solid carved-top guitars & humidity control?

[bolero]

hey I've only had laminate top/back hollowbody gtrs ( 335 & 535 etc ) and have never worried about this before

 

...but now that I have a solid, carved maple gtr ( millenium eagle ), should I keep it in the case with one of those damp foam "humidifiers" to avoid the top/back/sides cracking?

 

it is almost 1/4" thick, so not as thin as an acoustic...but being a solid piece of wood I was mulling this over

 

anyone with the bigger solid carved gtrs have any advice/experience? or is this a non-issue?

 

thx!

[Steiner]

If you lock it in the case with a wet worm, you'll get tarnished metal. How about a humidifier in the guitar room?

 

I know it's cold up there, eh? Just last week is was 70s in Detroit while the Windsor news said it was in the low 30s over there. How do you do it???

 

I use a humidifier. That way the guitars and I stay comfortable.

 

Edit:

 

Better yet Bolero. Just send it here for the winter. You can visit any time!

 

By the by... Any shots of the new lady?

[iim7v7im7]

Congratulations on your new guitar....

 

All guitars really need adequate humidification. I can't tell you how many solid body guitars that I have seen where the frets are standing proud of the fret board beause it has dried up and shrunken as it dehydrates.

 

Two good options:

 

1) Humidify your room with a small evaporative or ultrasonic unit and buy a hydrometer and keep it between 40-60% RH. I personally do this between November and April. During the warmer months the room seems to be fine.

 

2) With a guitar like yours, without a round sound hole; you could try the Planet Waves Humidpak system (http://www.planetwav...tname=Humidipak). You could place the hydrogel paks in your accessory compartment and one beneath the headstock in your case. They last about 2-3 months typically.

 

Good Luck,

 

Bob

[bolero]

thx guys!!

 

...I guess since it's already April I won't worry about it until winter

 

 

I did have to tune my gtrs back down about a step 2 weeks ago, presumably because the wood in the body/neck has expanded due to more humidity in the air

 

likewise in November or so I had to tune everything up a step: I assume because the wood shrunk & the strings lost tension..every one of them flat about a full tone

 

 

*edit* sorry no more pics of the new one, my POS camera has gone completely psychedelic purple...the ghost of Syd Barrett back to haunt me or something

[bolero]

...but here is the millie in question

 

 

[Steiner]

Excellent!!!

[RhoadsScholar]

What a Beauty..

[Kuz]

Keep them in their case when not played. Then if you a humidifier on your furnace use it in the winter months. You will be fine.

 

Honestly, I think the key is to keep them in their case when they aren't being played. I have lived in other homes with no furnace humidifier and never have had a problem.

 

You can always purchase a small 1 gallon room humidifier to just run in your guitar room, and yes keep them in their case when not played.

[DetroitBlues]

Only thing with solid bodies is change in temp/humidity could cause checking too.... Some sort of humidity control is good.... Of course you don't see much of that at any music shop except in the acoustic rooms...

[drfie]

The question of relative humidity and temperature on Heritages is interesting to me for one major reason: The Parsons St. Plant is atrocious as far as climate control. After being in there a few times I stopped worrying about the weather and my home conditions.

 

Here is Ren's take on it: "If you are comfortable, your guitar is too."

 

Now maybe that is true for Southwest MI but not other parts of the US or the world for that matter. YMMV. My 2 cents.

 

dan

[Hfan]

I've had a couple top guitar techs tell me just put a damp sponge in the case compartment. I use a plastic bag with the sponge in it and make few holes in the top of the bag. I put a little wax paper etc under the bag to protect other compartment items. Haven't seen any tarnish yet. I do this for my solid bodies too. I've looked into whole house humidifier systems been scared away by mold concerns. Portable units are a PIA for me.