Humidifier

Brenda Wong · Apr 20, 2015

I live in Canada. I have 2 solid wood classical guitars, neatly stored in a hard case (more like cardboard case) One is built in the 1970's by a Japanese company name Suzuki , the other one is a Martin and don't even have a hard case. I don't think Humidifier was even available in those years. I just took them out , changed new strings before giving them away to a friend's son. Both of them still play very well. No damage to the wood or sound quality. They have been collecting dust in the corner of my room for 40 years.

I am just curious why two big guitars seem unharmed without humidifier and we need one for a small uku? You would think wood is wood regardless of the type.

Mik · Apr 20, 2015

I'd like to know this as well since I live in a northern climate. My best guess is that perhaps due to uke being thinner?

RichM · Apr 20, 2015

Solid wood instruments, including guitars, should be properly humidified. Generally, that means keeping them at roughly 40-50% RH, which is the RH that most builders adhere to. In many climates, that means humidifying at least part of the year. Failing to do so may result in cracks, stressed glue joints, loose braces, or lowered action from the soundboard sinking.

Wood is organic and doesn't always behave the same way in all situations. So many people have stories of instruments that received no humidification, and have suffered no ill effects. Poor humidification is not a guarantee of problems. However, keeping an instrument humidified requires so little effort, why take the chance? Damage from dryness most definitely *does* happen.

Brenda Wong · Apr 20, 2015

Mik said:
I'd like to know this as well since I live in a northern climate. My best guess is that perhaps due to uke being thinner?

That's a good guess. Never thought of it that way!

spookelele · Apr 20, 2015

guitars crack from humidity too though. Maybe where you live doesn't get that dry?
The other thing I wonder.. is how much speed affects it. If the whole thing dries slowly and evenly, I don' think it would crack either.

Like... bacon. When you fry it in a pan it ends up much more wavy than if you bake it in the oven, where it can cook fairly flat. I think it's the uneven stress that causes cracking. If the whole thing shrank slowly and evenly, maybe it's not as much stress? This is entirely speculation, but it makes sense in my head

Rllink · Apr 20, 2015

I agree with a lot of what Rich says. I think it is important to remember that cracking can result from being exposed to periods of low humidity. The important word here is "can". That doesn't mean that a wooden instrument is guaranteed to crack if it is not taken care of, it means that it is more likely to crack. So in the case of your guitar, just because it didn't crack, does not mean that storing it at the proper humidity is a waste of time and effort, or that all this talk about humidifying you instruments is trash, all it means is that your guitars did not crack. I guess you might say, you were lucky. And if you leave it the same way, maybe you will continue to be lucky, and that does not really prove anything. But it seems to me that properly humidifying an instrument is cheap insurance.

mikelz777 · Apr 20, 2015

I agree with what Rllink said that the odds of it cracking are higher if it is dry and in the end, humidifying is cheap insurance. Once it's cracked, it's too late and all you're left with are regrets and a uke in need of repair. I think it can make a difference in the sound as well, at least enough that I was able to notice it when I started humidifying a previously unhumidified uke. It makes a difference with the fret board as well. Once I started humidifying a previously unhumidified uke during the heating/winter months, I noticed that the fret ends were no longer sharp/rough because the fret board had swelled enough to cover them again.

wayfarer75 · Apr 20, 2015

Brenda Wong said:
I am just curious why two big guitars seem unharmed without humidifier and we need one for a small uku? You would think wood is wood regardless of the type.

Big guitar? Size matters for the uke more because the body wood is thinner. Wood is wood? I think what matters most is how well the wood is treated by the builder. There was a thread here recently about wood stability, and some were of different minds about whether one wood is less prone to movement than another. There are a lot of old ukes that haven't cracked, and plenty others that have. Guitars are no different.

kkimura · Apr 20, 2015

I had a uke club member tell me that she dreaded the coming Summer humidity. She said her ukes sound best just before they explode.

Inksplosive AL · Apr 20, 2015

Anything wood is subject to damage from over or under humidification.

Its 2015 and we are all internet savvy enough to find our way here. A simple Google search (or search engine of your choice) will show the how low humidity can indeed cause much the same damage to guitars as well as ukuleles. Heck according to Michael and son this damage extends to your furniture, floors, doors, cabinets and even pianos! Not to mention your health.

http://www.michaelandson.com/blog/the-danger-of-dry-air/

Brenda Wong · Apr 21, 2015

Bill1 said:
http://www.fretboardjournal.com/blog/catch-day-1969-martin-n-20
Martin classical guitars from the 1970s are like gold, as are Suzuki classical guitars from the same time. If you are giving them away, make sure the new owner is aware of their history and does not think they are old beaters from a garage.

My friend's son (14 years old) is the one told me the Martin is a treasure. He kept asking me if I am sure I want to give it to him for free. He didn't say anything about the Suzuki though. The Suzuki was my first guitar. I am more attached to that one. The Martin came after and was a gift from a friend who don't play anymore. That's very interesting find

igorthebarbarian · Apr 21, 2015

Living in AZ a year round desert, I am trying for only laminates (but fail at that)

itsme · Apr 21, 2015

I live in northeast Los Angeles. It's usually pretty moderate here. I have these hygrometers in three rooms.

http://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00613A1-Indoor-Humidity-Monitor/dp/B0013BKDO8/

They give you the high/low for both humidity and temp over the last 24 hrs. It seldom dips below 40% and all of my ukes and other instruments are kept in their cases when not in use.

Humidifier

Brenda Wong

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Mik

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RichM

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Brenda Wong

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