Humidity

Valerie

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 18, 2008
Messages
446
Reaction score
17
Location
South Hill, VA
So, UAS has struck, and I bought a new uke!!!

But... It's a solid wood instrument- and that means I'm a bit worried about humidity and wood cracking...

Anyways, where I live, the humidity seldomly drops below 50% (I live in a freaking swamp, after all...)

So, before, when I've had all solid wood instruments, I'd never really worry about cracks and such- as I figured the humidity was always about where it needed to be.

I also hate keeping instruments in cases- I like to hang them on my wall for easy access.

All that said... I'm already a little worried. I'd hate to get this new instrument and for it to get a crack. But... How worried should I be, really? I bought from MGM, and the outfit comes with a humidifier... (Which is what started my worrying...)


So ramble over, and here is my point: Is there some dead set rule about using humidifiers and checking humidity levels when it comes to solid wood ukes? Should I go out and buy a hygrometer right now, or can I just rely on the local weather channel's humidity readings???

Or can I do what I did for my old violin and guitar and not worry about humidity at all and just be happy that I live in the perfect inviroment for musical instruments?


BTW: today's humidity level??? 65%
 
If the temperature is moderate, you are in a perfect environment. If it gets sweltering hot and the relative humidity is high, you might be in trouble over the long run. Keep in mind that humidity is relative and hotter air can hold more moisture than colder air. So a relative humidity of 65% at 90 degrees has more moisture in the air than 65% at 70 degrees.

The most important factor is the change of temperature. As long as you don't have 50 degree swings during the seasons, you should be fine. Our temperature ranges between the 70s-90s in Hawaii and the humidity is usually between 60-70ish percent on a normal day. Most of us are lucky enough to be able to build without climate controlled rooms. Shops on the mainland and overseas usually build in a room that does have some form of climate control, or they just wait until the weather is suitable for building.

All wood instruments will try to adjust to their surroundings, so stability is the most important factor in maintaining the longevity. Settling in a couple of times shouldn't hurt a well built uke, but if it expands every summer and contracts every winter, damage is inevitable.
 
I keep the apartment at between 40%-50% in the winter just by using a small room humidifier or doing the laundry. Any lower than 40% and it's time to bring out the humidifier.

In the summer it's a non-issue, getting almost to 60% indoors, but the temp is inside is just about constant.

I have had one neck develope a crack already from those conditions, but it was only a surface crack and easily repairable by a local luthier. You can't see it anymore thanks to the wonderful invention called glue.
 
Average temp in my area, for fall, winter and spring is 75 degrees with humidity in the 60's. The coldest it's ever really gets is low 20's- and that's really rare... Maybe, one, two days a year it will be that cold. We really only have two seasons here: summer and not summer. Overall temperature ranges from 20-105 at the extreems. Take out the extreems and the average temp range is about 40-90. Closer to 40 in the winter month, closer to 90 in the summer, and around 75 during spring and fall.

Today was in the upper 50's.

Summer is different with the temp shooting up- but then we turn on the AC, keeping the house at about 85 degrees...

So, maybe I just need to get a hygrometer and just make sure the humidity doesn't drop too low in my room (or too high- which in my climate is the more likely occurance...)

I just hate the idea of keeping any instrument in a case! But... in the last few hours I've read lots of horror stories about instruments cracking and such... Which is kinda making me reconsider my cases are evil philosophy.
 
Last edited:
Sounds like you should be okay. It would still be a good idea to get a hygrometer and keep track of the temperature and relative humidity in your house, though.

Think of cases and humidifiers as insurance. Most people, myself included, don't like paying for car insurance, but you sure are thankful when you get in an accident. Some instruments might last a long time before sustaining damage due to the weather, but there's no way to predict when it will happen to which instrument. Keeping them properly humidified, or dehumidified is always a good idea.

I would say that you're in good shape if your violin and guitar have lasted, but again, it's nice to be safe.
 
I have several solid wood instruments here (Columbus, Ohio) and have never had an instrument crack. No, I don't use any humidifiers, although my guitar case has a built-in hygrometer. I have never had to worry living here, even though winters are cold. They are damp, too, because we are at low elevation and that has a lot more to do with it.

Dampness is not an issue unless you have so much that mildew develops and no instrument that is played regularly should experience that. In storage long-term, that's another thing.

Air Conditioning and heat blowing on an instrument can cause rapid changes in conditions, so, avoid that. It is better to keep instruments in their cases or boxes rather than be exposed to heat, cold, or sunlight, yes sunlight, as in direct sun.

If you live at higher elevations, that is when you have to worry the most.
 
Last edited:
There is ABSOLUTELY NO reason to keep a ukulele in a case or avoid proudly displaying it on a wall. The idea that a uke should be kept out of direct sunlight is ridiculous. Just use common sense. Ukuleles should remain above a 500 foot elevation above sea-level, in the relative humidty range mentioned above. Therefore you must move to the top of a mountain... in Hawaii. After that, all is right with the world.
 
I also live in a swamp and have had no problems with instruments. Low humidity is 50%, (they have burn bans when it get that low). Usually 65-90%temps summer L65- H95, winter L28 H78.

I also used to worry but now think high humidity here could be a worse problem, (bubbled up bridge area on guitars).

I'd play it for all it's worth and a good rule of thumb I've been told is if you can stand the temp the uke should be OK.
 
There is ABSOLUTELY NO reason to keep a ukulele in a case or avoid proudly displaying it on a wall. The idea that a uke should be kept out of direct sunlight is ridiculous. Just use common sense. Ukuleles should remain above a 500 foot elevation above sea-level, in the relative humidty range mentioned above. Therefore you must move to the top of a mountain... in Hawaii. After that, all is right with the world.

I am going to have to disagree with ABSOLUTELY NO reason. There rest of the post cotradicts that absolute statement. I am not a luither, but I did study building materials in school (wood) and wood does absorb moisture causing swell and relase moisture causing shrink. Swell or shrink could cause problems (cracks) in wood. I am pretty sure there are members, Nukedoc for one, that have a cracked ukes from displaying it on their wall. (pretty sure I read that somewhere)

As for Valerie just be careful I am sure if you keep it in an environment mentioned above you should be fine.

Oh yeah, congrates on the new uke and like Deach said, where's the pics?
 
i think everyone is missing the most important part of this post.

what did you get? Pics? Helllloooo.......

lol!.......

I'd certainly listen to K.Paul. He builds ukuleles and quite fine ones to boot.
 
Its an uke, not a crackbaby! Play it, display!! If it breaks, get a new one.

(I have a solid mahogany that rides in the trunk of my car... W/O a case!!!)
 
Its an uke, not a crackbaby! Play it, display!! If it breaks, get a new one.

(I have a solid mahogany that rides in the trunk of my car... W/O a case!!!)


Are you offering to buy her a new one when hers cracks? Mighty nice of you.
 
Its an uke, not a crackbaby! Play it, display!! If it breaks, get a new one.

(I have a solid mahogany that rides in the trunk of my car... W/O a case!!!)
-Well, I had to sell my guitar, and use all my x-mas money to raise the funds to buy this new uke (Koa Pili Koko concert size). So I want to take not just good care of it, but great.

After thinking about it... I've decided to not buy a hygrometer, as an accurate one is past my budget- and I don't see the point in spending 5-40 dollars on an inaccurate one (BUT!!! if anyone knows of a good, at least mostly accurate hygrometer for under 40 bucks...). But, what I will do is get a thermometer in my room.

I was considering keeping the uke in the case during the winter and keeping it out the rest of the year... But I actually doubt the case is air tight, so I'm not too sure if that would be much help... But I will most likely give it a try anyways.

It looks like I'll just have to risk it. I graduate from school in a year in a half. The uke just has to last that long.
 
... I've decided to not buy a hygrometer, as an accurate one is past my budget- and I don't see the point in spending 5-40 dollars on an inaccurate one (BUT!!! if anyone knows of a good, at least mostly accurate hygrometer for under 40 bucks...). ....

I've only seen the ones in pet stores and cigar humidors. Do you have a link to some that are more accurate?

Congrats on the KPK. Can't wait to hear it!
 
-Well, I had to sell my guitar, and use all my x-mas money to raise the funds to buy this new uke (Koa Pili Koko concert size). So I want to take not just good care of it, but great.

After thinking about it... I've decided to not buy a hygrometer, as an accurate one is past my budget- and I don't see the point in spending 5-40 dollars on an inaccurate one (BUT!!! if anyone knows of a good, at least mostly accurate hygrometer for under 40 bucks...). But, what I will do is get a thermometer in my room.

I was considering keeping the uke in the case during the winter and keeping it out the rest of the year... But I actually doubt the case is air tight, so I'm not too sure if that would be much help... But I will most likely give it a try anyways.

It looks like I'll just have to risk it. I graduate from school in a year in a half. The uke just has to last that long.

Your home isn't airtight either, but I assure you that the temperature and relative humidity in your home is different from the outside air.

I find your attitude a bit baffling. You acknowledge the risk of neglecting maintaining proper humidity, but your belief of "I don't like cases" overrides that risk? A person might as well buy a nice car but refuse to change the oil, or keep binging after gastric bypass surgery.

I am sure more people will pipe in with stories about how they've never humidified a wood instrument and it sounded like a Strad each time, just like everyone has a story about their Uncle Grady who survived a car crash because he was not wearing a seat belt. The fact is, most of the time Uncle Grady has to be scraped off the pavement with a spatula.

The price you paid for your KPK is an entry fee. What happens next is your call. I am interested in a KPK for my next ukulele, so I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the instrument once it arrives.
 
I guess my big thing with cases is this:

It's like buying a painting and then keeping it in a box- and only taking it out when you are in the mood to look at it. Sure, every now and then you'll pull it out to take a gander. But... If you had it out, hanging on your wall, you'd look at it more often.

The same is true with me and instruments. If I put them in their cases they tend to stay in the cases. But if I have them out, I play them much more often and get that much more enjoyment out of them.

But I know it's a bad habit- and that's why, up to now, I've never bought a solid wood uke.

However, the horror stories do have me worried and I think in the long run I'll probably just keep my other ukes out, and keep the KPK in the case- at least during the winter months (and I think buying a better case would be the best investment rather than buying a hygrometer that isn't accurate/ needs calibration every week~ So that's what I'm going to save up for right now...)

Maybe I am being dense about refusing to buy a hygrometer... But... My old violin case had a hygrometer ibuilt into it (one of those 8 dollar analog ones). My teacher told me not to go by it. She said many students ended up with cracked/warped instruments by trying to maintain proper humidity using a cheap hygrometer- and as I said before, good hygrometers are expensive...
 
I guess my big thing with cases is this:

It's like buying a painting and then keeping it in a box- and only taking it out when you are in the mood to look at it. Sure, every now and then you'll pull it out to take a gander. But... If you had it out, hanging on your wall, you'd look at it more often.

The same is true with me and instruments. If I put them in their cases they tend to stay in the cases. But if I have them out, I play them much more often and get that much more enjoyment out of them.

But I know it's a bad habit- and that's why, up to now, I've never bought a solid wood uke.

However, the horror stories do have me worried and I think in the long run I'll probably just keep my other ukes out, and keep the KPK in the case- at least during the winter months (and I think buying a better case would be the best investment rather than buying a hygrometer that isn't accurate/ needs calibration every week~ So that's what I'm going to save up for right now...)

Maybe I am being dense about refusing to buy a hygrometer... But... My old violin case had a hygrometer ibuilt into it (one of those 8 dollar analog ones). My teacher told me not to go by it. She said many students ended up with cracked/warped instruments by trying to maintain proper humidity using a cheap hygrometer- and as I said before, good hygrometers are expensive...

Argument by analogy is always fallacious. That having been said, the ambient air can have detrimental effect on painted art. Google "art restoration" for more, with the Sistine Chapel being perhaps the most notable example in recent times.

If your problem is "out of sight, out of mind", it occurs to me that the better solution is to change your attitude. This is good advice not just for the care of physical possessions, but other matters as well. What isn't in your direct view won't hurt you; it will kill you. Ounce of prevention and all that.

Humidifiers are dirt cheap. You can even make one from florist foam. A good hygrometer can be had for $30. That is not as expensive as replacing an instrument, and cheaper than a case. No case is going to magically maintain proper humidity.

EDIT: I hope you don't think I am giving you a hard time. That is not my intention. I just hate to see that lovely KPK in undue jeopardy. :)
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom