Guitar Dehumidifiers any recommendations?

[alphseeker]

Just got a new Cordoba with solid back / sides and front, want to keep it protected from weather changes. Anyone use them in their cases?

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

I think in San Diego you are fairly safe, having lived near there myself (Encinitas). If you travel with the guitar where it would be exposed to different conditions in short periods of time it might be a good idea; i.e. From dry heat to snow to high humidity. The differences of temperature in Southern California is not terribly drastic. Wood instruments tend to react to sudden climate/temperature/humidity changes so having such a device in a case may cause reactions simply removing the instrument from the case.

 

I also went through a cigar period a while back and maintained humidifiers for me and my dad and if it works similarly it may require upkeep to maintain consistent conditions inside the case. But as soon as the guitar is removed it will react to the change in the air. This in turn may increase the maintenance on the guitar itself.

 

Whereas in climates where summers are hot and winters are very cold then a humidified room for guitar storage would definitely be a good idea.

[alphseeker]

I think in San Diego you are fairly safe, having lived near there myself (Encinitas). If you travel with the guitar where it would be exposed to different conditions in short periods of time it might be a good idea; i.e. From dry heat to snow to high humidity. The differences of temperature in Southern California is not terribly drastic. Wood instruments tend to react to sudden climate/temperature/humidity changes so having such a device in a case may cause reactions simply removing the instrument from the case.

 

I also went through a cigar period a while back and maintained humidifiers for me and my dad and if it works similarly it may require upkeep to maintain consistent conditions inside the case. But as soon as the guitar is removed it will react to the change in the air. This in turn may increase the maintenance on the guitar itself.

 

Whereas in climates where summers are hot and winters are very cold then a humidified room for guitar storage would definitely be a good idea.

So the occasional 2-3 day Santa Ana winds a couple times a year that drop our humidity levels down to 10-15% shouldn't be anything to worry about, right?

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

That will be very gradual. If you are really concerned then a portable humidifier in the room where the guitar is kept can help things stay more consistent. I live in Northern California now and winters are a good bit colder here (already dipping into the 40s) and summers peak into the low 100s. I generally check my necks this time of year and only occasionally need to make adjustments. I try to keep the temp in my house consistent, maybe a bit warm but I have a lot of gear (guitars, basses, piano, drums) and keeping swings in temperature gradual help minimize the impact on the instruments. I have two Martins and a Washburn 12 string acoustic and I've only had to adjust one of the Martins once in the past 6 years or so. When I play gigs in the winter when it's really cold I keep cases closed for at least 15 minutes or longer to come up to room temperature before removing my guitars/basses depending on how cold it is and/or how long they've been exposed to the cold.

 

When I lived in Encinitas I did have issues with chrome in the salty air. My snare drum in particular used to react to that. Plus I was a grubby little kid so that didn't help either. :)

 

All that said all of my instruments are "players" not collectibles. I think if I had a collector piece I would definitely check out some sort of pristine storage.

[alphseeker]

Thanks for the excellent input. I live in East Chula Vista after reading your post i feel pretty safe with the occasional humidity shifts here and there.

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Yeah, that close to the ocean things will stay pretty moist, even given the drought. Also being so far south the temperatures are really gradual. Wood instruments like consistency and you are in a really good place for that.