Another humidity question

sampost51

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I recently picked up a Kala Zircote tenor - great uke for the price. I believe it's a laminate, should I be concerned about the low humidity levels in the coming months? Thanks
 
I humidify everything. Many laminates have some wooden part such as the fretboard. I found that a laminate Luna benefited from humidification. Before the humidifier I could feel the frets at the edge of the fretboard. After using a humidifier, the frets felt smoother. However I don't stress over having it humidified all the time as I do with my solid wood expensive ukuleles.

I'm sure some will disagree with me, but this is my experience. :)
 
I recently picked up a Kala Zircote tenor - great uke for the price. I believe it's a laminate, should I be concerned about the low humidity levels in the coming months? Thanks

Every person’s risk tolerances are different. Laminates are much more durable when it comes to humidity related issues so people tend to not worry about humidification as much.

Enjoy your new uke! I would say in the vast majority of examples, an instrument that is “out” and within arm’s reach gets played way more than one stored in and returned to a properly humidified case.

Cheers!
 
I humidify everything. Many laminates have some wooden part such as the fretboard. I found that a laminate Luna benefited from humidification. Before the humidifier I could feel the frets at the edge of the fretboard. After using a humidifier, the frets felt smoother. However I don't stress over having it humidified all the time as I do with my solid wood expensive ukuleles.

I'm sure some will disagree with me, but this is my experience. :)

Right. Letting wood get excessively dry will not be good for anything - laminate or solid.
 
Yes, laminate ukes can require humidification too. Sure the body is much less prone to cracks, but too dry can cause braces to loosen inside, and fret sprout on the edges of fingerboard. Once you get fret sprout, it can be hard to get rid of, often requiring filing. Just easier to humidify from the start.
 
I started making my own humidifiers last year, and we're just about to the weather where I needs to start using them again.

I use both 50ml and 20ml test tubes. The 20mls go in the sound hole, the 50ml just in case. I check them every week or so...sometimes two weeks depending on how things are going. I drop a 20ml in my laminate hanging ukuleles, too...and that's my indicator...when the water beads are dry in them, it's time to hydrate everything.

That said, I am always grateful in winter for my Outdoor and other plastic ukuleles--the new Enya looks to be a winner in my book, although it's a little too early to draw conclusions.

 
Laminate or not, always worth keeping tabs on the humidification. We actually found a company, Boveda, that has very clever humidification packs which we are now going to be including with all our ukuleles. I say intelligent because they suck humidity out of the air if it's too humid, and release humidity if too dry. You can select the humidity level you need as they supply the packs with different %age humidity. You just need to change the packs every 6 months. If you have an expensive ukulele, especially custom hand-made ones like ours, it's a small price to pay to keep the wood in good shape.

You can find out more info here: https://bovedainc.com/store/music-wood-instruments/
 
I'm a fan of the Boveda stuff too. As far as I know, they make what is the D'addario Humidipak system, which is where I first learned about them.
I don't think you can put a set time limit on them though. It depends on the environment and uke. One person might only get a short time out of them and another months.

I was able to "recharge" some that had gotten too dry by sealing them up with a heavily soaked sponge or similar. Then put them back in with the instrument to let moisture back out as needed. So long as they don't leak it's all good...but using them longer might increase the chances...That's my disclaimer. :p
 
I have a Córdoba with solid mahogany top with laminate back and sides plus an all laminate Kala. I’ve had both ukes for over two years and they have never been humidified or in a case. I’m in Reno, Nevada with average humidity around 25 - 30%, I’ve had no problems at all. However my solid ukes are humidified.

It surprises me that the solid top on the Córdoba is just fine!
 
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