PSA: Hum-ditty time!

[davismanLV]

i use the Kyser sound hole humidifiers. They work well, as long as you remove the factory installed plastic ring. They are good for about a year, then need replacing.

I just read some reviews that say they are awful with nitrocellulose lacquer finishes. Some people had problems with that.....

 

[kostask]

I haven't had any problem. It may be that they are not removing the hard plastic ring that they come out of the package with. It is known to abrade the edges of the soundhole. It could also be that those that are having problems are just filling up the Kyser sponges with water, or not properly drying off the outside of the Kyser before putting it into the soundhole.

My major problem with the Kyser has to do with needing to replace them about every 12-18 months. Calgary's city water is remarkably hard (water supply comes from snow melting off the sides of the Rocky Mountains, so lots of dissolved minerals). I did the math, and it wasn't worth the cost to get distilled water to dampen the sponges in the Kysers.

 

[SFIV1967]

I was thinking of getting a Damp It, the long skinny ones that Bob Taylor uses in his videos. Seems like they hold more water and last longer but I don't want to get the inside of the guitar wet at all. I dunno.

Forget them. I had them all. The Dampids are as "stupid" as the Planet Wave one... The Dampid is dry very fast...
I use only the Oasis humidifiers now, but only with destilled water, they hold the water for about two weeks, depending on humidity. In your case you need the OH-5 Plus or the OH-14 Case Plus.
Actually Taylor Guitars switched from the Dampit to Oasis!

Oasis ® OH-5 Plus+ Guitar Humidifier

Oasis ® OH-5 Plus+ Guitar Humidifier - Oasis Humidifiers

www.oasishumidifiers.com

Oasis® OH-14 Case Plus+ Humidifier

Oasis® OH-14 Case Plus+ Humidifier - Oasis Humidifiers

www.oasishumidifiers.com

But I never tried the "Prolix" humidifiers, no idea how they work.

Ralf

 

[Rayk]

It hasn't rained here in 155 days!! If you can believe that. We usually get some summer precipitation from the monsoon season when the thunderstorms roll across the desert. But this year nothing. Thunder, lightning, and dry as a bone. It's been a rough year. Last year was a record for rainfall. Now we've got record drought. I thought Damp Its held MORE water, thanks for the clarification.

Tom I just filled up my sound hole humidifier . I was filling it with the water bottle it came with but it was to slow so i just dunked it under the faucet that filled it up , water everywhere . I emptied the excess wiped it down then flipped it upside down on my guitar case . No leakage .

 

[F312]

What's wrong with keeping your house/ music room/studio/ where ever your guitars may be, 50% humidified, cased or uncased?

Ralph

 

[Rayk]

What's wrong with keeping your house/ music room/studio/ where ever your guitars may be, 50% humidified, cased or uncased?

Ralph

Sounds logical to me .
I keep my guitars in my bedroom but you have a good point . I have 7 or 8 guitars and the sound hole unit was 20 bucks so lets say 160 bucks . I can get a good size floor unit for that or less . Instead of servicing 8 units I'd only have to do the one .
Down side ? Power bill and noise at least for me . Lol but I just might give that ago . I have to better monitor my rooms humidity as I just do the living room but I have an open floor plan so its one giant room .

 

[fronobulax]

What's wrong with keeping your house/ music room/studio/ where ever your guitars may be, 50% humidified, cased or uncased?

Ralph

Nothing that I know of, so long as it is possible. I'd need some major remodeling to keep a room at 50% humidity all year, not to mention some training for other residents should I choose to leave guitars uncased.

 

[kostask]

Room humidification is the best way to go. However, depending on the humidifier used, increased power bills, cost of filters (if used) and noise of the humidifier(s) may be a conisderation.

 

[donnylang]

I feel like my guitars are usually more humid than ideal, so I never think about adding sponges etc. I’ve noticed action tends to get slightly higher when temps rise and it feels a little muggy inside. Here in Oakland CA, we don’t tend to use climate control really at all (occasional overnight heater in the cold months).

 

[donnylang]

... also isn’t ideal humidity dependent on the temperature? Right now it’s 80 degrees outside and 50% humidity but feels a little muggy inside (probably 70 degrees in here). Usually we’d be hovering somewhere in the 60s for the temp w/ humidity maybe around 75%.

 

[fronobulax]

... also isn’t ideal humidity dependent on the temperature

Guild says "The ideal temperature for solid-wood acoustic guitars is in fact normal room temperature, which is about 70 degrees F (21.1 C). The ideal humidity is about 45% to 55%". In context, that is relative humidity.

Martin says "C. F. Martin recommends that you keep your instrument’s humidity level between 45-55% and temperature between 72-77".

All other things being constant, as the temperature goes down the relative humidity goes up. So you could make some assumptions about the amount of water vapor needed by the wood, pick a temperature and calculate the relative humidity needed to deliver that amount.

But in practice, this is a case where a strict application of the physics is not going to be especially useful. After all, the ideal humidity for the wood in my guitar will be different than the ideal for the wood in your guitar. So the specs offer both a temperature range and a relative humidity range and if you are in bounds that is good enough.

 

[tefan]

Here's my annual reminder. For folks in the northeast US, it's time to fire up the humidifiers. Cold nights, dry air, and heating systems have started dropping the RH to around 40% here and falling in central MA. Make sure your guitars are taken care of -- well, all your wood products, really.

Take this as a cautionary tale... Even 15 years after my own ignorance in guitar care caused major cracking of my two guitars with sentimental value, I STILL kick myself for causing that damage. Don't be one of those statistics, folks.

 

[dreadnut]

I went right out and bought a sound hole humidifier for my new old D15. We are already in the home heating season.