What is the effect of room humidifiers on guitars? Is there an optimum setting, or type? Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Humidity control is more important with acoustic guitars than electric. Some people insist they be kept in 45% humidity environments but realistically that's almost impossible in many parts of the world. 30% is a more reasonable expectation. Your guitar will tell you how to adjust the humidity if you know how to read the signs. The easiest way is to examine the soundboard around the bridge area. If the top seems perfectly flat around the bridge (assuming a flat top guitar) then the humidity is in the ball park. If the top seems sunken into the guitar around the bridge it's too dry and needs to be humidified immediately. If the top seems to bow outward making the action high the guitar is too wet and needs to dry out. If the guitar needs adjustment one way or the other and that adjustment is not normal for your area then once the humidity of the guitar has been corrected you need to keep it in the case to insulate it from the surrounding environment.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Hi, Keeping your guitars in a comfortable environment is good practice. I use a "Bemis" brand, It has 2 water tanks. All of my gear is in a room about thats about 1000 square feet.
This unit will keep that space at 45-50% during heating season I find that my gear and my nose stay very comfortable. If you cant do a humidifier... there are several humidify devices that will go into your guitar case, check Musicians Friend

Good Luck

Bill

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

BMW has posted great advice. However I learned my lesson with electric guitars as well. I have several electrics and acoustics that live in a spare bedroom on wallhangers along with several amps. I run a 2 gallon humidifier at 40% and keep the temp around 70 during the heating season. Low humidity affected the necks on my electrics more than anything else before the addition of the humidifier. Keeping the humidifier full of water is a daily task but worth it.

does it matter if the humidifier is warm or cool mist?

I have a cool mist humidifier. I don't think it really matters because it will assume room tempurature. I think its more a function of how the mist is generated. Mine uses a sonic method to vaporize the water. Some vaporizers use heat to generate the mist.

I should have included in my post that humidity corrections on acoustic guitars do not take place overnight. If using external means such as a room humidifier for increasing or heat and air movement for decreasing the change will take several days to take place. Sometimes a week or more.

In the event of a serious humidity emergency requiring immediate attention, to increase use a sound hole humidifier with the guitar in its case and the lid shut tight. Ensure the humidifier does not drip liquid water into the guitar. To dry out place the guitar on a stand a few feet away from an interior wall and place a fan about 6 to 8 feet away blowing gently on the sound hole.

To avoid emergencies try to keep the practice room at a consistent humidity and temperature.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.