Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Taylor Acoustic & Electric Guitars => Topic started by: bblooz on December 03, 2017, 10:15:24 PM
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I have several acoustic guitars, including my Every Day Player - Taylor 414CE. I am looking to see what humidification and monitoring solutions forum members have found to work best. We live in Michigan and have whole-house humidifier on the furnace, but I don't think it supplies the same amount that an acoustic guitar desires to keep from cracking. Thoughts?
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Whatever room your guitars are sitting/hanging in, that's the room you want to have a digital hygrometer mounted to the wall. And hopefully, that room is one you can close a door to. You are looking for a Relative Humidity of 45%-50%, but RH swings into 40% or 55% is fine, too. No need to get super OCD about this as the range is obviously pretty wide. The ease/difficulty will be in whether your room can be closed off such that you can maintain the RH wherever you want it. If it's a room open to the rest of the house, now you're stuck trying to maintain the entire home.
Edward
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Welcome aboard bblooz! I use mostly the (expensive) humidipaks, although you can get bulk deals and also I use the Bovida brand when cheaper. I have been known to keep them going longer by using in conjunction with Oasis humidifiers.
I am in NH and the humidifier on the heating doesn’t really come close to providing enough humidity. Edwards way of doing the whole room is great if your space works for it, but if not you are kind of stuck with the in case humidification.
Not to put down wood, I love my Taylor’s but a good carbon Fiber (Rainsong, Emerald, Blackbird etc...) can be left out all winter for quick grabbing when you don’t have a time or the desire to get your others out, fwiw
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my house is at around 36% right now...in my case (with mini hygrometer) reads 48% with no humidification...but i have made a diy humidifier with water beads and a tight sealed bottle with holes in the cap...works perfectly if needed
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Welcome! We live in northern MI. We use 3 EssickAir (whole home) humidifiers in the house, one on each level of the home. We put one in the music room. We have 2 digital hygrometers in the music room (even Bob Taylor recommends multiple digital hygrometers, to ensure valid readings) and several others throughout the house. Our attitude is that our target of 45-55% relative humidity is not only necessary for the guitars and other instruments, it is so necessary for the wood structure of the home, the contents (wood furniture) and our own health. It takes attention to keep them filled, but my husband does an excellent job with that. You just get into a routine. We've been using this method for close to 30 years and have never had an issue with any instrument.
http://houseandgardentech.com/essick-air-ep9-500-whole-house-evaporative-humidifier-review/
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were the whole house humidifiers expensive?
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were the whole house humidifiers expensive?
Around $100, give or take. We got ours on sale through local stores.
https://www.amazon.com/EP9-800-Whole-House-Pedestal-Style-Evaporative/dp/B00I9YFXSS/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1512399433&sr=8-5&keywords=Essick+air+humidifier
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We live in northern MI.
Just thought I'd mention that a lot of people who use this site live in countries other than the United States. So when you use state abbreviations, they are often meaningless or confusing to those people. Please take the extra two or three seconds and spell 'em out.
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I used both whole house humidifiers and keep all guitars in their cases with the humidipacks. The humidipack is simply the best option if your area can vary greatly, since they can both add and remove humidity. I also have hygrometers in the house and in each case. I figure it cannot hurt to fight the humidity issue on two fronts. I killed my Tacoma Chieftan with the lack of proper humidity and it will never happen again.
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We live in northern MI.
Just thought I'd mention that a lot of people who use this site live in countries other than the United States. So when you use state abbreviations, they are often meaningless or confusing to those people. Please take the extra two or three seconds and spell 'em out.
Yes sir.
I was responding to the OP (original poster) who also lives in Michigan. I think they know where northern MI is. It is a very common reference that us Michiganians use.
My apologizes to anyone outside the United States of America (USA) who might not know that MI stands for the State of Michigan, USA.
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The humidipack is simply the best option if your area can vary greatly, since they can both add and remove humidity.
Yes, the relative humidity does vary greatly in the State of Michigan. For us, the home approach works perfectly. Humidify in the winter, dehumidify in the summer. That said, another consideration is the number of guitars/instruments one is trying to protect. At any one point, we have 15-20 instruments (wood). Hence, our whole home approach takes care of all of them. The in-case approach is a great option too, if you have fewer instruments. One has to chose the best approach for them and their circumstances. Your method of doing both is also an effective approach.
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The word is not 'Plastics', but 'Oasis'. Great for in-case humidification. Also great customer service.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt2O4Y_sQ98
Probably work in the desert too.
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Donlyn, I didn’t suggest “plastic” (CF) to replace our beloved wood instruments, but with my traveling job it has allowed me to more than double my playing time with no worry about taking care of or damaging my nice Taylor’s. Hope I didn’t offend anyone here, but it is nice sometimes to have a guitar out on a stand even in extreme humidity conditions, and some of these CF guitars sound great as well, a nice complement to my collection at least.
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it is nice sometimes to have a guitar out on a stand even in extreme humidity conditions, and some of these CF guitars sound great as well, a nice complement to my collection at least.
FF, I tried out some CF guitars at Elderly a few months ago. I was really impressed by them. The Rain Songs were really nice sounding guitars. You have a good point here. ;)
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From FrettingFlyer:
Donlyn, I didn’t suggest “plastic” (CF) to replace our beloved wood instruments, but with my traveling job it has allowed me to more than double my playing time with no worry about taking care of or damaging my nice Taylor’s. Hope I didn’t offend anyone here, but it is nice sometimes to have a guitar out on a stand even in extreme humidity conditions, and some of these CF guitars sound great as well, a nice complement to my collection at least.
Hey Dave,
I wasn't dissing CF guitars. Didn't even know they were plastic based. Kind of riffing on the Graduate line when the guy says "I've got one word for you, Ben. Plastics". So no, I'm not offended, nor did I mean any offense. I was in a goofy mood, and if you check that youtube link, you'll understand the last line about the desert, relative to Oasis. Hint, it's got nothing to do with humidifiers.
I applaud any move that gets people playing more.
Besides, were almost neighbors I believe, and have similar humidification issues. Mine is compounded by a poorly insulated house, so I defaulted to an in-case solution. I even humidify a non-solid wood guitar like my Epiphone on general principle, including having a solid wood top, fretboard and neck. In fact I got that one to 'accompany' me to Ireland, but gave up on the crapshoot of taking it on an airliner across the Atlantic. So actually a CF might have been an option I should have looked into.
Don
PS> Had a carbon fiber tennis racket once upon a time. Very nice to play with. Don't know if that counts for anything.
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I have several acoustic guitars, including my Every Day Player - Taylor 414CE. I am looking to see what humidification and monitoring solutions forum members have found to work best. We live in Michigan and have whole-house humidifier on the furnace, but I don't think it supplies the same amount that an acoustic guitar desires to keep from cracking. Thoughts?
You're getting some good advice here but I can't stress the importance of monitoring enough. Here in Southern California I can leave my guitars out without much worry, but I still keep several hygrometers, (which I check for accuracy several times a year) in my guitar room, as well as a Hunter whole room humidifier filled and ready. For guitars that are in their cases in my guitar closet, I use an Oasis soundhole unit which I check once a month. But keep in mind that my guitar closet is in my monitored guitar room, otherwise I would check weekly.
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From FrettingFlyer:
Donlyn, I didn’t suggest “plastic” (CF) to replace our beloved wood instruments, but with my traveling job it has allowed me to more than double my playing time with no worry about taking care of or damaging my nice Taylor’s. Hope I didn’t offend anyone here, but it is nice sometimes to have a guitar out on a stand even in extreme humidity conditions, and some of these CF guitars sound great as well, a nice complement to my collection at least.
Hey Dave,
I wasn't dissing CF guitars. Didn't even know they were plastic based. Kind of riffing on the Graduate line when the guy says "I've got one word for you, Ben. Plastics". So no, I'm not offended, nor did I mean any offense. I was in a goofy mood, and if you check that youtube link, you'll understand the last line about the desert, relative to Oasis. Hint, it's got nothing to do with humidifiers.
I applaud any move that gets people playing more.
Besides, were almost neighbors I believe, and have similar humidification issues. Mine is compounded by a poorly insulated house, so I defaulted to an in-case solution. I even humidify a non-solid wood guitar like my Epiphone on general principle, including having a solid wood top, fretboard and neck. In fact I got that one to 'accompany' me to Ireland, but gave up on the crapshoot of taking it on an airliner across the Atlantic. So actually a CF might have been an option I should have looked into.
Don
PS> Had a carbon fiber tennis racket once upon a time. Very nice to play with. Don't know if that counts for anything.
Don, now that you point it out I remember that line, sorry I didn’t “get it” in context. Some people refer to CF as “plastic”, usually in a derogatory way.
I, like you, humidify my family’s non solid wood guitars( Mini’s, Martin Jr.) because of this harsh environment we have, but it ensures they survive the winter.
I will check YouTube when the kids aren’t around, just in case:)
You should check out CF if you want to travel with them, they are hard to find, but I have 3 by diffen’t manufacturers, PM me if you wish to try them.
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Humidipaks ( Brevada ) work great
I live in Georgia and we get high humidity in the summer and some cold winter weather
This system works for both. A little pricey but I switch out twice a year and don’t have
to worry about the humidity
Ed
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I got the Taylor Sense thing for my 322ce - so with a Humidipack and the Taylor Sense App, I can easily keep track of the humidity level of my guitar right on my phone. If your Taylor cant take their Taylor Sense battery box then you can use a Planet Waves similar kind of sensor and app: http://www.planetwaves.com/pwhumiditrak.page?sid=68aee4a6-b679-40ea-8fba-adccfefbd729 This is the easiest way to not have to worry about the humidity levels of your guitar(s) winter or summer as the Humidipacks are two-way humidity systems, adding or subtracting according to need.
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My room was getting down to 34% so I put a glass of water on the radiator and it's back into the 40's now.
I'm not sure if it's working or just a coincidence but the glass is only half full now.
Craig
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So I decided that the glass of water thing wasn't working so I bought a Vornado room humidifier.
It's doing a good job of keeping my room where it should be.
Tonight I played my mandolin and one of the guitars for the first time since it was installed and they were both very sharp in tuning. maybe I'm wrong but that suggests to me some expansion in the wood.
Craig
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i live in Cleveland with weather similar to yours. I leave my guitars out all the time. I use an ultrasonic humidifier and keep it on low 24/7. If it gets really cold like it has been the last couple of weeks I will turn it up to medium until the humidity comes up. The heat just sucks the moisture right out of the air. I check it morning and night so it never varies by more than a couple of percent. The white dust was a problem until I found out about the filters. No more white dust now.