About humidity

[synop7]

All right, the 8th caller gets a mug!

 

Anybody can give me a "final answer" about humidity?

 

I keep my guitars in my basement. Usually I get around 40% humidity. During winter, because of the electrical heat system, I use an humidifier to avoid levels as low as 20%-30%.

 

During summertime, I can get 50% or 60%.

 

When the humidity goes over 50% the guitars go untuned half a step up.

 

When the humidity goes under 40% the guitars go untuned half a step

 

So the question is: what is the ideal level of relative humidity I shall seek?

 

I give you clues, my axes are:

 

- Gibson SG Special faded 2001

- Epiphone Sheraton II 2002

- MIM Stratocaster 2002 '50 Reissue

- Yamaha DW-15 (acoustic model no electronics)

- A strange Dobro (Taro is the brand) pick up inside

 

So please I am tired of urban legends, every time I speak to a fellow guitar player I get a different answer that goes fron 40% to 60%

[slange316]

I would say 47 - 55 % relative humidity is ok. You sound like you are looking for a definitive figure. In that case 50% is real safe. I kinda of depends on what the manufactuer recomends. The reason your tuning changes is because the relative humidity is not stable. Accoustics seem to be affected more by humidity changes than electrics. I would try different humidity setting with in the given range and test where your guitars play/sound the best. I can tell you that 40% relative humidty is too low as it can start to damage some guitars. It is better to be a little on the humidy side that to dry.

 

Slange.

[k4df4l]

General consensus is to try and keep solid body guitars above 40% and below 55% however the key concept is consistency.