and embarass myself, I was watching this "old dude" (now who's the old dude?) cut an apple in half. He proceded to eat half then tossed the other half into his case. When I asked him about this he smiled and replied, " an apple a day",,,,,,,well you know the rest.

That's when I first learned about humidity. I did the apple thing for a while, although I kept my apples in a baggie, and changed 'em as needed. Gave a nice woodsy-fruitsy scent to everything. Later moved on to Damp-its and always kept a cold-air humidifier in the music room,,,,although they do tend to make a lot of dust!

Well there's my two cents worth,,,,,,,,,,,Willie

When people say things are "out of whack",,,,,,,,what's a "whack"?????? :lol: :lol:

 

[chazmo]

OFT, what a wonderful idea! That one I never heard. Sure, why not use something that has water and a nice scent in the case! Apples! Brilliant. I'm going to try that next winter. Sponges in baggies is just so plebian.

 

[dane]

Willy,
Thanks for the story of the old timer. I find information like that a golden nugget.

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I got my first good guitar in 1981.
I was told back then about the apple/humidifier.
I tries a potato once but I didn't like the smell.
The apple was a lot more fragrant.
I learned about Dampits a few years later.
I kind of miss the apple once in a while.

 

[GAD]

Can't believe no one has posted these yet. I am a lover of the Oasis case humidifiers. Call me whatever you'd like, but I won't put a wet sponge in my case, and the soap holder takes up way too much room. The Oasis solution is brilliant and just plain works.

http://oasishumidifiers.com/case.html

GAD

 

[jp]

Okay,

Sorry to dredge up an old thread--especially when the topic has been beat to death, but. . . I'm still an amateur when it comes to this kind of thing. I decided to make my own, and I wanted to know if what I did is overkill.

So my wife makes her own mustard. They come in these nifty little canisters.

I took one and filled it completely with this--Oasis plant foam.

Drilled a few holes in the top, filled with water and put the top on. I store my guitars in their cases standing up, so it works perfectly standing upright in the cutaway of my two archtops.

I know I should invest some hygrometers, but I just wanted to give this a shot first. My question is, am I over-humidifying too much? Oasis holds a LOT of water. It's actually pretty amazing,and it doesn't drip at all. Am I gonna cause eventual destruction? :?

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Okay,

Sorry to dredge up an old thread--especially when the topic has been beat to death, but. . . I'm still an amateur when it comes to this kind of thing. I decided to make my own, and I wanted to know if what I did is overkill.

So my wife makes her own mustard. They come in these nifty little canisters.

I took one and filled it completely with this--Oasis plant foam.

Drilled a few holes in the top, filled with water and put the top on. I store my guitars in their cases standing up, so it works perfectly standing upright in the cutaway of my two archtops.

I know I should invest some hygrometers, but I just wanted to give this a shot first. My question is, am I over-humidifying too much? Oasis holds a LOT of water. It's actually pretty amazing,and it doesn't drip at all. Am I gonna cause eventual destruction? :?

That's the stuff that I use.
I was once told that the original Planet Wave Humidifiers used it in their Humidifiers.
I have 5 of the old PW cases that I cut open and removed the old foam.
I cut to fit new floral foam and re glued the top back on.
I still use them along with the soap dish humidifiers when I need a boost of humidity in any of my guitar cases.

Wal-Mart has Hygrometers for under $10.00 that are as good as the Planet Wave $40.00 ones.
You can find them in the Garden/Outdoors section.

 

[jp]

Thanks for the confirmation TMG! I really haven't done much in the way of humidifying, though my "family" lives in a cool basement. Recently I've brought a few up and noticed sudden buzzing frets. I figured it was time for me to be nice to them. I really didn't think I could over-humidify them in this summer heat.

 

[Pike]

Here's a few I use, but in Oregon, I seldom use them. I like the looks of that Oasis though GAD, seemslooks like a better option.

and my Reindeer hygrometer...