If you’re a professional musician, your instrument is your livelihood. It’s not uncommon for a guitar to cost in the neighborhood of $10,000. The last thing you want to do is buy a costly instrument and then let it get destroyed from humidity or other factors.
In this post, we’ll teach you how to keep your guitar from getting damaged from humidity by teaching you how to store it properly and keep out excess moisture in the air.
Table of Contents
Guitar’s Humidity means:
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air, usually expressed as a percentage. The atmosphere contains about 78% nitrogen gas and 21% oxygen. Under normal conditions the atmosphere is dry enough to prevent condensation forming on any object.
If humidity levels increase, condensation can form on objects easily, resulting in damage to whatever’s being held. Depending on the type of guitar, you can experience different degrees of damage from risk of damage due to humidity.
How to Check Guitar’s Humidity Level:
You should always check your guitar’s humidity level before you store it. Your guitar is just like any other instrument, and it needs to be stored properly. There are a few different ways to check the humidity inside of your guitar case, but the best way is to measure it with a hygrometer.
A hygrometer will give you actual numbers regarding the amount of moisture in the air. Take note that you don’t want to take this number as gospel because your guitar may be affected differently than say…a violin or louder instruments tend to change the environment more than one with less decibels.
How to Protect Your Instrument from Humidity:
If your guitar happens to be relatively new, it might not be too late for you to use a few tricks to keep it from excessive humidity. We’ll tell you a little bit about the different types of materials that may be used to make your guitar before we dive into ways that work.
Material:
In general, guitars are made from wood. Some higher end instruments are now being made from carbon fiber, but those tend to be less common. Wood is porous and absorbs moisture easily, which is why it’s important to do two things as soon as you buy a new guitar if you live in an area with high humidity levels.
Storage:
Firstly, keep any instrument away from moisture and humidity. This is no different than any other piece of furniture that’s exposed to high humidity such as a humidifier on your bathroom sink. If your guitar is exposed to high humidity levels, it can cause serious damage to it over time.
Storage Size:
Think about the space your guitar is going to be stored in. If it’s your only guitar, you may want to make sure it has enough space for it to move freely. You might want to store it inside of a Pelican case, but if you’re storing multiple guitars, you’ll want to consider the size of the room they’re going to be stored in.
There are different sizes of room sizes that are recommended for different instruments.
Airflow:
You should never leave your guitar in direct sunlight, especially not on a hot day! If you only have a room without a window, make sure there’s enough air circulating around it to prevent excess moisture from building up. Humidity will build up quickly in the warmer summer months when the sun is out longer hours. It can build up equally fast in colder months.
Humidifying:
You may be wondering if you should humidify your guitar. The answer to this question depends on the type of guitar, the humidity levels in your area, and how often you play. If your guitar is made from wood, it’s likely that it will need some type of humidification at some point.
It’s recommended that guitars are stored in a room with 35% relative humidity (RH) at all times to prevent damage due to condensation forming inside of your guitar’s case. This means a maximum of 35% RH for a long period of time.
Determining your Guitar Sensitivity:
A simple way to determine whether your guitar is sensitive to humidity is by peering into the sound hole. If you’re experiencing excessive moisture buildup, then it’s advised that you get your guitar into some type of case or another for storage.
If your guitar happens to be made from wood, you should invest in a humidifier depending on what type of guitar you have.
Conclusion:
Not all guitars are equally sensitive to humidity. However, in general, cheap acoustic guitars are quite sensitive to humidity. If you’re an avid guitarist, you’re bound to have some experience with damage due to mildew or mold forming in your guitar case.
If you live in an area where it’s common for this kind of thing to happen, it’s probably best to invest in a humidifier for your guitar case.
FAQ:
Q: What is the best humidity for an acoustic guitar?
A: Soundhole humidifiers A soundhole humidifier is a guitar humidifier that sits and gets suspended around your guitar’s soundhole. … Guitar case humidifiers A guitar case humidifier is basically what the name says,a humidifier that sits in your guitar case and keeps the entire case humidified and in … Room humidifiers
Q: How much humidity is bad for your guitar?
A: The guitar will likely stay healthy if humidity is kept within a range of 30%-70%, provided it was made in an environment where the humidity was between 40%-50%. If you have a “wet” guitar (one constructed in very high humidity), exposure to 30% humidity could cause serious damage.
Q: What’s the best humidity level for guitars?
A: When humid,wood absorbs moisture and expands. … Wood that is too dry is susceptible to cracking and other structural issues. … Acoustic guitars should ideally be stored between 40% – 60% relative humidity. Use a hygrometer to test the moisture content,inside your hard case and a humidifier to control the moisture content in the surrounding air.
Q: How much is a good quality acoustic guitar?
A: – Beginner acoustic guitar is between $100 and $300 – For intermediate players, the price is between $300 and $800 – High-end acoustics for advanced players are over $800 – Custom and professional instruments are usually over $1,500