Humidify electric guitars?

[Pearly Gator]

We all know the damage that can be done to acoustic guitars from a lack of humidity. I've seen Guilds and Taylors cracked and ruined from drying out. Heaters and air conditioners contribute to the drying out problem.

I've been wondering if humidity could benefit solid body and semi hollow electrics. Fret sprout comes to mind. What about the effect on the tone of an electric guitar? Would a humidifier help an electric guitar to age gracefully? A case in point is my 335 clone. I have noticed that it has gotten lighter in weight as the guitar has aged and dried since last year. Can this type of drying harm the organic glues used to bond the instrument together, leading to cracking and debonding?

PG

[scottlr]

I run a humidifier in the frigid and dry Iowa winters. I don't at all in the summer. But my music room is in the basement. It's a walkout basement, so in the back it's really like the ground floor. But I get plenty humidity in here in the summer months. But once the fireplace is going, I am filling that humidifier almost every day. I never notice any difference on the Fender if I don't, but the Gibsons start getting neck relief right away. I have had any fret sprout, and I hope I don't!

Don't know about the glue question.

[musicofanatic5]

Basic rule of thumb: do not subject your gtr to any environment you would not be comfortable in. You have a 335 clone that is put together with organic glue, as opposed to synthetic?

[Pearly Gator]

You have a 335 clone that is put together with organic glue, as opposed to synthetic?

An assumption on my part. Are not hide glues, white glues and aliphatic glues organic?

:confused:

PG

[AndrewSimon]

As far as I know solid bodies are sealed so humidity is not a factor.
The 335 has exposed wood in the cavity but it's a 5 ply (and much thicker then acoustics) so humidity levels will have limited effect on it.

Avoid extreme temperatures with any guitar.
Especially rapid temperature changes.

:)

[PolyMorf]

The humidity in our house drops to 25% in the Winter - Ohio. My electrics don't seem to care. They do need a truss tweak in the late spring and early winter.

[scottlr]

The necks are the only thing I humidify for in the winter, and I no longer have to tweak them twice a year. Maybe once a year, and again, only the Gibsons.

[Pearly Gator]

Just to muddy the waters further; my rosewood fretboards and the control cavities in most of my guitars are not sealed with finish. This lets the wood breathe and it's moisture content vary.

I think a guitar that needs a truss rod tweak when seasons change is having moisture content variations. What say you all?

PG

[clmazza]

I live in the Northeast and I have to adjust the truss rod on almost all of my guitars twice a year.

This is primarily attributed to the change of seasons (humidity for the most part)

No adverse effects whatsoever on over 40 guitars at any given time. Mind you.... my axes are stored in their cases at all times and are in a studio on the second floor of my home.

[scottlr]

Just to muddy the waters further; my rosewood fretboards and the control cavities in most of my guitars are not sealed with finish. This lets the wood breathe and it's moisture content vary.

I think a guitar that needs a truss rod tweak when seasons change is having moisture content variations. What say you all?

PG

Agreed, which is why I run the humidifier in the winter. Once spring comes, it is fairly even down here in the basement until time to use heat again. The maple necks on the Fenders, both with and without rosewood just don't seem to be affected like those Gibbys, though. Mainly the LP and SG, while the ES347 has the 3 piece neck, and seems more stable. I added a LP Jr last year, and it has never been dried out like the others did a few years ago. If I did use the gas fireplace down here, it might stay humid enough, but the fireplace it so nice when it's 20 below outside!

All of my guitars sit out in stands. Some of them haven't been in their case for 2 years or more.

[musicofanatic5]

An assumption on my part. Are not hide glues, white glues and aliphatic glues organic?

:confused:

PG

Hide glue is certainly an organic compound, but I doubt your 335 clone was assembled using hide glue, unless it was made by a high-end luthier.
High humidity will have more of an effect on cured adhesives than will low humidity.

[MyVette67]

I live in the Northeast and I have to adjust the truss rod on almost all of my guitars twice a year.


Same here in New England, all Strats, Flying V and other guitars.(Twice a year)
The only one that never needs attention is my old LP Custom but I have always set my action extremely high on all of my guitars so perhaps thats why I never feel the need to adjust the LP. ;)

[JES1680]

In MN, I run a humidifier in the winter and a de-humidifier in the summer as my guitars are in the basement. I try to keep it around 50% year round.

[EADGBE]

My guitar's maple fretboard came up off of the neck. One reason for this is because it has an unfinished neck. And the lack of a finish didn't keep the very dry and heated air of winter out of the wood. A humidifier would have helped. Long story short. The humidity should be kept at about 42%. Low humidities can cause wood to crack. Higher humidiities can cause metal parts to rust.

[el_cid]

When I first bought my house I had all my guitars hanging on String Swings, and one winter I walked into my gutiar room and all of my electrics had neck bow. My G&L actually had all the fret ends popping out. I quickly bought some humidifiers and have run them every winter since.

[cram]

all of them are in the basement.
during heavy rains in spring/summer/fall; humidity can reach 70% down there so I run a dehumidifier during those times.
the winter doesn't drop below 50% (so far). so no humidifier.

I did just notice a change in action with my strat (rosewood neck) - my action was set quite low, but with no buzz and then I picked it up after a heavy spell of rain and heat - buzzed all around. I just adjusted it yesterday. Not sure if I can chalk it up to humidity. It was a new neck as of april, so it could be settling in..

[tedm]

well I thought I'd bump this up after two years. For those in dry areas, keep your guitars in their cases or at 30-40% RH or whatever your manufacturer recommends.

[Brett Faust]

Those of you out there with vintage type 6 hole trem bridges should keep your guitars in 35-50% humidity.This will help keep the body from changing size slightly and binding up the trem,in addition it helps avoid all the cracking and fret sprout issues.

[Peppy]

well I thought I'd bump this up after two years. For those in dry areas, keep your guitars in their cases or at 30-40% RH or whatever your manufacturer recommends.

It's not so much where you live (i.e. "dry areas") but where the guitar lives. I live in a dry desert but my acoustics stay in humidified cases...they're happy guitars. My electrics vary between in-case and on the bed...they're happy too.

[jeffwith1f]

maintain 55%, even for the electrics. I've had some that don't seem to care, and some that have buckled completely. better to be safe than really mess up something you care about. Spend a couple hundred on a humidifier if you live somewhere that gets really dry in the winter