Off Topic: Good article about how humidity affects guitars

[tommydude]

This article is from Premier Guitar:

How Humidity Affects Your Guitar - Premier Guitar

 

[whitestrat]

Good article, but it falls short of several considerations, especially for those who like near the equator (like me)

1. Store your guitar in its case. We have studied this extensively and have found that the case will shelter your guitar through many extreme conditions. I realize that guitars are beautiful and that you want them readily at hand, but a stand or wall hanger is not the best place for them to live unless you are humidifying the whole house. - This does not work in a country where you're facing 80% humidity in the shade all year round. In that case, best place is the reverse: out in the open, but away from sunlight.

4. Learn to “read” your guitar by noticing sharp frets on any guitar—electric or acoustic—and low action on your acoustic. These are signs of drying wood. When you see this, put the guitar in its case and give it a dose of humidity. The sharp frets will go away. - Having bought many guitars from temperate countries, they usually have sharp frets when I buy them, which is usually in the winter. However, after bringing them home, a couple of weeks later, the neck grows larger than the frets, so that goes away.

The question for those of us who live near the tropics, is how to keep the humidity AWAY from the guitar.

 

[TheShreddinHand]

Interesting read. I've never experienced any issues like those mentioned in the article with any guitars that I or my father has owned and we've lived in Jersey, Virginia, and now Louisiana. All very different in regards to humidity.

-Eric

 

[Roubster]

I definitely agree with the fact that keeping the guitars in the cases will keep them nice and safe. I always have my EBMMs in their cases, and over the past several years have not had an issue on any of them. NYC gets all the extremes...right now cold as hell with dry steam heat. I think this weather is taking a bigger toll on me than my guitars haha .