From FL CC to Chicago Humidty

[tomvwash]

Hygrometer reading this morning was 74, with one window open in the designated guitar room. I had all of my guitars out of their cases in Florida, before moving here to Chicago. Florida was actually consistent cc at 49-52percent round the clock. I have kept them in their cases here in Chicago and now realizing that even with the guitars in their cases, humidity is probably still penetrating. I'd much prefer having guitars out of their cases again, maybe with a dehumidifer now, and the doors closed? That said, dry radiator heat will be here by October. Is there some sort of case dehumidifer device? I haven't had to consider this until now and will have a look, but wondering what others here are doing for cc--especially archtops and acoustics. Thank you for any perspective, as always.

[Lkdog]

What is "cc"? Did you mean AC?

I live in Midwest a few hours west.
The only things you can do are to have an air conditioned room in summer and maybe a dehumidifier if needed, and in winter you will need some sort of humidifier as it gets really dry.
You will probably need to tweak relief on your guitars as season changes.

[tomvwash]

What is "cc"? Did you mean AC?

I live in Midwest a few hours west.
The only things you can do are to have an air conditioned room in summer and maybe a dehumidifier if needed, and in winter you will need some to sort of humidifier as it gets really dry.
You will probably need to tweak relief on Buster's guitars as season changes.

Climate controlled.

[tomvwash]

Hello. I live in the southeast part of the states. With the seasons the humidity % will range from 100%-20% outside. Seasonal temperatures range 100-20’sF throughout the year. The heat/ac is supplied by a heat pump. What works for me is:

1. Keep the thermostat on 69degreesF year round.
2. Keep the windows closed year round. ( Except on a few mild days in spring and summer when no HVAC is required.)
3. A thermo-hygrometer in music/guitar storage area and room(s) adjacent to area.
4. Always keep guitars in cases and stored in closet/cabinet, door(s) shut, when not playing. (I highly endorse keeping your instrument in its case when not playing, even at gigs or jams.)
5. Keep a humidifier/dehumidifier in your instrument case(s). There are a few different types. I use D’Addario Humidipaks year round, replacing them every three months. Boveda also makes 2way packs.

With these basic steps the humidity inside ranges from low 30’s to mid 60’s with average of mid 40s-mid 50s and the temperature 68-71degreesF year round. Keep a small room humidifier/dehumidifier to use if one extreme or the other last a few days.

Oil your fingerboard once a year (or every two years). I use Bore Oil. There are a few different types available.

Hope some of this may help.

Great! Thank you. I did not realize that the Humidpaks worked to maintain optimal range within the case.

[AllanAllen]

You'll need to tweak your truss rod seasonally, don't worry about it too much.

In the winter when your necks will dry out, any sloppy fretwork will show up in January/February get it fixed then, when everything is dry, and it won't come back.

I suppose if you never gig you could keep your stuff in a climate controlled room and keep it stable, but this stuff was made to be used. The truss rod and bridge are adjustable for a reason, this is that reason.

Gradual changes are fine, you want to avoid shocking the guitar. But sometimes going from a 20 degree car trunk to 80 degree club in the winter is just unavoidable.

[wintermoon]

You'll need to tweak your truss rod seasonally, don't worry about it too much.

In the winter when your necks will dry out, any sloppy fretwork will show up in January/February get it fixed then, when everything is dry, and it won't come back.

I suppose if you never gig you could keep your stuff in a climate controlled room and keep it stable, but this stuff was made to be used. The truss rod and bridge are adjustable for a reason, this is that reason.

Gradual changes are fine, you want to avoid shocking the guitar. But sometimes going from a 20 degree car trunk to 80 degree club in the winter is just unavoidable.

There's no reason to go from a 20 degree car trunk to an 80 degree club, don't put your guitar in the trunk! Start the car, warm it up and put it in the back seat. If it's in a hard case the cold won't get to it right away. And when you get to the club, crack the case open for awhile before you start playing. Run humidifiers in the room you store your guitars in the winter and you'll rarely have to deal w fret sprout, neck problems or anything else. Living in the northeast you learn to deal w environmental conditions, just be careful. Take care of your stuff and it'll take care of you.

[deacon Mark]

I live 120 south of you Tom. I have guitars always in cases unless I am playing it. I have never done anything climate controlled except heat in winter when need. I run the AC when needed but i like heat my AC is never set below 79 degrees 80 mostly.

The one thing is when going to extreme changes just getting guitar out of car in winter or summer I take caution. No opening case right away if has gotten colder. I would not play and outside gig in temperatures that were cold or hot. If I had to I have a guitar I can use for that specific purpose.

Finally, i have never needed to adjust truss rod for seasonal changes. I have guitars that have never needed truss rod adjusted period. I have my Dad’s Barker guitar made in 1965. To my knowledge truss rod has never need to be adjusted. It was made in Toledo Ohio, was in Southern California next 17 years. Then Illinois since. Not so much as even a minor tweak. Adjusting truss rod seasonally to me is overkill and suggests other things might be happening.

[sgosnell]

I shudder to think of living in the great white north (anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line). It gets cold enough down here on the third coast in the winter, where we get freezing temps every few years. But even in the worst cold snaps, the relative humidity stays near 50%, and they don't last longer than a few days. We do keep the doors and windows closed most of the time. It's either too hot or too cold except for spring (maybe a week in April if we're lucky) and autumn (maybe a week in October if we're lucky). I have a weather station, which shows temperature and humidity inside and outside, among other things, and it's pretty steady with inside humidity staying in the general neighborhood of 50% year-round. Outside can vary from 20-100%, but probably averages 50% or above. I just can't be bothered to worry about it.

[AllanAllen]

Sometimes the -15f (that's -26C) polar vortex with a -60F (-51C) wind chill kills the battery in your car and you have to take the wife's coupe. Things go awry and the gig is still booked and you are committed. I'm not calling the venue to say "my alternate vehicle is capable, but less than optimal so I will be cancelling tonight's gig, I look forward to being blacklisted for being unreliable"

This is a real life experience I had. The guitar went in the trunk, I didn't cancel. I had the back seat down, but it was still ice cold. Due to, you know, the cold. What does driving 75mph add to a -60 wind chill?

[sgosnell]

Finally, i have never needed to adjust truss rod for seasonal changes. I have guitars that have never needed truss rod adjusted period. I have my Dad’s Barker guitar made in 1965. To my knowledge truss rod has never need to be adjusted. It was made in Toledo Ohio, was in Southern California next 17 years. Then Illinois since. Not so much as even a minor tweak. Adjusting truss rod seasonally to me is overkill and suggests other things might be happening.

I suspect your action is set much higher than mine. The higher the action, the less adjustment would ever be necessary. I keep mine set as close to 1mm as I can get it, and that can require more frequent adjustment. It's mostly humidity changes that affect it than temperature, and even though the humidity here doesn't vary that much, it still can cause the need for the occasional tweak, maybe the amount of turn to move the wrench the distance between the D and G strings, seldom much more. If I were willing to live with higher action, I probably wouldn't ever need to adjust the truss rods, but I'm not. YMMV.

[AllanAllen]

I just measured my Gretsch, it is 1.5mm on the bass and 1.25mm on the treble side. I consider this high action.

[deacon Mark]

[QUOTE=sgosnell;1417547]I suspect your action is set much higher than mine. The higher the action, the less adjustment would ever be necessary. I keep mine set as close to 1mm as I can get it, and that can require more frequent adjustment. It's mostly humidity changes that affect it than temperature, and even though the humidity here doesn't vary that much, it still can cause the need for the occasional tweak, maybe the amount of turn to move the wrench the distance between the D and G strings, seldom much more. If I were willing to live with higher action, I probably wouldn't ever need to adjust the truss rods, but I'm not. YMMV.[/QUOT

My action is considered low for an acoustic archtop. Just under 4/64ths at high E and just under 5/64s at low E.

Your action at 1mm equals 2/64s. That is lower than most Strats and Les Pauls set at for super light touch. It is not considered low but extremely low. Most guitars will buzz with that pretty easily too i might add.

[sgosnell]

I usually measure my action with a pick. I have Blue Chip picks in .040" .050" and .060" thicknesses, and I usually try for .050", less if I can get it. It does depend on the guitar, of course, because this requires near perfect fret leveling and a very straight neck with little or no relief, and on some guitars I can only get down to ~.060" without any fret buzz. If there is relief the high frets tend to start to choke out as the action is lowered. I do have an uncut archtop used primarily for acoustic rhythm, and that requires somewhat higher action, but not grossly higher. But this is a matter of personal preference, and I can't argue with anyone who uses higher, or lower, action than I do.

[deacon Mark]

Yes action is personal to player. I cannot play slinky strings and low action. I need to practice and adjust my playing if it happens. You can relearn touch.

Action that is 1.5mm and 1.25 is not considered high. Martin D guitars go 5/64 and 6/64 but i realize a different animal. High would be 6/64 and 7/64. I don’t use metric system for reference.

[pcjazz]

The guitar went in the trunk, I didn't cancel. I had the back seat down, but it was still ice cold. Due to, you know, the cold. What does driving 75mph add to a -60 wind chill?

You’ll feel the wind chill but the guitar won’t.

I would never put a guitar in the trunk though.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Keep a humidifier/dehumidifier in your instrument case(s). There are a few different types. I use D’Addario Humidipaks year round, replacing them every three months. Boveda also makes 2way packs..

I've been using these packs for years, but I buy the Bovedas because they're cheaper. The packs for guitar maintain a RH range between 40 and 60%. But their capacity is limited, so they can't absorb enough moisture to remain in that range very long when the ambient humidity is very high or very low. The 3 month change interval is really only valid in ambient humidity that's no more than about 10% out of range.

You need to monitor the RH in your cases and change the packs when it goes out of range with the case closed for a few days at most. But tossing the packs when this happens is very expensive and not necessary. We're in the mid-Atlantic states, where RH can run 15% in winter with forced air heating. The gel in the packs starts to get stiff and lumpy after only a week or two if you don't humidify the room in which the cases are kept. Even with a humidifier going 24/7, the packs have to be changed every 3 to 4 weeks in the middle of heating season.

I rehydrate them in a large plastic food storage bin in which I keep 4 to 6 ounces of water in a small open plastic container. It takes a week or more to fully rehydrate them to the point at which the gel feels like liquid again. But it works well, and I keep doing it until a pack either shows signs of leakage (dark patches of wetness in the paper-like material from which they're made) or the gel remains at least partly lumpy and doesn't feel like a liquid or thin gel when you gently squeeze the bag. I'm still using a few that are 2 to 3 years old.

I've never had to dehydrate them because the RH in our home is pretty constant at 45 to 50% throughout cooling season. But if you have to do that, I'd use the same large food storage container with a pile of dessicant bags in it instead of water. I save those little white bags that come in a lot of things we all buy every day, e.g. small electronics, medication bottles, etc. I use them in similar containers to store strings, and they really work. I don't know how many it takes to bring a Boveda / D'A pack down enough to control 75+% RH for a month - you'd have to put a hydrometer in the case and follow closely for a full season, adjusting the length of time in the drying container and how many packets you put in there,

[Freddels]

I use a Midea Cube 50 pint dehumidifier for when it's too humid.

I recently purchased some of the Boveda packs but I haven't been too impressed with them.

I have 3 in one case and the (calibrated) hydrometer in the case will read 54-55% and the calibrated hydrometer in the same room will read 49%. Not sure why the difference since both hydrometers are calibrated the same.

[tomvwash]

I've been using these packs for years, but I buy the Bovedas because they're cheaper. The packs for guitar maintain a RH range between 40 and 60%. But their capacity is limited, so they can't absorb enough moisture to remain in that range very long when the ambient humidity is very high or very low. The 3 month change interval is really only valid in ambient humidity that's no more than about 10% out of range.

You need to monitor the RH in your cases and change the packs when it goes out of range with the case closed for a few days at most. But tossing the packs when this happens is very expensive and not necessary. We're in the mid-Atlantic states, where RH can run 15% in winter with forced air heating. The gel in the packs starts to get stiff and lumpy after only a week or two if you don't humidify the room in which the cases are kept. Even with a humidifier going 24/7, the packs have to be changed every 3 to 4 weeks in the middle of heating season.

I rehydrate them in a large plastic food storage bin in which I keep 4 to 6 ounces of water in a small open plastic container. It takes a week or more to fully rehydrate them to the point at which the gel feels like liquid again. But it works well, and I keep doing it until a pack either shows signs of leakage (dark patches of wetness in the paper-like material from which they're made) or the gel remains at least partly lumpy and doesn't feel like a liquid or thin gel when you gently squeeze the bag. I'm still using a few that are 2 to 3 years old.

I've never had to dehydrate them because the RH in our home is pretty constant at 45 to 50% throughout cooling season. But if you have to do that, I'd use the same large food storage container with a pile of dessicant bags in it instead of water. I save those little white bags that come in a lot of things we all buy every day, e.g. small electronics, medication bottles, etc. I use them in similar containers to store strings, and they really work. I don't know how many it takes to bring a Boveda / D'A pack down enough to control 75+% RH for a month - you'd have to put a hydrometer in the case and follow closely for a full season, adjusting the length of time in the drying container and how many packets you put in there,

So, for archtops, the kit comes with the double-piece for acoustic sound hole and a single piece for the headstock. I have the acoustics covered now, but for an archtop guitar, is a single packet under the headstock enough?

[Freddels]

So, for archtops, the kit comes with the double-piece for acoustic sound hole and a single piece for the headstock. I have the acoustics covered now, but for an archtop guitar, is a single packet under the headstock enough?

From the Boveda website, I believe they recommend at least 3 in the case. I put one at the headstock and I drape the other two (in the 2-pack case) over the fingerboard and let it hang down in the void between the top of the guitar and the case.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

So, for archtops, the kit comes with the double-piece for acoustic sound hole and a single piece for the headstock. I have the acoustics covered now, but for an archtop guitar, is a single packet under the headstock enough?

I put one under the headstock and one in the depression in the case bottom under the heel. There's enough room in all of my archtop hard cases for it to sit flat against the bottom and not touch the guitar. If you use the pouches that come with the kits, they'll protect against leakage if a pack tears. I would not put the bare humidity packs in the case without those slipcovers - they're lined with a semipermeable membrane that keeps liquid in but lets water vapor in and out.

I have some double covers with pouches in them for 2 packs. I fold them so the packs lie on top of each other and lay that under the headstock when I have enough packs ready to use. But TBH, I've often left only one in there when I had to change them and I only had 2 rehydrated ones ready to go.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I have 3 in one case and the (calibrated) hydrometer in the case will read 54-55% and the calibrated hydrometer in the same room will read 49%. Not sure why the difference since both hydrometers are calibrated the same.

Why would you expect the one in the case to read the same as the one in the room? You have humidity packs in the case and it's well sealed against air flow. So the RH should be higher inside than out.

[Freddels]

Why would you expect the one in the case to read the same as the one in the room? You have humidity packs in the case and it's well sealed against air flow. So the RH should be higher inside than out.

The Boveda packets are the 49% ones. I would think the inside the case humidity should be close to 49%. Not sure why it's higher than the room.
My understanding of this product is that it adds humidity when it's too low and reduces humidity when it's too high.

[Spook410]

I've lived in some dry places. And yea, winter can be a killer given heating. Rather than individual case humidifiers I've always found it cheaper and easier to humidify the room. Also, a good hygrometer is a great investment.

[AllanAllen]

You’ll feel the wind chill but the guitar won’t.

I would never put a guitar in the trunk though.

So you'd cancel the gig over putting a guitar in the trunk? Those were my 2 options.

[AllanAllen]

Yes action is personal to player. I cannot play slinky strings and low action. I need to practice and adjust my playing if it happens. You can relearn touch.

Action that is 1.5mm and 1.25 is not considered high. Martin D guitars go 5/64 and 6/64 but i realize a different animal. High would be 6/64 and 7/64. I don’t use metric system for reference.

It's high to me, my Broadway was set lower, but the neck on my vintage Gretsch isn't laser level flat like the modern Broadway.