Baby it's dry in here

[BuddyO]

I switched strings on my AD17e a couple of weeks ago from mediums to medium-lights (Elixir PB) and noticed a bit of string buzz, so I loosened the trust rod by about 1/8 of a turn and things are better.  I suspect the cause was a combination of slightly lighter string tension and the lower humidity due to the heat being on more.  I live in New England and we're in the middle of a very cold snap.

I also bought a D'Addario humidipak and store the guitar with it in the aerocase, which is zippered up.
Does anyone else do this?  Not sure if the zipper is good enough to hold in the moisture.
I'm kicking myself for throwing away the plastic bag that the guitar came in when I ordered it, I would have slipped the case in that.
I'm trying this for the first time tonight, my plan is to leave it in the case except when I take it about 1 hour a day to play.

[prezmc]

If the only way to maintain decent humidity is with those humidipaks...do it!  They should be fine to get you through winter at this point (usually), but keep an eye on them, make sure they are still "squishy" and replace when they are not.  Ive not used the new aerocase from Taylor, but I am guessing they designed them to hold in humidity to some extent.   How do you like your AD17?

[BuddyO]

If the only way to maintain decent humidity is with those humidipaks...do it!  They should be fine to get you through winter at this point (usually), but keep an eye on them, make sure they are still "squishy" and replace when they are not.  Ive not used the new aerocase from Taylor, but I am guessing they designed them to hold in humidity to some extent.   How do you like your AD17?

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on them.  I bought the pak back in the Fall in anticipation of the coming winter.  Spring and Summer should be fine, I keep it in the finished basement where we have a dehumidifier and I set it to 45% RH.

I'm loving my AD17, although it's my first guitar, so I don't have a frame of reference for comparison.  With COVID, I did not feel comfortable going to my local GC to try different models.  The new American Dream series met all of the criteria I was looking for in an acoustic guitar.  I was looking for the best sounding guitar I could get for the price with solid wood and made in America.  I love that the focus is on the quality vs. the appointments.  I don't mind the simple fretboard and rosette, although, I did replace the chromed nickel tuners with satin black.  I also replaced the plastic bridge pins with ebony and abalone dots and the chrome strap button with a black one to match the tuners, so I guess I do care to some extent how it looks!

[maplebaby]

i much prefer dampits in my Taylors.

[shorty]

i much prefer dampits in my Taylors.

I apologize BuddyO  for straying from the original post. When using the Dampit maplebaby do you employ the plastic sound hole cover or only the hose to help humidify the entire case?

[maplebaby]

I apologize BuddyO  for straying from the original post. When using the Dampit maplebaby do you employ the plastic sound hole cover or only the hose to help humidify the entire case?
[/quote]

i do not use the plastic sound hole cover...i usually put it in-between the high E and B strings and let it hand down into the guitar.

[beninma]

I have a humidifier (in the HVAC system, so big) and also keep all my guitars in hard cases with Humidipaks.

My Taylor Academy 12e is my least expensive guitar.  The other two are electrics.  One cost 2x what the Taylor cost and the other cost 4x.   Those guitars both have maple necks, one has a Pau Ferro fretboard and one has a Chechen "Carribean Rosewood" fretboard where as my Academy 12e is a 2017 so it has the original Mahogany + Ebony neck.

What blows my mind is the fretwork on the Taylor is the best of them and it's the only one that I have zero issues with the dry weather with.  I'm not sure if it's the Ebony and/or Mahogany being more stable or the Taylor hard case (purchased separately) is more protective but all the frets are perfect on the Taylor.   Both the other guitars are likely going to get some fretwork soon.   Oh and both these guitars are newer with less play on them.

I live in Massachusetts.. the recent cold/dry snap was pretty harsh!

[donlyn]

Hello,

This may sound like an AA meeting or group therapy, but I also live in Massachusetts. RH in my apartment is like 15% today. Yuck! I use the Oasis case tube system with a hygrometer in every case, plus one hygrometer in the kitchen. I keep weekly records of the house and case RH readings. If I get too many readings of less than 40% in a given case, or 35% with laminates, I add another Oasis 'plus' tube to the case. And all my guitars stay in their cases when not being played. Year round.

Last few weeks, I've been leaning on my laminate Epiphone EJ-200, as that one sounds great and seems impervious to bad sounds in all wonky humidity situations. Just saying.

Been doing this Oasis system for years, and things seem to work OK. But this is the most extended and driest period I and my guitars have ever experienced.

Hang in there.

Don