Guitar Humidifiers
These days, across the globe, most guitars are built in a climate-controlled environment, whether it be a factory, a boutique guitar company or a sole luthier working out of a workshop. The ideal air moisture content, or relative humdity (RH – expressed as a percentage) for a guitar, is between 45% and 50%.
The problem is that once the instrument leaves the comfortable climate of it’s home, it is immediately exposed to varying levels of humidity. In extreme cases, where the RH gets as low as 10% to 25%, the wood releases too much moisture and in turn dries, shrinks and potentially cracks. The opposite can also damage an instument – any RH above 70% will make the wood absorb too much moisture, swell up and change the tone of the intrument, or worse, warp the guitar permanently.
The solution to this is to try and control the environment in which your guitar resides. If you have airconditioning then the air tends to dry out. The air also dries out to dangerous levels if a heater is used to warm the room. The best way to control the humidity level of your guitar is to keep a humidification product in your case, with the instrument inside the case whenever it is not being used.
