I made two of these type humidifiers with a pack of sponges, a plastic soap case with lid and a plastic toothbrush holder. Total: 5 dollars all bought at walmart. I cut the sponges to fit the bar soap case and the toothbrush case and drilled holes. Put a string on the one for the sound hole. The soap case one goes up under the headstock to humidify the case. Works good for getting the guitar re-humidified, I don't use any of these for long term maint. I use planet waves humidipacks.
Hi, I just bought the Oasis humidifier today, and I was wondering is it a necessity to use distilled water? Or could I just use spring water/ tap water? Do I really need to humidify my electric acoustic neck? Or is that just to expand the humidity level inside the case.
Reply to: TrobinT - Distilled water has none of the hard water particles that tap water does and it will be better for the humidifier but I don't worry about that really. Spring and tap water work just fine. Guitar necks are made out of solid wood and in a dry environment they will shrink and swell with the humidity level if they are not sealed on the fretboard side. If you feel your frets sticking out of the side of the guitar neck then the neck is too dry and humidity will fix that problem.
To: rolandsdisc - The sponge needs to remain wet, so check it often at first. If the guitar is really dry then it will take in lots of moisture at first. When the wood takes in all that it wants then the sponge will get dry slower. It also depends on the humidity in the air. If it is dryer outside then check the humidifier at least once a week. When you do this for a while you'll get a feeling for it.
@honksquire I have a humidifier in all of my acoustic-electric guitars. (Three of them.) No problem there.. In fact, I humidify my electric guitar and electric bass guitars. This keeps the fretboard from shrinking and the frets sticking out. Your electronics will be fine.
Does it have to be a hard case to humidify properly or will it work in a gig bag? Also does the guitar need to be laying prone while humidifying or can it be set up vertically for storage? Thank you for the tips, I have never humidified my guitars and I am thinking I better start. I often leave them hanging on the wall for easy access do they always need to be humidifying as that makes them harder to get to for me.
@MrBrademan I have a Fender acoustic that I humidify in a soft case and it works OK. Every once in a while I put my guitars in a room that has 50% humidity for a week or two to make sure that the whole guitar gets humidified. When I do this, I open my case to make sure that the case is dry. You can humidify a guitar with the case lying flat or standing up, it really doesn't matter. Just make sure that the humidifier isn't dripping wet and doesn't get the inside of your case moist.
@quailstudios The best advice I've heard regarding Hardcase/Softcase humidification is that if you're using a Humidifier like the ones shown in the video (and especially if you're using one "in the case" to humidify *all* of the guitar and not simply the body with a soundhole-based humidifier) is to close the case when the instrument isn't inside: when at the proper % the case is *also* at that level, and you don't want that steady environment that's built up to lose all of its moisture.
@quailstudios Thanks for both comments. Does one have to humidify the whole guitar or can I just do it through the sound hole. My challenge is that I like to leave my guitars out so I have easy access to them. I am in a wheelchair, and the thought of getting them out of a case each and every time is going to make it so I don't play guitar as much and that would be a travesty for me, I have to play guitar, it's like breathing, but I also want to take care of my instruments.
@MrBrademan Humidifying the whole guitar is best. I understand your situation. Having a room humidifier would be good to humidify the guitar when it's out of the case. But having a humidifier just in the sound hole is better than having nothing at all. If the neck gets too dried out, then you will notice the frets sticking out of the side of the neck. You will need to humidify the neck at that point too. Just keep an eye on it.
@rockyjohnstone 55% humidity isn't too crazy. You want to ask yourself if the guitar plays well and if it looks "normal". You're probably OK if you answer "yes" to both of these questions. When in doubt ask a guitar tech. Even in a humid climate though the inside of buildings can be less humid because of air conditioning in the summer or heating in the winter. Get a hygrometer and check the humidity where you keep your guitars then you'll know where you are humidity wise.
What about Zorb-it? It takes out moisture. In desert climates we want to put moisture into the guitar. In humid climates just the opposite. Guitars love 40 to 45% humidity. The idea is to keep the guitar at or near that humidity level, whatever it takes.
I made two of these type humidifiers with a pack of sponges, a plastic soap case with lid and a plastic toothbrush holder. Total: 5 dollars all bought at walmart. I cut the sponges to fit the bar soap case and the toothbrush case and drilled holes. Put a string on the one for the sound hole. The soap case one goes up under the headstock to humidify the case. Works good for getting the guitar re-humidified, I don't use any of these for long term maint. I use planet waves humidipacks.
tecnolover2642 1 week ago
Hi, I just bought the Oasis humidifier today, and I was wondering is it a necessity to use distilled water? Or could I just use spring water/ tap water? Do I really need to humidify my electric acoustic neck? Or is that just to expand the humidity level inside the case.
Cheers!
TrobinT 2 weeks ago
Reply to: TrobinT - Distilled water has none of the hard water particles that tap water does and it will be better for the humidifier but I don't worry about that really. Spring and tap water work just fine. Guitar necks are made out of solid wood and in a dry environment they will shrink and swell with the humidity level if they are not sealed on the fretboard side. If you feel your frets sticking out of the side of the guitar neck then the neck is too dry and humidity will fix that problem.
quailstudios 1 week ago
How often do you have to wet the home made sponge? Rk
rolandsdisc 2 weeks ago
To: rolandsdisc - The sponge needs to remain wet, so check it often at first. If the guitar is really dry then it will take in lots of moisture at first. When the wood takes in all that it wants then the sponge will get dry slower. It also depends on the humidity in the air. If it is dryer outside then check the humidifier at least once a week. When you do this for a while you'll get a feeling for it.
quailstudios 2 weeks ago
Will a humidifier damage an acoustic-electric guitar? My acoustic-electric needs to be humidified but I don't want to break the electronics..
honksquire 2 weeks ago
@honksquire I have a humidifier in all of my acoustic-electric guitars. (Three of them.) No problem there.. In fact, I humidify my electric guitar and electric bass guitars. This keeps the fretboard from shrinking and the frets sticking out. Your electronics will be fine.
quailstudios 2 weeks ago
i bought the planet wave humidifier and when i put it between my strings it stretches them apart. is this ok?
brandonlarose 2 months ago
@brandonlarose Stretching the strings apart is really not a problem.
quailstudios 1 month ago
Does it have to be a hard case to humidify properly or will it work in a gig bag? Also does the guitar need to be laying prone while humidifying or can it be set up vertically for storage? Thank you for the tips, I have never humidified my guitars and I am thinking I better start. I often leave them hanging on the wall for easy access do they always need to be humidifying as that makes them harder to get to for me.
MrBrademan 2 months ago
@MrBrademan I have a Fender acoustic that I humidify in a soft case and it works OK. Every once in a while I put my guitars in a room that has 50% humidity for a week or two to make sure that the whole guitar gets humidified. When I do this, I open my case to make sure that the case is dry. You can humidify a guitar with the case lying flat or standing up, it really doesn't matter. Just make sure that the humidifier isn't dripping wet and doesn't get the inside of your case moist.
quailstudios 2 months ago
@quailstudios The best advice I've heard regarding Hardcase/Softcase humidification is that if you're using a Humidifier like the ones shown in the video (and especially if you're using one "in the case" to humidify *all* of the guitar and not simply the body with a soundhole-based humidifier) is to close the case when the instrument isn't inside: when at the proper % the case is *also* at that level, and you don't want that steady environment that's built up to lose all of its moisture.
scarred2112 2 months ago
@scarred2112 I do believe that this is true. Thanks for the comment!
quailstudios 2 months ago
@quailstudios Thanks for both comments. Does one have to humidify the whole guitar or can I just do it through the sound hole. My challenge is that I like to leave my guitars out so I have easy access to them. I am in a wheelchair, and the thought of getting them out of a case each and every time is going to make it so I don't play guitar as much and that would be a travesty for me, I have to play guitar, it's like breathing, but I also want to take care of my instruments.
MrBrademan 2 months ago
@MrBrademan Humidifying the whole guitar is best. I understand your situation. Having a room humidifier would be good to humidify the guitar when it's out of the case. But having a humidifier just in the sound hole is better than having nothing at all. If the neck gets too dried out, then you will notice the frets sticking out of the side of the neck. You will need to humidify the neck at that point too. Just keep an eye on it.
quailstudios 2 months ago
@quailstudios Thank you very much for providing all your good information I really appreciate it.
MrBrademan 2 months ago
How about a climate that is in the 55-65% RH range most of the time? When is too much humidity a problem?
rockyjohnstone 2 months ago
@rockyjohnstone 55% humidity isn't too crazy. You want to ask yourself if the guitar plays well and if it looks "normal". You're probably OK if you answer "yes" to both of these questions. When in doubt ask a guitar tech. Even in a humid climate though the inside of buildings can be less humid because of air conditioning in the summer or heating in the winter. Get a hygrometer and check the humidity where you keep your guitars then you'll know where you are humidity wise.
quailstudios 2 months ago
What about Zorb-it? It takes out moisture. In desert climates we want to put moisture into the guitar. In humid climates just the opposite. Guitars love 40 to 45% humidity. The idea is to keep the guitar at or near that humidity level, whatever it takes.
quailstudios 3 months ago
What about a Zorb-it?
guitartec 3 months ago
Great Ideas !! Thanks a lot !
fabianromano 3 months ago