How long can I get away with this.....

[FoxHound4690]

Leaving my acoustic out on it's stand 65% to 85% humidity....

I live in NSW, Australia, temp is 25 degrees Celsius here today (77 degrees farenheit), we've had a LOT of rain here in the last two weeks and humidity is swinging between 65% and 85% daily. going really high...

I just had a big "song learning session" and have left my acoustic out on it's stand most of the day because I keep taking breaks and coming back to learn another song. normally i'd keep it in its case when not being played but because i'm having one of those days where i just can't stop playing i've just left it on its stand instead of putting it away in its case. I have a 49% Boveda pack in my case for this guitar to ensure it's always kept at optimal RH while it's in there.

My question is in your opionion and in your experience, how long can an acoustic guitar be exposed to high humidity before it starts to show the "effects"? I know from my own experience that an hour or so generally wont make any difference but what about an entire day of leaving it out at this range of RH ?

[t84]

I also live in an area that sees humidity of 70%+ year round.

I leave my guitars out a week at a time - have seen no issue from the high humidity. When I throw them in the cases, I sometimes will throw in a silica gel packet or two to dry those out.

On the rare days that the humidity falls below 50%, I will open the cases up to let them hopefully dry a bit.

Overall, I don’t think high humidity is going to do long term damage to your guitar, except in extreme cases. And in those extreme cases - believe you will notice an issue long before it becomes serious.

[CollingsPicker]

Folks playing guitar for 200 years in humid areas like Appalachia, Middle Atlantic, Mid-West….left their guitars out most of the time. The years I was playing on the east coast I never worried about humidity. It was only after I moved to LA that I experienced a dry guitar. The effects of under hydration, for me, have been far more obvious and damaging than too much humidity. I worry about what I can control and out on the road much is out of my control.

[lowrider]

I don't think you'll hurt your guitar at all. It might get a little soggy sounding, but if it does just get in back in the case with something to dry it out.

If it gets really soggy, put some uncooked rice in a bag and put it in the soundhole inside the case, It will dry it out quickly.

[dnf777]

Just watch for signs of over humidification. Otherwise play and enjoy.

I think we allow ourselves a false sense of security with cases. I de-humidify a 400 sq ft room in the summer. To go from 70% rh to 50%, I dump around a gallon of water per day. I dont think a silica pack or even humidipak really absorbs and removes moisture like we want to believe. Also, the moisture content of the air, guitar and case are all steady state equilibriums, that take hours or days to achieve.

My point is cases are good, they help, but with that environment, you probably want a bigger (whole room) solution. Or, just keep an eye out to see if anything is happening. This year has been crazy here, in the other direction.

[Brent Hutto]

It's unlikely to damage the guitar but it will almost certainly sound really bad until things dry back out.

[rmp]

have you ever read this doc from the Taylor web site?

Tells one what to be on the look out for.

https://www.taylorguitars.com/suppor...20the%20bridge.