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Last Updated: February 25, 2020
If you own a guitar, you need to understand how humidity affects guitars. This is especially important if yours is an expensive, high-end acoustic.
Every time someone writes to me asking why a crack has mysteriously appeared in their expensive Martin, I shed single, solitary tear… because I know it could’ve been prevented.
By the time something cracks or comes loose, the repair is going to be costly–possibly a few hundred dollars depending on the extent of the damage. That’s if it can be repaired at all.
This article is here to teach you some humidity basics and help you avoid such a catastrophe.
On the other hand, if you feel like you already know this stuff and just want some humidity product recommendations, check out my article: Humidity Control Solutions for Guitars.
Like You, Guitars Need Moisture, But Not Too Much
The ideal humidity range for your acoustic guitar is anywhere between 45% – 55%, with the sweet spot being right smack in the middle at 50%.
Acoustic guitars, especially the more expensive ones, are most affected by humidity and temperature because they’re made from ultra-thin sheets of wood and held together primarily by glue. Lots and lots of glue. These (mostly organic) materials are sensitive to extremes in humidity.
Solidbody electric guitars are generally less sensitive to weather conditions, because they tend to be built with thick slabs of wood and are held together more with screws and similar hardware. However, this doesn’t mean electric guitar owners are completely off the hook. They still need to pay attention to this stuff too.
Don’t Obsess. It’s a Guitar and it’s Meant to be Played
I’ll be discussing extremes and worst-case scenarios a lot in this article.
However, I’m not preaching here that you should be overly paranoid and obsessive about humidity. If this all seems a little overwhelming, simply keeping your acoustic guitar in a good guitar case whenever you’re not playing it will help you avoid most problems. Soft “gig bags” or cheap cardboard cases won’t do. If you have an acoustic guitar that’s of decent quality, you shouldn’t be storing it in a cheap case.
Short exposure (say… 1-2 days of continuous exposure) to extreme dryness or extreme humidity is generally okay. Guitars are built to be played, not to sit in their cases sheltered from the world. The only exceptions are rare, old, and/or expensive collector’s pieces. These gems should probably spend the majority of their lives protected and only occasionally be taken out for routine maintenance and some strumming.
It’s not until a guitar has been in an extreme environment for about a week that you may start to see signs and symptoms of a “wet” or “dry” guitar.
A Wet Guitar – Signs of Too Much Humidity
Guitar repair folk like to call a guitar that’s showing signs of excessive humidity a “wet guitar.” The guitar’s been exposed to humidity above 60% for a few days or more, and has literally begun taking on water.
Weird Fact: You can actually measure an increase in a guitar’s weight due to over humidification.
Humidity, in general, has the effect of causing wood to expand and swell. So, avoid any sudden increase in humidity. For example, if you normally live in a very dry climate and fly to a very humid climate, keep your guitar inside its case 1-2 days (if you can) to let it gradually acclimate.
Signs of a Wet Guitar That YOU Can Watch Out For:
High action is the most common/obvious symptom of a wet guitar. Your strings start to feel higher than usual–maybe even to the point that your guitar becomes too difficult or painful to play.
Another indicator can be heard. If you have an astute ear, you might notice that your guitar has begun sounding rather dull and lacks the projection it once had. This one’s highly subjective though, as this could be caused by other factors (e.g. old strings).
Signs a Professional Repairperson Will Look For:
A pro will use visual sighting as well as a straightedge to diagnose over humidification. Over humidified guitars can have an improper neck angle, improper bridge angle, or unusually swollen (arched) top and/or back. As a beginner, don’t try looking for this stuff yourself. If you do you’ll drive yourself a little crazy, because you won’t know the difference between what is normal and what may be the result of over humidification. Also, I don’t want to be responsible for you accidentally dropping a metal straightedge onto your glossy guitar finish!
An extremely “wet” guitar can have a swollen top when checked with a straightedge.
What’s the Worst That Can Happen?
At the extreme end, your finish can begin to lift or crack, glue joints can fail, and splits can form in the top, back, or sides of the guitar. At this point, it’s too late, and repairs are very costly… if they’re repairable at all.
Live in a Really Humid Climate? Here’s What You Can Do:
If you live somewhere where the humidity is routinely above 60%, you’ll need to take some precautions. However, first confirm that humidity is actually a problem. The weather outside may be humid, but if you run the heater or air conditioner, the humidity inside your house may be ideal or even too dry. For now, we’ll assume that humidity IS too high.
If you store your guitar in its case:
1. Buy a digital hygrometer to go inside your guitar case so you can measure humidity, otherwise you’re just guessing. I recommend the Oasis OH-2C Digital Hygrometer (pictured right) and corresponding Oasis Hygrometer Holder. The holder is great–it keeps the hygrometer right where it’s needed (near the soundhole) without scratching your guitar.
The Oasis OH-2C Digital Hygrometer
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2. To cut/control the humidity, I recommend the D’Addario Two-Way Humidification System (pictured right). This awesome little system is called “two-way” because it maintains proper humidity inside your case no matter WHAT the weather is like… too dry or too humid. Best of both worlds!
D’Addario 2-Way Humidification System
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OR
Low-budget option: Silica gel packets. Yep. Simply collect them any time you find them in food containers, vitamin bottles, etc. Or, you can purchase the Dry & Dry 1 Gram Silica Gel Packets. Keep one by the headstock and another just above the soundhole (you can use an envelope to fashion a homemade holder). Start with just those two and and see what your hygrometer reads after 1-2 days in the sealed case. If humidity is still above 60% add 1 more packet above the soundhole. The packet(s) need to be above the soundhole. They can’t do their job if they’re inside the accessory compartment or wedged somewhere else inside the case.
If you keep your guitar out on a stand, or don’t have a good, airtight case:
1. Buy a digital hygrometer. Just like above, I still recommend the Oasis OH-2C Digital Hygrometer… because it works fine to measure room humidity too.
2. Buy a room dehumidifier for the room where the guitar is stored. I don’t have personal experience with these, so I can’t make a recommendation here. Just do your homework when shopping for one, and use customer reviews to help you find a good one.
A Dry Guitar – Signs of Too Little Humidity
Of course, the opposite of a “wet guitar” is a “dry guitar.” It’s been exposed to humidity below 40% for a few days or more and has begun to dry out.
Extremely dry air, in general, has the effect of causing wood to shrink/contract. All the same disclaimers mentioned above apply here: if you normally live in a very humid climate and travel to a very dry climate, give your guitar time to gradually acclimate inside its case, if possible.
Signs of a Dry Guitar That YOU Can Watch Out For:
A dead ringer for a dry guitar is that the fret ends will begin to feel sharp. This is because the wood of the fretboard has contracted, leaving the metal fret ends exposed.
String buzzing in the higher registers (above the 7th fret) is another sign of a dry guitar. However, string buzzing can happen for many other reasons, so let your repair person be the judge here.
The other sign is an audible one, but it’s pretty subjective: the guitar can develop a brittle or “tinny” sound. However, there are other reasons a guitar’s sound can change, so let a professional repairperson be the judge.
Signs a Professional Repairperson Will Look For:
A pro will evaluate the above symptoms, but also use visual sighting as well as a straightedge to diagnose a dry guitar. Dry guitars can have a hump in the fretboard somewhere between the 12-14th frets, a concave top, or a very flat back. A repairperson may also listen for any unnatural rattles when the guitar is played or tapped in certain areas.
An extremely “dry” guitar can have a sunken or concave top when checked with a straightedge.
What’s the Worst That Can Happen?
At the extreme end, the same damage that results from a wet guitar can manifest from a dry guitar as well. Glue joints can pop apart, cracks can form in the top, back, or sides of the guitar, and the glossy finish (if applicable) can crack or check.
If your guitar gets to this point, it will have to be repaired by a pro, and that’s going to be very costly depending on the extent of the damage.
Live in a Really Dry Climate? Here’s what You Can Do:
If you live somewhere where the humidity is routinely below 40%, you’ll need to take some precautions. Again, we’re aiming for 45% – 55% humidity. Some of the information in this section will be redundant, but I’ll repeat it in case you skipped to this section.
If you store your guitar in its case:
1. Buy a digital hygrometer to go inside the case so you can measure humidity. As mentioned up above, I recommend the Oasis OH-2C Digital Hygrometer and corresponding Oasis Hygrometer Holder. The holder is great because it keeps the hygrometer right where it’s needed (near the soundhole) without scratching your guitar.
2. To increase the humidity I recommend the Music Nomad Humitar Acoustic Guitar Humidifier (pictured here). This is what I use and it keeps my guitars between 48% – 55% humidity, even in the driest Arizona summers.
The Humitar acoustic guitar humidifier is what I use to protect against the dry Arizona climate.
Check Price on Amazon →
If you keep your guitar out on a stand, or don’t have a good, airtight case:
1. Buy a digital hygrometer. I still recommend the Oasis OH-2C Digital Hygrometer… because it works fine to measure room humidity too.
2. Buy a room humidifier for the room where the guitar is stored. I’ve been using the AirCare MA0800 in my music room. It works quite well, but can be a little noisy and does require some regular refilling and maintenance (like all room humidifiers).
OR
I recently began using a Musik Tent (pictured here) which allows me to keep my guitars accessible while providing a self-contained environment of perfect humidity. It can be hung in a closet or anywhere there’s a similar bar. The kit includes the tent, a humidification bladder, hanging hooks, and a digital hygrometer. The humidification bladder lasts about 4-6 months, so it’s a very low-maintenance system.
I now use a Musik Tent to protect my expensive acoustics.
Check Price on Amazon →
OR
Low-budget option: Believe it or not, simply keeping open containers of water in the room will help. Fill a few vases (wider openings are better) or bowls and stick ‘em somewhere you won’t knock them over. Refill them as the water evaporates. Plants help with humidity as well, as long as you keep them watered and healthy.
My Parting Thoughts
Environmental conditions are constantly fluctuating–both inside and outside your house.
This is why I highly recommend that you keep your expensive acoustic guitar inside a sealed case whenever you’re not playing it, along with whatever humidity-controlling devices you’ve decided on. This gives your guitar a more consistent “microclimate” that is independent of the all the craziness going on everywhere else. Or, consider a solution like the Musik Tent which is a good middle-ground.
Question:
Do you feel like your guitar is showing signs of under or over humidification? If so, give me a shout in the “Leave a Reply” section down below and I’ll try to help however I can.
I have several guitars from a laminated Hollow bodies to Les Pauls/Teles/Strats.
They are kept in their cases and my music room gets to approximately 60% humidity. After work I turn on a room dehumidifier daily and get the humidity down to 45%.
Is 60% down to 45% daily a big/damaging swing?
I’d say the 24 hour average is 55% rh. Never above 60% never below 45%
Great article. I have a mini-martin travel guitar with a sitka spruce top and HPL sides and back. I regularly take it from dry Utah to humid Honolulu where it’s 60-70% humidity inside the apartment. I’ve noticed that after 2 days I get buzzing in the high strings, and I had attributed that to the humidity change. But reading your article and comments, it looks like you do not expect buzzing from high humidity, but more so from being too dry. Am I wrong in assuming that it’s the humidity causing the buzz? I had considered getting a different travel guitar that was all HPL in the hopes that it would be less sensitive to humidity changes.
Hi Paul. This is not an exact science, so whether or not your symptoms match or not is somewhat irrelevant. Humidity (or lack thereof) isn’t what causes symptoms like buzzing, high action, sharp fret ends, etc. It plays naughty with your guitar’s overall setup by causing the wooden parts to swell or contract.
Regardless of whether your symptoms match this “rough guide” or not, it’s pretty safe to say that your issues are indeed due to changes in humidity, since that’s the major thing that’s changing between Utah and Hawaii.
You can indeed look for something like an all carbon fiber guitar (though they’re very expensive) or you can alter your setup for the new climate if you’re going to be there for awhile.
Here in Arizona, we have our ultra dry summers and winters, then our ultra-wet monsoon season. I have to make significant alterations to my setup for both extremes, and am also constantly making minor adjustments throughout the rest of the year. It’s why none of my electric guitars have the truss rod cover installed. I’m constantly making micro adjustments.
I have a solid body Roland synth guitar (gutted to make it light for 4-6 hour continuous gigs). It used to be so light I would have to open the case to make sure it was in there. I stopped performing publically and kept it in case under bed for 30 years. Never opened it. Now it is much heavier. Is this possible?
I put my guitar in my living room with 71 degrees 50% and 82 degrees 77% when AC off about 8 hours (My sleep time lol). Is it too extreme moving temperature? I’d put dehumidifier just make sure the 8 hours without AC the room keep on 50% but seems like it don’t make any movement to the hygrometer.
Just stumbled acrossed this thread. I have a Martin 000 16RGTE Auditorium style. I’ve never regulated its humidity. I live in Michigan so we definitely experience some fluctuations. I noticed a few weeks ago right above my sound hole a a sort of valley.
It’s not noticeable unless you look at in the right lighting. I was thinking that maybe because I have medium gauged strings on it that it was causing to much tension and warping the body. But humidity humidity levels make more sense. The reader I have in my living room says 35% currently. It gets anywhere from 50 to 70 percent in the Summer. I know I should start taking some precautions. But let’s say leave I leave it sitting out at around 50 percent humidity. Wiill that dip I mentioned correct itself if it is indeed caused from being too dry?
I love playing guitar but this stuff is enough to drive somebody crazy lol.
Hi Jordan. It’s hard to say if this dip you’re seeing will disappear (or if it’s even anything abnormal), but one thing is certain: keeping your guitar somewhere between 45% – 55% is ideal. You don’t have to be perfect with this stuff–just do your best to try and regulate humidity with the seasons and keep it from getting to the extreme ends of the spectrum. See if you can find a way to add a little humidity in the winters, and remove it in the summers (if necessary). Your guitar can tolerate being a little outside the perfect range, so don’t worry too much if you can only get humidity up to… say… 40% in the winters and only down to… say… 65% in the summers. You’ll just have to get in the habit of making some setup adjustments with the seasons.
First I’ll say I know I’m stupid for not thinking ahead o time. I got sent to Middle East. Took my classical alvarez kazuo yairi w me. It started buzzing. Never has before. Then I realized the damn dry air is prolly why. I ordered humidifier kit on Amazon but it won’t til mid May. Anything I can do in mean time to help?
It’s me again. Forgot to mention it’s been on muggy coastal Ga for 30 years. Drastic change of humidity!
Hi Wilbur. If you’re in a pinch, you can get by for awhile with a large trash bag (one big enough to contain your guitar and be sealed), a wire tie or string, a damp sponge, and a ziplock bag.
Essentially, you’ll wet the sponge and let most of the water run out… maybe even give it a very slight squeeze. You want it to still be somewhat wet, but not sopping wet or dripping.
Then, put the sponge into the ziplock bag, but don’t seal the ziplock bag. Leave it open so the moisture from the sponge can evaporate–while the bag prevents any drips or spills.
This is now your makeshift humidifier.
Place the ziplock-sponge-bag at the bottom of the large trash bag such that it won’t tip over and spill any water.
Place your guitar in the bag.
Seal the bag with a wire tie, string, chip-clip, or whatever works.
I’m not going to lie: this is all a bit awkward and the humidity is imprecise, but it might get you by until the proper stuff arrives. You’ll probably have to re-wet the sponge every day, so keep on top of that.
One risk of doing this kind of MacGyver method is that you can actually over-humidify the guitar… especially if you’re not monitoring things with a hygrometer (hopefully you ordered one of those too).
Hope that helps!
My Martin Ceo 6 Black has what I call “ripples” in the finish showing the wood grain, is this repairable? I know it mean the wood is expanding possibly
Hi Neville. I’d have to see these “ripples” with my own eyes to judge whether it’s bad, or just normal.
Do these ripples only show up when you look across the top at a certain angle and in certain light? If that’s the case, that’s not uncommon on an acoustic guitar… due to how thin the lacquer is. Just keep the humidity in the safe zone of 45% – 55% as much as possible, which you should do anyway.
Or, are these actual cracks you’re talking about? You’ll know, because cracks look very different than “ripples”… and is what we call crazing or checking. Here’s a good place to do a little research: Frets.com primer on acoustic guitar finishes.
Hello here! I purchased a PRS Angelus about a month and a half ago and due to dry climate it appears my 12th fret G string has deadened. I have taken a straight edge to the fret nearby as well as the whole neck and it doesnt appear to have any loosened raised frets or a hump. I really have a hard time believing the frets could be worn to cause this buzz because Im not a frequent string bender. However I cant say I know for sure but the frets still look like new and the guitar is like new built at the end of 2020. The guitar was not buzzing when I first got it and actually just started buzzing today. It doesnt make sense to me. I have purchased a humidifier and have aimed to keep the room my guitars are in at about at least a constant 40% humidity but if I have to leave for a few days the humidifier doesnt run and when I return home the levels in the room are between 25-30 so I crank up the humidifier and let it run through hours and when I return to shut it off the levels jump to almost 7o%. Im not sure what I can do to keep a balanced room if I am not always home. This guitar is curly maple sides a spruce top and ebony fingerboard. It sounds better that my Ibanez that is an artwood series throughout (Zebrawood) but I would think it would be more stable and it isnt. At least not yet anyway. I know it brand new and manufactured overseas somewhere where the climate is probably the opposite of what it is in Colorado. I would like to get this climate figured out and constant for the future health of my instruments all together. Finally what I believe I really hope can happen it the dead fret will return to normal with some propper humidification. I hang the instruments on the wall and case them both at times depending on which one I am playing more frequently. Any suggestions to bring that 12th fret G string alive again. At this point thats the only string and fret buzzing and I want to get a fast grip on this situation.
Hi Raymond. I’ll break my answer into two sections because you seem to have two main concerns: humidity regulation and the sudden development of a buzz.
Humidity
Firstly, trying to regulate the humidity of a room is annoyingly difficult. Affordable, consumer-grade room humidifiers do an okay job (but not a great job) of keeping a room regulated. However, they have to be refilled constantly. As you’ve learned, if you’re away for more than about 24 hours, the water runs out and your guitars are left vulnerable until you’re able to fill it again.
If you want to rely on a room humidifier so that you can keep your guitars outside their cases while you’re home, that’s fine. However, if you need to leave for an extended period, then put your guitars in their cases with two Humidipak packets from the D’Addario 2-Way Humidity Control System I recommended on this page. Put 1 packet in the headstock area of the case, and the other somewhere in the body compartment (not the accessory compartment). In the body area, be careful you’re not squeezing/crushing the packet when you close the case.
That’ll give your guitars a sealed microclimate of near-perfect humidity while you’re away. When you return and take your guitars out of their cases, leave the Humidipaks inside the case so they don’t expire as quickly. You might even seal them in a ziplock bag when not in use to see if it’ll help them last even longer (they normally expire after 4-6 months of use).
Buzzing
Remember, guitars are made out of an organic material: wood. Even though it has been sealed with lacquer and such, it’s still affected by humidity and temperature. Depending on humidity, temperature, and whether you’re running your a/c or heater the wood expands and contracts, causing multiple adjustment points to move.
So, it’s perfectly normal for a guitar to be buzz-free one day, and then mysteriously develop a buzz (or multiple buzzes) the next. It’s also perfectly annoying, but welcome to guitar ownership.
It’s important to note that buzzes also mysteriously disappear for the same reason. So when my guitars start buzzing in this fashion, I often just wait a few days to see if it goes away on its own.
All this is why it’s so advantageous for guitar owners to learn how to do their own guitar setups. When these mystery buzzes suddenly crop up, sometimes the solution is as simple as making a very minor adjustment to the truss rod (usually, loosening it a bit). However, it sometimes means the guitar needs to be fully set-up… especially if there’s been a drastic change in climate.
This is why I leave the truss rod cover off all my electric guitars: I have to make minor adjustments to the truss rod 3-4 times a year as the weather here in the desert bounces all over the place… from bone dry to humid, from cold to extremely hot.
Hope that helps!
Hi,
many thanks for very nice description of what can happen with acoustic guitar regarding humidity!
I have 2010 Martin D16-GT and was so affraid it will dry out, that I started to use Daddario humidifier(the one with yellow sponge you put between strings ).
From what you write, the swollen top on my guitar (2mm gap on both sides), the issue is clear, its too much humidity. I also seen kind of green corrosion on the ends of the frets..
Please, do you know what is the best cure now? I will definitely stop using humidifier for a while. We have around 30-40% humidity in our flat. Do you think the top will spontaneously turn back just when not using the humidifier? Or should i take down the strings to help it straighten the top?
Many thanks for you advices and wonderful description again!
Hi Mojek. The very first thing you need to do is buy a digital hygrometer, like the Oasis I recommend in this article. It sounds like you’re guessing at what the ambient humidity is in your flat, so you need to accurately measure it first.
Do that first, and then you’ll know whether you need to add or remove humidity… or if it’s actually just right, naturally (without a humidifier). Eventually, your guitar will slowly return to a “normal” state, but it’ll take a little time.
For the corrosion on your frets, you can mask the fretboard with blue painters tape, leaving only the frets exposed (also cover the guitar’s sound hole by taping a sheet of paper over it). Then, go over the frets lengthwise (side-to-side) with #0000 steel wool. Be sure you use only #0000 (the finest grade) steel wool, and not anything else. Not #000 and definitely not #00.
#0000 steel wool will remove the corrosion and also shine your frets up very nicely. They’ll look like brand new, slick little mirrors.
Steel wool can be messy though and leave little metal pieces everywhere that will have to be vacuumed up afterward. These little pieces can also scratch the shiny lacquer of your guitar if you’re not careful during cleanup.
If you don’t want to use steel wool, you can also use a fret polish. This will take more effort, but is a less messy way of cleaning those frets.
To see how that’s done and the exact polish I like to use, check out this article: How to Clean & Polish Guitar Frets [Step-by-Step].
I have the D’Addario humidipak system for my Martin D 13e acoustic guitar. According to my very accurate Sensorpush thermometer/hygrometer, I am reading a fluctuation of anywhere between 37-40 % humidity over the last 6 days during an unusual cold spell in Louisana and the rest of the country. I was able to hold right around 45% before the cold months and have owned my guitar around 3.5 weeks. I have added 3 three additional humidipaks on top of the three that come in the kit. With humidities around 37-40, do you think the guitar could have encountered damages? I am still in my return window for the guitar, but seems little overkill. I am hoping that this isn’t considered the “extreme range.” This has been extremely frustrating in the fact it gets very hot here with high humidity in the summer and somehow it is “dry” right now. Please let me know. Thanks!
Hi Justin. I’d have to inspect your guitar to know for sure, but I doubt a few days in that humidity range would cause any issues. If so, they’d just be the usual temporary symptoms of a dry guitar–nothing permanent.
While 37% – 40% isn’t ideal, if you’d said 10% – 20% then I’d start to worry. Again though, low humidity isn’t a guarantee of damage. It’s just something to try and avoid, if possible.
Since ive bought my Martin D16 a few weeks ago, its been in a hard case in my 30-35% home with no humidifier. I just received the humidipak system but its taking a while for it to increase the humidity level in the case to the 45-50% range (its been about another week and its at 38% now). Should I be concerned about the effects of dryness to the new guitar?
Hi Scott. I’d just keep working toward reaching that 45% – 50% level. Until you do, your Martin should be okay for a few weeks at the low humidity, but don’t stretch it out for a month or two.
If you’re not already doing so, I’d recommend using 2 humidity packets. Put 1 pack in the headstock compartment or neck area (depending on what your case interior allows) and the other in the usual place at the soundhole.
Having 2 packs in there won’t over-humidify the guitar and, in fact, I use 2 packs in my acoustic case–arranged as I’ve indicated above. People don’t realize that by only putting packs in/over the soundhole, the neck and headstock can be starved of moisture… due to how tight it is inside most cases. So, 2 packs spread out is a good idea. Two packs will last a little longer than a single pack too–once the interior gets up to about 50%.
Whenever you’re playing your guitar, be sure to leave the humidity packs inside the CLOSED case. Try not to leave the case open for any longer than necessary to take your guitar out (or put it back in). That’ll help the humidity packs last longer, as well as help moisture build up inside. If they’re sitting there exposed to the air, you’re just aging them prematurely.
One last thing: be sure that your hygrometer isn’t bad and that it’s accurate and has been calibrated (if necessary). If your hygrometer doesn’t have a calibration function, I’d get rid of it and buy one that does. Good hygrometers should have a calibration function, as almost all are a few degrees off right out of the factory.
Hope that helps!
I keep my Martin OM-28 in its case and it’s reguarly 39-40% humidity according to the hygrometer. Would this suffice a Humidity provider, like the Osasis?
Thanks for the advise!
Hi Marcel:
That’s a bit lower than what’s ideal, but your Martin may be able to handle it. I’d try to get it up to at least 45% if you can.
I’ve seen a number of Martins here in the desert develop top cracks right down the middle, behind the bridge as a result of their owners not keeping them humidified properly. However, those were more extreme scenarios–where the owners never humidified them, constantly took them camping out in the desert, etc.
High-end guitar makers like Martin use thinner top wood, which improves overall tone and projection. The downside is that it can be a bit more sensitive to humidity.
I bought a 2020 Gibson acoustic in May of this year. Since it came with the humidipaks I started worrying about humidity cause I’ve never knew about it before. During the summer my humidity inside the house stayed between 40-60 %. For the past couple months where the AC doesn’t run because the outdoor temp isn’t hot or cold enough my indoor humidity goes anywhere from 58 to 75 %. Mostly stays in the 60s. Is that really a big deal? I don’t have a dehumidifier. I also contacted DAddario about the humidipaks and they say if you put them in your case while the humidity is high then it stays high. Cause they “maintain” what humidity you are in. Thanks for the response!
Hi Reagan.
If you’re averaging about 60%, then the guitar will most likely be fine–even though that’s a tad higher than I’d like. And a few spikes in either direction are okay too. Depending on how extreme the humidity change is, it takes a guitar a day or two to really “respond” in any noticeable way. So, a day or two of moderately high/low humidity shouldn’t cause concern.
Though it’s best to try and avoid any extremes, that’s not always possible for everyone. Guitar builders construct them knowing they may have to travel all over the world and endure all types of climates and physical abuse (just imagine what touring artist’s guitars go through).
So, while it’s good to be careful, you don’t want to worry yourself to death.
I think you’re okay, and I’d only be concerned if you lived where the climate is consistently very dry or very humid for many days, weeks, or months in a row (like Arizona or Florida). However, an average of 60% should be fine.
You could probably get by with keeping 1-2 silica gel packs in the case with the guitar (during the humid season) when you’re not playing it–and I have those listed here on this page.
However, if you DO use silica gel packs, just be sure to monitor the humidity inside your case carefully… because you don’t want to suck TOO MUCH moisture out of the air and create the opposite problem. Also, those packs don’t last forever, so you’ll want to replace them if you see the humidity inside the case begin to creep upward again.
How do you check the humidity inside a closed guitar case? Easy. As soon as you open your case to get your guitar out, look at the hygrometer as soon as you can (before the reading begins to change). If you can see the humidity percentage within about 5 seconds of opening the case, then it’s probably an accurate reading. Leave the hygrometer inside the guitar case after you’ve taken your guitar out.
Hope that helps!
Amazing points of Humidity Affects Guitars. I am thankful for sharing the great information!!!
hi,
I have a Fender CD-60S which has a warped top (upwards) behind the bridge, now it sounds very weird, the notes are sustaining for a much longer time and the strings are resonating too much, so what can I do to fix it.
Hi Jayant. I’m going to recommend you take your guitar to a pro to have this evaluated. It’s not something I think you should tackle yourself–not on a guitar you care about, anyway.
I’m not a luthier, and that’s what you need for a situation like this, because there are a few different things that could be causing that bulge behind the bridge (which isn’t uncommon in acoustics). While none of the reasons are necessarily catastrophic and are totally fixable–it needs to be done by a pro.
its been pretty humid the past couple days where I live (around 90% humidity) and I’ve noticed some bends on the high e are dying and the wood by the tremolo on my bridge seems like its expanded since I cant lift it up anymore because of blocking. I assume this is because of the humidity but not 100% sure, what can I do to help my guitar?
Hi Dillon. Have you checked what the humidity is INSIDE your house? As I mention in the article, I know your outside humidity might be 90%, but inside it could be lower. I’d check that first so you know 1) whether you even need to lower humidity and 2) how much you need to lower it.
As far as what you can do, well, if THIS article didn’t give you the info you need, I have another article about techniques and products you can use to protect your guitar in extra dry or extra wet climates. Check it out here: Humidity Control Solutions for Guitars.
Hello!
What about the guitar neck? I recently read a review where the guy’s neck shrunk and the frets cut him now.
I can get a sound-hole humidifier, but the case (the yamaha rugged gig bag case thing, styrofoam covered by fabric) has a separating wall between the body and the neck. Should I put two humidifiers in there, one for neck one for body?
The finish on the yamaha is a high-gloss poly. Solid spruce top.
I will try the two-way, hadn’t thought to, but I don’t want the symptoms described here…
Thanks!
Hi RK… bingo, 2 humidifiers is exactly the answer.
Because guitar cases have dividers and whatnot inside, I always recommend people put 1 humidifier in the soundhole to take care of the body-area, and another humidifier in one of the neck compartments to take care of the neck-area.
Depending on how your case is laid out, that could mean the headstock compartment, or the actual neck area.
In my acoustic case, I have to put my 2nd humidifier in the headstock compartment, because it’s the only place it’ll fit. You might think this is too far from the neck/fretboard, but it’s fine. It’s close enough to do the trick.
Well I got the two-way humidipak and they haven’t moved the needle in 24 hours (room humidity hovers around 70% right now). I am considering returning the instrument and going the Silent Guitar + Roland amp route. I guess I’d have to worry a little bit about the mahogany neck, but not as much as this entire actual classical guitar, the tone wouldn’t be as nice and the lifetime of a particular model would be about 10 years, then have to get a new one. But still I don’t want humidpaks hanging all over my instrument and I don’t want to go to home depot and set up and maintain a whole room humidifier just for this. What did guitar owners do in the old days?
You’re using the packs inside your close guitar case, right? And you’re checking the hygrometer (also inside the case with the packs) the second you open the case, right? As soon as you open the case, your humidity-controlled environment is compromised, which is normal. So, open the case, and quickly glance at the gauge to ensure the humidity is where it should be. It should be hovering in the 45% – 55% range, but slowly rising as your humid room air takes over.
Take your guitar out of the case and close it (throw the soundhole pack inside the case). Keep the case closed until you’re ready to put your guitar back in the case. Don’t worry, the packs are doing their job, you just can’t see it.
Each time you open your case, that humidity-controlled environment is compromised, but that’s okay because it’ll right itself once you put the guitar back in the case and close it. It takes a few hours (after the case is closed) to get the air inside the case back to ideal humidity.
Just to be sure, I have to ask: you’re not expecting the packs to change the humidity in your room, right? They can only handle the humidity inside a closed case.
Yeah the meter is in the case. I ran an experiment with the case wrapped in plastic bags (to remove any permeability variable). No change in 18 hours in the headstock compartment. Right now I am doing a plastic bag experiment — two hygrometers in a freezer bag full of my basement air (70%) plus the headstock humidipak without the black fabric case. In two hours that little airspace has gone from 70% to 65%.
Not to worry, I believe I have a long term solution and it is not switch to air guitar or a mahogany electronic guitar gadget.
Not 10 feet from me is a 14 cubic foot finished closet space, just enough room for 2 or 3 guitars on stands. I can seal off a small unfinished hole in back by stapling plastic sheeting, other than that it is completely enclosed finished space (not big enough to stand in), the kind of space that is under a staircase. That will be my guitar closet. Then I can get a $50 countertop de-humidifier (either the alrocket or the lonove), put the hygrometer in there and I’m done. Winter time I have an old 5 gallon humifier that should be more than enough for the space. During vacations the guitars go into cases with humidipaks (assuming I confirm that they are doing anything).
I think this is solved with a minimum of effort. Nobody cares about that closet so I don’t even have to ask 🙂
I’m kinda relieved I don’t have to go to guitar center and I can keep this solid top out of the case on a stand.
The guitar closet sounds like a good solution–similar in concept to the Musik Tent. I used a Musik Tent for a long time, when I actually had a closet to hang it in, and it worked really well. The owner of the Musik Tent company told me you can use Damp-Rid packs (the unscented kind) to dehumidify such a space, but you have to be careful… because they can suck too much humidity out. If that happens, just open a little gap in whatever your covering is until you hit an equilibrium that’s just right.
Let me know how the closet idea works out, and what your experiment with the humidipacks reveals. I’ve only ever used them in dry environments, so even though they claim to be 2-way, I’ve not tried the opposite scenario. If they’re not also able to remove moisture like they claim they can, we should know about it.
I would say that if the D’Addario packs don’t seem to be working, to try the Boveda variety… but they’re actually the same thing. Boveda makes the packs for D’Addario. And come to think of it, it’s actually the Boveda brand that I’m using (because they sent me a big sample box a couple years ago).
Hi, I have a Martin Eric Clapton sig. acoustic guitar which I keep in the case with the daddario two way humidipaks when not in use. After moving from Sydney to Malaysia (which is known for its humidity due to its tropical weather) about a year ago, I knew it’s been overly humidified by the environment that it’s in as I noticed right away the action has gone slightly higher and the sound has dulled out a bit.
It’s just not as comfy anymore playing it compared to before.
All this while I was hoping the humidipak would help but I guess the humidity is too high that even relying on the humidipak alone just aren’t enough. I have a hygrometer in the case that would regularly reads between 75%-81%. I knew I needed one of those room dehumidifiers to really bring the humidity down and regulate it but I just hasn’t been able to afford one yet at the moment.
So, after almost a year now in this environment, I came across this article and decided I had to actually do something about it in the meantime before everything gets worse. I’m going to chuck a few of those charcoal stuff and silica gel packs etc. into the case to help with the humidipaks while obviously monitoring the hygrometer.
I guess my question would be, do you think that would help restore the guitar’s playability just by doing that? or would I still have to get it in for a set up, preferably?
What are your thoughts or any other suggestions maybe?
Thank you.
Hi Jethro:
If the 2-way pack isn’t working, then you probably need more than 1 pack inside the case.
The high humidity may be a bit more than a single humidity pack can handle. And besides, I always use at least 2 of the humidity packs in my cases: one up by the headstock and another in the soundhole. The compartments/dividers inside guitar cases prevent airflow, so it’s good to use one humidity packet somewhere in the the headstock/neck area, and another in the body-area (soundhole is usually best).
Give that a try, otherwise silica gel packets may be your best bet. However, if you use silica gel packets, be sure to regularly monitor the humidity inside until you find just the right # of packets. You don’t want to accidentally create the opposite issue by sucking too much moisture out of the case.
I live in Hong Kong and, regrettably, I’ve left my Yamaha CPX700II-12 12-string acoustic on a stand in my hot flat (sometimes sauna-like conditions) throughout two summers. It’s a tribute to how well made they are these days that it seems to have come through without any permanent damage that I can see. The glue seems to have held up and there are no cracks. That said, the action is now terrible and you need a lot of strength to play it. I’m about to buy a case and use the two-way humidifying product you’ve suggested and I’m hoping it will help return it to normal after a few weeks of intensive care. One question I have is, should I loosen the strings or take them off altogether while I do this? I’ve kept the strings up to pitch the whole time I was abusing the poor thing and it seems that, with a 12-string, there’s an enormous amount of tension on the guitar’s whole structure. Would this help return the action to normal?
Hi Peter. There really isn’t a need to loosen your strings (and you definitely don’t need to take them off) when you’re giving your guitar a drink. There is a metal truss rod inside the neck that is counteracting the pull of the strings.
However, if it makes you feel better, you can loosen each string about 1/2 step.
Tuning 12-string guitars is enough of a pain though that you probably want to avoid having to do so. That said, it’s fine to leave the guitar tuned up when you’re not playing it, including when you have a humidification system in the case (which you always should, if you live in a dry climate).
My bass guitar neck is warped due to excessive moisture and truss rod adjustments can’t fix it 100% . I would leave it like that but because of it I can’t lower the action where I want because it starts buzzing and the higher I go up the frets the higher the gap gets so I’m having a hard time pressing and my left hand gets tired. My technician said that the only thing he can do is fret-dress it and then lower the saddles without the bass buzzing but I’m not sure I wanna do that. So…?
Hi Manos. You said your neck is “warped”… but I’m wondering if you mean it’s actually warped (twisted), or if you mean it’s simply bowed too far forward or backwards. Can you clarify for me?
A neck that is actually “warped” can’t be fixed with a truss rod adjustment, and if bad enough, could mean you need a replacement neck. However, I suspect your neck isn’t actually warped, so I’ll wait to hear back from you on that one.
If your action is just too high, then your tech is probably right. The truss rod isn’t for adjusting action (string height), even though it will lower the strings slightly if the truss rod is tightened to make the neck straighter. After your truss rod is adjusted correctly so that the neck is straight but has just a little bit of relief (forward bow), you then have to dial-in the height of the string saddles, and if necessary you can also shim the neck to have more of a backward angle.
The condition of the frets themselves is a different matter. Even if all adjustments are done correctly, if you’re frets aren’t perfectly level you’ll get excessive buzz. And if that’s the case, the frets will need to be leveled-and-dressed. This will allow you to get the lowest possible action with minimal buzzing.
Key word: “minimal” buzzing. If you’re wanting really low action, there’s a certain amount of string buzz you’ll need to accept, especially on a bass guitar.
There are many reasons strings can buzz that have nothing to do with the guitar/bass or how well it’s set up, and I talk about some of those things in this blog post: 8 Mistakes Guitar Players Make that Cause String Buzz. That blog post applies to bass players too.
Hope that helps!
Hey Bobby,
Thanks for writing this piece. Helped me somewhat understand what the problem with my guitar could be. I just bought a used guitar – my first. And I think the truss rod is jammed. The strings seem to have risen to high and it’s painful to play it for more than half a second. A friend tried fixing it with the allen key but the truss rod was so jammed that the key wouldn’t move. How can I fix this or get it fixed?
Warmly.
Dishina
The very first thing I would do is NOT try to tighten the truss rod nut if it isn’t moving. It’s possible that it has already been over-tightened by a previous owner. Will it move if you try to loosen it?
If so, I would loosen and completely remove the nut, and then thoroughly clean the threads of the nut itself as well as the threads on the truss rod. You want to remove any dirt and debris, old lubricant, and any rust that has formed. You can submerge the nut in a product like WD-40 for a few minutes to loosen rust, then scrub the threads with a cotton swab, pipe cleaner, etc.
To clean the threads on the end of the truss rod itself, spray the WD-40 onto a cotton swab… NOT directly onto the threads. You don’t want WD-40 on any part of your guitar’s finish. Just gently clean the truss rod’s threads as best you can with the cotton swab without getting WD-40 anywhere else on the guitar. When you’re satisfied it’s fairly clean, remove excess WD-40 with a different clean/dry cotton swab or paper towel.
Once the threads are clean (or at least cleaner than they were before), apply a tiny bit of Tri-Flow Lubricant (or similar lubricant) to the threads of the truss rod nut and the threads of the truss rod itself. Screw the nut back onto the truss rod and you should find it much easier to adjust from now on.
Remember, adjusting the truss rod is only one component of a guitar’s setup, so you may also need to make adjustments at the bridge or nut in order to lower you action. Or, if your guitar has a tremolo, you’ll probably need to adjust that as well. All these things work together to create a good setup and an easily playable guitar, and if a guitar is badly out-of-adjustment, rarely will you get good results by adjusting just one thing.
I forgot to ask: is this an electric or an acoustic guitar? If it’s electric, this nut-cleaning and lubricating procedure will be fairly easy. If it’s an acoustic where the truss rod is inside the body, it can be tricky and require some special tools. If you have an acoustic guitar, hopefully it’s one where your truss rod is on the headstock.
One last word of caution: if you’re also unable to even loosen the truss rod bolt, be very careful. If it’s badly stuck, you can actually snap off the end of the truss rod. If you’re experiencing a lot of resistance when trying to loosen, you may want to take it to a repair person rather than forcing it too much.
Great post. I have a Gibson Johnny Smith archtop that I left out in a soft gig bag for 5 days during a very humid stretch here in NYC. Now the sound is very dull and before the setup and sound were perfect. Should the guitar come back to normal if I put it in its case with a dehumidifying system like the D’addario or what else do you recommend?
Hi Lance. Sounds pretty typical of a guitar that’s become a bit over-humidified. Putting the guitar inside a well-sealed case with a couple of the D’Addario 2-way packets will indeed work, but it’ll take awhile. If you do this, put one packet in the headstock compartment and one in the body compartment, and don’t open the case for at least a week or two.
You could also try the Music Tent + Damprid solution I mention in my blog post: Humidity Control Solutions for Guitars. Scroll down to the section titled “Guitar Dehumidifiers for Wet Climates” and you’ll find it listed there. However, if you go with the DampRid solution, BE CAREFUL. You need to carefully monitor the humidity inside the tent. Those things can really suck moisture out of the air, and you don’t want to accidentally create the opposite problem. Probably safer to go with the D’Addario solution.
It’s good to know that the ideal humidity to store your guitar at is 50%. My daughter wants to be a musician, so she’ll need to learn how to play the guitar. I want to make sure that her guitar stays in good condition, so I’ll be sure to look further into our options for storage areas that have around 50% humidity in the future.
In regards to my aforementioned question about moving a guitar that is stored in a proper environment, to an outside Florida environment with high heat and high humidity, you responded that the environmental differences were minimal so long as the guitar wasn’t exposed to said tropical environments for extended periods of time.
Is it fair to then assume that your response means there is no need to leave my FedEx shipped guitar in the box to accumulate to its new environment (as many people advise)?
*I understand that freezing temps could change your answer. But assuming a change of well above those temps, is waiting extended periods to inbox a new guitar worthwhile?
I only do the acclimation thing if there’s about a 20 degree (or bigger) difference between the outdoors and my house. For example, if you keep your house at 78F and it’s 98F or hotter (or 58F or cooler) outside, consider letting the guitar sit in it’s case and gradually acclimate for 24-48 hours.
Great rule of thumb.
Thanks
Great info here! Thanks.
I just bought my first Martin and I’m concerned about humidity/temp changes, but I haven’t found any advice pertaining to my scenario. I live in South Florida and plan to keep the guitar in a hard case in an air-conditioned room, with a couple of silica packets. However, the potential problem is that I always play my acoustics on my porch in the evenings (while it’s still 84 degrees and 90% humidity). I don’t want to have to baby my guitar, but I am worried about switching the guitars environment so drastically for a couple hours every day.
Thoughts?
(I’ve considered raising my AC to 81 degrees while I’m working so that the guitar isn’t quite as cold when I bring it outside)
Hi Kent. The guitar will be fine–especially if you’re as diligent as you say about otherwise keeping it in the case when you’re not playing it. Where you’ll run into trouble is if you keep the guitar out in that high humidity continuously for several days or more.
During the few hours you have it out to play, it won’t take on a significant enough amount of moisture to cause any damage. In fact, I doubt it’ll even have any noticeable effect on the setup in such a short period.
If this is an expensive Martin, I’d recommend a more precise humidity control solution than just silica packets. If you’re going to rely on silica packs, do get a digital hygrometer to go in the case so you can tell what the silica packs are actually doing. Depending on the size and number of packets, they may be removing too much moisture, not enough, or may be just right. You just can’t know without measuring.
Or, you could simply get the 2-Way Humidification system and be done with it. With those, you won’t need a hygrometer (though it’s still nice to have one). The packets will keep the inside of the case right around 49% humidity. Just remember, you do have to replace those packets every few months… but you may not need to use them year-round. If you’re like me, I have a few months each year where the humidity is somewhat ideal–enough that I can forego any humidity control for those few months.
Again, monitoring throughout the year via a hygrometer is key–especially if you have a really nice/expensive guitar.
It’s just a cheap D-10e Martin in sapele, but it’s expensive to me and (fingers crossed) a nice upgrade over my Takamine G Series.
You’re kinda awesome at this btw. I look forward to rooting around in your article archives. And I WILL buy the meter to check the humidity. I should probably also use it on my Fender Classic Series once I get the Martin where it should be.
Thanks for being so prompt, informative, and concise.
Hi I have an acoustic and the string height has become so high I had to lower the saddle to the point of almost no saddle. Also the top behind the saddle is raised ( belly up ) and the bridge is just starting to come up on one side paper thin. I’m told to hydrate it ? But everything I read tells me its too wet ? there is a slight dip between the neck and the bridge but the bottom back and bottom top are raised like a teeter totter when using a straight edge. One person said a neck re set ??? Any way to save this ole girl ???? Thanks Chet.
Hi Chet. First things first. If your bridge has lifted, even just a tiny amount, you need to have it re-glued. That’s not something you fix with humidity. This is one of the reasons your action is/was so high–because the bridge has lifted (which will naturally lift your strings). If you don’t get it re-glued, it may eventually pop off completely. I’d recommend letting a pro do this, as it’s not a simple, DIY procedure. Done right, it usually involves completely removing the bridge, removing any old glue by scraping and sanding all glue surfaces, and then re-gluing the bridge to the soundboard.
Assuming it’s “straightforward” (no oddball complications), a bridge reglue can cost anywhere from $100 – $200, depending on where you go.
As to your humidity question: sounds like you have a lot going on with dips and humps and whatnot, so it’s impossible for me to tell whether they’re the result of under-humidification, over-humidification, or the result of both over the years. The only way you can know where things currently stand is to first measure the humidity with a hygrometer. Don’t rely on the local weather report, because the humidity and temperature wherever you’re storing your acoustic can be very different depending on whether you’re using the heater, air conditioner, etc. Also, humidity can change–being too dry part of the year, and too wet other parts of the year. So, you need to monitor it and adjust accordingly.
If your hygrometer is reading 45% RH or lower, your symptoms are probably the result of under-humidifications. If it’s reading over 55% RH, your symptoms are probably the result of over-humidification. Once you know what your humidity is, you can take corrective action as necessary. I list a lot of good humidity solutions here: Humidity Control Solutions for Guitars.
Try to get it into that sweet spot of 50% on-the-money, but somewhere between 45% – 55% is okay too.
But again: humidity will not fix your bridge issue. Only glue will fix that.
I can’t comment on the recommendation someone gave you regarding a neck reset. It’s very possible that this is indeed needed, but I just can’t say without personally inspecting your guitar. My guess is that if you take it to a good repair shop for the bridge repair, they’ll be able to diagnose any other issues and give you an estimate to repair everything. It’s possible that just getting the guitar back to optimal humidity will help that neck angle, but again, I can’t say for sure by just typing a reply over the internet.
My gut tells me that this guitar can be completely fixed, but be prepared for a high repair estimate. At that point you’ll have to decide whether the guitar is worth it or not. If this is a high-end model potentially worth thousands of dollars, or a guitar with great sentimental value, then it may indeed make sense to drop $300 – $500 (or more) on repairs to get her back into playing condition.
Let me know what you decide to do.
I have a 2004 seagull S series grand / parlor I got new in 2006. Everything was fine until 2009 when I removed all the strings at the same time the saddle fell out and it rocked when I put it back in also seagull did not cut the slot well at the treble side they left a small lip which I trimmed away and had to get a new saddle and fit it. It was back to being the same action as before just sounded better.
Then I noticed about a year later that the action got higher and checked with a straight edge and found the top bridge was lower where before the straight edge would sit on top of the bridge now it sits a bit lower yet the top has the same arch and the bridge still has the same shape . What i did find was the neck from the 14th fret to the sound hole had a bit of fall away equal on both sides now the treble side is level and the bass side has the fall away . It only has a solid top and it has no cracks yet it seems the neck is now just a tad higher from being level with the top when it should be lower. I keep it in it’s case and try to keep it at 45 -50%RH yet fear if I raise the RH a bit which I did try the top will not rise much to bring the upper bout up . I hoped it would and in turn bring the neck angle where it should be. I checked for loose braces found none . I does have a bolt on neck at the heel and the finger board is glued to the top and at that time seagull used thin shims between the neck heal and body . They also build these with a slight arch built in the upper bout and a 7 ply cross brace which they claim will not allow the neck angle to change . I never used any gauge string other than what they built the guitar for.
I realize wood under string tension over time will change things . I thought perhaps taking the string tension off and then try humidifying might bring it back to normal. If not then it looks like I can lower the saddle a bit and still have enough saddle for good string break angle and if that fails a neck reset ?
Hi William. Unless I missed it in there somewhere, I can’t tell what problem (if any) you’re having with the sound or playability of your guitar. Sounds like you had a little trouble at the beginning there (when the saddle fell out), but you fixed it.
All theses measurements you’re taking will drive you crazy if you obsess about them, because an acoustic guitar is a very organic thing–constantly expanding and contracting. If you’re not having any problems with the sound or playability of the guitar, just keep it in the 45% – 55% humidity range as much as possible.
On the other hand, if you’re experiencing a specific problem (or problems), let me know and maybe we can troubleshoot.
Yes I tend to offer to much info and yes measurements do drive me crazy.
The main issue is the action being to high , from what I can tell using a straight edge the length of the finger board on the treble side it does not rock I only see the relief , between the G and D strings or center it rocks a bit , on the low E side it rocks more . If I sight the neck on the treble (high E) I see the relief as well as the center , now on the low E side I see the relief yet also see a bit of a kink at the 14th fret where the body joint is. Not long ago I saw this kink on both sides. I thought the neck may have a slight twist yet I can’t see it and I know how to check yet have not.
I have built about 13 electric guitars yet never an acoustic yet they were built in this climate southern Calif and have never changed . I know wood and grain and chose wood with straight grain which is more stable.
In the real world and acoustic with the proper neck angle the straight edge should set on the frets and just land at or a bit above the bridge top so you end up with a good saddle height and string break angle from the pins to saddle . This seagull used to, now the straight edge lands a bit below and I can see the neck at the nut end is now above the body plane where it should be below or angled back.
I seem to have 2 issues . I can lower the nut so the strings just clear the 1st fret and that will help . The factory spec action the 12th fret is 7/64″ low E and 5/64″ high E . This is what it always was . Now it’s 8/64″ low E and 7/64″ high E . Neck relief is .012″ has never changed . I need to take 1/32″ off the low E saddle end and 1/16″ treble side , they used to be the same meaning 2/64″ difference between the low and high E. I used to get string buzz on the low E and A till the 6th fret now there is none.
I see all sorts of posts doing searches referring to 1st fret action that pressing down between the 2nd and 3rd fret each string should just clear the 1st fret , others go for >016″ to .018″ open string .
After all I’ve said would you lower the nut action then see what it plays like then go from there? The other issue is since I’ve sort of not played much in the last year all but one guitar I still own feel stiff and being 70 does not help . One acoustic I have is a Epiphone EL-00 Pro 3/32″ low E and 2/32″ high and the strings just clear the 1st fret and it’s easy to play if I can get close on the seagull I’d be happy . Also we have had a very long humid summer and today it’s still above 55% RH . Seagull sent a Hex key 4 mm for the rod adjustment the rod has never been adjusted yet the key is not a snug fit as it should be if inserted I can move it at least 10 degrees before it feels it is ready 4 mm is to small and 4.5mm to big so now I need to grind one to fit , I don’t like slop. On the epiphone’s I have 2 and my home built electrics there is no slop. I simple wanted to see what the straight edge reads with no relief.
Let me know what you think and thank you for getting back to me.
William
Lowering the action at the nut won’t have any significant impact on the action at the 12th fret. If it’s the 12th fret action you’re wanting to affect, you’ll want to lower the bridge saddle and/or experiment with the truss rod just a bit (sometimes both are required). .012″ of relief is fairly standard, but some guitars will tolerate a flatter neck. When I’m getting a feel for how a guitar sets up (because all are a little different, which is why you find conflicting advice and debate online), I like to see how flat I can get the neck before it buzzes, then I slowly begin adding relief till I find the magic spot. I would only lower the string height at the nut if open-position chords are feeling too stiff for you, or you otherwise feel that the action down there is too high. The “3rd fret press test” (that’s a link to Frank Ford’s article on nut action) is a good way to get a general idea, but again, all guitars are a little different. Some may not tolerate such a low action at the nut and may end up buzzing.
The only way I would know what the affect of lowering the nut and adjusting the truss rod will be is if I try it. The way this seagull is setup now or should I say changed into due to age and string tension it does not buzz at all and I finger pick pretty had by nature due to playing old guitars with heavy strings and high action for many years. . If I play the EL-00 with lower action less relief and lower nut action I have to adjust my way of playing or I get string buzzes any where on the neck yet I can move faster . I realize even 2 identical guitars setup the exact same specs will not mean the out come will be the same. These 2 acoustics the seagull grand and Epiphone EL-00 are not the same size even though they are both “parlor guitars” the seagull has a much smaller body upper and especially the lower bout as well as the waste and body depth. Seagull has a 16″radius board the EL-00 12″ and I do better on a flatter board. Lot’s of things to consider. Fender offers a CP60S same size body as the seagull , 14th fret to the body as both my seagull and EL-00 have and same scale length only the Fender has a 12″ radius board . Even thought the seagull string spacing at the nut is a little wider than the EL-00 I find that it’s easier to get my fingers on each string which may be due to the flatter radius .
I would go for the CP60S yet for one my wife would kill me and two I really don’t need another guitar . With that said I will see just what adjustments I can do on the seagull to make it easier to play.
Great post. I’ll keep these things in mind. I don’t have an expensive acoustic. It’s just a Fender Hellcat. I wasn’t happy with the action or sound and took it in to the local shop. He made much improvement, but said it was swelling and being exposed to too much humidity, I’m in OK and it’s been a very wet August. It’s now in a hard case with Boveda packs placed in the sound hole between strings. I’m trying to dry it out. Any other suggestions? I know it’s not an expensive guitar, but I don’t want it to fall apart either.
As long as you’re using the Boveda 49% humdity packs, you’re doing the right thing. Also put a Boveda pack in the headstock compartment if there’s room. The headstock area and far end of the neck often don’t get the benefit of a humidity pack that’s over the soundhole–due to the way guitar cases are designed inside. Simply keeping the guitar in the case with the packs when you’re not playing it should be enough to eventually get it back into the 45% – 55% humidity range, and keep it healthy thereafter. Remember, you’re not trying to “dry out” the guitar. Guitars need humidity, just not too much.
Thanks Bobby.
I just made a comment on an entirely different website (accousticBridge.com) about how much I liked your posts, but more specifically how I appreciated that you answered questions so well within your comment sections. This thread is a good example… a three year old post on which you have still kept the comments current.
As long as I’m physically able, I’ll always answer people’s guitar questions… or at least try to. It’s just me–one guy who’s passionate about guitars and helping people enjoy them. I’m hoping that’s what sets my blog apart from the bazillion others out there. No one who comes here and/or joins my mailing list is just an anonymous reader. I personally read and reply to all legitimate questions and comments… whether they come to me here in the comments section, or via emails.
Fantastic article! I would just like some clarification for a uke I picked up last week. It is a koaloha slimline tenor from a shop in San Antonio Texas. I noticed that the back has a dip in it towards the base of the uke.
The action is fine, the frets are smooth and the neck is straight. So does this mean it needs more humidity or less?
Hi Brian. I’m not very familiar with Uke’s, so I can’t say for sure if the dip your describing is a symptom of a dry or wet guitar (er… uke). I’d have to take a look at it, but it otherwise sounds like you don’t have much to worry about. That said, the only sure-fire way to know if your humidity is right is to first measure it, so grab yourself a good digital hygrometer and see what the air is like wherever you tend to keep your Uke. The same rule applies as for guitars: aim for 45% – 55% humidity. If you’re over or under that range, look into getting a humidity control solution that’ll protect it.
this is probably one of the best articles that discuss about humidity effects on the guitar…
this is so thorough and clear,..
i wish i read this article before..my electric guitar had suddenly hairline cracks on both sides of the neck joint..i read somewhere on the internet that it mostly (which,suprisingly,quiet common for bolt-on necks ) happened because of the humidity changes..
thanks for the great article,Bobby
Hi Joe! Sorry to hear about the neck pocket cracks. It’s very possible those hairline cracks in the neck pocket are NOT the result of humidity. It’s also likely that it’s only the paint that’s cracked, and not the wood.
Depending on the model of guitar, some electric guitars are just prone to this sort of thing (Early 90’s era Ibanez RG550’s come to mind). Sure, it could’ve been humidity (or lack thereof), but since this is an electric guitar I’m betting that it was more likely just the stresses of the neck moving slightly in that pocket. Even with the neck tightly bolted into the pocket, the side-to-side stresses can take their toll over the years, resulting in hairline cracks in the paint on either side of the neck pocket.
thank you for the info,Bobby..
and i think it is from the painting only.. I am not sure tough. btw, if this is not humidity problem, is there any way to prevent it from getting worse? thx u again,Bobby…
regards,Joe
There’s really no foolproof way to stop the crack from continuing further, however, most of the cracks that I’ve see simply stop expanding after about an inch or so. In fact, I’ve never seen one much longer than 1/2 in – 3/4 inches, so it’s doubtful it’ll ever get longer than that. You can have it cosmetically repaired–it really shouldn’t be too difficult (or expensive) for a skilled repairperson. Just know that I might come back one day.
thank you so much for the input and the replies,Bobby 🙂 really glad having this great article and your replies 🙂
Lucky me. We just bought a townhouse with an enclosed glass atrium. In Las Vegas dryness is a constant threat to guitars. In the house we ran two humidifiers 24/7 and could barely get the humidity above 42%. We repaved the atrium and now use it as our controlled guitar room. I just bought a Martin 12 string (on its way as we speak) and Tom just bought a Breedlove Myrtlewood Concerto E (being delivered today). That makes 10 guitars we have collected, including the two that I made (which plays and sounds as good as the rest). Plus I have 3 fiddles and a Dulcimer. (Yep, I admit I am an acoustic whore). Too bad I’m such a lousy player.
Don, I’ve only had luck with room humidifiers when used in a single small-ish room (like my music room). Though it does have to run almost constantly (which makes noise that is unacceptable for recording), I’m able to get the humidity as high as 55%. But again, that’s in a 10ft x 11ft room with the door closed. Open the door and all that humidity starts quickly exiting the room. That glass atrium sounds like a great solution. You’ll have to let me know what Tom thinks of the Breedlove. My only acoustic is a Breedlove, and I really love it.
Tom has one Breedlove the special edition blue one. Man I love playing that thing. My Martin 12 string will be interesting. I played one last week at the Guitar Center (not my favorite store) and for a 12 string it sounded great and played great. But T wouldn’t let me buy it because it was made in Mexico. So I got the more expensive version from American Musical Supply. $1599.00 (charge card of course). I will also let you know about that one.
Hey, $1599 isn’t bad at all for an American-made 12-string Martin! Would this be the GPC12PA4 by chance? That looks like a fantastic guitar.
Yep that’s the one. It showed as being discounted about $500. Which I’m not sure if I believe that. I told Tom I will probably open the case and it will say made in Mexico. Wouldn’t that be a hoot.
No, I believe that one’s American-made. Hard to believe at that price, but I looked closely inside the soundhole (on AMS’s site) and didn’t see the telltale “Made in Mexico” sticker.
I purchased a guitar that was made in a environment between 60 and 70 % Rh, in addition the tone woods used to build it were also air dried in the same enviroment. Should I maintain my guitar in the same RH range?
Hi Hector. I wouldn’t stress over this too much. Just aim to keep your guitar right around 50% and it’ll be fine.
Hello. Hope all is well.question for you. I just bought a Godin concert CW QIT acoustic electric classical guitar. It has a buzz on A string fret 2 only spot. Weird thing is the guitars in shop all had same issue. Did they have shop to wet? Should I be concerned. First classical guitar learning and wanted a good guitar to keep awhile. When I first put this on layaway it did not sound this way. I’ve had it 24 hours. Been raining a lot this past week here in Idaho. Humidity outside been about 35-43. Any ideas?
Hi Will. It’s always difficult to diagnose the cause of buzzing from afar, without looking at and playing the guitar. However, if this is something new that wasn’t there before, then there are a few possibilities:
1. Too much humidity. As I mention in this article, if the guitar has been exposed to humidity over roughly 55% for a long enough period of time, the wood may have swelled more than normal. A result could be a slight back bow in the neck–enough to cause a buzzing fret (or multiple buzzing frets). So, the first thing you’d want to try is controlling humidity. Get the guitar into an environment where humidity is right around a constant 50% and keep it there for awhile, so the wood has time to adjust back to it’s normal state. This could take up to 1-2 weeks. I give a few suggestions for how to do that in this article, as well as another article: Humidity Control Solutions for Guitars. If that doesn’t do the trick, other options would include shimming (raising) the bridge saddle a bit and/or loosening the truss rod slightly. However, I’m unfamiliar with the Godin CW, and I’m not sure if it actually has a truss rod (most traditional Classical guitars don’t).
2. Your 3rd fret is a little high. Since you only hear this buzz when you’re fretting the A string on the 2nd fret, that means it’s likely buzzing against the 3rd fret… directly in front of it. Again, without being there to check the fret height, I can’t know for sure which fret it’s buzzing against, but that’s a fairly confident guess. You could have someone spot-level just that one fret, however, I would explore the options I mentioned in #1 above first, before you have any fretwork done. If you’ve only got buzzing on one fret of one string, you’re doing pretty good, and I’d bet some conservative adjustments (humidity, bridge, truss rod) will do the trick.
3. A fret has popped up. First, I’d just like to say that this one isn’t very likely. Here, I’m referring again to the 3rd fret that I mentioned in #2. If the buzz only happens on the A string, 2nd fret, it’s possible that the 3rd fret has come slightly unseated and is sitting a little high. But I stress: I don’t think this is very likely.
Guitar guy, I have a Martin D18e Retro about $3000.00 + guitar. I play it all the time and baby it. I left it out for a week when I left and forgot to put it in its case. In the case I use the D’addario two way humidity system and the D’addario Bluetooth humidity monitor in the case I check regularly on my iPhone. I came back home and when I picked it up I immediately felt the sharp fret edges which means the ebony fretboard had shrunk. I have had the Martin back in the case with the humidity packet for over 24 hours but the humidity has stayed at 36% for the 24 hours and not rising. I am concerned so I took a wet wash cloth and stuck it in a plastic zip lock bag with the top open. I plan on leaving it in there for 24 hours. Since putting the wet wash cloth in the bag inside the case the humidity has came up to 43%. Am I doing the right thing or run a risk of further damage to my guitar. Will the sharp fret situation reverse itself once the moisture content in the guitar rises? I hope I have not caused irreversible damage to my guitar.
Hi Larry. You’re in luck, because I wrote a how-to article on this exact topic: http://www.guitaranswerguy.com/sharp-guitar-frets/
Most importantly, don’t worry. Sharp fret-ends (or “razor fret” as I like to call it) is pretty common, and not a sign of permanent damage. If your frets were fine before, and only became sharp with the low humidity, I’m betting you’ll be able to get her back to normal using the procedure I outlined in the article I provided.
If that procedure doesn’t work, take it to a qualified repair person and they should be able to file those fret ends back for you (just don’t attempt to do it yourself).
Can a hot shower in a small apartment room cause a wet guitar in a short amount of time, say a few hours or less?
Hi Morgan! Well, I’ve never tried it so it’s hard to say, but I suppose it’s possible with enough steam and a long enough exposure. You’d have to close the guitar in the bathroom, turn the hot water on 100% to generate a boatload of steam, and then leave the guitar in there (with the shower going the whole time) for probably at least 2-3 hours before the guitar would start to exhibit any ill effects. However, a little ambient steam from the type of normal shower we humans take wouldn’t probably cause any noticeable issues. If you live in a really small apartment and are worried about this, I’d recommend just keeping the bathroom door shut, or nearly shut. Or, put your guitar in the case when you’re not playing it (or at least when you shower). If you’re asking because something like this happened recently (ex: an irresponsible roommate), I don’t think you have much to worry about. Just don’t make that kind of exposure a regular thing.
I first started noticing my guitar(s) buzzing and acting weird about 6 months after moving to Las Vegas 12 years ago. I hadn’t given humidity a second thought until I started doing research of why my strings was buzzing. Because we have seven guitars in different tunings on stands in the living areas I bought two six gallon humidifiers and they run 24/7. We water them twice a day. Here where the humidity is 8 to 16 % and the A/C also runs 24/7 it is a vicious circle. The A/C sucks the humidity out of the room as a matter of course, we keep filling the humidifiers twice a day. Been doing it for many years. It has become such a part of our routine life, that you just automatically do it without thinking.
I leave my guitars out as well–either hanging on the wall or on guitar stands. If I didn’t keep them out and visible, I probably wouldn’t play them. So, I’ll be buying a room humidifier soon. I live in Arizona… so we have a very similar issue. It’s extremely dry here, then on top of that we run either the A/C or heater year-round. Both suck moisture out of the air.
I just moved to Colorado and bought a humidifier sufficient for my apartment size. During the days, I like to have the windows open (~45-60 F, ~ 10% humidity). At night, I’ve been running heat (~65 F) and the humidifier (by morning, the apartment is ~40% humidity). Is exposing my semi-hollow to that kind of daily fluctuation worse than running no humidifier, at all?
Getting rid of the humidifier altogether and leaving the guitar exposed to constant low humidity isn’t good. So, if you’re humidity is routinely around 10%, you definitely don’t want the guitar left at that level for any extended period of time. However, it’s likely that the humidifier during the day isn’t helping a whole lot either, because the guitar probably isn’t getting a chance to absorb and retain what little moisture it’s getting.
Here’s what I’d recommend:
10% humidity is dangerously low. You need to keep the guitar in a stable environment where the humidity is between 45% – 55%. Keeping it inside the case with a humidifier and hygrometer whenever you’re not playing it is one option. Another option is to use something like the Musik Tent, which is what I’ve been using for my expensive acoustic guitar. I didn’t want to keep it in the case because then I never play it, so the Musik Tent is kind of an in-between solution. The guitar is kept in its own little humidity controlled environment, but is still fairly accessible.
If you decide to buy a Musik Tent, during checkout be sure to tell ’em The Guitar Answer Guy sent you. I do earn a little commission if you mention me, but that’s not why I recommend the Musik Tent. I recommend it because I use it and it’s kept my $2400 acoustic safe here in the dry Arizona desert for over a year now.
I was wondering!!!…I live in a place next to a river and it stays in hight humidity…I keep my $2000 washburn electric in a HSC with the little gel packets that came with my gator HSC! 😉 and my baby thinks me all the time 😉
If you have a $2000 acoustic guitar, then I’d recommend getting a little more precise with your humidity control:
If the in-case humidity is between 45% – 55%, you’re fine. Otherwise, you’ll need to get something more precise, like the Planet Waves 2-way system.
Fyi, I humidify and display guitars at a uniform 45% to 50% RH inside a Musik Tent. It’s an Instrument Humidor that I purchased at a guitar show earlier this year. Seems to work great. –Bill
Wow! I’ve never seen a Musik Tent in person, but they’re definitely a “serious” way to control humidity. I’m guessing you have some fairly high-end guitars?