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Post subject: Should I have a Humidifier
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:48 am
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Should I be storing my guitars differently? I own 3 electrics, a bass and an acoustic (plus 2 other guitars not worth anything). I keep them all on guitar stands. I have no issues at present time but sould I have some sort of humidifier to prevent anything from happening. I have had only one guitar for years and now that my collection has grown I want to make sure I will still be able to play these guitars for years.

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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:07 pm
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I'm no expert, but I believe it depends on the humidity in your area. For me......I live in the San Francisco Bay Area (bay and ocean) where the humidity is in the 40's to 50's %. I also have a home in the mountains where the humidity runs in the 30's %. I've had all my guitars at both places, without a humidifier, and so far.......I've had no problems.

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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:20 pm
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I would suggest that you find a way to wall hang your guitars, and get em off the stands though. Much safer.

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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 7:40 am
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If your acoustic is valuable I would definitely invest into a humidifier, Canada gets pretty dry. Doesnt really matter for the solid bodies but it would help neck shrinkage.


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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:48 am
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Twelvebar wrote:
I would suggest that you find a way to wall hang your guitars, and get em off the stands though. Much safer.


I agree 100%, I've got a few hercules wall hangers as well as a few of their stands. They're safe as houses on the hangers, although the stands are very sturdy, I've almost knocked them over a few times :oops:


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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:56 am
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Personally 'kind of hold to the 50-60% range being safe without one. Chicago however during the cold part of the winter has veritably no humidity.

Average house exchanges air about every half hour, a decent size house can need up to 5 gallons per day during the winter to keep at 55%.


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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:27 am
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Depends on the air.

If you're in a cold climate and the furnace is going on all the them, you'll either want a humidifier for the acoustics' soundhole, or just keep them in the case.

I used to leave my electrics out, but noticed that the necks would change a bit in tilt if I left them out. I'm not as picky with electrics as my acoustics though.

My acoustics, I'll put in the case with a soundhole when I'm not playing them. You have to be more careful with a solid wood acoustic than a plywood. A solid acoustic top CAN start to crack in a day of being too dry. And you really don't want a split soundboard.


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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 10:41 am
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No humidity is baddddd!!!! You have nice dry air in canada, here in houston,texas (southwest U.S.) we have Jazz Basses that get jacked up all the time cause the humidity warps the necks. Dry air is a blessing, 'cept you have to put lem-oil on the fingerboards more than we do. I would love to have dry air, but I also get chap't lips alot when the air is dry.

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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:16 pm
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Here in western New York, we have between 50 and 60% in the summer, and 30 to 40% in the winter. I haven't seen any negative effects on my guitars (the Gibson and Martin acoustics, mainly), but your results may vary. It's acoustic, and to a lesser extent, hollowbodies, that you really need to worry about. Extreme conditions will also effect your fretboard. It's it's cold or dry, the wood will contract and leave you with sharp frets.


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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:15 pm
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Actually I have a related question. Where I live it's around 30% in winter and higher in summer, so if my experience is similar to some of yours above I should have no problem, but my teacher says I have sharp frets on the side of the neck and so he's worried. Is it possible that frets might just be sharp from the factory? I don't remember them ever being any different, and they haven't changed over the winter. And if they did just come like this, should I have them filed down, or is it okay to leave them if they don't bother me?

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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:00 am
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Very often, the factory will not dress (file) fret edges, especially as price is lower.

However, low humidity CAN shrink the width of the fingerboard and cause the fret edges to slightly protrude.


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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 4:32 pm
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JSJH wrote:
Very often, the factory will not dress (file) fret edges, especially as price is lower.

However, low humidity CAN shrink the width of the fingerboard and cause the fret edges to slightly protrude.


I had that problem with an MIM Buddy Guy which I acquired shortly after they were first marketed. It's called ''fret sprout' in some quarters and I was told that the air was too dry in my home. Someone else suggested that MIM woods are too green and not seasoned properly. Given that we understand that all the necks are done in Corona, I was skeptical, Nevertheless, one of my techs feels that a damp sponge, properly contained and kept in the guitar case should be sufficient for a solid body.

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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:26 pm
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zzdoc wrote:
JSJH wrote:
Very often, the factory will not dress (file) fret edges, especially as price is lower.

However, low humidity CAN shrink the width of the fingerboard and cause the fret edges to slightly protrude.


I had that problem with an MIM Buddy Guy which I acquired ...


Come to think of it, my MIM's done the same thing before. The frets already stick out just slightly (normal compared to an MIA). Never noticed that difference until I got the MIA. Now I play the MIM and go Ewwwwww (though I could have them filed, etc). But when it's dry I've noticed that fret thing before. With the MIA, I still don't notice it, but I take care of them both pretty good now, and they take care of me. My fire red Mexican Lucy and my dirty blond all American Jenna.


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Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:31 pm
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dgonz wrote:
zzdoc wrote:
JSJH wrote:
Very often, the factory will not dress (file) fret edges, especially as price is lower.However, low humidity CAN shrink the width of the fingerboard and cause the fret edges to slightly protrude.
I had that problem with an MIM Buddy Guy which I acquired ...
Come to think of it, my MIM's done the same thing before. The frets already stick out just slightly (normal compared to an MIA).



I actually had the frets dressed after that happened. Seem to take care of the problem. They likely send a different grade of wood south....
Doc :wink:

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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 12:34 am
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We just recently increased our HVAC setting to 45% it was at 37% seems to feel comfortable in the house we are still learnig what we like to have all the settings on in the way it controls the humidity levels in the House. We had this system put in around mid summer the 17 seer air realy saved us money over the the old 9 seer unit and seems the furnace is saving just as well on the gas.

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