The Ultimate Humidity Discussion: Everything You Need to Know

[@stevevice9863]

I live in the midwest USA with humid summers and dry winters. I've owned a 1990 Yairi DY-77 for 32 years in this climate and have never had any issues with fret buzz or high action. I have never adjusted the truss rod. The action is still as low, and without buzz as the day I bought it. This is the most stable guitar I've ever owned....no cracks in the finish or wood. I always keep it in the case, and I didn't bother to humidify it until I bought my Taylor and became aware that humidity is such a big deal. The Taylor is a 2009 414 ce Ltd. Tasmanian Blackwood that I bought new, and I need to tweek the truss rod in the early winter and late spring to keep the action low. I also keep a damp sponge in a perforated baggie in the case in the winter. Each guitar has it's own personality, but my Yairi holds a special place in my heart...like an old friend that I've shared many good memories with.

[@markmcgonigle]

I have a 1977 Yairi DY 77 and have had the same experience. Love that guitar. I heard once that the interior of Yairi guitars are finished with a sealant that increases their stability. Makes sense to me. Also, the aging of the wood in the Gifu Japan climate supposedly helps.

[@georgehunt182]

Lovely to hear! Try that with a Martin… 1 -2 years max and they start falling apart. Martins keep guitar repair shops in business

[@rhiannonpage3974]

I've put my Alvarez through its paces by playing in rain, snow, sun and everything in between! I got some humidipaks after your Guitar Care video and it's been going strong for 2 years now :D Love the video 😍

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Fantastic to hear that, Rhiannon! Glad you are enjoying your guitar in all weather 👍

[@georgehunt182]

I could listen to these three all day long! Super grateful for Alvarez TV ! Cheers

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Our pleasure! Thanks for watching @georgehunt182 🙌

[@nathanbarnette1162]

Good to see the head of a guitar company who obviously loves guitars. Too many companies are run by bean counters. Not saying “ beans”aren’t important, but the product has to be a priority too.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We love that! Thanks @nathanbarnette1162 for sharing :)

[@HayesTech]

I've found that the best thing you can do for your guitars are to keep them in a hard case. I also keep a humidifier in each case. There are other things you can do but a hard case is, in my opinion, the most important for humidity control. Another great video and very informative.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks for the great feedback, @Hayes Tech! Appreciate you following the channel.

[@HayesTech]

@@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial It's a great channel. If you own an Alvarez, or are thinking of purchasing one, this channel is a must watch. As the funds free up I will be reviewing more of your guitars on my channel too. And I'm really looking forward to it.

[@jed1166]

My problem with hard cases, is that I tend to leave the guitars in them, so they get played rarely… guitars on stands or wall hangers get played every day. So, you are right about hard cases, but they don’t work for me😢.

[@jed1166]

Question: Will a hardwood top be more stable than spruce in low humidity? I live in the Sonoran Desert, where humidity is very low.

[@HayesTech]

@@jed1166 I'm totally opposite...lol.. I keep all my guitars in hard cases and feel weird when I leave them out. I try to give all my guitars play time too .. Each guitar has a slightly different voice.

[@mattnelson8325]

Thanks guys. Today is new guitar day. Alvarez Cedar/Acacia Grand Auditorium. I appreciate your information.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Congrats, Matt! Enjoy 👍

[@richardmorgan2679]

Super helpful and informative!! Thank you.

[@jmw510]

The best explanation of a guitar reacts to humidity I’ve ever heard. Thanks!

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks for tuning in 👍

[@Kennardy]

After watching almost all of these videos, I just bought my first Alvarez, MF60OM, and I love it (bought DEC 2022). That OM is louder than my Martin HD28! Those 50 year old mahogany’s are very tempting! Very informative and ingenious way to sell product. Keep the shows coming. Thank you.

[@nathanfrisby3133]

My AG60CEAR is supposed to be arriving today and I’m so excited to be getting my first new guitar in 3 years, after my retirement in 2020 I sold all my guitar. Really excited about getting back to playing.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We passed this onto Chris and he said "thank you, comments like this make it all worth while".

[@scottfishkind5335]

Great discussion!! Everything you said rings true to my experience. I have one higher end all solid acoustic and three with solid tops, layered back and sides. I store all mine in hard cases with Humidipaks. Living through long Michigan winters it makes all the difference in the world!! While I will leave one of my solid top/layered back and sides out during the work day so I can take practice breaks, I always put them in their cases at night! Another thing that helps is that I keep them in a closet which tends to have a pretty healthy level of humidity and temperature throughout the year. I have a D'addario humiditrack in the closet which tracks the humidity and temps of the room. I love the app because you can see an hour by hour breakdown (as well as longer timeframes) . The humidipaks are absolutely an essential for maintaining the health of my instruments and well worth the investment. I purchase the 12:packs so I can replace anytime it is needed.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great thoughts here, Scott, and thank you very much for watching 👍

[@localguy8]

I love my Yairi’s a 1986 Dy75 with a normal bridge n a 2003 DYM 95C aura . Their woods when K Yairi insisted that is was at least 4 years air dried before they became a guitar.

[@derekfromtauranga6012]

Best discussion I have seen to do with humidity. My guitars are kept in my garage studio and we live in a high humidity and often damp climate. As I don't have cases for all my guitars I notice the tops are rising and the action gets high. I have fitted a bridge doctor to one guitar which has helped flatten the top.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

We love hearing that! Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@charliewelch328]

Very good information. 8 live in Florida so we have plenty of humidity here.

[@nemeth-tamas]

Which year did you start torrefying the solid tops in all lines? Do backs and sides of all-solids go through the same process - or only in certain lines?

[@tommacdonald6295]

Great jam, great information 👍, Thanks ❤️ 😊.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Pleased you enjoyed it, Tom, thank you for tuning in! 👍

[@JohnRotonto-ql9ds]

Just unboxed my Alvarez ag60ceshb. I let it sit for 24hrs, as per Sweetwater instructions. The guitar came from Indiana to Irwin Pa. A little town 20 miles outside of Pgh. So I let the guitar sit so it could acclimatize to my environment. When I tuned it up and played it I couldn't believe the overall balance of sound that it projects! I have a bunch of laminated mahogany b&s guitars and they don't sound like this. I have a couple of solid mahogany b&s guitars and they don't sound like this! Un friggin believable! I think yinz guys are onto something with the 3 ply method.The bass sounds boomy without sounding muddy. The mids have a nice bright timbre and the clear crisp highs makes this a tonally balanced instrument. The intonation and action are killer as well. It's only going to sound better with age. This is my third Alvarez and I can't wait until I buy my fourth. Thanks for building them right. You made a believer out of me!👍👍😎😎😎😎😎

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Congrats on your new Alvarez! Enjoy!

[@elholt7095]

Could you recap how the guitar will sound like if it is too wet or too dry? Wet equals muddy or sponge or damp sound. What is a dry sound? Also one thing I wonder about is if my guitar is sharp when I try to tune it is the guitar a little dry? If it is flat does that mean it is a little moist. Serious question! This has always made me wonder. Appreciate the answers! Cheers!

[@netyr4554]

Damp wood swells putting more tension on the strings, tuning goes sharp. Dry wood shrinks, relaxing tension on the strings, tuning goes flat.

[@Sanjiocom]

Another hugely informative and enjoyable video!

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks very much @Sanjio.com 👍

[@sustainablelife1st]

I so want that MDR70SB!

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

It's a fantastic choice! Thank you for watching. 👍

[@christopherwilliams7222]

I’ve found 40% RH makes my acoustic guitars sing and sound their best. 65% RH my action gets too high and the guitars sound watered down and don’t reverberate as much. You basically have to be a weatherman to make sure your guitars are getting the best environment for RH they can get

[@LT.X380]

Very good 👍.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thank you very much, Lynn 👍

[@360-media]

Storing in a proper case is important as most people know. Why is it then that most Alvarez and other manufacturers are only offering Gig Bags with their guitars, including many costing up to $1800 USD?

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Thanks 360-Media for asking. We offer our Duo-Foam Deluxe gig bag, which offers a great combination of both lightweight portability and protection through its 15mm Duo-Foam padding.

[@HermanRooseboom]

I live in New Zealand and the humidity is always high so the challenge is to reduce the humidity. All my cases have coconut charcoal pouches and humidity meters and the strange thing is how the humidity changes constantly inside a closed case. Any ideas why this should vary given the enclosed environment

[@davidwilliams7552]

Temperature changes directly affect relative humidity

[@PatternRecognizer]

Do you guys find that the humidpaks work adequately at lowering RH in humid environments? Living in a subtropical environment my main issue is too much moisture...

[@sarahlizzy6033]

In my experience they don’t. The best thing I’ve found are the rechargeable silica gel packs that you can dry out in the microwave.

[@PatternRecognizer]

@@sarahlizzy6033 I've been using those silica packets with pretty good results but they seem to saturate with water after a couple days and RH goes up again. Not sure if mine are rechargeable. Anyway, thanks for the tip.

[@sarahlizzy6033]

No worries. I also use a hair dryer to dry my cases out now and again, as that helps stop the silica gel getting full of moisture just from the case, so it will have a longer working time keeping the guitar from getting too wet

[@billw8648]

Thank you

[@yomommaahotoo264]

But no one even mentions the importance of loosening tension during storage and even between short term storage. Might be hard on strings more prone to breaking, but much less chance of getting a belly.

[@anthonyb2334]

I live in Arizona, where humidity is always low. Usually around 25-30%. In summer it can be 11-20%. I keep my guitars in a spare bedroom with a constant humidifier running, that keeps the humidity between 40-50%. When gone for a week , all guitars go in their cases along with humidity packs. So far, no issues, but I have seen MANY cracked guitars here. If I leave a guitar in my living room for 8 hours I sometimes see a difference in the action. Sometimes not. While traveling in the southwest, changing elevations, temperatures, and humidity over a two week period can really create havoc with a guitar. I’ve done it! One never sounded “right” again. Thank you for an excellent video. Cheers.

[@jed1166]

I moved recently to Phoenix and bought a RainSong carbon fiber Jumbo… leave it on the stand, always in tune, etc. I just ordered an Alvarez 8 string Grand Auditorium, so studying…

[@anthonyb2334]

@@jed1166 I have seen the carbon fiber guitars . Great for ANY conditions.

[@jed1166]

@@anthonyb2334 thanks Anthony… the RainSong is a bulletproof, 6 string stage guitar. But, I really wanted to try this 8 string,(arriving today!), so will see if I can care for it properly. If I really love it, maybe I will try to get RainSong or Emerald to build an 8 string for me. Thanks for the tips!

[@azcharlie2009]

You don't have to live in Arizona to have guitars get too dry. I lived in Iowa before moving to AZ. The winter before we left Iowa, the top on my HD28 cracked right under the bridge! Had it repaired at Rainbow guitars in Tucson. Still a great sounding guitar, but I'm really sad that it cracked. I did not take care of it like I should have. Humidity is an acoustic's best friend.

[@anthonyb2334]

@@azcharlie2009 absolutely. I’ve seen so many guitars from Colorado with nothing but cracks. I have a crack in a custom Martin 00 . Had it fixed but you’re always pissed it’s cracked

[@emaneercsadeeni]

Humidipacs are dangerous! When they leak, the fluid destroys the finish or case. Had this happen to a vintage!

[@emaneercsadeeni]

But totally agree about having a good hygrometer (I like Extech for home) to monitor the conditions and use a room humidifier or dehumidifier as needed. This lets the guitar sit out where it’s more likely to be played.

[@AlvarezGuitarsOfficial]

Great feedback, emaneercsadeeni, thanks for watching 👍

[@tommacdonald6295]

Saw a great video of this, guitar had serious damage and required extensive repairs. It was an extreme situation though and all the circumstances should be considered. I believe it was an ELDERLY shop video, sorry can't be certain.

[@philipaklonis7906]

...rhythm too loud can't hear lead😄

[@Lush1979a]

I want to start off buy saying I love Alvarez guitars, the only two acoustics I have are a ad60ce and a masterworks 60. Great guitars. I’m usually always interested in the title of your videos. They are informative. But they are just boring. Monotone, no energy . Usually about less than a quarter of the way through it I search for the same topic somewhere else. Upbeat host, someone who talks louder than the other guy? Something?! I can’t be the only one who thinks this. Surely not based on the number of comments. Cmon Alvarez, you could have a great channel, let’s get with the times. Nobody wants to watch unenergetic monotone people whisper about a guitar. When it looks like someone’s job, it’s not entertaining.

[@sarahlizzy6033]

I must say I find this style of video relaxing and enjoyable. To each there own and all that 😊

[@nemeth-tamas]

I enjoy this style and dynamics. I listened to this through phone speakers though (max volume), and it was a bit difficult to hear when there was external noise. Maybe closer mic placement or adding more gain during editing would do the trick.

[@jed1166]

I disagree completely… I just bought one of the 8 string Grand Auditoriums, and the quality of the information in the videos was a big part of that. Mr. Meickle is obviously knowledgeable and loves guitars.