A very experienced jazz guitarist and dealer counseled me years ago that while 50% is often touted as the perfect figure I might find I prefer the sound of my acoustics at 40% relative humidity. He was right. He said 40% is perfectly safe for good guitars and in my experience that's been true. He also warned me that 30% should be considered rock bottom - the absolute red line - and even at that I would be pushing my luck. He advised anything below 30% for more than a few hours would be putting my guitars at serious risk. I've never had reason to doubt the wisdom of his advice. I strive to hold the entire house at 40% through the winter but it sometimes dips into the 30s during extreme cold spells. When the indoor RH drops to the low 30s or worse I make sure to keep damp humidifiers in my guitar cases. I've had no problems over several years with several guitars.
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Uncle R.
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