I do agree with "most" of that. Remember, that the fingerboard on at least 50% of electric guitars is rosewood (or some other wood dissimilar to the neck or body) and unprotected and will react to humidity changes. And this is what the frets are embedded in.

Depending on the geographic location, 60 miles inland usually doesn't equate to low humidity. Ok, Saudi Arabia, the Sahara, California desert...

My point was that, even though 85% of the guitar is sealed and protected, there are critical parts that are susceptible to humidity changes.

It's always better to be safe than sorry. But everyone is entitled to their own opinion about that as well. I do know that if I do need to move to Denver, there will be humidifiers for the entire residence. I would rather spend a couple dollars in preventative care...

Art

Can I ask a question, while we're on the subject?

I live in Winnipeg, MB Canada. Smack in the middle of the continent.. meaning winters are extremely dry and cold, summers hot and humid.

I keep my electric guitars in their hardcases at all times, standing vertically in a closet on the side furthest from the bedroom window. I assume these precautions are correct. My bedroom is on the main floor. I did however notice a bit of fret sprout on my strat as last winter was coming to an end, which concerns me. The frets did improve once the humid temps returned in spring.

My question:
For next winter, would it be best if I store my electric guitars in my basement? I have heard that basements in general serve as natural humidity traps. I just don't like the idea of risking another round of fret sprout, as I have 2 electric guitars now.

Any opinions would help greatly! Thank you all

You should use a hygrometer to check the humidity instead of just guessing.

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

^^ and just use a run of the mill guitar humidifier.....
As far as the basement.....My basement is an issue with excess moisture since we are surrounded by wetlands....If your basement is livable, meaning you have it set up as another part of the house room wise, then OK.... but if it is just a basement with no insulation, no humidifier and just plain concrete walls and floors then that is the worst place you could store your guitars.

you will find your strings rusting prematurely and the guitars having too much moisture and very likely an issue with mold inside the case..

_________________
"C'est parti mon Kiki "

+ 1

And I agree with Magnatone. An unfinished basement is the worst! I grew up with those and although the guitars themselves did not have problems, (we did use a de-humidifier in the summer) I went through strings like crazy.

If it helps, when I grew up, it was just north of Baltimore. Hot humid summers and winters were dry (compared to summer) but still humid compared to some other areas of the continent.

Here in Florida, most of the time, the electrics rotate time in and out of their cases. I always have at least one out on a stand, usually two. Rarely need to re-tune unless the temp changes drastically. I do this not because of the humidity/wood interaction, but because A/C causes the metal to be cooler than the surrounding air and microscopic moisture will condense on the metal parts (strings included.) I've seen first hand what this can do to plated metal over time and would rather prevent that now instead of restoring later. Maybe I am over cautious, but I'm not rich and would rather be safe.

Art

Thanks for the heads up guys, I will invest in a hygrometer!

What is the "safe zone" that I should be looking for when using it?

And the basement is finished, but I shall keep this information in mind for future reference.

I always heard 45 - 50% for acoustics. Below 40% you need a humidifier for sure.

Art

My fault. It's a strat and a tele. Maple 'board on the Strat, rosewood on the Tele

I never really saw anything for solid bodies. But if that humidity range is good for acoustics, it will be great for solid body electrics.

As you can tell from reading this thread, solid body guitars are usually sealed fairly well and are not as susceptible to humidity as the acoustics (neck and fingerboard are still very vulnerable.)

Try to keep it around 45% to 50% to be safe. For ALL wood instruments.

Art

Art1,

You brought up a good point about the A/C lowering the humidity. A dehumidifier is just an A/C with a heater attached to regulate the temperature. I use the A/C to keep my house very cool, and the humidity is fairly low, with about 40-45% being the highest and it gets even lower than that. I use a cheap hygrometer to monitor the humidity, and it's obviously very low in the winter time as well. As I said, I get quite a bit of fret sprout, and when I complained about it I was told it was due to a low humidity environment (I believe it). I prefer maple fret boards, and that's what I mostly have, although the fret sprout is also present on the rosewood boards. The only difference that I've noticed is that my MIA guitars do not have the sprout at all, but every single MIM guitar does, even though the maple boards are coated with poly. Maybe the MIA guitars have drier wood to begin with?

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Shimmi,

It could be the Mexican Poly.

Also watch that condensation on the metal work. I used to work in a lighting repair place at one time. Many snowbirds moved down here from up north with their Stiffel lamps (not sure of the spelling.) Very expensive lamps from Chicago or some such place. Well, after a few years down here in the A/C and high humidity, they noticed the brass pitting. Turns out most of them were not brass, but brass plated pot metal. The only way to restore that is to clean them down and go through a re-plating process.

Point I'm making is that cold metal will suck any moisture out of the air in the form of condensation. Including the hidden parts, inside tuners, pups, pots, etc...

So don't turn the thermostat any lower than you really need. Your metal work will love you for it and your electric bill won't be so bad either.

Art

I have a question about something Toronado said.

What are the reasons for and benefits of keeping your guitar case standing upright?

You wouldn't store guitar cases like a deck of cards. They aren't meant to withstand weight horizontally.

Toronado, thank you for your reply.

Of course it makes perfect sense. I was thinking, for some reason or other, about just one guitar case. In that case, would there be any advantages of vertical (vs. horizontal) storage?

Having lived in Denver for 40yrs I can tell you that you will have to make adjustments for the dry air. When I was in high school several of us went to Mexico for spring break and returned with acoustic guitars that dried and cracked within a month or two. Granted they were inexpensive guitars, but never the less. The dry climate is hell on wood, rubber, your skin and all living things . A humidifier is necessary for life in the winter.