Why You Should Use A Guitar Humidifier
Are you starting to feel little pokes from the fret ends on your guitar? Is the action creeping up higher, making it harder to play? Is your guitar having trouble holding tune?
Before you reach for a truss rod wrench or spring for some new machine heads, be sure to check on the silent killer of your guitar’s health:
Humidity.
Before you reach for a truss rod wrench or spring for some new machine heads, be sure to check on the silent killer of your guitar’s health:
Humidity.
Why Humidity Is Important
While it doesn’t seem like a huge concern at first, poor humidity levels can actually cause performance problems, maintenance issues, and in extreme cases–permanently damage your guitar.
Usually the biggest problem is a lack of humidity. Almost all guitars are made of wood, which expands and contracts with moisture levels.
For solid-body electric guitars, humidity damage presents primarily in the neck. Most commonly, the ends of the frets will slowly start to protrude from the side of the fretboard–especially with unfinished fretboard woods, like Indian rosewood. Depending on the neck material, you may see bowing in the neck as well, causing raised action (the string height from the fretboard) and poor intonation.
Semi-hollow electrics start to present additional problems in the body, similar to acoustic guitars. The thin wood used to construct the body can dry out quickly and warp. For semi-hollows with f-holes, the weakest part of the body are the f-holes themselves, which can warp. In extreme cases, the body can begin to crack. Like solid-body electrics, the neck is still at risk of having exposed fret ends and potential bowing.
Acoustic guitars are the most susceptible to humidity levels due to their thin body construction. Even with the internal bracing, low humidity levels can wreak havoc on an unattended acoustic guitar.
Symptoms of humidity damage in acoustics include “bellying”, where the body behind the bridge begins to pull upwards from the tension of the strings and bridge. This usually pairs with the soundhole beginning to sink on the side closest to the bridge, as the top is unable to withstand the tension of the strings, causing the bridge to tilt towards the neck and warping the top.
This “bellying” also causes the action of the guitar to raise, affecting the playability and intonation of the instrument.
Depending on the level of damage, some guitar techs are able to make modifications to your guitar, like shaving down the saddle, to improve the playability. But for acoustics, once the damage is done, it cannot be reversed–only compensated for.
In extreme cases, the body of the guitar can crack and, depending on the severity of the bellying–leave your guitar in an unplayable condition.
To add insult to injury, acoustics still have the same risk with their necks as electrics.
And ALL guitars will have difficulty staying in tune with poor humidity or drastic temperature swings.
Yikes.
Now, time for the good news: you can easily prevent huge swings in humidity–and add years to the life of your guitar–with one simple tool…
A guitar humidifier.
What Is A Guitar Humidifier?
A guitar humidifier is an essential guitar accessory that is commonly available at your local music store, depending on where you live.
There are multiple brands that make them, each with their own design. But, they all have the same goal in mind: to keep your guitar (and the case it lives in) at the ideal humidity level for your instrument.
What Does A Humidifier Do?
A guitar humidifier helps maintain the correct humidity level within your guitar case and, for acoustic guitars, directly within the body of the guitar.
Some humidifiers need to be checked regularly and refilled with water, while others are able to absorb or release moisture in order to maintain correct humidity levels (around 45%-50%).
There are also some humidifiers that are meant for short-term, rapid re-humidification of overly dry instruments. To know if this is a good option for you, take your guitar to a qualified guitar tech.
When You Should Use A Guitar Humidifier
The matter of when you should humidify your guitar depends on the region you live in and the usual conditions your guitar is subjected to.
Where I live in Southwestern Ontario, we go from hot, humid summers to very dry, cold winters. These wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity levels means that I must humidify my guitars in the winter, or deal with the consequences.
Conversely, I do not humidify my guitars in the summer, since the weather is warmer and the humidity levels typically sit at or above the ideal range.
As a travelling musician, my instruments also go through dramatic temperature changes. Outdoor shows in varying conditions, and transitioning from a warm venue to a cold car (or vice versa) all put additional stress on my guitars. Using a guitar humidifier is the best way to help even out those changes.
I typically start using a humidifier in early Fall–around late September to early October, for my region–until late Spring when the temperature is more consistently warm, usually around mid- to late-April.
The best thing you can do is check your usual weather conditions throughout the year and humidify accordingly. You can also purchase a hygrometer, which helps to measure the relative humidity in the air, and keep it near your guitars. If you see the humidity level near or below 40%, get a humidifier in your guitar as soon as possible.
While it doesn’t seem like a huge concern at first, poor humidity levels can actually cause performance problems, maintenance issues, and in extreme cases–permanently damage your guitar.
Usually the biggest problem is a lack of humidity. Almost all guitars are made of wood, which expands and contracts with moisture levels.
For solid-body electric guitars, humidity damage presents primarily in the neck. Most commonly, the ends of the frets will slowly start to protrude from the side of the fretboard–especially with unfinished fretboard woods, like Indian rosewood. Depending on the neck material, you may see bowing in the neck as well, causing raised action (the string height from the fretboard) and poor intonation.
Semi-hollow electrics start to present additional problems in the body, similar to acoustic guitars. The thin wood used to construct the body can dry out quickly and warp. For semi-hollows with f-holes, the weakest part of the body are the f-holes themselves, which can warp. In extreme cases, the body can begin to crack. Like solid-body electrics, the neck is still at risk of having exposed fret ends and potential bowing.
Acoustic guitars are the most susceptible to humidity levels due to their thin body construction. Even with the internal bracing, low humidity levels can wreak havoc on an unattended acoustic guitar.
Symptoms of humidity damage in acoustics include “bellying”, where the body behind the bridge begins to pull upwards from the tension of the strings and bridge. This usually pairs with the soundhole beginning to sink on the side closest to the bridge, as the top is unable to withstand the tension of the strings, causing the bridge to tilt towards the neck and warping the top.
This “bellying” also causes the action of the guitar to raise, affecting the playability and intonation of the instrument.
Depending on the level of damage, some guitar techs are able to make modifications to your guitar, like shaving down the saddle, to improve the playability. But for acoustics, once the damage is done, it cannot be reversed–only compensated for.
In extreme cases, the body of the guitar can crack and, depending on the severity of the bellying–leave your guitar in an unplayable condition.
To add insult to injury, acoustics still have the same risk with their necks as electrics.
And ALL guitars will have difficulty staying in tune with poor humidity or drastic temperature swings.
Yikes.
Now, time for the good news: you can easily prevent huge swings in humidity–and add years to the life of your guitar–with one simple tool…
A guitar humidifier.
What Is A Guitar Humidifier?
A guitar humidifier is an essential guitar accessory that is commonly available at your local music store, depending on where you live.
There are multiple brands that make them, each with their own design. But, they all have the same goal in mind: to keep your guitar (and the case it lives in) at the ideal humidity level for your instrument.
What Does A Humidifier Do?
A guitar humidifier helps maintain the correct humidity level within your guitar case and, for acoustic guitars, directly within the body of the guitar.
Some humidifiers need to be checked regularly and refilled with water, while others are able to absorb or release moisture in order to maintain correct humidity levels (around 45%-50%).
There are also some humidifiers that are meant for short-term, rapid re-humidification of overly dry instruments. To know if this is a good option for you, take your guitar to a qualified guitar tech.
When You Should Use A Guitar Humidifier
The matter of when you should humidify your guitar depends on the region you live in and the usual conditions your guitar is subjected to.
Where I live in Southwestern Ontario, we go from hot, humid summers to very dry, cold winters. These wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity levels means that I must humidify my guitars in the winter, or deal with the consequences.
Conversely, I do not humidify my guitars in the summer, since the weather is warmer and the humidity levels typically sit at or above the ideal range.
As a travelling musician, my instruments also go through dramatic temperature changes. Outdoor shows in varying conditions, and transitioning from a warm venue to a cold car (or vice versa) all put additional stress on my guitars. Using a guitar humidifier is the best way to help even out those changes.
I typically start using a humidifier in early Fall–around late September to early October, for my region–until late Spring when the temperature is more consistently warm, usually around mid- to late-April.
The best thing you can do is check your usual weather conditions throughout the year and humidify accordingly. You can also purchase a hygrometer, which helps to measure the relative humidity in the air, and keep it near your guitars. If you see the humidity level near or below 40%, get a humidifier in your guitar as soon as possible.