Bettersax reeds are made by Marca, not Rigotti.

Quick good explanations, thanks!

Hey Mark! I was lucky enough to attend the final AWG performance in St Louis last week.

cool😎

great job, Mark!

Mark, you didn’t disappoint! So well done. The guitar really works. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome Mark, Love the guitar work too ❤️ A very, very merry Christmas to you and your family!

my own custom harmonicas are tuned like this, called just intonation 19 limit, so wonderful to open ears. sadly most gitarists do not even understand the just intonation❤

Looking forward to hearing your version!

Super!

Every concert I've attended outdoors??? Hmmmm.... I think I'm soon going to see a trend of people selectively boycotting if not altogether bucking Martin Guitars due to the express need to rock on outside those given parameters.

Terry Irish started writing and singing his own original songs just before he turned 60! Proof that the best years are yet to come! I am so happy that we met. We are making his 6th album!

I've just noticed how many instruments this man plays! he is so very talented, I'm a year 7 who has started on saxophone and Flute, and Mark, you have helped me more than my teacher! i love these videos! keep up the amazing work!

For me, a single good reed lasts over two months of active daily gigging, playing non-stop for five hours each session. This remarkable longevity is primarily due to three key factors: the efficiency of my embouchure, the natural soaking of the reed with saliva during play, and meticulous cleaning and storage after each use. I store my reeds in a sealed plastic bag, which helps maintain their integrity and prevents warping. For the past 17 years, I’ve performed solo with backing tracks six nights a week, playing softly rather than loudly for five hours straight each night. This extensive experience has taught me the immense value of proper reed care for achieving consistent performance and durability. My preferred reeds include Vandoren Blue Box 2.5, ZZ 3, Rico Orange Box 3, and Boston Sax Shop 3. These reeds, when paired with my 9* Guardala tip-opening mouthpiece, maintain their resilience and avoid the common issue of closing up, which is a primary cause of reed failure. This level of reed longevity also highlights the importance of an efficient embouchure. A well-balanced embouchure facilitates optimal vibration without excessive effort, while saliva soaking helps the reed retain its flexibility. Furthermore, maintaining a balanced approach to reed pressure and airflow prevents unnecessary strain and moisture buildup, which can degrade the reed over time. By paying attention to these critical elements, I’ve consistently achieved a reliable, high-quality tone while maximizing reed longevity. With a box of five reeds, I can confidently sustain my performances for at least eight months before requiring replacements.

That sounds jazzy as hell, but i cant read sheet music or play any instruments, still, sick sax playin dude

Thanks! This was very helpful. Could you do a similar video for the flute in Locomotive Breath? Particularly the solo. Thanks again!

Instruments from the Renaissance have survived just fine without powered air conditioning or humidity controlling salts. Modern instruments having this trouble are simply made of sub-par materials. Historically only gourd based instruments needed special care in regards to humidity to survive. Before someone wants to 'correct' me by example of argumentum ad absurdity; spare me. Guitars were peasant folk instruments carried by wayfaring troubadours in the middle ages who couldn't afford lutes, if a modern instrument can't handle a fifth of the temperature/humidity variation those instruments experienced it's simply cheap garbage being sold for more than it is worth to unsuspecting customers. 'Take better care of it' is cope by sunk cost suckers who paid way too much for lemons.

I played the flute in my youth. And I LOVE Marshall tucker. Beautiful.😊

I have two Taylor guitars that live in their cases with humidifiers, I have had to have the necks reset on both and they are only two years old. I have a inexpensive Epiphone that is 30 years old can stay out on a stand and has never had a problem. I'm thinking of trading the taylors in for something all laminate - I'm sick of babying them.

A guitar should be kept in a hermetically sealed glass box at all times. That way no one ever plays it and they won’t contact Martin about the warranty

They don't have much choice, the ideal humidity/temp is the one that existed when/where the guitar was constructed. If they built it in 20% humidity @ 40F, then that would be the ideal conditions because the wood swells and shrinks to the current humidity. The one they chose is a middle ground that is based on "average" indoor conditions. That said, being "far away" for extended periods is required in order to be a problem unless it is very extreme like a car trunk on a hot day. Any of these guitars will survive just fine outside the range so long as it isn't for extended periods. I own similar of these guitars and some of them for 20+ years without issue nor having to be exactly within conditions all the time. TLDR: The idea that one of these guitars are going to fail and have it's warranty declined because one played it in 70% humidity at 90F at a show, is not going to happen because the guitar isn't going to fail under those conditions. This requires a mild amount of rational sensibility. ;)

The product should be warrentied for the range of environment it is expected to be used in. I don't think any one of their customers is expecting to play inside their factories.

Apparently you need a humidor for your cigars and guitars.

Interestingly, while temperature onboard of the International Space Station satisfies the guitar maker requirement, humidity up there is much higher - about 60% (which is normal for humans), and yet there have been cases of guitars stored and played in severe lack of gravity.

These things are simply a dice roll. It's really hard to offer a warrantee on something made from wood which has unfinished surfaces (the entire inside), because it's just the nature of wood to be unpredictable. You really only can reasonably make any guarantees if the instrument is stored in a similar manner to which the wood was aged and stabilised at. I don't see any problem with this and your reaction on this, however humourous, is a bit hyperbolic imo. I bought a lute last year which cracked over winter - the entire soundboard split. I didn't humidity control it. I've had a guitar, a zither, a violin, viola, as well as woodwinds, which I never had problems with so climate control just wasn't on my mind. But the lute is made of VERY thin wood, so it's much more susceptible to climate - which I was reminded of only after the damage was done. I could send it back and they offered to replace it, but the same thing will likely happen to its replacement unless I humidify my home. Seems the better option for me is to let the instrument settle in my climate where it will live, and if it cracks then I repair the cracks and bingo I have an instrument that's stabilised where I live. To be fair, I'll probably be buying a humidifier anyways, it will be better for my plants in winter too. I live in northeast US where it is "humid" according to that map, but indoor humidity when running a furnace all winter just sucks the place dry, so you can't really go by the map. For now I just store my lute in a plastic bag with a damp tissue and a hygrometer - cracks closed up and it plays fine, though I'll have to glue them up eventually. I bought a few of the cheapest hygrometers on Amazon, tested them in a variety of conditions, and they all read consistently within 1%, even after I accidentally left one out in the rain and thought I ruined it. I'm not so worried about maintaining the correct humidity as I am avoiding big swings, because that's what causes the damage, so even cheap dodgy monitors will do the job for that. Guitars are made of MUCH thicker wood, so they USUALLY won't crack. But still if you get unlucky with a piece of wood that went into making your guitar, it can still happen in rare situations, and it'll probably the climate that made it happen. If you buy quality instruments and actually care about them, you SHOULD be climate controlling them just to give them the best chance. You wouldn't keep fish in a dirty aquarium.

My brother, in christ, get a humidifier/dehumidifier.

Martin makes these really thin wood guitars that sound beautiful in ideal conditions. I just got a solid body Alvarez and I was surprised at how finicky it is compared to the plywood bodies I have. I have to hold it like a baby. It took a lot of getting used to. Mostly, if I keep it in it's case, it behaves all right. I don't do anything about moisture. I know I would forget and let it dry out which would probably be worse. I like it though. It has a great sound, but I've heard compared to a Martin it's nothing. I'm satisfied. An electric would be so much easier but I don't like the sound.

Buy a decent room humidifier and a hydrometer. Fill up the humidifier during the dry times of the year to keep the room in which they are kept around 40-60%. Problem solved. Source - sold solid wood instruments for over 20 years and owned them for over 35. Live in an area where the humidity dips to around 10% in the winter. Rarely if ever had a problem with cracking or warping if I was able to maintain this baseline.

I like how this guy acts like their climate requirements are SO exacting... 45-55% humidity at 72-77 is room temp...he said it needs to be stored. Stored. Not that you can't take it outside...you can't STORE it outside. If you are unable or unwilling to STORE your guitar at ROOM TEMPERATURE, don't buy one. I wouldn't buy an airplane without a hanger, and I sure wouldn't complain about the plane if i decided to buy it and keep it in a way that we know won't keep it in good condition. No, you don't need an air-tight case to keep humidity around 50%. I started typing too soon. This guy thinks a weather map of the US is somehow proof that an acoustic guitar can't be owned if outside temp gets too low or high. My house hasn't been over 50% humidity or over 72 degrees in 20 years, and guess what...it doesnt matter which zone my house is in. I have AC and heating to keep it exactly 70 degrees all year, and i would bet 99.9% of Martin owners are just as lucky as me. Wow, this guy really is a ball of obnoxious.

I live in a place where it could be anywhere from minus 30C to plus 15 Celsius. I have 10+ acoustic guitars with no problems. These Martin and Taylor comps are ripping off consumers with low quality products these days with low tier untreated wood. It has nothing to do with acoustic guitars in general. Acoustic guitars are lovely instruments.

Maybe they should start building them in uncontrolled environments.

I've had a Yamaha C40 for 20 years, could not be happier

Sure, if you don't want to follow their recommendations that's fine. Other instruments are easier to own like you said. Even if you visit a big music store they regulate the humidity of their acoustic guitar room(s). I doubt that 72 - 77 F is really as important as the humidity. Especially if you have an old acoustic with no truss rod it's really good to take care of it otherwise you end up needing an expensive neck reset. Good luck with your guitar!

Great work. Rip Greg Ham

Maybe I’ve gotten lucky but I never worry about humidity. My guitars went from pretty high humidity in the Midwest for a decade to now In Phoenix AZ with no humidity for a few years and nothing ever happened. I’m just simply not doing all that extra crap. Shouldn’t be any reason for it.

I think big guitar manufacturers are just trying to cover their butts. My guitar was made in a tiny shop in Andalucía, Spain. Humidity and temps were definitely not in the range specified by the manufacturers in this video. It has been from Andalucía to Seattle. I currently live in the middle of the US where it is hot and humid in the summer and frigid and dry in the winter. I have had not problems with it due to either heat or humidity in the 10 years I've played it. It's always kept in a high quality case when I'm not playing it.

When they're talking about wood and warranties, it totally makes sense. They can't guarantee how wood will move when taken outside the optimum parameters. That's the nature of the material. It doesn't mean you can't own a wooden acoustic guitar, or even that it will warp and split outside those optimum conditions. It just means that if you want to risk it, and something happens, you can't expect them to fix it under the warranty (and I'd assume we're talking long-term storage environment, not brief excursions into sub-optimal conditions). If you live in more extreme climates, and can't humidify or dehumidify a small space for a wooden guitar, a carbon fiber guitar might be a better option. I had a wood topped Martin warp over time in my air conditioned home, and I eventually replaced it with a carbon fiber Klos. I liked the sound of the Martin better, but I like the no-maintenance of the Carbon fiber more. If music was my livelihood, I'd probably buy a wooden guitar and figure out how to keep my house, or at least one room or closet, closer to the recommended parameters. Since I just play casually, carbon fiber works for me.

Use humidity packs and store in a case indoors. How wilfully obtuse are you?

What's the point of complaining about this? This is the nature of wood. It has nothing to do with those companies.. If you don't like it, get a carbon fiber guitar.

Depends where you live. I've never had any trouble

This will serve as a flimsy pretext for me continuing to only play solid body guitars. I live in what's called the "heavy metal humidity zone"

As others have mentioned, carbon fiber guitars are unaffected by temperatures and humidity. They're available in all sorts of price ranges and build qualities (around $200 to $3500), and there is no shortage of KZbin review videos for each of them. Some CF guitars even feature a detachable neck for easy travel options. Unless a carbon fiber guitar suffers from extreme abuse, it should last long beyond the life of its original owner.

Love the rant !! Australian guitar player here: Current humidity in my house on the mid North Coast NSW ( Port Macquarie ) Australia is 69% Its 32 degrees Celsius - 90 degrees Fahrenheit. I can't keep running the Air Con 24/7 obviously. I have 2 acoustic guitars - not Martins or Taylors but I consider them good quality guitars . So far no issues - BUT NOW I'll might stick to my Electric Gibson L5S - hope that's not affected !

This is more precise temperature and humidity control than a terrarium. How on Earth are you supposed to maintain that without an active, automated, sealed climate controlled case with a heat pump, dehumidifier, and evaporation pool?

That map seems pretty coarse. For example, it shows the east coast of Australia as humid. Well, Sydney is humid, but I wouldn't call Melbourne humid. Melbourne is sufficiently dry to run evaporative cooling efficiently in the summer. I HATE humid climates and would never call Melbourne humid. I've had my Maton acoustic for over 30 years in Melbourne, and it is in perfect condition. Just hangs on the wall and comes down for a bit of noodling now and then. I think Martin are exaggerating how narrow the tolerances are, just to cover themselves.

Sorry dude, you need to take better care of your instrument. Quit the wining

The limits mentioned are very narrow. Nevertheless are wooden instruments delicate. My wooden Cello from about 1850-1860 doesn’t like very cold temperatures because of the associated low humidity.

I live in a desert climate and I have a classical guitar that got severe irreparable damage from drying shrinkage. To protect my other guitars, I used cheap guitar display cases, coated the back with rubberized paint and sealed the door with thin adhesive neoprene. I keep a couple of glasses of water in there and even when the indoor humidity is 20%, inside the case it stays in the low 40% range. Yes, wood can be severley damaged by low humidity. Ironically, the more expensive the guitar is the more suceptible it is. Chepaer guitars of laminte construction will be less damaged by huidity changes. Not as good as a true humidified case, but those cost upwards of $1000 vs. $150 for the display case. Woth it to protect my nylon string Taylor! Carbon fiber like Emerad is the way to go for humidity and temperature changes to be a non-issue. Solid body electrics are less suceptible, but here the wood can shrink and cause the finish to craze and crack because it won't shrink while the wood does.

I have a carbon fiber one. I live in Southern California and go from desert to beach and back. It doesn’t move or care a bit. I recommend everyone should get one.

You need to move to Flagstaff... if you can afford it!