GUITAR TIP: Why you NEED to humidify your guitar
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- Do not wait until your instrument cracks to start humidifying your guitars (and any other wooden instruments). In this guitar tip, we cover how guitars react to humidity changes, the damage that it can cause, and ways to prevent this from happening.
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Boveda Humi-packs: amzn.to/3rDzkYX
Digital Hygrometer: amzn.to/3nsjAq2
Room Humidifier: amzn.to/34XehJb
Soundhole Humidifier: amzn.to/3GySKUM
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A round of applause for the camera work at 2:02 mirroring what he's saying.
Brandon Acker liked my comment? I am inevitable.
It's amazing how you can handle the most mundane subjects with art and elegance Master Brandon Acker. More and more your fan every day!
Worth mentioning: the boveda packs have finite capacity, so if you forget them for too long while the weather is dry they'll stop doing their job.
Also if you have hard water, ultrasonic humidifiers like the one pictured will disperse the minerals in the water as a particulate in the air. Whether or not this is a problem remains a somewhat unanswered question. I doubt it's a big deal, but I went for a wick-style to avoid the white dust and potential air quality issues.
Great video, though. The above are just nit-picks. Spreading the word of humidity is important!
you can recharge them like any thing else
My father would cut an apple in half and put that in the case with his guitar, or mandolin, or violin, or flute, etc. Kept the humidity right, and the instrument would have a great aroma when he’d take it out to play.
For those in the UK, Boveda also manufacture the D'addario humidipaks, which are easier to source
I love u man...this is great for music...I have learnt so much just by repeating after you...I will try to meet u some day...love from india
the boyinaband style quiet asmr intro was a treat to hear with that voice
Thanks Brandon for your heads-up. I just bought some Boveda packets and put my new Cordoba Torres in it’s hard shell case with these. I also live in the low winter humidity Midwest. Excellent timing for this needed info… You're the man!
Wow wow wow.. this is what I was searching for from 2 decades. You are a gem 💎. Love you my brother.
From a luthier, thank you for talking about this. It isn't talked about enough on the customer side of the hobby and causes a ton of issues.
Note: I, respectfully, have to disagree with you about digital hygrometers vs analogue ones. Broadly speaking, digital hygrometers are very reliable and analogue ones tend to be trash. Someone in the comments here already mentioned re-calibrating using the salt method and I second that. There's a great product by Govee that is a little puck that syncs with a smart phone that are excellent. They also have one with a display.
Thank you for your comment and im happy to here that you've found a digital hygrometer that works. I have three and they disagree by at least 10%
I'll try the brand you mentioned! Thanks
I don't understand this "all digital" mania. If you run out of batteries or stuff, you remain sitting on the ground, not to mention the cost of the batteries that you must replace every now and then.
Analogue hygrometers and thermometers (and calipers too) all the way, I have them and I feel happy to see them work reliably and permanently and without additional costs.
@@brandonacker how did the new one perform?
Thanks for bringing this up : it's so important ! I live in the Alps and it's very dry in the winter. So I use small sponge-humidifiers for my ukuleles, and I also put wet cloths to dry in the room where my instruments are, so I can check the general level of the room to remain within 40% to 50% : if the sponge is nice to maintain humidity inside the uke body, it's also important that the fretboard doesn't "shrink", hence the wet cloths, lol.
Brandon, Thanks so much for all your great videos.
You can rejuvenate used Humidipacks if they're not dried out completely. Just put them in a large freezer bag with an open cup of water. In about a week or so they will be like new. Just don't get them wet.
Great video, Brandon - clear and right to the point! I keep my guitar in a hard case and I've used a Planet Wave sound hole humidifier for years but I sometimes forget to refresh the little sponge - oops! The humid packs are new to me - I will have to check them out. Toronto winters are not quite as cold and dry as the midwest, but they can still be hard on a guitar.
I only recently realized humidity was the arch nemesis of instruments when my partner got a beautiful skin covered morin khuur from a maker in Mongolia. It looked beautiful for a few days and then the skin just started to aggressively sag and made it unplayable. We live in England and it is MOIST here so the approach has been to try get the room with the most instruments down to a reasonable humidity level (plus they live in their cases with more stuff to help balance it)but it was an emotional ordeal 😅
Thanks for giving those advices , i know all this from beeing an old guy , but your tips are really good and in fact precious !!!
Marshall Brune!! I met him years ago and we became friends. He inspired me to improve my life. Good man.
Thank you Brandon for informing me of this, I had no idea I have to keep my guitar humidified.
My beautiful seagull guitar thanks you as well.
Excellent, valuable and adequately alarming! My 1980 Kohno has failed to crack and I’ve recently been tempted to leave it out on a stand so I’ll practice more. Nope. Seems that the hard case + canvas has worked well. (Likely the 30 year hiatus helped, too!) Thanks~!
i swear to god, since ive watched this guy I always feel like he is too perfect. He is so confident, well-dressed, well-spoken, and knowledgeable it's scary to the point I suspect brandon is secretly a serial killer. Mark my words. 15/01/22
I do like to make the occasional comparison to scarecrow in the Batman triology.
No he’s just another very good actor. He’s after social currency like anyone else and flipflops his style based on what’s cool. It’s cool to not be into heavy music right now like it was when we were growing up 10-15yrs ago, so he’s gone all soft core 😂 good on him I say… tho the semiotics is too much. The voice, hair, glasses… all fake 😂 so many of that generation are now HIPSTERS with moustaches 🤣😂😂
Dude that's funny! I'll go with : the soft spoken , cool dude with monster chops .
I didn't know about these packs. I have now ordered some!
I have a substantial investment in instruments because I play violin, viola, mandolin, and also fiddle around with guitars as and basses.i live in northern Michigsn, have forced air heating and keep my instruments on stands and hangers. They're also kept in a room that I keep between 50 and 55% humidity because investing in a humidifier for the winter and a dehumidifier in the summer along with a hygrometer is minimal compared to the cost of a good quality acoustic instrument.
you touched on this, but just to reiterate, it's also sometimes necessary to DEhumidity. Humidity damage can occur from too much humidity also. Gosh, guitar stores are notorious for this. their acoustic rooms during the summer are like a rainforest and they all expand into waterballoons.
So instead of saying "humidify your guitar," i think it's better to say "maintain humidity." They say between 40 and 60 is stable which is true, but ideally you want 45-55%. Sometimes you have to humidify, sometimes you have to dehumidify.
Yeah i just have a humidifier kept running in a room . (Guitar in a gig bag)
. A sponge with a plastic container i drilled with holes and thrown into the bag works well if the climate isnt super dry like in winter time
I just had to repair a split brace in my Taylor.
I'm going to get some of the Boveda Humi-packs.
Never knew that there was a product that would maintain a target humidity.
Thank you! That really helps! 🎸
I've been neglecting this and I really shouldn't. I hope you cover an option that doesn't require a cabinet or putting it in its case. I want my guitar out because I play it more when it is, but don't want to damage my first classical guitar (even if its only a mid-range model)
Id recommend the room humidifier at the link in my description. I just bought it and love it.
Room humidifier is the way to go, then.
@@brandonacker Using a humidifier is even good for humans - the sinuses, throat and nose prefer correct humidity. Less sore throat and dryness!
I always have too high humidity and keep 4 boveda packs in my case. After a few months they are saturated and then I let them dry on the central heating. You can weigh the pack to asses their saturation. 70 gram is nominal. I dry them to about 60 - 65g.
*lives in a climate where humidy is frequently 80%+*
I often see talks about humidifying the guitar. I think a better title would be "Why you need to regulate the humidity in your guitar". I often try and dehumidify it.
Yes very true. I mentioned it can depend on where you live but forgot to mention dehumidifiers. Thanks
Why do you have to dehumidify it? Mold?
It sucks!!!! The other day i turned off over night the dehumifier and I had 94% humidity on my hygrometer. Pain in the ass
@@famatu no the guitar warps and expands. It makes the guitar not playable anymore and can lead to cracks on it
Hey Brandon, Can you please play Tico Tico no Fuba, is a Brazilian kind of samba called Choro, which means "crying" or "wheep". It's originally composed for piano but my favorite is the guitar version.
Awesome video as always.
I've got another question: how do you clean your guitar? Do you use polishes and lime oil? Are they actually any good? Are they safe to use on the guitar?
As someone who lives in the Caribbean, thank you for this
having lived between coastal sardinia and venice all my life, both places when winters have 70-80% and summers can easily reach 95%, i found that humidity does extraordinary things to wood instruments, and not in a good way
when i came back to my hometown after 5 years, i found my old guitar so warped that the height of the strings at the 12th fret was something like 4 cm (1.5 in)
when moved in my apartment i had to buy a guitar specially made with extreme humidity in mind
crazy stuff, humidity is
I feel your pain. I’m in Florida and high humidity is my issue as well. I have a room dehumidifier to keep the room around 50%.
Any tips on combating humidity? I'm trying dehumidifier packs but they turn wet in just a week or less.
high humidity can result in mildew growing in your case or instrument. Happened to my mom's violin (unused for many years), and the instrument eventually fell apart and had to be re-glued.
@@ww3032 use hard case or semi hard case, good hygrometer and moisture absorber 100 grams or more. It works till 90 humidity for one month. Been doing this for some time now.
Grateful for your shopping list! It's typically ~20% humidity here on the high plains of Montana any time of year. Summer high: 103°, Winter low: -30°.
So I just ordered one of everything, including a hard case. All total, the protective gear cost as much as my wee newbie guitar 😅 Worth every penny to know I'm taking good care. Thanks again 👍🏾
Hard cases are overrated. Next time you get one order a good soft case.
Another humidifying system that's out there is made by Oasis and works pretty well, if you don't mind having to put distilled water into them once a week or so depending on how dry the environment is (I don't). When I'll go away for extended periods (say more than two weeks), I switch to Boveda or equivalent (say, by D'Addario) as Brandon recommends.
My poor ukulele that sits near the heater >.< I'm going to try the film canister! Thanks Brandon!
Thanks Brandon for this great reminder!
In the past I learned that some people, especially in the country area, they just dropped one dried chile, so can we drop the Boveda pack inside the guitar?
Rosa String Works talked about how most guitars crack from too much moisture not too little. Mentioned that guitar wood is dried down to about 3% moisture, compared to funiture wood which is around 6% and construction wood is around 12%. So he said that usually there is plenty of moisture in air that the guitar will not dry out. But when folks over humidify their guitar and it expands and cracks from that. But of course conditions vary depending where you are and type of HVAC you are running.
Guitars Crack from both too much and too little humidity. I've had at least 5 cracks due to low humidity.
Many thanks for this. You did not mention one of the most common things that happens in very dry climate: the neck shrinks. Only a tiny bit, but enough for the ends of the frets to stick out from the sides of the fretboard. You feel this right away when your hand goes up and down the fretboard. Very unpleasant, as the fret ends are typically very sharp. Cheers. /C
Very true!
A warning about this: never file the frets down because they are sticking out. Otherwise when the instrument is humid again, the wood will expand and your frets will be the wrong size. Rather, you just need to humidify your guitar. In extreme situations like the one you mentioned, put the whole guitar in a big garbage back with a wet sponge on a plate inside for 3 days. It will absorb the moisture and your frets won't stick out as much.
You can actually easily calibrate your digital (or analog) hygrometer by using the coarse-salt method (but there are other methods as well). I do it once a year just to make sure you are not way off . There are many good websites or videos on hygrometer calibration showing how it's done -- it's not complicated, but you just have to be a bit patient (the coarse-salt method takes 12 hours or so).
I've always wondered to what extent thick proper high-end gig bags hold in the humidity? I've yet to put my home hygrometer in there to measure that, but I hope it's enough.
For home use, I use a Stadler Form Oskar - it doesn't spray water in the air so there's no mineral settlement on walls and instruments in my room. It just uses a natural evaporation process instead of water mist. It works great! (Not sponsored lol)
Mono cases work wonders for me with Air care or Venta room humidifier
A standalone hygrometer seems like it could defeat the purpose because you have to open the case to check the reading - thus breaking the quarantine. Have you looked into remote hygrometers at all? e.g.: you can get Bluetooth temperature and hygrometer bricks, some with data logging, that you can monitor from your phone, tablet or computer.
Thanks so much Brandon! I'm going for the packs. I'm too lazy to soak the sponges.
Omg I love that green shirt 😍😍👕 I want one that color now!
I really appreciate this video. The thumbnail does have me considering sneaking humidifiers into houses to humidify OTHER people's guitars.
I really didn't know about this until now
Great show live stream. Your guitar 🎸 so sound. Great show
I already knew about humidifying my guitars, I just came here because I love to watch your videos, no matter the topic 👍
You've mentioned you've worked in a music store, have you ever thought about doing a video about your experiences working there or answering questions about your time working there?
I second this idea, having worked at a music store for 1.5 years myself!
I'd be down for that!
I used the damp pit, the same my kid used for his violin, very simple.
Great video, but may I disagree with regards to a soft case. I find that even with a good soft case, the humidity does hold in. At least with my Cordoba case.
In my case as an accordion player, humidity isn't the best thing for my instrument. Especially since mine is a Roland digital v-accordion.
love your voice amplitude
great vid! kudos, i follow all your videos. is this needed on a electric guitar? thanks
Great video, thanks for that Brandon.
And .. what about when you are going to play , do a concert .. how does it work?
The time of preparing, playing the concert doesn't interfere on the guitar? Or it can damage in this period of time?
I think it's too short of a time period. And proper concert halls are humidity-controlled!
I think tuning is the most at risk, and sometimes you need to give your instrument time to get used to the ambient atmosphere, but I've only seen this done with a harp and timpani.
Really helpful tips! Do you also have any case recommendations? The one in the video looks nice
Thanks! I haven't tried that many cases. I think they are often overpriced and gimmicky. You just need a sturdy hardshell case.
Don't spend over $500.
Great tips. Thx! Anyone know what people did in the old days to maintain humidity?
good tips
Literally just ordered some humidifiers after watching this video 😂
So that means my guitar if perfectly safe out of the case, Humidity in my home rarely goes under 45% and when it goes close to 60 I have to dry out the air because othervise it is hard to breath for me :)
Is it necessary that the water you use is distilled?
I have the opposite problem: too much humidity, so I use a dehumidifier
Me too. Room dehumidifier to keep room around 50%
Great tips thank you! Would you happen to have any tips for the opposite extreme - say you live somewhere with very high humidity? Thanks!
Thanks! Yes you can use a dehumidifier in your home and the humipacks still work for high humidity.
Well my guitar is following me everywhere...so when i take a shower...i guess it does it...loll
A bold strategy!
Ok, but for real, water damage is extremely bad for wood instruments
Its funny my country is direct opposite to this issue. Its always high humidity where i live, too much humidity. So i arrest humidity throughout year
To humidify your room, you can make some tea or coffee with a portable gas stove (it intensely humidifies), or make fumigations (even if you don't have a cold, just to keep your respiratory tract clean).
This explains why my Gitane D500 goes from playable to not playable throughout the seasons.
I have a guitar that has lived in Arizona for many years without any humidifying. No cracks or anything wrong. Would humidifying extend the life of the guitar? Or would humidifying it cause warping since it's not used to it? Thanks.
I believe when an instrument changes in humidity level, that causes the damage. If your guitars are happy currently and have been for a long time, I'd keep doing what you do
Hi Brandon. Do you keep your humidifier on all the time?
How much do the Boveda packs last for you ? Longer in spring-summer and shorter lifespan in winter ?
Ive had the opposite. The bridge raised, leaving the strings so high it is unplayable. Your case idea though doesnt work unless you are willing to refill your case every few days. You absolutely need a room with a good solid humidifier
But who knows...I only live in New Mexico
And what really sucks is that those cheap guitars normally arent as sensitive to humidity. So you can buy a $100 guitar and never humidify it, and itll play just like it does from day one, but youre more expensive guitar with more exotic woods will warp so bad that you cant play it
I over humidified with a humi case. Now there are white spots on the bridge and headstock. Need to find a way to get rid of those if possible.
how long Boveda Humi-packs lasts?
I live in the desert, average humidity is around 10%.
I recently bought a china cabinet and converted it to display/store my guitar(s). This keeps them dust-free, humidity-controlled, and easily accessible for playing.
If I store it in the case "out of sight, out of mind". I play less
I live in Texas and yeah it gets hot, but thunderstorms and humidity are common in both summer and winter so I've really been wondering what I should do for my instruments. Only one of them has any solid wood construction at all (a solid top). My steel string has been around before I was born, same for my violin (which I know people also humidify) without any issues. My classical (the solid top) is pretty new though, so I don't really know how it reacts to changes yet. Any advice?
The humipacks are cheap and will regulate the humidity in the case whether its too high or too low. Think of it like instrument insurance. So yes, I would 100% use them on all of these instruments.
Hi, Brandon. Thanks for all the great content you are helping us novices with. I recently purchased an Alhambra 7c Classical guitar and I am wondering what hard case you recommend for it. I am constantly thinking about having this baby exposed (only in gig bag) and honestly it's troubling me. I'm interested in buying in the USA so I can get it sooner than later. Any guidance will be so appreciated.
Thank you.
Roberto Rodriguez
Hi Roberto,
You are very welcome and congrats on the new axe :)
I'm not one to get picky about cases so I really believe anything sturdy that will protect the instrument from damage and humidity will do. If it's made of carbon fiber and with backpack straps, even better!
Very kind of you to reply, @@brandonacker. I'll take that into consideration. Thanks again!
can we get a vidoe on barre?
I bought a ticket to Brandon's masterclass today but when I clicked on the zoom link, I was the only one. Are there supposed to be more people or is it one to one?
I think it's like a 'live' sharing, so you can't see others and you can only see him
Thank you for saving me repair cost 🙏🏻 We shall be humidified by noon.
Can you please tell me why my classical guitars always buzz around 10th 12th frets… i left them in a very humidified room
Can that be the reason why?
Brandon, where do you buy your Huma packs? I haven't use my guitar in years, but it is a Takamine inside a Takamine hard case; thus, I'm now wondering if I should buys those packs. Thank you. 🤔
Hi, D'Addario sells them and I just buy through Amazon
What if I have not done that over 15 years on my guitar?
I live in a tropical area
Is it true that laminated top guitars react better to humidity changes? If so, do you recommend using laminated top guitars? Is there any big differences?
Laminated wood reacts less to humidity by design, but it sounds worse as a guitar top, so I'd say that if you want a good guitar you'd better have a solid top. Today, even $200-300 guitars have solid tops.
Oh so boveda packs work for that I have some lying around for reasons.
Hi Brandon, Can i uses a humidifier pack from a Snack bag?
Does it work the same way?
I dont know but it probably won't hurt to try. Get a hygrometer and see if it makes a difference.
Start the new year off right with music lessons! You can get 20% OFF lessons (until the end of January) at my online music school: Arpeggiato.com
The reason that this channel is near 350k subscribers is that teacher Acker got the best tricks that actually works...plus the guy is so calm and relax that it make stress go away...👌
What about high humidity climate? Like 80/90% in Equatorial belt, how will it effect the guitar?
@@monoheisnam5909 I've answered this question a lot in the comments below. Too high of humidity is just as dangerous as too low. The instrument swells and can crack or come apart. I would still use humipacks.
Thanks alot sir
I feel like an oaf asking this, but what are the differences between a classical guitar and an ordinary acoustic guitar? Sorry, I'm a beginner. Also, does humidity effect electric guitars as well?
Dear Brandon, I own a very high quality guitar but never cared about humidifying. My teacher, quite a few years ago, told me to put it in the bathroom after taking a shower once in a while. I never did that. Do you have an opinion concerning this advice? Greetings and Appreciation from Germany!
I do not recommend that! that would involve a radical humidity change. Instead, use an in case or room humidifier (or dehumidifier if the humidity is too extreme) to regulate things to as close to 50% as possible.
I live in a humid climate. Do you have any "dehumidifying" tips to keep guitars in good working order?
Humipacks in the case! They work both ways. Or a dehumidifier in your room.
@@brandonacker I see D'Addario has something called the "Humidipak." Thanks
Does humidty also affect the strings and their tone? I live in New Orleans where it is very hot and humid, but I notice some days it seems my guitar struggle to hold tune, don't ring properly, and/or the tone ramps flat very quick. I don't know what causes this exactly, but I suspect it's humidty and that I don't do any of the precautions you listed.
It's likely you need to dehumidify. Yes the humidity will effect the tuning (strings) but not normally the tone, in my experience.
The original 1786 humidification technique involved in the mixture some blood from a young bourgeois lady. 🧛🏻♂️
intro song name?
5:08 “film canister”
A lot of younguns are NOT going to know what that is lol
Gotta take care of that tonewood babeeeey
4:55 Hmm, one problem though, where do I get a film canister nowdays ;-)
find a diabetic friend who does't yet have a continuous glucose monitor: the old test strips come in identical size canisters.
thanks dad
How often do humipacks need to be replaced?
I find they last through one Winter. They definitely don't make it a year. They'll get hard when they stop working so it's easy to tell.
I should say I only use them in the Winter.
What is the tower room humidifier? Do you get white dust all over?
It's in my description. It sprays water mist out of the top (I keep the mist away from instruments) No dust.
Live in Sweden (Gothenburg by the sea)... I'm a " Case" guy..!
Do you humidify your electric instruments too, or just the acoustic ones? BTW, the links to the products don't work. At least they arent working for me.
What is the life efficiency of one of these Boveda packs? How long may we use it within the case? One week or one month?
In my experience, a few months. So I usually put one or two packs in each case per winter (when it's very dry in my area).
@@brandonacker thanks for your prompt response. Whew, I’m glad it’s in months. But where I live, it’s either rainy or hot. I hope I could still opt for this product and leave it in the case unmonitored.
@@MrTitusDenis The good thing is wether your humidity is very high or low, the packs bring the humidity to the same percentage.
@@brandonacker Do all guitars need to be humidified? Or only the top models? Which of these wood types absolutely necessitates a humidifier: Rosewood, Cyprus, Maple, Ziricote, Mahogany, etc.?
What if your'e living by the ocean , do i still need all this crap?