Taylor Aero Case and Humidity Question

[Skyman911]

Greetings, and also my first post here. I picked up a new AD17 a few days ago and I am having a difficult time keeping the humidity in the case consistent. I'm in Utah and the climate is very dry. Sometimes the humidity in the case is 40% and sometimes it will get to 52%. Almost seems to change as the humidity in the house changes. I've also got a Big Baby Taylor that goes in a hard case. The humidity remains consistent at 50% in the hard case. I have an in-hole Oasis plus for the sound hole, and another by the headstock. Two hygrometers in each case. One by the body, and one by the neck/headstock. I'm trying not to go overboard on hydration, however with the very low humidity here, I don't want to take a chance on this new guitar cracking. Any suggestions? Am I just being too paranoid?

Thanks!

[Earl]

My experience with the Hard Bag is that humidity devices (whatever you use) need to be refreshed about 4X as often versus in wood or thermoplastic case.  The foam itself does not absorb moisture, but the zipper is a huge leak.  No hard case - except maybe for a hermetically sealed flight case like my SKB i-Series - will contain moisture 100% but they sure slow down the losses.

I now use water beads in perforated soap dishes or old prescription bottles.  The beads are intended to keep plants moistened over long periods, and you can find them in most any arts & crafts store.  They last much longer than a dampened sponge.  You can get a quart jar of water beads at Michael's craft store for ~$6, enough to make at least a dozen devices.  In the first photo the sponge severs only to contain small, dried up beads.  They are about 3/8" when wet but shrink to BB size when dried out.  You need some sort of containment.

[Skyman911]

Thank you Earl. Your reply is much appreciated.

[Earl]

Oh, and welcome!  (Forgot to add that before hitting "post").

I used to live in Alaska.  During winters, we would run 8-10 gallons per day through a cabinet humidifier, to get the house UP to 20% RH.  So I know the pain of maintaining RH for fine wood instruments.  That is a big reason that I have several carbon fiber guitars and ukulele now.

[Frettingflyer]

Welcome to the forum.
I have a small sample size to report, but have been traveling this last month with my 322e with Taylorsense installed. I travelled with a traditional hard bag by Access(used to make the Taylor bag and very similar to it) and this week with the aerocase. I used the same albeit old humidipaks in both cases on the same trip footprint. Looking at the data the aerocase kept the guitar RH 2% higher than the hard bag. The destination was the same, and dry air prevailed on both trips. Of course, RH in the airplane is really low too but the lowest humidity recorded was in the red when I was playing it in the hotel room.
So my takeaway, the aerocase does better than the hard bag for humidity control, but likely not nearly as well as a hard case. Both seemed very similar on the temperatures recorded, FWIW.
As for the guitars, I try hard to keep mine in perfect conditions(humidified cabinet at home) but think of all the time I never knew it was an issue when younger and all the pro’s that travel all the time and the abuse the guitars endure while still holding up. My point is, keep it humidified but try not to obsess about it to the point it takes away our enjoyment of the instruments. If you take steps to control the humidity it will likely be enough. If you notice signs of it drying out you can do more if needed, it won’t happen overnight but over time.
Enjoy that new guitar.

[Earl]

....keep it humidified but try not to obsess about it to the point it takes away our enjoyment of the instruments. If you take steps to control the humidity it will likely be enough. If you notice signs of it drying out you can do more if needed, it won’t happen overnight but over time.

^^ This logic cannot be emphasized enough.  A few days or a week of dryness is the issue;  hours and minutes are NOT.  It is easy to get wrapped around the axle about humidity control.  Fine guitars are certainly worthy of protection, but they are not nearly as fragile as many would have you believe.

[Skyman911]

I appreciate the replies. This is my first solid wood guitar, and I've heard nightmare stories about solid wood guitars cracking more easily than laminated guitars. Thanks for putting my mind at ease a bit. It appears from some of my hygrometer testing that the Oasis + seems to do a better job at keeping the humidity up more than the D'Addario Hydro Packs. I wonder if a combination of the two would be an option? D'Addario under the headstock, and the Oasis in the sound hole?

[Frettingflyer]

Prior to having my humidified cabinet, I did in fact use both together when I would be away and worried about it so they would last longer than just one or the other. Go for it, no harm at all, just as the oasis gives off some moisture it may be absorbed by the humidipak and then given off by the humidipak over time. Again though, anything you do will likely be enough, being aware of it and addressing it is most of the battle.

[Strumming Fool]

I use Oasis case humidifiers ( 2 per case) with consistent success.  They even make a model for drier environments like Arizona where I live. I also have a hygrometer in each case to ensure that success. While the room RH ranges from 25 - 30%, hard case RH hovers around 40% which is good enough for me. I agree with others that doing something versus nothing is always better as long as you don't become obsessive with the process. Enjoy your guitar!

[MmmRibs]

I found that my AD17 in its Aero case was going through Humidipaks (and the just-barely-cheaper Boveda packs) at a rate that FAR outpaced the packs in my hardshell cases during this past winter here in Chicago. I usually go through one set per year in my hard cases, I was up to my 3rd set in the Aero case over the span of a couple months when I actually ended up replacing it with the "official" floral print GP hard case. I figure it'll eventually pay for itself in saved humidipaks. Plus, I just like the look of it. The Aero case is super duper solid in terms of protection, but having a bit more peace of mind on the humidity end of things was worth it for me with the case swap.

[rickde]

Great info thanks!

[AVTaylor83]

I really don't understand why the AD series doesn't come with a hardshell case. I immediately bought one for my AD27e Flametop as soon as I got it and sold the AeroCase.  And the AeroCases are the same price as the hardshell cases.

[SDTaylorman]

I really don't understand why the AD series doesn't come with a hardshell case.

I'm thinking it had something to do with money and profits and pricing....probably. 

[Edward]

With regard to a hard case, the AD seems marketed toward the "no-frills" and thus "cost effective" side of their line.  Including a pricey HSC is counter to the demographic they're aiming for. 

And personally, I'd prefer if all makers offered the buyer a choice of soft case, hard case, or no case, and price them accordingly.  But that doesn't happen.

Edward

[TaylorGirl]

And personally, I'd prefer if all makers offered the buyer a choice of soft case, hard case, or no case, and price them accordingly.  But that doesn't happen.

Edward

Agreed, but I know it's wishful thinking.