Do I need an acoustic guitar humidifier, or will it hurt?

March 19, 2023 9:36 AM

I have a nearly 50 year old Guild D-35 that was passed down to me from my father about 10 years ago. For those 10 years I've kept it in its case and barely played it, but I've been feeling the itch to get back into playing. I took it out, tuned and noodled around and it's still in great shape. It's never had a humidifier placed in the case, although it was kept in Florida for most of its life, so would have been generally in a high humidity environment. Does it make any sense to add one now?

The climate here is cold so dry inside in the winter. But it's been fine in the case for the past 10 years in this wintry clime, will a humidifier help it, or could it possibly even damage the guitar some by making it swell? Previous answers have been mostly for new guitars, or guitars already damaged by a possible lack of moisture. If the guitar has been fine this long without anything special, is anything necessary now?

posted by dis_integration to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

Best answer: yes, i would unreasonably baby a 50 yo guild d-35. in-case humidifiers are cheap and take little attention, but you gotta keep the guitar in the case.
posted by j_curiouser at 9:47 AM on March 19, 2023

can't hurt to contact guild or martin re 50yo guitars. they have the mileage.
posted by j_curiouser at 9:49 AM on March 19, 2023

Best answer: Yes, pretty much standard equipment for those of us in dry climates. Having kept in in the case is great for regulating the temperature changes, but having an in-case humidifier will save you potential repairs in time even if it's been ok so far. There isn't a situation where it will hurt the guitar.

I mean, unless you oversoak a humidifier and it drips water into the case, but that's hard to do and there are gel packs and things that totally negate that possibility. I use Bovedas.
posted by transient at 10:24 AM on March 19, 2023

Best answer: Our stringed instruments (harp, guitars, ukes) became so much happier when we put a humidifier in the room with them. We don't use in case humidifiers as the instruments get played almost every day and we like having them on display. We measure humidity with an inexpensive gadget and it stays around 40 in that room. The instruments keep their tune better and there is no downside.
posted by twelve cent archie at 11:34 AM on March 19, 2023

Response by poster: ok convinced to use a humidifier of some sort, trying out the kind (d'addario/boveda) that promises to gradually raise the humidity to about 40-50% and not higher), so the change is gradual. Here's hoping!
posted by dis_integration at 7:56 AM on March 20, 2023