I'm An Idiot. I Broke My $5,000 Guitar
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- čas přidán 17. 02. 2022
- For years I've known that low humidity can damage your guitar, but I never thought I'd end up with a loose brace on my main acoustic guitar. Don't be like me, pay attention to the environment your guitars live in.
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God I wish this guy had a CZcams channel. I could watch him talk guitar for days 😂
Official Ben Fanclub ? Count me in
Yes , everytime Rhett goes there it's a treat. He is really charismatic
Absolutely
@@benkenobi561 yup!! We need it asap!
@@i8ittoo it’s crazy, because this guy just gives Rhett the best content!!! I love all of Rhett’s videos. And personally think he is the best guitar CZcams channel out there. Ben just gives him easy amazing content !
Ben's one of the nicest , most professional dude's you'll ever meet ...he's respectful and appreciative whether you purchase a $5000.00 guitar , or a pack of strings .
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🏆🎁
This is 100% true.
Blows my mind how easily he files and dresses those frets. Dude doesn't even tape off the fretboard, just goes in all casual and works magic. Must have masterful hands.
That's what I was thinking! The man is a wizard
Because there’s no finish on a rosewood fretboard, you don’t have to tape it off sometimes. Still a good idea to tape off before addressing fret spout as you can get finish chips along the edge. That guitar didn’t look like it had much finish on the neck
It's really not that hard. I used a fret leveling file to do mine, and you can feel it riding on the metal so it's easy to tell you're done without doing damage. I planned on polishing the frets and neck edge anyway so that takes care of minor scratches. What he didn't tell us is that a fret dressing file usually has a rounded edge that rides against the wood. Only the side of the file is capable of cutting.
It's the tools he's using. They're designed to only "cut" on specific sides of the file, because they're designed for fret work. Don't try what he did with the wrong tools or you're gonna have a really bad time and a torn up fretboard.
When I first started playing guitar at 15 years old, I thought you just bought the instrument, and you were good to go. Living in Michigan with dry winters and wet springs and no knowledge of how to control humidity, the damage to my guitars soon became extensive. I also thought I was losing my chops since it was becoming so difficult to play them. I know better now after a humiliating education after taking them into the guitar shop I bought them at. There was no internet or guys like Rhett passing on helpful information in those way back times. You are doing a real service to those starting the journey, Rhett. Good job.
I’m a Michiganander too. You ain’t kidding about how dry winters can get.
Same here. St. Clair Shores, right off the lake. Dry, cold, and the wind makes it colder. The basement doesn't get much warmer than 60-62 degrees from January through most of March. Not good for guitars.
@@mikecorey8370 I’m in Monroe, not too far from you lol I completely agree. It sucks cuz this time of year is when all the new products come out and I won’t have an instrument shipped to me for this very reason. I’ve had enough guitars mailed to me at this time of year to know that it will have terrible sprout and it will have neck pocket finish cracks. This is my buying used gear locally time of year lol
Traverse City, MI for me - see my post above. A $500 plus repair just to my Larrivee acoustic!
I thought that too (Illinois for me-still 95rh in summer and probably 15rh in the winter). Like you, pre-internet, didn't know what I was doing.
Over humidified guitars can also get issues. I had the glue on a face brace lose its adhesion because it had too much humidity.
Yeah but in most of North America, it's much harder to over humidify than the other way around IMO. To over humidify, % has to rise above 60.. Whereas when it dips below 40-35% for extended periods of time you can get in trouble.
@@jfar3340 yeah I live in Houston, where I have to keep stuff in my cases to keep the RH% down most of the year. As a mainly acoustic player, we come up with all kinds of stuff to keep out guitars safe.
When you combine cold with humidity, you get oxidation on your metal parts
Sorry to hear that man. Hope it gets fixed effectively, especially with how valuable of a guitar that is.
if you want a serious 'large space' humidifier, I am pretty happy with the Aircare whole house humidifer. It's about $170 but it is really doing a good job keeping my whole house at 45% ish. Tired of the crappy ultrasonic ones that leave a white dust everywhere
yup I have a different mile coming but cost me the same for 1000 ft.²
Yeah buddy. I have a Honeywell whole house humidifier 2700 sqft. Works wonders here in Pittsburgh PA. My wife’s plant room (has its own humidifier) does better too.
Exactly. I grabbed one from Menards (like Lowes or Home Depot here in the midwest) that my luthier uses. It's for 1000+ sq. ft but use it in a
I picked up an Aircare this winter, an MA800 Mini Console. It has my 2050 square foot home up to 43-45% humidity pretty constantly, and I live north of Toronto. It's a lot colder here than in Georgia. :) In fact, when the temperature hovers near freezing, it doesn't have to work too hard. We've had a few cold snaps down into the -10 to -20 celsius range this last month, though, and even then, it keeps up. It just has to work harder.
My guitars and my mom's old piano are all much happier. :) So are all our noses and eyes. Not drying out so much.
oops, I meant “different model” - a 2-gallon Vornado Element A2 Air + Steam Humidifier
Here in Alberta, 28% humidity in the house in the winter, 70% or higher humidity in the summer at times. Yup. We go from -45c in the winter to plus 38c in the summer at times. Room humidifier, sound hole humidifiers, and a large room DE-humidifier in the summer. Finished basement music room. And a humidity gauge in each guitar case to track things. Bit of work, but worth it, makes the house more comfortable for us humans too.
I've been playing guitar for 35 years and haven't come across this. Thanks for the heads up - I bought a couple of new guitars last year and suddenly the consequences of getting this wrong have risen exponentially. Thanks for the heads up!
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🎁
I really want to thank you for this video. It is one thing to see how to take care of your guitars and it is another to see what can happen if you don’t. And that it can literally happen to anyone. I commend your bravery. It has probably saved me money down the road.
I feel for you. There’s a balance between being “nutterly” fastidious about the humidity and temp, and the reality of where you live and store the guitars. I’m at the point where I have a (new England) cycle that I go through. Humidipacks and a room humidifier for the winter to maintain 40-45% humidity from November to April and heat at 68°F, and rely on central air from June to end of September to hope to stay 75°F at 50-55% humidity (especially for my Taylor and Martin acoustics). May and October tend to be static. But yesterday i grabbed my tele and had a little pull on two fret ends I hadn’t expected…Oy
I just want to say that I learn a lot from your videos…thank you.
Thanks Rhett you alway's present such valuable content for both guitar knowledge and all that goes along with the musician life style; I always appreciate your insight and personal approach to every aspect of each program.
Sincerely: David Paul Rivera
I have 2 humidifiers running all day in my studio and can't get higher than 35% on cold days.
Same !!!! Really taking its toll on my equipment.
And you have a lot of nice guitars, so a lot of humidity needed.
@@marander512 Link ?
That's why i keep my nice martin in its case with in case humidifiers
Add a whole house humidifier if you have a central air and heating system. Cooling air will remove humidity quicker than heat. The definition of humidity...is latent heat. Everything in your home will absorb the humidity out of the air before the air is humidified.
The only time I ever had weird issues with my acoustics was when they were new, and I obsessed over their environment. Forty plus years later, they are well settled, even though they take turns traversing the continent north to south year round. I get them checked regularly, and they are pronounced as being happy and stable. I’m not messing with it.
Ok, now I'm subscribing. It takes character to post stuff like this. Kudos, Rhett!
Thanks so much, I live in Tennessee and we have similar temperature and humidity swings. Really appreciate you doing this episode.
“Because you didnt humidify your guitar properly”
Brb, watering my Taylor
It's weird... been playing for 56 years and I don't remember ever really having an issue with this, until this year. This winter I had 6 guitars (electrics) do this. I do all my own work so it didn't cost me anything but time and agravation but sheeze, this winter was really bad for some reason
depends on where you live and what you live in, i'm in the UK and my place seems to have a fairly stable temp / humidity thing going on.
what happened to your electics? He had a problem with his brace; electrics don't have X bracing....
@@jfar3340 that's right they don't. But they have necks with frets that pop and sprout when they're too dry.
@@dondenson3542 gotcha; fret sprout is annoying, but an easy fix compared to acoustic bracing repair
Playing in Florida from my room to outdoor events, this is mandatory viewing. I ordered my Humidors for my Novo Solus, Serus J and Martin Acoustic before the vid was finished. Thanks
Thanks for this vid, Rhett--I have the exact same issue in san antonio. I try to use as little heat as possible and i've been putting off getting a humidifier--cuz i hate dealing with humidifiers...cleaning them is a drag. But i need one. I researched them last year and got overwhelmed from option anxiety so thanks for the recco/link, as well!
You can get into mold and condensation problems adding a humidifier to your room in very cold climates. I have a whole house humidifier which helps but my instruments will dry out during the depths of winter. Each of my guitars, basses, banjos , bouzoukis, and fiddles have humidifiers in them and I add more water weekly to the acoustic and semi-acoustic ones and bi-weekly to the solid body ones. They also stay in their case when I'm not playing them
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🎁
The winter of 2011/2012 we had a really cold winter in New England. I worked in a repair shop and we had 4-5 guitars a week come in with split tops, separating binding, cracked bracing, etc. Many of those were the more affordable acoustics that had solid wood tops with laminated back and sides. The top would expand and contract while the laminated sides and backs didn't. They'd split from the sound hole to the bridge and or where the top meets the necks.
The worst offenders were the Martin X-series. They had an scalloped A-bracing. They sounded really good but they were fragile.
Sorry to hear about your guitar. Hope you get it fixed. Great show, as always 👌🤟🙂
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🏆
Nice video, here in Brazil, as a tropical region, we suffer this kind of problem with less intensity but on short periods of time. I have guitars that I need to micro adjust the truss rod almost everyday.
A fellow tupiniquim! As minhas também precisam de regulagens diárias/semanais.
My guitars also need minor adjustments daily or weekly
In Brazil we have cold mornings, scorching afternoons and rainy nights depending on the region. Guitars don't like that at all!
@@carloshc88 hahaha tamo junto
That has to be frustrating.
@@mikecorey8370 not that much. The adjustment is like 1/16 of turn. Dont hurts that much and made me quite good on telling neck reliefs
In Siberia, I have a temperature difference from +30 in summer to -30 in winter. To keep things going well with the guitars, I have a hygrometer and a humidifier in my home studio. Maintain humidity ~45%. This Riley is important!
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🎁
hope you didnt get drafted into the war bro
Super useful info on a subject that's so often overlooked. Thank you !!
Hello from Michigan! Land of 0% humidity isn’t he winter and 100% in the summer. It’s brutal on guitars and maintaining humidity with heat or A/C kicking on all the time is a constant worry of mine.
I actually paid a local luthier teach me how to address my own fret sprout because it happens so often (especially on lower end guitars with less cure time during manufacturing like Bullets from squire). Its about an hour long process that’s actually plenty fun to do. But totally agree that prevention is the key!
I really recommend the D’Addario humiditrak systems to save electrics and acoustics. (There’s a video on them on my channel btw)
I bought my last guitar from Ben at Righteous a couple months back. I appreciated his patience and willingness to help find the right fit. Fantastic store if you're ever in the area.
I did, too. Ben was great. Awesome guitar shop!
Add me to this list. Went in to Righteous thinking about getting one thing for myself for a big birthday. After maybe half an hour or so of working with Ben he put something in my hands I would have never considered that just crushed it. Lucky to have him here locally.
I live on the Gulf Coast in Louisiana, we never have a low humidity problem, in winter our humidity is still 50% lol, we have severe high humidity all year, it will be 100% humidity most of time and not raining lol, dealing with dehumidification is hard enough, I feel bad for you guys that have to deal with both! Great video!
Wow. Here in Denver the humidity is 15-20 % on a humid day. 💧
@@SuperBroncosguy I would dry out like a fish out of water lol
@@twiztedbullet going to colorado and getting nosebleeds randomly is a thing... low humidity is a challenge.
That said, A/C in the summer in the south can easily drop into
Oh ya I have this same problem temp change sways I did get humidifier recommended by my luthier. Glad you shared this video 🤙 keep rocking
Well this makes me feel a lot better about fighting the dryness this winter here in Canada. I had my new Tele go from perfect to razor blade fret sprout and higher action in no time lol. Ordered a Honeywell warn mist humidifier immediately. I'd be so stressed out if I owned any expensive acoustics right now.
Just a word of caution on the ultrasonic humidifiers: if you have untreated hard water, make sure you get one that has mineral filtration so it will help remove the deposits. The filter media needs to be cleaned/treated every week or two. If you let it go too long, the mineral deposits stay in the water and get blasted into the room in suspension. You'll end up with an ultra-fine white dust all over everything. It will suck into your central air unit and clog up the filter. You'll breathe it in and you can end up with breathing problems and even heart palpitations. Use an evaporative humidifier if you can.
Yup! I have the white dust on my guitar cases and other things in my room. I used bottled distilled water, too.
I’ll bet everyone after watching this video went and checked all of their guitars for these issues. I know because I literally just did it.
I'm on my way I just bought a brand new Gibson les paul standard for a retirement gift to me all my other guitars were under a $1000 and weren't built like a les paul they were bolt on necks with plenty of coating I've only had it 6 months and could tell that it's not a cheaply made guitar I wished I had got one years ago but retiring at 55 isn't bad I can still Rock and enjoy life
50% humidity, 70 degrees F. is ideal, which a number of makers stress. Each of my guitars has a hard shell case with MusicNomad's Case Humitar and Humireader keeping the guitars and case woods happy. Last summer, my first all solid wood guitar shipped ground freight spent ten days on the road, New Jersey to Minnesota, through Texas and Arizona, closer to LA than Spokane. I was relieved to find no cracks, just fret sprout. which recovered after a couple weeks of the addition of a case Humitar and Humireader to the Cole Clark case. Thanks Ben! Guitar lessons...
Great video! I've got a higrometer a few weeks ago, and it reads at around 30%. And I have to adjust my guitars quite often, like every few months. I'll get it to 45% and see if anything changes!
Yay! Rhett is human and makes mistakes just like the rest of us. Thanks for sharing this it is a real encouragement.
Note on humidifiers - the cool mist ultrasonic types will make your air very dusty and you'll have to change your HVAC filters often, because the dissolved solids in the water go into the air. Warm steam vaporizers don't have this issue, but you have to clean off the mineral scale periodically. Using distilled or RO water in either types solves this.
I hear ya. I have never babied my guitars but this year seems to have been exceptionally dry (Boston area.) My oldest guitar, a '79 Yamaha SG2000, which has always seemed solid as a rock, has developed a crack in the ebony fingerboard. I think it's not fatal and I plan to have an experienced luthier check it out. In the meantime I'm kinda freaked out now and I have all my guitars in one room with a tabletop humidifier going constantly. I will be much more diligent in the future.
Good advice! I use the case humidifier packs, but I don’t check them consistently (several where completely dry last time I checked). I’m going to get a room humidifier. Thanks for the reminder.
Very lucky here (Scotland), I've never had to do anything seasonal with any of my guitars, in fact I've never heard of anyone having these issues here. Our climate is so temperate that we don't have such huge changes in temperature or humidity to warrant it.
Aye, same for New Zealand.
@@petesorensenguitar my part of Canada goes from -30 in the winter to +30in the summer with every type of weather in between. Issues are all we have
Man, I feel for you! When I bought my $800 Taylor acoustic a few years back, I kind of went overboard with ensuring it would be protected, considering that I live in GA as well (Athens/Macon)…and the chaotic nature of our very fickle climate cannot be overstated. Sticking a little $5 humidifier in the case did it’s job, I suppose, as I’ve not had any issues.
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🎁
I learned this the hard way. Years ago when I moved into a new place, My beautiful Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion developed all sorts of issues in the first winter. The binding chipped in several places along the bound neck and a surface crack formed on the back near the heel. Broke my heart!
I'm not all tht far from Atlanta . The weather is pretty similar so if a person wasn't aware it wldve been easy to neglect . Even easier to kept quiet about . Thks for the information.
Probably one of the greatest videos you have done this year, thank you.
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🏆🏆
Living in Las Vegas I have a room dedicated (I am fortunate) just for storing my guitars. They are all in hard shell cases (the dust here is incredible), and there are 2 room humidifiers dialed in at 45% RH. All the acoustics also have Boveda packs in the case, as sometimes I forget to put water in the humidifiers (dummy!). Also have a small space heater to keep the room at 72F. If I take a guitar out to my studio, within hours the tuning will drop 1/4 to 1/2 step…. Drying out right before my very eyes.
If us citizen would take care of climate change and not live as you all do ( you need 5 earth planet of you you continue to live as you do !), you would do not need all this ! You are, or you especially but USA the worst ecological country after QATAR ( 9 planet a year of energy and ressources !!!!). When will you wake up ? Regards from France
@@belo1971 I completely agree that we need to do a much better job here in the USA combating climate change. Still, in France there is an unimaginable amount of nuclear waste being stored “safely”, your electrical needs have escalated to the point that you are back to burning coal fired plants, and building more nuclear plants despite the governments mandate to reduce dependence to this kind of energy production. People in glass houses should not throw rocks.
@@belo1971 Instead of trying to get U.S to change why dont you push for the major world polluters like china and india to fix its laws instead of force a country that is already in the process of becoming more green. also with france being maybe a 1/3 of our population you should realize that your solution wouldnt work for us.
@@belo1971 so it's America's job to fix the planet cuz we are the only ones polluting it?! France doesn't contribute at all to climate change? It's USA lifestyle u think that's causing humidity to affect guitars? Wow..u are completely out of touch...educate yourself...your statistics are very much bullshit...fix your own problems before blaming others..
@@belo1971 France is a shit show that owes the US a great deal...protected your asses since WW1....get off your high horse and make music..leave politics out of music...
I'm in Illinois, 2 humidifiers and still have to oil my fretboard religiously, necks are staying straight, but been cold out and dry in. Informative video
Had a similar issue with neck cracks and live in the same area.
I’ve been pumping a gallon of H2O in my room every 24 hours with a humidifier just to keep it near 50% humidity with heat around 67 degrees.
Maybe I've just been lucky. Been playing a very nice Takamine for 34 years that I bought new. It's always hanging on the wall and played almost daily. Gets dragged around a few days a week to teach with. Recorded 2 albums with it. Even with all the use it gets it's always dusty as I live in Central Oregon where it's dry and the daily temperature changes are extreme. Had to adjust the truss rod once about 10 years ago, otherwise it just gets a fresh set of strings about once a month. Never thought about humidity.
I'm in Central Oregon as well. Dry high desert out here for sure, and this winter has really been something. Shirtsleeve weather lately, but I'll bet sub-zero temps are in the works!
Cheers from Redmond. I play in the garage (I am married) but never leave any gear there.
@@johnsonjuice32 Hey, neighbor! I'm right down the road in Prineville. I haven't been playing much lately, since my playing buddy passed away, but garage sounds better than my playing! But, no matter the skill level, it's just fun as heck, so no harm, no foul!
And what's always funny is that the crappy instruments never have this happen to them. only the boutique and 5000 dollar ones.
lmao absolutely not
Nope, but you just don't care on the crappy instruments. LOL
they absolutely do. its just not as noticeable because they arent fine tuned to a high degree in the first place
👆👆 Potential winner of the year 🎁🏆🏆
Kind of true.... because cheap guitars are made with laminate...not real wood.
Excellent video. Even with a central humidifier in my house, in the winter, I can't get the house higher than 30-35% humidity, so the separate unit in the music room helps me maintain 45-50%. The white dust is annoying as heck. Maybe will try distilled water next winter.
Get a humidifier that isn’t ultrasonic and you won’t have the dust. Search CZcams for technology connections humidifier.
I love watching this guy work!
I own 4 acoustic guitars and live in western Colorado. I cannot emphasize the trouble I go through. Still, they move, change, get messed up.
I'm over in Denver and i bet our humidity has averaged 15-20% earlier this year. My three acoustics are kept in a room that's 45-55% humidity 80% of the time! It's a struggle out west, i agree! Peace.
I've been playing guitars for 29 years and that's the rule: I always store my guitar in the winter gigbags even at home when not playing them. I NEVER leave ANY of my guitars standing in the room or hanging on the wall when not used/played cause that's exactly the best way to ruin your instrument. Period.
Well i have 3 electric guitars on a stand. In the winter i turn on the humifier and in summer when its very humid, where i live it can get humid up to 65%, i even experience it higher above 65%. But i never encountered any problems with my guitars. Been playing for 18 years and never had any problems. I keep it in stands because i play a lot, everyday.
Been there done that. Bowed tops, necks warped, fret sprout. Went through neck resets. All of it expensive. I use Humidipaks now, and keep a humidifier going in the Winter. I have a Fender 65 Reissue Jazzmaster with fret sprout, wish I had a Luthier like the gentleman in this video. Next time I'm in GA, I will pay a visit. My only exception guitar is I own a 1966 Fender Jazzmaster, I've had it since I was 15. Never had the neck adjusted, no fret sprout. The only problem it's ever had is dried out foam pickup pads. Amazing! Excellent video, and advice!
Great post! I live in Sydney and freak out about my 29 year old SRV strat because the weather can really suck at times and be random AF so the swings are from one end of the spectrum to another. My G&L legacy is the same age and the neck is completely F’ckd so now its used as my slide guitar tuned to open G. Think I need to just grab an entry level Squire to practice on to save my strat from being ruined 😤😤
Ultrasonic humidifiers work fine if you use either distilled or RO water (reverse osmosis)... no white dust. Thanks for sharing Rhett.
Osmosis, as a demineralized water? I can't get distilled water so i'm using demineralized water. Is that okay?
@@PTRK490 Pretty well the same thing. Demineralized means no calcium, the biggest culprit re: white dust.
Always keep humidifier packs in your acoustic guitar and it’s case! I like the Daddario ones since they’re easy to use and don’t require any water.
Yeah originally they were planet Waves DaDario bought the rights to them and you're absolutely right those humidipaks are fantastic.
By the $30 investment up front and about 18 bucks for the refills depending how humid usually about every three to six months you got to change them out you can't beat it if you got a very fairly decent guitar.
And it's so easy to check you don't have to fill with water you just simply squeeze the bag if it's soft it's good if it's hard it's time to change
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist Actually, Boveda make the humidipacks for DiAddario, and they can be bought with different humidity levels, but 40-50% is what you're shooting for.
16 years ago I purchased my first nice acoustic. A solid wood bodied Larrivée D03R. Bought it in January. Gorgeous instrument. 1200 bucks with case. Today they are well over 2 grand. Within a couple of months here in New England the bridge dried out, split and lifted off the soundboard. Back to the dealer and off to Larrivée in Canada (at the time). 300 bucks and a couple of months later, all fixed. Learned my lesson. Stays in the case with a couple of humidifier tubes during the cold dry New England winters. Never had a problem since.
thanks bro very good video and info..appreciate you....
Generally speaking, low temps are not so bad as long as the humidity is right and the low temp isn’t extreme. High temps are worse as glue starts to melt. I keep my studio at 24C/42% humidity (as close as I can, at least- 4 different humidity gauges, 2 humidifiers, a dehumidifier and air con. I live in a tropical environment.
Have you had any issues from over humidity? Where I live (in South-East Asia) it's hard to get the humidity below 55% even with aircon or a dehumidifier.
I made that mistake last Winter. Same thing - new home, didn't realize how dry it would get. The top of my Martin HD-28 cracked, in line with the grain, all the way from the bridge to the endpin. I was devastated.
Now I keep all of my acoustic instruments in their cases with individual humidifier packs, along with a small humidifier I keep running 24/7. On a cold day I'm still struggling at around 20% humidity but along with the individual humidifiers in each case, things have been fine and I've noticed the instruments in general sound better too.
My Martin Backpacker guitar cracked on me. It's a cheap guitar, but still.
I own a Gurian JM-150. I bought it new in Portland, OR in 1977. I immediately put it in a plane and moved to Oahu for 10 years. I moved back to Portland in '88 and I've had it here since then. No thought about any humidity problems whatsoever. No neck bows. No top bellies, nothin'. Had some neck finish issues once. That's it. Go figure. God takes care of idiots.
I feel you man, i had to get a neck reset on my Martin D-41 Special recently.
Good stuff, we used to keep a small humidifier in our violin cases to avoid the same problem during Michigan winters.
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A few well known luthiers/builders I listen to discussed this recently and said that 35% relative humidity is where they keep their shops. The main key is to not let things dip below 30% for extended periods of time. That is where you run into trouble. 45% is probably more than is actually needed. Your acoustics could also sound a bit better with slightly less moisture.
Pro tip for home owners with central, forced air heating; a whole house humidifier is only $700-1000. When you look at the value of your guitars it's a no brainer.
I have a whole house humidifier for that purpose. Keeps the room my guitars are in at 45-50% humidity in the winter. I live in Denver, where single digit humidity is not uncommon. $800 for whole house humidifier and installation. Totally worth it
I'll third this comment - and if you are the least bit handy with basic tools, this can be installed by the homeowner. My unit cost about $150 with about another $50 of assorted supplies. This is the second season with it and the entire house is 40 - 45% RH. The fret sprout that I was seeing on 2 of my guitars is now history.
I do this too, with the whole house humidifier... but then have issues with ice on the windows.
@Hoyt Christian mine is from carrier, same as the furnace.
Thank you for shining a light on this important topic. The morale of your video is that Simple preventive measures can save musicians from a ton of grief down the road. You are definitely not an idiot.
Thank, you Rhett, what a good video, very interesting.
I literally have the same Levoit humidifier in my guitar room. CAUTION: the built in hygrometer does not work well, so be proactive in turning the humidifier on and off based upon a standalone hygrometer in the room. CAUTION #2: if you have hard tap water, use distilled water in the humidifier. Otherwise you’ll get white mineral dust settling on every surface, including your guitars.
I use a hot steam humidifier, (the cool mist ones create all that white dust). Once a month it gets a vinegar soak.
I can't get distilled water so i'm using demineralized water. Is that okay?
@@PTRK490 demineralized water is definitely better than tap water because it won’t produce that white mineral dust. It might have some biological impurities (bacteria, mold spores) not present in distilled water, so you’ll still have to make sure you clean your humidifier regularly to prevent the growth of that stuff.
A loose brace isn't that big of a deal to fix. It shouldn't have to happen, but it's not nearly the end of the world.
I agree. Personally imo I've been playing 25 years. I lived in utah most that time and 10 yrs in Arizona, needless to say we do get wild swings in the desert as well where it's 90 degrees one day and 10 degrees the next, having that said I've never ever had or seen friends with these issues. I think Rhett got taken to the bank. It's possible he had these issues but not likely( that's not even mentioning I've built a couple guitars and worked custom cabinetry and hardwood furniture for 20 years) idk, just sayin
@@Epochstudios You guys get wild swings in temperature from day to night. I spent quite a bit of time out there in your area.
@@Epochstudios Agreed.
@@Epochstudios this issues are common in Michigan. We have like 10 percent humidity in the winter and 80 percent in the summer. I don't think he was taken anywhere. It would take a guitar likely a week or more to dry out from low humidity and have the wood shrink, so if you only have a day difference I think that's why you don't experience it.
Hey Rhett, I was also reluctant to do my own fret filing work until I came across the "Buzz Off" kit. Not paid by the luthier who put it together, but just have been using it for many years and it served me well. Technically it's just a few steel dowels and a sanding block cut for fret sanding. 3M 200 and 400 grit sand paper and some 0000 Steel Wool. You could buy all of this at the hardware store and build your own sanding block, but the Buzz Off kit makes it easy. I don't like using Steel Wool on my electrics, so when I have to do this I usually us the 400 and 200 grit then finish with Lizard Spit's Fret Polishing system.
Thank you for taking the time to make and post this *informative* video on good guitar health.
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Before everyone goes out and buys humidifiers for their guitars, let's clarify the realities. A guitar is most comfortable living in the same environment (humidity-wise) it was born in. That is to say, if it was built in a desert, it prefers deserts. If it was built in a rainforest, it prefers rainforests. Also, it's the construction that is affected, not the wood itself. The wood doesn't really care about humidity. Finally, it's only when humidity "dramatically" changes from its "birth" humidity that problems may arise. You may want to keep your guitar at higher humidity if it was built at higher humidity. You may want to keep it at lower humidity if it was built at lower humidity.
Pretty terrible advice. It is true with the exception that almost all guitar builders will regulate humidity in their shop these days. 45% is the general consensus for a very good reason.
I am definitely not disagreeing but how did all of these vintage guitars, acoustic, hollow body, semi hollow body, and solid body electrics survive all these years if all of this is necessary ? I have had UPS do more damage on a shipment of a guitar than Mother Nature has done in 50 years. LOL 😂
I guess it depends on how extreme the conditions are and I get the feeling that very dry climate is the most harmful to guitars, more than humid/really humid. I live in a fairly humid city and I never had fretboard issues and neck adjustments happen in intervals of a couple years.
Hard agree. It's just more new stuff for modern guitarists to research and throw their money at instead of just practicing their guitar.
Just bought me a humidifier, thanks for the vid and the recommendation on the humidifier, great stuff!
That's a good advice but this humidifier so close to the amps didn't make me fell any confident.
Note to self; don’t do that
5000th's of an inch?! the imperial system is a joke
Ha! Good on you for the brutal honesty Rhett. Valuable reminder received, and I'm thinking about how I can improve my situation here.
I feel you Rhett, I have had an heirloom guitar, 1976 Martin D-28 dreadnaut that my late grandfather passed down to me develop belly warp and lifting bridge due to moving from AZ to California. Sad realization to have to find some one around here i trust enough to fix my prized possession. Thanks for all your content. It has expanded my musical ability beyond what i have ever thought possible.
I had a similar experience. Never had a problem in my small apartments, but when I moved into a house with high vaulted ceilings, the environment was much dryer. My dad’s old Ovation’s top cracked right next to the neck from the top warping. Now I understand why they sell case humidifiers, but now I keep my acoustics in the walk-in closet right off the bathroom. The shower keeps that area plenty humid.
Seeing is believing - showing what happened to your guitars is a really valuable learning lesson and should be commended.
Excellent video! I have 3 humidifiers in my place and still have to run the showers on hot for a few minutes to emit steam into the place to keep the humidity around 45%. It is rough when you are in a small home where the heater runs all the time when it is below freezing outside. Without the humidifiers, the humidity can easily drop below 20%! Place humidity gauges in different parts of your home for a real eye opener.
Dang.. although I haven’t experienced any of these problems… this is the video I needed. GREAT info! Thanks Rhett.
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Great video Rhett!
Really great video. Like u, my guitars are in my studio and the only thing I did not add is the himidifier. So 2moro, I'm off to get one. Tx RS.👍🎼🎵🎶
I bought a Gibson Les Paul Smartwood Studio from Ben, and it’s the best playing guitar that I have at the moment. I’ve built a few partscasters with roasted maple necks and those necks have been very stable over the last few winters, but the Gibson had needed some tweaking and adjustment to keep it playing great. I bought another Les Paul Smartwood as well but it doesn’t play quite as good as the one from Righteous Guitars. Great shop, and this video contains some great advice and tips on setting up a guitar to play great.
Brilliant, and Right On Time, for someone like me. I have MOSTLY kept my guitars in case (lately have added 2-way humidity regulating devices). I have opportunity to build/rebuild my music lab. I’d LOVE to have many/all on stands - we all know, “If I see ‘em, I play ‘em…”, ri? Have wrestled these last few months whether to get an hygrometer and an humidifier. This video, “a gift of yummy goodness”, CONFIRMS for me that the answer is an unquestionable, YES. Thanks, Man!
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This is so informative. Thanks.
Hi Rhett
I watched this video with interest. I live in the UK and my entire guitar collection of some 18 guitars are hanging on the walls of my studio and my house. I have no air conditioning or humidifiers and I have never had any problems with any of my guitars as you mentioned. It must be a totally different climate where you are in the US to the UK.
I hope you managed to resolve the problem. 🤘🤘🇬🇧
Rhett, You are fortunate to live near that shop. Also, I never would've thought you'd have humidity issues in Ga...
Great video, super dry where I live too. One seasoned tech told me to not even keep sheet music/lyrics/paper in the case of my Takamine as it robs the air of moisture.
A superb performance on a White Falcon is Luke Doucette playing the song Long Haul Driver in Austin Texas with Melissa McClelland. The tone is sublime :D
Living in New England I constantly have to tweak my necks... I don't even put truss rod covers on them anymore
I keep two humidifiers going, 24/7. I live in far West Texas where it is bone dry in the winter. The roomful of Gibson, Fenders and Marshall stacks love it at 45% - stand alone hydrometer.
I bought my strat 3 months ago and suddenly I got dead spots behind my 12th fret . I went to GC got it checked cause I didn’t wanna break anything and they said it was my truss rod . Thanks for sharing this because I too stay in Georgia and I totally understand this
Been there. Developed a nice split in the lower bout of my vintage Martin D-35. Also experienced sprout on a Fender Jazzmaster. That was enough. Got a whole house humidifier installed and I now run one to two smaller humidifiers in my basement studio. In the humid summer months, I run one house dehumidifier and a smaller dehumidifier in the studio. I always heard, however, that 50 percent is the ideal target level, and on average I achieve that about 90% of the time.
Boveda humi packs have worked well for several years. I've checked with a calibrated Hygrometer and and it keeps the moisture in perfect range.
Rhett, I live in Marietta. I HAD to get humidity ‘pads’ and put my Alvarez in its case along with a humidity meter. The Alvarez goes ‘all over the place’ with the weather here. The pads Planet Waves did the trick keeping the humidity at 45% in side the case.
I feel your pain! I broke my $2000 Collings OM 15+ years ago. They repaired it for so well you couldn’t even tell it had ever been broken.
I like what Ben said about the issues being easy to remedy, but easier to prevent. Wise words. We spend serious money on instruments... we do ourselves a favor by taking care of them.
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Thanks, Rhett, very informative as usual. Hope your repairs go well and aren't too expensive. I have two console humidifiers in the room where I keep my guitars, so humidity isn't a problem in the winter, but I wanted to ask about dehumidification during the summer months when the humidity in my area can easily get up in the 70-80% range. What kind of problems might I have and is a dehumidifier necessary?
A window air conditioner is also a dehumidifier.
All AC systems are engineered to maintain an indoor relative humidity of about 50%, regardless of outdoor conditions. Heating air is the problematic process. It does not matter how the air is heated. It does matter how much heat is added.