Taylor Guitar Videos: Humidity

[false crack]

I was browsing through the Taylor website when I came across all of these videos regarding humidity. Im sure many of you already know the effects humidity has on the guitar, but these videos illustrate it amazingly well.

http://www.taylorguitars.com/see-hear/

The Performance tips/Maintenance section is really good.

 

None of the guitar shops near me (Prescott, Arizona) carry taylor guitars any more because they couldn't take care of them and customers would always return them because it go to dried out and cracked. Pretty scary stuff. There is one guitar shop with a taylor 310ce and its got a crack right down the middle and 2 cracks in the back.

 

Im in the market for a taylor, and this humidity thing is spooking me out. What humidifiers do you guys use. Looks good to always have a dampit in the case if the humidity is low where you live.

[Whalebot]

Any guitar can get cracks due to humidity. Just properly humidify up to around 50% with a damp sponge in a baggie, grab a hygrometer from GC or radio shack. Done did.

[theGOOCH]

This is from the FAQ section of Taylor's website regarding your question:

 

Taylor guitars are every bit as stable as any solid-wood guitar made today (plywood, or laminated-wood guitars obviously are more stable, as are very heavily built guitars, but these come with their own inherent disadvantages). In fact, we have taken numerous, frequently expensive steps to provide our customers with a far superior product in terms of stability. Over the years, our persistent emphasis on humidification, and our ongoing efforts to educate guitarists about it, have led some to conclude that Taylors are structurally less sound than other guitars.

 

This is partly the result of our conscious decision, several years ago, to be the ambassadors of humidification for the sake of all acoustic guitars (indeed, we get letters from non-Taylor-owners thanking us for "saving" their guitars). We've taken the position that the best long-term solution to the problems associated with humidity is education - simply raising people's awareness of the subject, at least as it concerns solid-wood guitars. So, we write articles about humidity in Wood&Steel and contribute them to other national publications; we offer "Tech-Sheets" to those interested in learning about humidity; and we keep raising the issue in other forums because, until recently, it has been grossly neglected. By being vocal about this, we've attracted a lot of attention, which has led some to believe that Taylor Guitars has a problem with humidity that other manufacturers do not.

 

The fact is, Taylor guitars are built to be just as tough as most other high-end brands, and are more heavy-duty than others. Generally, we use the same woods (frequently purchased from the same suppliers); kiln-dry it; and build guitars at the same temperature/humidity ratings as other fine guitar makers who have humidity control. Here is the key to understanding why your Taylor will exhibit the adverse effects of drying earlier than other high-end acoustics: It is precisely constructed with a neck angle that ensures optimal performance, and as soon as that angle is compromised by dryness, it will let you know, usually before any serious damage can occur. Ironically, the same qualities that attract players to Taylor guitars in the first place are directly related to their apparent "sensitivity" to dryness - namely, sleek necks, low action, excellent tone, and so on.

 

But all solid wood guitars face problems caused by humidity swings. We just decided to be the first to bring the issue to light. And, apparently, people are listening.

[joestierman]

it's pretty humid here in michigan, and i keep the guitar in the hard case, so i usually don't humidify it a lot. but in the winter time, due to furnaces, the air can get really dry, so much that i humidify my room just for comfort. i may put some humidity into the guitar via a planet waves oval-shaped thing that fits in the soundhole (though i just set it in the case for a night).

 

i watched all the taylor videos on the humidity, and found them pretty interesting. i didn't know about the bow of the guitar and how it goes concave like that. another good thing to check when buying used!

[Freeman Keller]

I just posted this link to Larrivee's site on another humidity thread

 

http://www.larrivee.com/flash/features/education/humidity/humidity.html

 

along with my personal opinions about how important it is and a personal anecdote. Most of us will only experience dry guitars due to our central heating and air conditioning systems and it is so darn easy to add a little moisture to our gits as they rest in their cases - so why not. There are people who are absolutely anal about this (and wonder why I don't run out and buy a R/H meter) but the simple fact is that I add a little humidity and don't worry.

 

This isn't a T thing, here is from the Martin site

http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/technical/humidity.html

Maury has one on his page, I quoted Larrivee, at Bozeman I saw the vintage Gibbies in a glass case, yadda, yadda

 

And the last thing I would say about the shops in Prescott or anywhere else - if they carry fine guitars of any brand they should show their customers that they care by keeping them properly humidiified.

 

edit to add, the first thing I talk about in my Sick Guitar sticky is to get the humidity right (and stable) before you do any setup or repairs. There, end of rant.....

[deltadaddio]

My Taylor lives in Louisiana -- too little humidity has never been a problem.

[WaveRay]

My Taylor was my first solid guitar and it was pointed out to me about humidity. Wanting to protect my investment, I got some hygrometers and started monitoring the humidity around my guitars. In the N.E., I bought a humidifier for the room I keep the instruments in and it does just fine, in the summer, the A/C usually brings it down to an acceptable level.

You'll figure out what you need to do once you get started. Just worrying about it tells me you'll be fine.