It's that time of year for wacky humidity fluctuations

Rosewood99 · #1 10-13-2018, 07:34 AM

Yesterday it as 61% in the house with the AC on. A cool front came through and now it's 46%. By Monday it will most likely be back to the high 50s. This time of year in the SouthEast it can go up and down all month. Getting ready for lots of retuning.

Oh well, going to enjoy the low humidity while it lasts.

Paddy1951 · #2 10-13-2018, 07:57 AM

This past Wednesday I went into a building to teach in a t-shirt. It was summer-like warm and humid. Two hours later I came out and froze. The temp had dropped about 45° and the wind was 25mph. The humidity was gone. Yup, it will be pretty dry until spring.

Use those humidifiers. Keep an eye on your guitars.

Muddslide · #3 10-13-2018, 08:25 AM

My #1 reason for preferring laminates: stability.

(#2 is cost...#3 is that, to me, the differences in sound between good laminates and solid woods is not great enough to my ears to justify--again, to me--the additional cost.)

If I could afford it, I'd love to have a carbon fiber guitar but I guess I'd rather have cheap laminated wood than CF if I had to choose.

Anyway, I feel you. I have always moved around a lot and now live in Mobile so I've always had to be concerned about changes is temperature, humidity, pressure, even altitude.

I'm just at a point in my life where I'm trying to save more for retirement, health issues have diminished my skills...

I used to own some amazing vintage and higher-end guitars, and under the right circumstances would love to once again have a vintage Gibson, a Martin, and my dream guitars would include a Zemaitis and a Lowden...maybe a Santa Cruz...

Probably I'll have to be content with my meager but decent instruments. I'd love to have some "work of art" guitars, but I also don't care to own things so valuable that I have to fear a change in weather having a negative effect on them.

Which is one reason why I love to come here and read/hear/see other folks' beautiful collections.

1Charlie · #4 10-13-2018, 08:40 AM

Yep.

Earlier this week in Virginia, the heat index hit 99 degrees. My '60 D-18 sounded so muffled, I was considering putting it on the market.

Today, it is 60 degrees, with low humidity, and it sounds like a completely different guitar.

vindibona1 · #5 10-13-2018, 08:55 AM

Yeah... Here in the Peoples Republic of Chicago the humidity and temp swings can be sudden and significant. Last week humidity was 61%... and 46% in this moment. When the heat kicks in I'll have to drag out the humidifiers and run them until late spring. I tend to keep relief on my guitars at a certain point where it's easy on the hands and doesn't kill the mojo. So frequent relief adjustments are sometimes necessary to keep it in the sweet spot.

DenverSteve · #6 10-13-2018, 09:03 AM

Oh, come on. Ski season began today and tomorrow we're expecting 4-6" of snow in the city. Welcome to winter.

muscmp · #7 10-13-2018, 10:43 AM

it sure is! we got much needed rain, that we haven't had for many months, but next week we'll get santa ana winds and single digit humidity.

play music!

raysachs · #8 10-13-2018, 11:01 AM

Last year I was starting to deal with humidity AGAIN. Buying wicks for my humidifier. Buying another humidifier and more wicks. Making sure my humidipaks were refreshed and ready for winter and that the cases were seasoned.

This year - carbon fiber. No worries. Easy come easy go. Carefree. My electrics are now the most vulnerable guitars I own and that's nothing worse than a bit of fret-sprout which I can easily deal with.

There's a part of me that sort of misses my Martin, but then I pick up my X20 and start playing and I forget about the Martin...

-Ray

Blueser100 · #9 10-13-2018, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Yesterday it as 61% in the house with the AC on. A cool front came through and now it's 46%. By Monday it will most likely be back to the high 50s. This time of year in the SouthEast it can go up and down all month. Getting ready for lots of retuning.

Oh well, going to enjoy the low humidity while it lasts.

Same here! I am in Southern CA and we had a freak lightning and thunderstorm last night, with rain today. Humidity in living room is 57% right now. Usually it's a desert here and hot a lot. We already have a fire weather alert for Mon-Tues. Humidity should be about 10% or less and temps in the 90's.

Rev Roy · #10 10-13-2018, 12:37 PM

This year I’m actually looking forward to the heating season. Been an unusually wet late summer/early fall here in OK and my case humidity is on the higher end. So my beloved D-41 is a bit tubby. Hasn’t effected the J-45 as much. Looking forward to the 41 drying out some so its crisp, lush tone fully returns. I’m one of those guys who like how my guitars sound with low 40s/high 30s RH.

lowrider · #11 10-13-2018, 01:56 PM

It's nowhere near ski season yet in Shandaken, NY, just west of Woodstock, but tomorrow should be our first snowfall.

It's been a weird last two months or so in NY; mugginess and rain all the time. Guitars in cases with de-humidifiers, ac going on all the time. In a few weeks we will be heating and they will be in the cases with humidifiers. What are you gonna do!

Pura Vida · #12 10-13-2018, 02:22 PM

Normally, my guitars have two seasons here: summer is hot and dry outside, but with cool nights to keep the RH at a constant 40-50% inside (even when it’s 15-25% humidity outside). But once the furnace turns on, things begin to dry out, and the humidifiers begin running (Sometimes non-stop).

We have some offshore, dry air, which is keeping the temps mild (mid-80s / mid-50s), but the air is dry, so the humidifiers are getting an early start to the season.

AZLiberty · #13 10-13-2018, 07:02 PM

It's so humid here that water is actually falling from the sky. Can you believe that? Water from the actual sky!

I think it might be called... Rain? Is that right?

Steadfastly · #14 10-13-2018, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Yesterday it as 61% in the house with the AC on. A cool front came through and now it's 46%. By Monday it will most likely be back to the high 50s. This time of year in the SouthEast it can go up and down all month. Getting ready for lots of retuning.

Oh well, going to enjoy the low humidity while it lasts.

Yes, and now the dozens of threads about humidity can begin.

Rosewood99 · #15 10-14-2018, 08:02 AM

Didn't take long--it's back to 62% humidity. It was a nice 24 hours while it lasted.