Ukulele climate question

tunafish

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Hello Im new to the forums and tried searching for an answer but couldn't find it anywhere so I thought I would try posting for the first time.

I was planning on purchasing a new ukulele but I live in a very cold part of Japan. Currently the weather outside is about 25degrees fahrenheit. A lot of ukulele sites I went to said that you have to be sure to keep your uke out of extremely hot conditions, but I couldn't find anything about cold weather. Most houses in Japan aren't insulated so if my heater isn't on it cant get to about 44 or 46 degrees in my house. I was just wondering if anyone knew if I would be able to keep an ukulele in the house (with a humidifier) or should I just wait until I move to a warmer place before buying one.
 
I'm not a luthier but do live in a cold climate so here's my thoughts (right of wrong) Tempurature isn't as important as humidity unless there is a rapid temp change which might effect a gloss finish. If your looking at getting a moderate to lower price ukulele I would say go ahead. If your going to by an upperend one you may want to wait. Do get a hygrometer (for the case if that's there you store it) and try to keep the humidity in the 40%'s. Home make humidifiers using water absorbing crystal (usually available at a gardening store) are good for case storing. Good Luck and happy strumming
 
Temperature and humidity both need to be considered. No matter how much you try to humidify, cool air simply can not hold as much moisture as warm air does. That's why when the temperature drops the humidity usually follows.
 
One final thought. The strings will contract when colder adding more tension on the bridge, neck, etc. I don't know the amount of added stress but you may consider detuning the strings if the room is getting into the 40's
 
Also, you need to be really careful about taking a uke from a cold area to a warm area. For example, if your uke is in the cold for a long time and you bring it into a drastically different warmer temperature, you might experience some surface cracking. That's why when you get a uke shipped to you, you should always allow it to acclimate to the temperature of your room before opening it
 
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