Humidifiers and Gig Bags???

I live in Connecticut where we have varying humidity throughout the year. If I have a uke I'd like to protect but only have a gig bag for it......would a humidifier do the trick OR should I get a less permeable hard case w/ humidifier instead. humidifier= $4 DIY....or....tenor hard case=$100. I'm on the horns of a dilemna...........it IS a solid uke.

well i haven't ever heard of anyone using a humidifier in a gigbag before, but im guessing it could work...? But i would think just leaving it in ur gigbag would protect it somewhat from the humidity changes.

ps... it is a solid uke, right?

I would get the humidifier.

bnicholas26 said:

I live in Connecticut where we have varying humidity throughout the year. If I have a uke I'd like to protect but only have a gig bag for it......would a humidifier do the trick OR should I get a less permeable hard case w/ humidifier instead. humidifier= $4 DIY....or....tenor hard case=$100. I'm on the horns of a dilemna.

Click to expand...

Hey I'm sure the humidifier would help, it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing! I think it'd difficult to maintain the humidity/temperature in the case though because of the material used and the zips etc so I think in the long term you'll need a hard case.

MGM has a lightweight case for $35, and a rectangular case for $80 which is a pretty good deal:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-Lightweight-Hardshell-TENOR-UKULELE-case_W0QQitemZ330336423505QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item4ce995ce51&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

And check this out in the UU marketplace:

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14744

same post as the one I made above...

do those silica gel bags work?

krabbers said:

do those silica gel bags work?

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Hey silica is a desiccant which means it takes moisture out of the air but yeah it works to control humidity! My case came with it but as the humidity where I live stays at roughly 45% all the time I don't ever have to use the silica.

u shud get the hard case for sure though, its just necessary sometimes and protects ur uke to the point that u don't have to worry about it.

The gig-bag I have is foam lined and I only need to use the humidifier during the dry winter months here. My humidifier is a home made sponge in a pill bottle that works perfectly fine with a cheap hygrometer in the bag as well. It seemed to take a little while before the humidity levels went up but it did the trick. I assume it takes a little while for the moisture to be absorbed by the foam padding of the gig bag and probably dissipates it fairly quickly as well which requires adding more water to the humidifier more often.

As with my acoustic guitars I do this for the first few seasons to slowly acclimate the instrument which is usually bought from a different part of the continent. Once acclimated (seasoned) I'm hoping the instrument is used to the climate here and leave them in the open. I like my wood acoustic instruments and it would be a shame to hide this art work in a case. I have yet to have one crack, but if it did it would be hung on the wall just for the art it is and I would move on.

Kind of a related but opposite question:-

It's very humid here for most of the year. Right now I've got one of those packets (the kind you get from say, a bag of crisps) inside my gig bag. Is this enough to ensure a pleasant humidity level for the uke? Will it make it overly dry?