I live in Minnesota (for those in Europe, that’s in the north central part of the US.) we have very cold winters. Last night it got down to 7°F, or -14°C. Right now in midday it’s 15°F, -9°C. Soon there will be stretches of much colder weather.
That means the indoor air is getting quite dry. You can only safely humidify indoors so much without getting condensation on windows and risking actual damage to the house.
When I played yesterday, my normally rock-stable guitars had gone flat, indicating that they’re starting to react to the dryness. So, after I play today, they’ll go into their cases with humidification devices instead of going back onto their stands. Small inconvenience to keep them healthy.
Yup, same here! I’m in Oregon, where it’s fairly humid outside (80% currently) and not nearly as cold as Minnesota but: the central heat comes on. And the widows are closed. I noticed my acoustic guitars’ reactions to the lower house humidity (it hovers around 38%) starting about three weeks ago. On my favorite and most-played guitar, the B string started buzzing, and oddly enough it was worst when not fretted. Yup, the acoustics are back in their cases, with humidification devices. And the B string no longer buzzes. FWIW - last year I used those fancy D’Addario/Boveda humidification packs. They worked great. This year, I’m trying the decidedly low-tech (and low-price) Martin humidifier. So far so good!
That’s what I use for the Taylor. FYI, if you’re unaware, when the packs get dry, you can recharge them by putting them in a closed container with (but not touching) a wet sponge. The packs will absorb moisture and be good again.
I humidity the house in the winter, have for about 40 years never had a problem with guitars being on stands or wall hangers or damage to the house. But I don’t wait for the house or guitars to dry out. I started to humidify the about a month ago. I have it set at 35% and that keep my 2 hygrometers around 40%. Live in southern Alberta where winter can be brutal.
Do what ever works for you and what you feel comfortable.
Mark, thanks for reminding me of that. I’m timid regarding water and wood coming into contact (which scared as well when I first used the Martin tube thingy), but feel better trying the recharche trick with your specific, helpful instructions!
See, I consider that to be too dry. I have my furnace-mounted humidifier set like that, too. When I mentioned house damage and window condensation, I was taking about keeping the inside at 45-55%, the humidity levels guitars like.
I’ve had lots of people tell me “I’ve never had a problem” with low humidity. The problem with that is that I won’t know there’s a problem until the guitar is damaged, and the minor inconvenience of putting them back in their cases after I’m done playing is worth it for the peace of mind.
I’ve also heard from people who didn’t think they had a problem until they discovered a crack.
Wow, poor people, barely ever worry about it here come summer or winter. Sure there are daily fluctuation but in general it’s mostly stable enough all year round, always keep an eye on it tho’ just to be sure. That’s some mighty cold weather you have there @markr31
I agree. My solution is to wall hang my guitars (for easy access) and to put an Oasis humidifier, attached to an Oasis clear plastic sound hole cover into each guitar. The cover insures that the humidity stays in the guitar rather than floating out into the air. During sleeping hours, I also use a small room humidifier set at 55% (Taylor recommends 45%-55%). I choose 55% because the independent hygrometer that I place on the humidifier always reads 10%-15% less than the read out on the humidifier itself. I take this added measure because regrettably I have experienced what Mark described as not knowing there was a problem until the guitar is damaged - severely! The “inconvenience” of filling the Oasis about twice a week is well worth the peace of mind. This method has worked well for over a year in the year-round super dry, drought ridden high desert climate of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Keep on pickin’ y’all.
Bernard @Bernfrim4715, the sound hole cover is brilliant! I also prefer to keep my guitar out. And the prices of the humidifier plus sound hole cover is reasonable - this might find its way into my collection. Thank you for the info!
barely ever worry about it here come summer or winter. Sure there are daily fluctuation but in general it’s mostly stable enough all year round, always keep an eye on it tho’ just to be sure. That’s some mighty cold weather you have there 