humidifiers?

hi guys,

today after 5 years playing at my home, I saw that it looks like it is needed to maintain the guitars with humidity, so my question to you is:

1) is it true? If my house humidity is below 40% (right now is 18%) it could danger my accoustic and clasical guitar?

2) if this is indeed true, which method do you recomend, looking in amazon I see mainly two types:

this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DKAQGTG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucajr-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00DKAQGTG&linkId=4fa157b12c0225655e0cc30a813b53f0

and

this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GLHF4I/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucajr-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B004GLHF4I&linkId=60b08c54dde120a928c1e31ba334c63d

finnaly, do you use any method to measure the humidity in the guitar?

thank you in advance!

cheers

Charles

Charles, it is definitely true that you need "to maintain the guitars with humidity". I'm not qualified to talk on this subject with authority but I have seen enough experts in the field stress this that I believe it to be true. As an example, I once saw Gregg Voros, Master guitar tech at Gruhn guitars and Instructor on Learn and Master Guitar Set-up and Maintenance, demonstrate guitars damaged by it in a video.

I don't know that you need to, or if there is a method, measure humidity in a guitar. Monitoring the humidity in the environment, in the room your guitars are in, should be adequate. I live in a part of the country that is brutally cold and dry in the winter and miserably hot and humid in the summer. I just bought a cheap indoor thermometer/hygrometer of Amazon. I think it was less than $20 and seems sufficient for my needs.

I didn't go to the methods you linked. I use a room humidifier.

Which reminds me!!! It's time to get the dehumidifier out! Where did I put it last fall?!?!

Maintaining proper humidity is yet another reason to store the guitar in its case when it isn't being played. In many locales it's difficult to impossible to maintain the proper humidty in an open room, e.g., in a climate like matonanjin2 describes or in the dry winter cold and arid summer like mine. Note I say that with no experience with room humidifiers. Raising the humidty in the house/in a room is something I've tried to avoid my whole life.

Virtually all experts recommend a humidty of 45 - 55% for guitars. It's more important for acoustics than solid body electrics but, beyond concern for the body of a guitar, humidity (or lack of it) can cause problems with the fretboard too. FYI, there is such a thing as too much humdity for a guitar.

First step -- find out what humidty your guitar is sitting in. I use a small, cheap gauge I got from the Walmart hardware section. When in the case it fits nicely at the top of the guitar's head. If the guage shows a need for a better humidty environment do indeed get a humidifier. Second step -- do a Bing search and you'll find many different kinds; search YouTube and you'll find lots of instruction about how to build your own. For my acoustic, I use a combination; a store-boought for the body's interior, a home-made one for up under the neck.

Be aware of air conditioning. A/C can skew a room's humidty (that's it's purpose) and, even if your climate doesn't call for keeping your guitar safe, the a/c might. The same applies to some heating systems, e.g., forced air. Static electricity, those little sparks you get moving around a dry room, is a hint you need to check your guitar's environment.

Here at GT, go visit the Guitar Tech sub-forum. A search there will reveal some threads about guitars and humidifiers.

I believe, as do almost all others, that a very low humidity will eventually damage a guitar (or other wood instruments). It may take take a long time... or it may not. Guitar humidifiers and storing the instrument in its case is cheap, easy insurance.

Good luck, have fun.

Thanks guys, for adding on this topic, today I've called a guitar store and ask about it also, the seller told me that he plays for 16 years now, with the same accoustic and never had to use any product, but he always store the guitar in the case, I guess I will start doing so, as right now, I have them on the wall, that looks cool and easy to pick up, but now that I am learning this, it is not worth it.

thanks again for your answers!

cheers