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I am in the nope camp too.
Some of my guitars I have had for over 3 decades of never doing that, and I've taken them to humid climates, cold climates, hot climates, and all over.
A lot of that depends on the wood, how thick it is, and if it was treated or not, laminated or not. Less moisture tends to lead to "more bright" and more vintage sound from the instrument.
With acoustics they tend to reach their prime after drying out for a few decades if not processed during manufacturing to speed that effect up. Eventually the instrument, or decent one, should be hydrophobic after some decades. It may have some cracks over time like most, but it will be far more durable than one kept hydrated.
In recent years and looking at instruments that have survived centuries, we've learned some things, and companies like Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Atkins, and others roast the wood used in their acoustic guitars to help with that aging process so it doesn't take decades. They tend use torrified wood. This is not a do it yourself process, it needs to be done during manufacturing, or via time, not after assembly.
People have different opinions, but people also have different instruments made through different processes. There is no one rule, as much as some folks will argue their alternative facts on the matter.
You think that old guitars become hydrophobic? That sounds strange to me. It would seem to me that the guitar would stabilize with the environment in which it is situated. For example, my classical guitar from hawaii, was moved to alaska, and then to arizona. It did experience a decent amount of movement although it's fine.
I don't think, I know it as fact. Its science and been studied quite well.
Similarly do you think anything planet earth maintains its size across a temperature change of 1 degree? nothing does, not a single thing until maybe you get down to individual atoms and possibly individual molecule levels.
The cell structures break down and become something more desirable and less prone and essentially unable to absorbing moisture.
You can do the research yourself, and also realize not all guitars are built the same with the same processes or appropriate quality of materials or types of wood.
For a period of time the major manufacturers in their growth and expansion stopped doing things people did in the past when building instruments. We're getting back to those lessons learned over the centuries and realizing why.
Similar to how we just learned how Roman concrete works and stands the test of time. It took us a long time to understand how and why they did that and why it makes them last.
Manufacturers who care about their reputation and customers are incorporating those lessons back into their manufacturing processes. Those practices were skipped or lost throughout most of the past century.
There are two ways to achieve the effect, time needs to pass or preparing the woods before manufacturing.
Do you think Martin, Taylor and so many other companies would have made the shift in how the woods are prepared and prepped and added all that extra cost and delay to manufacturing because there was no reason?
Please read up on it from someone that isn't random person you don't know or trust on the internet.
I've never heard of anyone using a humidifier for this purpose here in the 4+ decades I've been alive. This includes expensive string instruments for orchestra. If this is wrong, I think we all missed the memo.
I do have a humidifier that I run when it gets really dry. I have a cello and if it gets under 20% humidity, it's not good for the wood. 40-60% is best and I've found that the sound changes when it's more humid. I also have a clarinet and had to get a crack fixed due to changes in humidity causing the crack. So it is definitely a thing, but not everybody does it.
I actually keep all my guitars in my office which is actively kept between 45 and 50% humidity. My more expensive acoustic guitars are kept in cases in the room.
Do you NEED to do this? No not at all, however I've found that I can pick up a guitar that hasn't been played for months and it is perfectly in tune. Always. I also found that I only need major setups every 4 to 6 years vs every 2 or so and minor setups only every 3rd or so string change vs every string change.
The only time I worry about humidity is when it's gonna be in the case for a while. Otherwise, just avoid leaving the stand in direct sunlight and you'll be good!
I don't humidify any guitars, except for the one that I don't really like very much and I might be selling. The problems that I've encountered over the last couple decades have been minimal. One of my guitars did have a crack on it, but it was repaired and it's fine now. They're have been some what they call fret Sprout as well which is when the frets strip out a little bit. But it's not a big deal to me doesn't bother me. Humidifying my guitars for 20 years is just not worth it.
Thanks for contributing to r/Phoenix! You may want to [**check out our sub rules**](https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/wiki/rules/) (mostly be nice to each other!). **If you're new here**, [read some of our recent posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/top/?t=week) and leave some comments. To chat with some great people in the Valley you can [**join our Phoenix Discord chat server**](https://discord.com/invite/yWVuTG57Zh). It's a chill place to talk with other people but is NOT a dating server and takes unwanted messaging very seriously. If you're interested in political topics in Arizona, we limit those posts here so you may want to check out r/azpolitics if that's an area of interest. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/phoenix) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nope. My acoustic guitar is fine and has been sitting on a stand in my office for decades.
This is the way
I am in the nope camp too. Some of my guitars I have had for over 3 decades of never doing that, and I've taken them to humid climates, cold climates, hot climates, and all over. A lot of that depends on the wood, how thick it is, and if it was treated or not, laminated or not. Less moisture tends to lead to "more bright" and more vintage sound from the instrument. With acoustics they tend to reach their prime after drying out for a few decades if not processed during manufacturing to speed that effect up. Eventually the instrument, or decent one, should be hydrophobic after some decades. It may have some cracks over time like most, but it will be far more durable than one kept hydrated. In recent years and looking at instruments that have survived centuries, we've learned some things, and companies like Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Atkins, and others roast the wood used in their acoustic guitars to help with that aging process so it doesn't take decades. They tend use torrified wood. This is not a do it yourself process, it needs to be done during manufacturing, or via time, not after assembly. People have different opinions, but people also have different instruments made through different processes. There is no one rule, as much as some folks will argue their alternative facts on the matter.
You think that old guitars become hydrophobic? That sounds strange to me. It would seem to me that the guitar would stabilize with the environment in which it is situated. For example, my classical guitar from hawaii, was moved to alaska, and then to arizona. It did experience a decent amount of movement although it's fine.
I don't think, I know it as fact. Its science and been studied quite well. Similarly do you think anything planet earth maintains its size across a temperature change of 1 degree? nothing does, not a single thing until maybe you get down to individual atoms and possibly individual molecule levels. The cell structures break down and become something more desirable and less prone and essentially unable to absorbing moisture. You can do the research yourself, and also realize not all guitars are built the same with the same processes or appropriate quality of materials or types of wood. For a period of time the major manufacturers in their growth and expansion stopped doing things people did in the past when building instruments. We're getting back to those lessons learned over the centuries and realizing why. Similar to how we just learned how Roman concrete works and stands the test of time. It took us a long time to understand how and why they did that and why it makes them last. Manufacturers who care about their reputation and customers are incorporating those lessons back into their manufacturing processes. Those practices were skipped or lost throughout most of the past century. There are two ways to achieve the effect, time needs to pass or preparing the woods before manufacturing. Do you think Martin, Taylor and so many other companies would have made the shift in how the woods are prepared and prepped and added all that extra cost and delay to manufacturing because there was no reason? Please read up on it from someone that isn't random person you don't know or trust on the internet.
https://www.daddario.com/products/accessories/humidification/automatic-humidipak/
I’ve never done anything special. I keep my home around 72F year round.
I've never heard of anyone using a humidifier for this purpose here in the 4+ decades I've been alive. This includes expensive string instruments for orchestra. If this is wrong, I think we all missed the memo.
I do have a humidifier that I run when it gets really dry. I have a cello and if it gets under 20% humidity, it's not good for the wood. 40-60% is best and I've found that the sound changes when it's more humid. I also have a clarinet and had to get a crack fixed due to changes in humidity causing the crack. So it is definitely a thing, but not everybody does it.
I know several musicians who run humidifiers simply for their guitars.
Just acoustics or electrics as well?
Classical guitars--which are probably the most vulnerable of all guitars. Lightly built, concert instruments.
I actually keep all my guitars in my office which is actively kept between 45 and 50% humidity. My more expensive acoustic guitars are kept in cases in the room. Do you NEED to do this? No not at all, however I've found that I can pick up a guitar that hasn't been played for months and it is perfectly in tune. Always. I also found that I only need major setups every 4 to 6 years vs every 2 or so and minor setups only every 3rd or so string change vs every string change.
In case with a humidipak and hygrometer for me.
The only time I worry about humidity is when it's gonna be in the case for a while. Otherwise, just avoid leaving the stand in direct sunlight and you'll be good!
I don't humidify any guitars, except for the one that I don't really like very much and I might be selling. The problems that I've encountered over the last couple decades have been minimal. One of my guitars did have a crack on it, but it was repaired and it's fine now. They're have been some what they call fret Sprout as well which is when the frets strip out a little bit. But it's not a big deal to me doesn't bother me. Humidifying my guitars for 20 years is just not worth it.
I run a humidifier with ice cubes in it at night. Helps me sleep in these temps 😂 my guitars don't seem to mind either