The days are getting colder and the air dryer and your home’s furnace will dry the air out even more. Learn how to protect your instrument from the winter.
Even if you have a furnace humidifier, they are designed to work up to ~30-35% relative humidity. Maintaining relative humidity of ~40-45% is imperative to avoid damaging your instruments.
The telltale signs of problems are:
- sharp fret ends
- changes in action height
- loose knobs/jacks/tuners
- new fret buzz appearing…and more
If your skin is dry, or if you zap the cat with static, your home is probably too dry. As much as I appreciate the business fixing cracks and such, I would prefer your instrument isn’t damaged. The best way to protect your instrument from the winter is to buy and use a humidifier. If you have multiple guitars, a room humidifier works great! Make sure to keep it filled and keep the filters clean. If you have hard water, use distilled H20 to improve the lifespan of filters.
Another option is to use a soundhole humidifier. There are a lot out there, from Dampit, Planet Waves, and my favorite, Oasis. Again, they only work if you keep them “charged” with water.
Be careful not to overfill them, as dripping or leaking water is just as bad and can cause nightmarish damage. Read the instructions and check your humidifier every day because Soundhole units can go bone dry overnight.
Exposure to dryness for too long can cause cracks, loose glue joints, popped braces, as well as general havoc on playability.
Give a hoot! Don’t neglect your instrument.
Contact us if you have any further questions! We are here to help!