If you’re a guitarist, SoCal can be a tough place to live. Sure we’ve got the sunshine, the warm winters, the beautiful sunsets; but try keeping your pride and joy in top playing condition out here. It’s, like, work and stuff!
So, “What’s the big deal,” you ask? Well, that “dry heat” that our region of the country is famous for? It’s murder on acoustic guitars. Humidity is a key ingredient in keeping your axe in top shape, and it’s a commodity that these environs are damned short of.
See, when it dries up outside (as it has today), the pulpy part of the wood in your guitar contracts. Since guitars are made primarily of wood and glue, contracting wood pulp can make all kinds of exciting things happen. Bridges can pop off unexpectedly, bracings can come loose, and the wood itself can crack if you let it go too long. Even with only mild dryness, the tone of your instrument can suffer as the top will sink, altering the acoustic response of the instrument.
And I’d got my prized Gibson J-45 just sitting in the parlor. Drying up like fig. Damned criminal, I tell you.
So what’s a poor boy to do when pressed with such dire circumstances? Well, keep the guitar in its case, for one. And purchase a couple of little humidifiers to put in said case. Which I did last fall, right before the Santa Ana winds kicked up and made everything as dry as a chip.
This works well; it’s a cozy 48% relative humidity within the fuzzy blue confines of my guitar’s case right now (which is where I had to put it this morning when my trusty Radio Shack hygrometer reported a cracklin’ 26% in our house). But when the guitar is in the case, I’m much less likely to play it than I am when it’s sitting there looking so sexy on its stand. And, furthermore, a quick check of the calendar informs me that it is almost May; the time of year when we’re supposed to be enjoying a bit of humidity and I’m supposed to be out on the front porch swing, strumming my six string (there is no smell of shrimp beginning to boil today, I’m afraid). Such is my conundrum.
People have it worse, no doubt. But if I didn’t gripe about it, I couldn’t really justify having this crazy blog, could I?
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, folks. And to my fellow Southern Californians, stay moist…
For guitarists who are interested in the effects of humidity on your prized acoustic instruments, check out this PDF from Taylor Guitars (who manufacture a few miles south of me in San Diego). Required reading for anyone who owns an acoustic guitar!
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