Can you hang your uke AND humidify it?

Preacher

Preacher

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All the instructions I've seen on the little Oasis type humidifiers say that the uke has to lay flat on its back in the case. I would really like to keep my uke hanging in the handy dandy wall hanger I just purchased (I'd play my uke more if it were on my wall in my living room).

So, is the humidifier allowed to be in a hanging uke? Will it not humidify if it's out in the open?

It's already down to single digit temps here in Central Wisconsin so the air is already dryer than sand.

Thanks for the help.
 
Perhaps you could use a room humidifier. Or get a display cabinet and humidify that. I used both options when I used to live in a dry environment after I had a uke crack.
 
Recently while suggesting a laminate ukulele to a beginner I have been made to feel that my enjoyment of the ease of maintenance of a laminate ukulele might just be me being lazy to some. It was pointed out that many whom have solid wood instruments have whole room humidifiers in their home to accommodate their instruments.

The short answer is no that small humidifier that keeps your case humidified will not do much in a whole room.

My new solid wood pocket ukulele came to me quite dry, its living in my humidity box or my jungle box made for my wei wei and my ukawazoo. Both solid wood ukes from Vietnam, along with my 20's harmony and the little guy fit in this box.

I keep an old pineapple flea within reach your fluke should be stable. I also have my Kala KA-SEM in an open case always at arms reach. No maintence but some oil on the fretboard here and there and boy is she purdy.

~peace~
 
In a really dry climate, I don't think any internal humidifier is going to do the job if the Uke is hanging out in the open. I think the only safe way to hang it is in a humidified display case, behind glass. Of course I'm talking about solid wood. I wouldn't hesitate to hang laminate instruments, even without any humidifier inside them. I've had two Little Martins, and one Martin laminate Dobro hanging on my walls for several years without any adverse effects.
 
I have 3 ukes I worry about. When it's really dry in summer or if it's cold out and I have my heater running they get moved to the bathroom. One is prominently displayed on top of my medicine cabinet (not my favorite of the 3) and the other 2 get hung on the wall. That way they get daily doses of steam when I shower and if I want to play I just remember to rehang them when I'm done.

But then; I live in a part of the midwest that's normally moderately humid, so your mileage may vary if you try this.
 
Hanging your uke on a wall with a sound hole humidifer in it will do next to nothing. Lets look at how one of those things work. The moisture inside the Oasis evaporates out of it through the material itself. When you have the Oasis in the sound hole and the uke in a case that evaporating moisture is trapped inside the case elevating the total moisture level within the case that your uke is sitting in.

If we hang it in the open the moisture just evaporates into thin air............
 
If you want to hang your uke in Wisconsin, get a room humidifier, and keep the door shut. Oasis humidifiers only humidify the case. You need something more powerful to humidify a uke hanging in the room.
 
Has anyone actually used one of those Dampits to know whether they work or not? It seems to me like a good idea. The inside of the uke is not sealed, the outside is. It seems to me that getting the humidity inside would be good. But then, I'm just speculating, I've never used one.
 
You can't hang it and humidify the fretboard, etc.

Best for me (not for everyone): Under-bed Sterilite plastic box, car wash sponge, gallon freezer bag.
 
coolkayaker1 said:
You can't hang it and humidify the fretboard, etc.

Best for me (not for everyone): Under-bed Sterilite plastic box, car wash sponge, gallon freezer bag.
Click to expand...
So I take it that laminates need to live in a humidity controlled environment as well? Laminates have fretboards too.
 
I know that laminates are supposed to be less susceptible to potential damage with changes in temperature and humidity but I'm not sure why people are so quick to dismiss the need for humidifying one. The necks and fretboards are solid wood. The bracing within the uke are solid wood.

I didn't humidify my laminate for the first winter/dry season and noticed that I had to tune it a lot with the changes in humidity and I noticed that the fret edges were kind of sharp along the neck. I think it was acting like a concert size barometer and would go sharp or flat depending on which way the humidity was going. After I started humidifying it, there was a noticeable difference with the feeling of the fret ends along the neck and it would hold it's tune between playing sessions.
 
I always hang my ukes on hangers now that we live near the ocean. It is usually around 45% humidity in my office where I keep them (I still use a hygrometer to measure the humidity levels). This morning all of a sudden the hygrometer dropped down to around 30% -- so now they are all nestled snug in their cases with Oasis humidifiers in each case. So whatever option you end up choosing, I would highly recommend keeping a hygrometer in the room.
 
So right after I posted about them, I got one of those Dampits. I have a laminate uke, and I have a humidifier on my furnace that is set at 35%, but I don't measure it or anything like that to see, but any more than that causes a lot of condensation on my windows. So my uke sets on a stand in the corner of the living room. But since day one, my uke has needed a little tuning adjustment every day. Not even all the strings, but generally the C string needs a tweek, sometimes the G. I got the Dampit and I stuck it in my uke on the 17th. I have not had to tune it since. Spot on every day. I have no idea what that means.
 
The way I've always understood a fretboard was it was the only unsealed wood on a instrument build and this is why we maintain and seal it with wax or lemon oil. The neck itself is sealed in back by the finish and front by the glue to bind the fretboard. Of course the braces are also solid but honestly I haven't formed an opinion on that yet.

I think the body of a laminate ukulele is more stable against cracking due to humidity than a solid body ukulele. I also believe it was the Dampit site that sold a sock thing to humidify a guitars neck.

~peace~
 
mikelz777 said:
I know that laminates are supposed to be less susceptible to potential damage with changes in temperature and humidity but I'm not sure why people are so quick to dismiss the need for humidifying one. The necks and fretboards are solid wood. The bracing within the uke are solid wood.

I didn't humidify my laminate for the first winter/dry season and noticed that I had to tune it a lot with the changes in humidity and I noticed that the fret edges were kind of sharp along the neck. I think it was acting like a concert size barometer and would go sharp or flat depending on which way the humidity was going. After I started humidifying it, there was a noticeable difference with the feeling of the fret ends along the neck and it would hold it's tune between playing sessions.
Click to expand...
What does it mean that the fret "edges" were getting sharp? What are the edges of the frets and what is sharpening them?

I wasn't that worried about my uke, but I read the post and thought that I didn't have anything to lose, buying one of the Dampits and putting it in there. It is something to do.
 
Last edited:
Rllink said:
What does it mean that the fret "edges" were getting sharp? What are the edges of the frets and what is sharpening them?

I wasn't that worried about my uke, but I read the post and thought that I didn't have anything to lose, buying one of the Dampits and putting it in there. It is something to do.
Click to expand...

It means the fretboard has dried and shrunk, so the fret wires (which stay the same size) seem to suddenly be poking out the sides instead of being neatly fitted and flush with the side of the fretboard.
 
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