Members zookroo1 Posted June 30, 2008 Members Share Posted June 30, 2008 Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to the world of acoustic guitars (in fact I'm still looking for the right one...). This forum is a great place full of information with a lot of knowledgeable people. I never thought much about humidity before I started looking into nice acoustic guitars. I certainly want to keep it in the best condition as possible once I find a keeper. Here are a few questions I had: -I live in Florida (very humid). Is that a good thing or can you have too much humidity? -Are guitars that have laminate sides and back affected the same as an all wood guitar? -If I was to find a guitar I wanted to order online, say from out west, would I have to be concerned about the guitar during the shipping process? -I seems that 40-50% humidity is the recommended range. Is that about right? I really don't know what the percentage is inside the house, I'd have to check on that. -Anything else related to the subject that would be helping in taking care of a nice guitar? Thanks so much for for the info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crab_Cake Posted June 30, 2008 Members Share Posted June 30, 2008 -I live in Florida (very humid). Is that a good thing or can you have too much humidity? Yes an over humidified guitar is just as bad as an underhudified guitar. -Are guitars that have laminate sides and back affected the same as an all wood guitar? laminate back and sides make a guitar MUCH more durable. They don't help the tone much but they do provide a lot of protection. Laminate woods do not swell or shrink nearly as much as a solid wood. -If I was to find a guitar I wanted to order online, say from out west, would I have to be concerned about the guitar during the shipping process? Usually shipping is fine. I recommend buying locally (gotta fight the man) but I haven't heard of any shipping horror stories. -I seems that 40-50% humidity is the recommended range. Is that about right? I really don't know what the percentage is inside the house, I'd have to check on that. Get a digital hydrometer and check. They are pretty cheap and you can find one at the hardware store. They are usually bundled with a thermometer. -Anything else related to the subject that would be helping in taking care of a nice guitar? check out www.frets.com they are a wonderful resource for preserving guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Abando Posted July 1, 2008 Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 Yes, you can have too much humidity....... Best way to reduce humidity is using an air-conditioner or a dehumidifier.....Guitars with laminated sides can take too much or too little humidity much better than an all wood guitar. However, if your guitar has a non-laminated top, that's what you still have to be concerned with when dealing with humidity. Who cares if the sides and back remain relatively stable if the top sinks in or cracks.....Guitars ship all around the world. Just think of all the guitars that come from China to the U.S. Ordering out West in the U.S. is not something you should worry about.....If your guitar is humidified at 40% to 50%, your guitar should be fine. I prefer 45% to 55%. The one main disagreement I have with Crabcake's advice is when he says that a guitar overhumified is just as bad as a guitar underhumidified. It is worse to have an underhumidified guitar in my opinion.. Most damage to guitars happen at winter time when guitars aren't humidified enough. In other words, it's better to have a guitar humidified at 75% for one straight month in the summer than it is to have guitar humified at 25% one straight month during winter time. Zook, best to buy a room or house humidifier for the winter time. During the summer months, use your air-conditioner. Still check the hydrometer during the summer because an air-conditioner can decrease the humidity in a room too much. If you see it going below 40% where your guitar is located during the summer months, either increase the air conditioner temperature in the room slightly or open the bedroom door slightly or put on your humidifier. One of those three things will make sure the humidity doesn't go too low during the summer months. However, during the hottest months, you will rarely have to worry about the humidity going too low. Peace. Abando Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crab_Cake Posted July 1, 2008 Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 yes I am sorry I to believe that and under-humidified guitar is worse than an over humidified one. I was just saying that they are both bad and should be avoided at all cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rjoxyz Posted July 1, 2008 Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 Personally, I prefer 40-50%, especially for my all solid wood guitars. In the Michigan winter, I have 2 room humidifiers and a furnace mounted unit going to maintain a little over 40% at times. I think my guitars exhibit the best tone at the lower end of that range. Currently, without running the air conditioner, I am seeing about 57-58% and the guitars sound a just a bit "muffled". I don't think lam. sides and back are quite as susceptible to damage from dry air, but others might disagree. I don't think you need to worry about transit conditions while a guitar is shipped, though I would not want them sitting in a baking or freezing truck for too long, while enroute. Get a hygrometer to monitor your RH, and don't lose sleep over high humidity damaging the guitars, unless extremely high and unrelenting for long periods. Not sure how high is too high. Maybe one of our resident luthiers can give a learned opinion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted July 1, 2008 Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 . . . -Are guitars that have laminate sides and back affected the same as an all wood guitar? . . . Just picking a quick nit: Laminated wood is still wood. The layers are made from wood. The term you're looking for is "all solid wood." If you're talking about Martin's HPL product, then you're right, it's "wood" in the same sense that particle board is, IMHO. A guitar with laminated sides and back can still sound very good. The primary contribution is made by the top. There are guitars out there that are all solid wood, including wood binding, and some of them are surprisingly affordable. Buying new, you'll start getting into solid topped guitars at around $200 new and if you're not picky about brand an all solid wood guitar for around $300. A decent all solid guitar will start at around $500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crab_Cake Posted July 1, 2008 Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 Just picking a quick nit: Laminate is still wood. The layers are made from wood. The term you're looking for is "all solid wood." A guitar with laminated sides and back can still sound very good. The primary contribution is made by the top. There are guitars out there that are all solid wood, including wood binding, and some of them are surprisingly affordable. Buying new, you'll start getting into solid topped guitars at around $200 new and if you're not picky about brand an all solid wood guitar for around $300. A decent all solid guitar will start at around $500. wow, just thinking about that. When I started playing guitar you couldn't find anything with all solid woods for under $1000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 1, 2008 Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 There is a very good article by Jean Larrivee on humidity linked at the Links section of the Annex (if you haven't found it yet, try the pink thingie in my sig). Humidity over 50% or so is not nearly as bad as a dry guitar, and one of the worst things is dramatic changes. And inexpensive hygrometer (I use the little Plant Waves one) will give you an idea of where you are at and whether you need to take care. Many laminated gits still have solid tops (the good ones like 1xx and 2xx taylors do) and are sensitive to humidity just like solid wood. The fretboards will swell and shrink, tops will move, setup will change - care for them just like any other guitar. As long as your guitar is kept in a case and as long as you are careful you should be able to buy online or locally and be safe. And by the way, welcome to the wonderful world of acoustic guitars and to HCAG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zookroo1 Posted July 1, 2008 Author Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 Thanks so much for the comments. A guitar is an important investment and it's good to know how to keep it in the best condition possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 1, 2008 Members Share Posted July 1, 2008 Thanks so much for the comments. A guitar is an important investment and it's good to know how to keep it in the best condition possible. Zoo, most of us see damage from lack of humidity (and it is not covered by warranty) but there are several forumites who live in very humid areas - they might chime in. If you are really concerned one option might be to look at composite or carbon fiber guitars - there are many good ones on the market now and they seem to be pretty immune to moisture. Several members have them and there was a recent article in Acoustic Guitar mag about them. Also remember that both heating and air conditioning your home will dry the air - it is possible that while it is 70 percent outside that in the case your guitar will be within its happy range. A $25 hygrometer will tell you that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LastCallKillIt Posted July 2, 2008 Members Share Posted July 2, 2008 Humidifing My acoustic straightend the neck back out. It spent the last 4 months in Iraq with out a humidifier... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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