How to Best Care for Acoustic Guitars, using 'Humidifiers' with Indiana Weather!

Straight from 30 years or more of playing or just having an Acoustic Guitar in my apartment or houses. I never did abuse a guitar intentionally ever... However for several of my early years with an acoustic guitars, more information became available. I found out I was not Humidifying my acoustic guitars sufficiently (or not at all) in the winter time. The cost of that mistake was a warped neck, fret wire scraping your hand as you run it down the side of the neck... The guitar neck actually shrank (sp), from "too little" moisture. it exacerbates surface checks and they just look bad at the least! The simple answer to these kind of problems can be fixed with a simple instrument "Humidifier" and my case or gig bag properly during hydration of the acoustic guitar! NO MORE PROBLEMS with the neck using these simple steps. Take the time to pick one that is suitable for your guitar or room humidity extremes, and you will just feel better about your guitar anyway! Just knowing the humidity is within the right range eliminates that from being a problem as well! You can start today and notice a difference by tomorrow 4-Sure! Later, 6string2slim out!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Your choice of 'sound-hole' or other acoustic guitar humidifiers.
• A Hyrgometer or Wet Bulb Humidity testing, if you want to be extremely accurate. I really don't think it's necessary unless this becomes a major physically guitar damaging problem.
• Common Soap Dish and small wet/dry sponge to put inside the Soap dish. (way cool & inexpensive)
• The determination of the approximate humidy in the room your guitar is sitting in most of the day!
• Something to wipe the smile off your face, when you see how much this is a factor in tuning, PLAYABILITY, ETC.
• A case or gig Bag or even a small room to humidify the guitar over night at least if not 2 or 3 nights!
• Behavioral modification on your part, to do this Humidifying task consitently.... and without intereference from the Nay-Sayers.

1. Soap dish and Sponge Humidifier $2.00 Getting a look at a few humidifiers for acoustic guitars, you can see similarities of the humidifiers and the extent... people that are selling you something are willing to add little useless ancillary items to go along with the product. When humidifying an acoustic the simplest form is "buying a Soap Dish from Family Dollar store. Also purchase a "3 or 4 pack" of small sponges. Using a small knife or scissors end, poke or cut several openings in the Lid of the Soap Dish. Put one or two (depending on their thickness) "Wet" but wrung out of water (just Damp) Sponge and place the Soap dish in the guitar case in the little accessory compartment or just on top by the headstock (where the Tuning pegs are and close the case or Zip it and leave it in there "unopened" over night at least. A great little humidifier at a price of $2.00 Let's carry on here...
2. Damp-it Guitar Humidifier $10 amazon.com + shipping knowing the sound hole is a great place to put a humidifier Damp-it Guitar Humidifiers are actually the same in rgard to all sponge humidifiers, except it hangs down into the guitar. Not a bad idea but I have had an expensive Taylor guitar damaged by the water pooling at the bottom of the Damp-it and causing water to run out and loosen the scalloped bracing of the guitar. Taylor paid for everything, but in the end, the result was that I never trusted that shape and type of Damp-it, again.
   They are good if you kep a close eye on them..like daily or more and they can be a little price too! About $10 at amazon.com and they come with a small hygrometer (looks like Litmus paper to me...) Not my choise as you can tell
3. Planet Waves Sound-Hole Humidifier $12.00 + shipping Plugging the whole guitar sound hole with a humidifier sounds like a clever idea, but it usually over hydrates the inside structure of the guitar and does little to moisterize the guitar neck! There ar emore than one of these kinds of humidifiers and they will work, they just don't seem to give enough H2O to the guitar neck!
4. SKB Guitar Humidifier! The best, but pricey at $24.00 + shipping Getting moisture directly to the neck through a humidifier is difficult but can done by using one that fastens on the strings above the sound-hole an then allows the humidity to rise in the case and travel down the guitar neck and actually the humidifier works the guitar neck well! Try it, and see if you like it also!

Tips & Warnings

• Usually winter times is the only time you have to use a guitar humidifier regularly, however keep a close on your guitar neck and playability.
• There are times you may want to leave the humidifier out of the guitar becaus eit it is too moist and you can just tell that too... just set the guitar out on a guitar stand for a day or too and play it..with each tuning it will seem to hold more evenly!
• Obviously there is big diffrence in the price of guitar humidifiers... just use one or make one and case your guiatr most every night...
• I only use the guitar humidifier from December to March at the most. Usually when the furnace is on more often!
• Do not over Wet the humidifier without wringing it almost dry... of cousre
• If you do totally wet, which I would suggest...do not wring it completely dry or nothing will happen!
• This is not a substitute for a good guitar Neck Adjustment, but there is no reason to "adjust the guitar neck" on a humidity deprived guitar. That will destort the actuallity of a more sever neck warp or other problem with teh guitars make -up or damage... So humidify to justify! I'm outta here, sS