Humidity question

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Custom 15 lover	Humidity question	Lead	[-]
(10/07/08 12:47 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Tags : None I know we are supposed to keep our Martins at 72 degrees with 40 -50% humidity. Right now in our house it is as low as 64 degrees and 50% humidity. Is this a problem? When do I start using the humidifier? I live in Colorado where it is somewhat dry in the winter. Lucky owner of: Martin Custom 15 (Emma), Martin D-28, Martin DM, Martin J-41 Special (Pearl), Taylor 555 (12 String), CS 56 Fender Stratocaster (Blackie)
jbbancroft		#1	[-]
(10/07/08 1:16 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	It's not a problem. When the humidity drops below 30% you should start humidifying. Jim
MassWineGuy		#2	[-]
(10/07/08 1:18 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I'd say when it drops below 40 percent for an extended time, like a day or two. At least this is what a lot of us do in New England.
kydave		#3	[-]
(10/07/08 1:19 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	When you are uncomfortable, the guitar is uncomfortable. Kentucky Dave's Martins: 0-18 (1959) 00-28H (2006 Custom) 000-16R (1999 Special Edition) 0000-28H (1999) D-28 (1971)
chetday		#4	[-]
(10/07/08 2:49 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	There's an excellent humidity chart at RyanGuitars.com. Click here to check it out.
MassWineGuy		#5	[-]
(10/07/08 2:50 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Chet, the link doesn't work.
chetday		#6	[-]
(10/07/08 2:51 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Darn, here's the actual link. http://www.ryanguitars.co...h_tips/Humidity_Chart.htm
jbbancroft		#7	[-]
(10/07/08 3:16 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I looked at the humidity chart, and humidity isn't as critical as the chart makes it out to be, in the real world. Anyway that's been my experience for going on 50 years of playing stringed instruments. Like I said above below 30%, start humidifying. Above 30% to 70%, you don't have to do anything. Above 70% for an extended period( 2weeks or more) I don't know what effects it may have on a guitar, because I've never lived in those conditions. N. Michigan very seldom gets that high for very long. High humidity has never been a concern for me. Jim
JayBee1404		#8	[-]
(10/07/08 4:09 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	George Lowden says 45% - 70% is OK, anything above or below is bad news. He's speaking specifically about his guitars, I guess, but I reckon that it would hold for pretty much all guitars? That would seem to be borne out by the Ryan table. Reading and listening to others more knowledgeable than I, it seems that low RH (below 45%) is more dangerous than moderately high (55% - 70%)? Here on the Trent Delta, in the Backwoods of Darkest Lincolnshire, we get winter lows around 38%-ish, and summer highs around 65%, so not a huge flux. I don't worry about the 65% in summer too much, but I get the humidifiers in the cases as soon as it drops to 45% in winter. John OM-28 Marquis (2007) Lowden O-25 (2002) Fylde Octave Mandolin (200?) Hiscox PRO-ll Cases Jim Dunlop 'Calico' Thumbpicks Nails by Linzi at Amethyst Nails and Beauty, Gainsborough, UK.
waterpoet57		#9	[-]
(10/07/08 4:36 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Hi John, In Scotland, my rule o' thumb is that the humidifier comes oot when yon ceeentral heetin comes oon. Just as weel I hae a geetar, ootherwise the heatin' comes on fer Hallow'een (or Christmas Eve for folk wi' beeeg jimpers). Conor 2005 D-18GE (Gwendolen) \| 2006 000-15S (Georgia) \| Backpacker (Gaby) \| Forum Intro P56 "A highbrow is anyone who can listen to the William Tell overture and not think of the Lone Ranger" JACK PERUS
Custom 15 lover		#10	[-]
(10/07/08 7:27 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	What I am worried is that the Absolute humidity of 50% at 70 degrees is different that the absolute humidity 50% at 60 degrees. My guitars seem fine around here with my Oasis even down to 18% we get in the winter. I was leaving them out of the case this week and it just started getting down to freezing and the temperature in the house is very low. Lucky owner of: Martin Custom 15 (Emma), Martin D-28, Martin DM, Martin J-41 Special (Pearl), Taylor 555 (12 String), CS 56 Fender Stratocaster (Blackie)
gitpik		#11	[-]
(10/07/08 8:43 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I have just started going to a very top notch luthier http://www.shuriyaguitarc...ISH/CLIENTS/clients.html. I asked him about humidifying my guitars. He explained to me that by humidifying in the case, the wood of the guitar is in a continuous state of turmoil as it is always expanding and contracting. He said either leave it in the Calton case, that is almost airtight or leave it out and humidify the home. I explained to him how our home is heated with forced hot air, heated by natural gas and the humidity inside in winter is about 25 so he said well just leave it in the case. So now I'm in a quantry of just what to do. I tried a portable humdifier and was going through 2 gallons of water a day and the home felt damp. Maybe I'll add a humidifier to my furnace, least that's what I'm thinking of. You can lead a horse to water but a pencil has to be lead.
Arnoldgtr		#12	[-]
(10/08/08 12:29 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	What I am worried is that the Absolute humidity of 50% at 70 degrees is different that the absolute humidity 50% at 60 degrees. Relative humidity is the important number. Guitars live just fine at 60 degrees, as long as the humidity is good. If the RH is 50% @ 70 degrees, the RH will be higher at 60 degrees. Martin, Collings, and Taylor build at 47% RH. I was leaving them out of the case this week and it just started getting down to freezing and the temperature in the house is very low. My advice is to keep them in the case and humidify the room. John
ictacoma		#13	[-]
(10/08/08 2:28 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	If your home is feeling damp, it is too humid, you could end up with mold problems in the house, which could be way more expensive to fix ultimately than your guitar. Also, I remember reading somewhere that if the windows start to get wet it is also sucking the moisture out of the air anyway, so you can only humidify to a certain point. I humidify the room where my guitars are stored, and though I have forced air heat, I usually use room radiators (the plug in kind) that work well in our home for heat most of the time (and cheaper as well for us). I've decided that I will not humidify quite so much this year (I will let it go into the low 40's high 30's). I also made up some case humidifiers by getting plastic containers from the dollar store, drilling a bunch of holes in them, then using a moist sponge (not sopping wet), and leave these in the case. My guitars have so far not had any detrimental effects from that, and I've been doing that for a few years. I'm not an expert, and I might get arguments about my process, so if you have better ideas, I am all ears.
mudpuppy55		#14	[-]
(10/08/08 8:36 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	I can never get enough moisture in my house during the heating season. I keep a hygrometer in each case and use the soap-dish/ sponge method. Easy, cheap and effective. Necturus maculosus (A.K.A. mudpuppy) Chuck, Mi.
guitarhound		#15	[-]
(10/23/08 11:15 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite Ignore User's Posts	Not much problem here in Southwest Missouri of low humidity, but high humidity is a different matter. It is not uncommon for the humdity to reach 80% and rarely drops below 60 to 70%. That is just the way we live. What can one do to reduce the high humidity, especially in summer, to protect the most precious thing they own?--a Martin HD18 Custom.

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