Humidifier for 575

[gpuma]

for my acoustic I use this (see pic below) and I like it a lot. For my 575 however the pouch does not work, as there is no sound hole. What do you guys use?

[Ned]

I use a Dampit on a regular basis, and add a Planet Waves or an Oasis when I need something extra. The Planet waves is designed for between the strings, but it works in the f-hole. I wrap it with a turn of felt to keep it from rattling. The Oasis rests on the finish of the guitar and makes me nervous.

 

I live in a very dry climate, and I find that through time, my instruments adapt to the climate. I acclimatize them very slowly and gauge their health by fretboard sprout and general buzziness. Today, both the 16 and the 575 are un-humidified (it took since April to get Lance's 575 from Florida happy). My 16 came from Denver and it was so dry that the fret ends cracked the neck binding. I case humidified her for months, tapering up through time and then slowly off. She lives in a case, the 575 lives out.

 

My Heritages both have spruce tops, and It is wild when they both go a 1/4 pitch sharp during prolonged thunderstorms.

 

You probably have more pronounced swings in Chicago than I do in the high desert. Your mileage may vary, etc. If the 575 is laminated, the fretboard is probably your biggest concern.

 

Please share what you learn, there is not much information about humidifying archtops.

[MichYank]

This is what I do for all my guitars.

 

Go to Target and get a bar soap travel case for $1 and a package of cheap sponges. Drill 8-10 holes in the top of the case, then moisten a sponge and put in it. Throw it in your guitar case and check it as needed. If there's no room for a soap case, a toothbrush case with holes works too. Total investment - $2!

[Hfan]

This is what I do for all my guitars.

 

Go to Target and get a bar soap travel case for $1 and a package of cheap sponges. Drill 8-10 holes in the top of the case, then moisten a sponge and put in it. Throw it in your guitar case and check it as needed. If there's no room for a soap case, a toothbrush case with holes works too. Total investment - $2!

I even go cheaper, plastic bag with a few holes or open at top and a damp sponge in the case compartment. Had 2 of the best luthiers in NJ tell me this is ok.

[H]

This is what I do for all of my guitars: I live in England where the humidity is a steady 50-odd percent all year round

[Kuz]

I leave mine in a case when it is not being played and this really helps.

 

I have some high end acoustics and both the store and my luthier are against any in case humidification. They said "It is not treating the problem and it is not controllable.". They recommended during the dry seasons to do one of two things.

 

1. In house within the heating unit, use of an whole house humidifier. This a unit that adds moisture to the air. It can run constant with the fan on only (this is how I run mine when it is really dry), or it can click on when the heater turns on. The in house humidifier is not very expensive and keep the environment comfortable for everyone, not just the guitars (and yes I STILL keep them in the case when they aren't being played).

 

2. If option 1 is not possible, then go to Walmart and buy a 1 or 2 gallon room humidifier for like $30 and put your guitars in that room (again I would leave them in their case when not used) and run the humidifier to control the environment in the room.

 

The key is you are now treating the problem by controlling the environment and you don't have to use a buch of in case humidifiers if you have more than one acoustic or hollow body guitar. Plus it is very easy to OVER humidify a guitar with an in case humidifier. The options above make sure the environment is safe for your guitars at a constant humidity.