Guitar Care: It's the Humidity

Guitar: "It's not the heat, it's the humidity!"

Now that fall is here, (or just about), we have to start thinking about the care & feeding of our acoustics a bit more.  The best place to keep control over temperature & humidity is still the guitar case.  I prefer the molded thermoplastic cases that came with my Martin Guitars and keep a hygrometer / thermometer inside each one.  Gigbags are great but they are porous and will not maintain optimal humidity and temperature conditions very well.  You need to get serious about storing and monitoring your instruments during times of excessive wetness as well as drier days that come with the fall.  PHOTO: Planet Waves Hygrometer

Now I've been guilty in the past of "over-feeding" my Martin acoustics as top guitar technician, Dave Doll can attest.  I was using the older Humidi-Pak by Planet Waves without a monitoring system inside the case.  As I could not tell what the levels were, the guitars became over humidified and difficult to play, (think REALLY high action).  The Humidi-Pak claims to regulate the humidity, adding/subtracting moisture so you stay roughly between 45-55%.  It's been very rainy the past few weeks and I have to say that the humidity in the case only went up to 59% so I'll call that a success. All the same, I think it's a mistake to leave any humidifying gadget inside your guitar or case without periodically checking to see how the guitar's levels are interacting with the environment.

Another way of dealing with low humidity levels is to simply humidify your ambient environment and store your guitars in a climate controlled room or area.  Your recording studio should definitely be under climate control especially for the benefit of your most precious instrument, your voice.  I like to keep at least one guitar out on the stand for easy access so it's great when the whole studio is properly keep at the right moisture level. PHOTO: Air O Swiss Travel Humidifier

The BEST Guitar polish...
I don't like to polish my guitars that often and I've been told to let the wood breathe for a full year on a new guitar.  Part of keeping the wood moisturized is to use a good guitar polish.  Everyone has their favorite mixtures and elixirs but Virtuoso Instrument Cleaner and Polish are some of the best I've ever used.  The most impressive results will come if you clean and polish your guitar before they get embedded with grime and dirt.  Still the Virtuoso cleaner does a very good job of even dealing with poor, neglected instruments.  I like Martin's Polishing Cloths and try to wipe my guitars down after every use.  Since they all have a light coat of Virtuoso Polish at this point, that;a quite easy and those forearm smudges are a thing of the past. 

The Wrap
Keep in mind that when you buy a new quality acoustic guitar from a reputable dealer, it will be kept in a climate controlled area such as what you see here at Russo's Music Center.  Once the guitar leaves that perfect environment, it begins to dry out.  The sound of that perfectly conditioned guitar is most likely what led you to buy it, right?  You can keep that first spark alive by properly humidifying your instrument at home or in the studio.

This Martin Sustainable Series Guitar is kept in the store at 45-55% humidity.

Humidity to Go

The Air O Swiss Portable Ultrasonic Humidifier is travel-ready!

Acoustics are more prone to drying out!

If you depend on your guitar and voice at least in part to make a living, you really need to protect your investments.  Winter dryness can wreak havoc with your acoustic guitar's structure and ability to stay in tune.  Really the same holds true for your voice!  Traveling poses a real threat to both because you have no control over the airplane cabin or hotel room's humidity levels.  Airplanes are notoriously dry so there's not much you can do about that but once you arrive at your destination, there is a workable solution to rehydrate yourself AND your instruments.

Air O Swiss makes a full range of ultrasonic humidifiers for the home and studio with some vocalists having one in each room to maintain optimal humidity levels, (between 45-55%).  Once you leave that comfortably controlled environment, well, you're on your own!
Air O Swiss has an answer for that too.  The AOS 7146 Travel Ultrasonic Humidifier offers a super lightweight, portable unit that gives you humidity output of 1 gallon a day using a simple plastic water bottle!  The no-leak adapter and balancing feet make it tip proof and stable plus it's quiet in operation.

The Air O Swiss 7146 Travel Ultrasonic Humidifier

This portable humidifier can be placed on your night stand or dresser for a great night's sleep.  The cool microfine mist immediately evaporates and if you are using bottled water you'll enjoy pure, fresh air as well.  Place your guitar on its stand and it will naturally absorb the moisture from the room humidifier. Both you AND your guitar can sleep well!  I've found my acoustic guitars staying in tune longer when they are kept properly humidified.  I also have less sinus and vocal issues in the morning after sleeping with an ultrasonic humidifier.  Now you don't have to leave behind all the comforts of home.  Take clean, moist air with you everywhere you go, even on tour.



Look in our banner ad section for more tips on Guitar Humidification including a video with Bob Taylor of Taylor Guitars!   Also check out Levy's Leathers Touring Bag for your mics and cables.

Guitar and Vocal Humidification

Oh yes! Winter is fast approaching and the humidity in the air is already doing a nose-dive. Low humidity,(below 40%), can wreak havoc on your instruments causing soundboards to crack and strings to go quickly out of tune. There is another instrument that we all own but often take for granted. That is our voice. Nose, ear and throat specialists have identified a condition known as Environmental Laryngitis. The symptoms of EL are: nasal and chest congestion, cough, watery eyes and constant throat clearing which often leads to the loss of your voice. Dry air can also leave mucus membranes in the nose and throat unable to defend themselves against airborne germs and pathogens. This need not happen if you use both an air cleaner and humidifier in your studio.

If you have a large studio area and don't want to have to refill humidifier tanks daily, we recommend the AIR-O-SWISS 2071 Combi-Unit. It is both a humidifier and air cleaner combined. This professional quality unit has two HEPA and one active carbon filter plus two water tanks for carefree operation. We have used this in the larger area rooms and found an almost instant improvement in air quality and humidity. The active carbon filter eliminates odors instantly. The HEPA filter traps the smallest micron sized particles such as dust, dander, dust mites and pollen. It has three settings and offers silent operation on low which makes it perfect for use in your recording studio. Silence is golden! Photo right: AOS 2071 Air Cleaner & Humidifier Combined.

What about a small studio or bedroom? AIR-O-SWISS has solutions for adding humidity to these areas as well. For smaller studio spaces up to 860 sq feet, the AOS 7142 Digital Warm & Cool Mist Ultrasonic humidifier is perfect. This unit offers everything. A mineral cartridge which eliminates the "white dust" often found with other humidifiers. An ion silver stick which keeps the water in the unit clean and bacteria free. A warm mist setting which heats the mist exiting the humidifier to a comfy 104 degrees. This means it will not lower the ambient temperature of the room. It is recommended that you keep your instruments between 40-45% humidity. The AOS 7142 has a digital hydrometer and shuts off when the selected humidity level is reached. With a unit like this, you can have your instruments out on their stands and they will stay in tune longer because the room itself is properly humidified. Good for you AND your instruments! Photo right: AOS 7142 Ultrasonic Humidifier

If you have a smaller bedroom or area of up to 650 sq feet, the AOS 7144D can handle it. This is perfect for vocalists especially who may need a smaller unit in different work areas but still want many of the same features offered by the AOS 7142. Therefore AIR-O-SWISS has a model of humidifier / air cleaner for every space need. Since using them, I have recovered more comfortably from colds and hoarseness. In fact last year, despite a terrible upper respiratory infection, I did not lose my singing voice. That was a first for me. After using the AOS 2071 Air Cleaner & Humidifier combination unit, my breathing is completely clear and I no longer suffer from congestion, coughing and constant throat clearing which was causing my vocals to be strained. These are the best solutions I've found to Environmental and cold related Laryngitis. If you value your musical instruments and your voice, take a hard look at your home and studio's air quality and humidity. You'll never know how good you could sound unless you address these important environmental factors. Photo left: AOS 7144D Ultrasonic Humidifier

Visit the AIR-O-SWISS banner ads to your left or online at: http://www.airoswiss.net/

Just in Case....

Obviously you can't take your pollen free, perfectly humidified air with you on the road! You'll need another solution to keeping the humidity at just the right level inside the guitar case. Planet Waves makes perhaps the neatest solution to in case humidification that I've seen so far. Simple, easy to use, it is their Acoustic Guitar Humidifier. Wet the little sponge. Slip it back in the holder. Place unit between the strings down into the sound hole. Close the lid. That's it! Depending on the ambient or surrounding humidity, it will keep your guitar humidified for about 4 days. It is great for trips and gigs out of town where you can not be sure of the surrounding mositure levels. Planet Waves does it again! I keep one in both my acoutsic guitar cases and found that when I take them out to play, they are not way out of tune. A couple of minor tuning tweaks and I'm playing! Photo left: Planet Waves Acoustic Guitar Humidifier.

http://www.planetwaves.com/

In the Works: "Makin' a list, checkin' it twice..." It's that time of year again! Yes, we are making our final selections for our list of 2009's Best Guitar Accessories! Wait till you see what we've found for you, just in time for the Holidays. Gift giving time is almost here so check our review first. Right now you can check out 2009's Top Gifts for Audiophiles over at the Best Picks BLOG by clicking here: http://www.angelfire.com/ak/anakee/drmiczak/index.blog/1345195/2009s-top-gifts-for-audiophiles/