The Silent Killer of Acoustic Guitars and How to Save Yours!

[@MagnaMater2]

Oh, so THAT was why my first guitar cracked during winter. Thank you, I didn't even think about that. The new place is too moist, with around 65, and the wood at the outer walls moulding happily away, and the guitar starting to bulge, but running a dehumidifier day in and out for one occasional hobby-instrument is more expensive than my guitar was.

[@bluegryp]

I installed a whole house humidifier in my home. It’s fairly easy to install for someone who is somewhat handy. It’s so much more convenient than sound hole humidifiers and ones that you have to constantly fill with water. I keep all my guitars out on stands and never once had an issue. It’s also almost eliminated the need to get my guitars set up with season changes. I highly recommend one if you own your own home.

[@paulmckeown5672]

Very useful and informative video thanks!

[@alexbowman7582]

A friend of mine tours with various bands like Simple Minds, Echo and the Bunnymen and Rod Stewart told me they were touring America and crossing a desert with the acoustics in the luggage hold and when they stopped the desert heat had warped the acoustics.

[@nedcramdon1306]

I have a cheap Yamaha dreadnaught, 19 years old and never had any problem. Never lost tuning even. Very dry in the winter, very humid summers.

[@madcyril4135]

From wet, damp, cold North Wales u.k. Bought, sold, guitars for decades. From cheap, to high end acoustics and electrics! My guitars I keep are an Alhambra classical from the early 70s, lovely deep colour and tone. And my other is an Admira classical from 2003. Both are still as good as the day they were made in Spain. Never had any problems with humidity. Must be the welsh air!

[@terrybradley8297]

Well … here’s a thing I know because I’m old. Some of the problem with damage occurring to guitars because of changing humidity is directly caused by the builder. Guitar companies use to allow their wood to cure much longer before a build. It was often cured in natural conditions as well. This allowed wood to be more stable before a build and obviously more stable after as well. Now you are dealing with builders who need to get them built and out the door. So guitars built by major companies in the last 20 or so years are prone to a period of vulnerability that Older guitars were not. Building with unstable wood makes for unstable guitars. Nowadays you need to be much more concerned with the guitars humidity levels in the first ten years. Cheaper guitars with satin finish are prone to changes but so are the gloss, gloss finish just might slow it down a little bit.

[@wesleyhudson2028]

Not correct.

[@stevecroft5068]

Fabulous and informative video. Very helpful guys.👍

[@thefellowshipofacoustics]

Glad it was helpful!

[@robertgold2643]

I could happily listen to the guy in the blue shirt playing that bit for the rest of my days. Simply beautiful……

[@MVMullins]

I not only keep either a humidifier or dehumidifier going, depending on the readings on multiple hygrometers I keep around. I keep most of my guitars in the case and for those I have a Boveda 49% humidity control pack in each one. Depending on the need, it either adds humidity, or absorbs it and it's all in one gel pack.

[@antoniopetroff979]

Great video and awesome guitar shop! Thank you

[@tomdaoust]

Thanks so much. I’m buying a humidity monitor as a first step-to see if I have a problem in my guitar room. I’ll be looking at solutions for increasing or decreasing humidity as the seasons change in NC. I’m guess that currently ( a very cold December) I probably have a dry air problem, but a monitoring device will help me judge that best. Thanks again.

[@TomZola1]

Best to avoid rather than fix humidity problems, I think. The D'Addario Humidipak maintains acts as both a humidifier and a de-humidifier to maintain the correct humidity. The only drawback is that it only works in a small enclosed environment - like a guitar case. So if you want to hang your collection of beautiful guitars on the wall so that you and all your visitors can enjoy the lovely sight, you'd need to look at the machines shown in this video to keep the whole room at the right humidity. But if you don't mind having your guitar in its case most of the time you're not playing it, the Humidipak should avert all humidity problems. PS I'm not paid by anyone to say nice things about the Humidipak!

[@williamickes4648]

Great stuff, thanks guys 👍

[@patrickvanh4601]

Great video

[@lindajohansen8255]

Great video. Thanks!

[@jameslifetimelearner]

It’s the frequent and abrupt changes that damage wood guitars. The stores have to keep the same as guitar factories.

[@peterheijnen6344]

Thanks to Milo and his colleagues, I found out that the humidity in my room is perfect (46-55 %). At first it seemed that it was 70%, but when I purchased a Humidity pack and a new digital hygrometer to solve the problem, I found out that the old hygrometer didn't show the correct value. Thanks TFOA !

[@GreggBennett-j3p]

In my experience, the real structural damage happens from high, not low humidity. I’ve had joints swell open from moisture. Never had any structural damage from low humidity. That said, totally agree vintage guitars seem indifferent to humidity. My Taylor 514, too, doesn’t seem to mind the 35%-85% humidity range of where I live, never use a humidifier of any sort, but might consider a dehumidifier based on the damage caused to one of my arch tops. But honestly, I can’t be bothered and my 60’s gibsons are indifferent to humidity.

[@gingerbeer914]

My 1919 Gibson L-4 is not. Archtop instruments will always react to fluctuation in air humidity. A too moist environment will raise the bridge and the pitch of the entire instrument (and the string tension). A full tone higher is no exception. A too dry environment will make the top sink, which will lower the pitch. It is important, not tune the guitar up. The top needs room to swell up again, so it's better to decrease the string tension and to increase the air humidity. Give it a few days. Then you can tune to normal pitch..

[@GreggBennett-j3p]

@ 1919. That’s vintage for sure. My two 60’s gibsons are an es330 and an es175. In the temp/humidity range of coastal New England and nyc, they don’t seem to change much at all. Nor do my solid body fender guitars. The only guitar I’ve ever had that was adversely affected by humidity was a Samick JZ4 arch top. That guitar spent a few days floating (inside its case) in about s feet of flood water in a basement. That’s extreme humidity! The damage that occurred was a split in the finish at the neck/body join seam. I thought the guitar was ruined, but after about a year of drying out it went back to exactly as it was before other than the seam in the finish where the join area expanded. Anyway, I’m sure your experiences are as you describe, but so are mine. For the guitars I own, in the region I live, humidity seems to largely be a non issue.

[@ezkempinkemp3467]

Thanks!

[@jonryanmcgregor8877]

What's the song played at the begining around 12-29 seconds? Great video as always!

[@jonryanmcgregor8877]

It reminds me of a Crosby Stills nash and Young song but can't put my finger on it

[@delv2473]

What song was that being played at the beginning. ?

[@cooljp1531]

My Ovation is 32 years old and has been directly blasted by airconditioners, heaters, sat by the open window in winter, night after night after sitting in a hot room most of the day. ( after a while I just didn't care I guess ) Amazingly never had a single issue. On the flip side I have a Fender P bass that spent all of its time in a case in a climate controlled room and when I opened the case after a few months of not using it, it had 2 cracks in the body. Go figure.

[@gingerbeer914]

An old made in USA Applause AA-14 is even stronger. Neck: aluminium with plastic. Body: carbon fibre. I'm not sure whether the top is solid or laminated.

[@cooljp1531]

@@gingerbeer914 Mine is a custom balladier, not sure what's inside the neck, but it seems to be wood on the outside and the top is some kind of wood.. I think it cost around$700 in '92 so not a cheap one, but nothing super expensive

[@gingerbeer914]

An Ovation Balladeer has a deep bowl made of carbon fibre, just like the helicopter rotor blades that Kaman made. My ex-brother-in-law has a Balladeer. I've got a Legend, like Jim Croce had. They look very much alike, except for the gold and ebony. I bought the 1970s Applause AA-14, because of the history. I play it outside in the summer.

[@dennismcleroy4389]

@@gingerbeer914 Applause is laminated

[@gingerbeer914]

46% air humidity is ideal for both, your instruments and hygiene.

[@tmo7734]

They tell me sanitary is a good thing… 😆

[@gingerbeer914]

It is also very important, not to leave your acoustic instrument in your car on winter days. Winter days (and nights) are very dry. It may cause your top to sink and/or to crack.

[@bluegryp]

I once left a vintage guild in a hot car by accident and it melted the glue to the point where the heal cap fell off. Extreme temperatures either way are never good for a guitar.

[@Tonetwisters]

Heaters and A/C units suck the life out of a guitar, especially mahogany, weakening joints and angles, as the wood dries out.

[@frozenjoe6313]

Good timing, because I am dealing with this now. Its a early 82 martin D28 that has been hot rodded a bit., and its been played hard a lot . It has been refretted up to the 9th fret with oversize nickle frets,had the ebony fretboard milled down thinner and the nut replaced and properly set, a little highon purpose way back in the begining,. and also had the bridge replaced with a prewar bridge, and set up with a high action for aggressive bluegrass playing, style like Doc Watson flatpicking. The guitar is still very playable, great response, intonation, and tone, the action is rather high and it is starting to belly some below the bridge. It needs to be reset, but that is a big pain to unglue the tone block under the bridge, but that is the worst aspect of this service and lower the action to a normal hight. Do you have a particular luthier you would recommend somewhere around Boise Idaho??Sorry , but the Netherlands is just too far, and things get stolen in the mail... In the meantime I will play with the humidity.. This is a pretty good guitar just the way it is, but after all these years it needs service.

[@rabokarabekian409]

This is an excellent video about storage. Let's talk about taking a guitar from one spot to another. Years ago, I carried my acoustic from the airconditioned bedroom into the hot humid summer outdoors for some shade tree picking. Nothing cracked but the bridge flew off like a shot. Yes, it was straightforward, clean re-glue but what a feeling that was.

[@williamjenkins9]

Ok … I am interested in buying a guitar from an old friend that has been neglected, and has several cracks… a couple are aggressive and large… it is a Martin…. Newer…. How should these be addressed, do I send it to Martin , or hire a Luthier local… thank you

[@chrisgreenwood271]

if a guitrar is pretty much in tune every time it is picked up, can we take it it's not being overly effected by humidity.

[@gingerbeer914]

Meten is weten! Koop een hygrometer. En investeer in een luchtbevochtiger. Wacht niet op de eerste barst in je bovenblad!

[@gingerbeer914]

Onder de 47% vocht plant stofmijt zich niet voort, daarom is 46% ideaal.