Hydrating A Starfire

[Don]

I've been using the Planet Waves system to great effect on all my acoustics. When I do eventually get my Starfire I want to ensure it stays hydrated. Putting those pouches in the sound holes doesn't look so likely to me so I'm wondering what the consensus is here.

 

[davemcc]

I just keep a small humidifier in the room where I have all my guitars. I also use the soundhole type humidifiers for the acoustics which works well, but the room humidifier is good for all the guitars. The acoustics benefit the most as dry conditions can cause some pretty nasty things to happen (shrinking top, humped fingerboard, etc...). I started humidifying all the guitars when I noticed that my 79 SF started to show shrinking of the wood and finish around the binding and some pealing where there were scratches. Because of the way these things are built (like tanks) I wouldn't think that dry conditions would cause structural issues like on an acoustic but I humidify to "slow down" the aging process.

I don't do this year round, only in winter when it is cold and dry where I am. Summers here are hot a humid so I don't use anything then.

 

[GAD]

I use the soft little blue bottles on my guitars. Can't remember what they're called...

Anyway a Starfire is made from laminate wood, and doesn't suffer the same dehydration woes that an acoustic does - at least not to the same level, and not as quickly. As an experiment, I pulled the humidifiers out of my semi-hollow cases this winter, and have yet to notice any change.

 

[guildman63]

I use the Oasis OH6 case humidifier for my Starfire IV, X-170T and Bluesbird, and the Oasis Plus+ (provides 50% more humidity for extreme conditions) for my D40. Levels in my house get into the mid to low teens in the winter, and they all seem to work quite well so far. I need to refill the electrics about every other week, and the acoustic I fill once each week.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Don,

Pleased to make your acquaintance.

Don't get water inside a guitar. It can soften the glue.

What is Planet Waves?

I use one room humidifier and no case humidifiers. That's because I don't see how a case humidifier can keep your guitar at a constant humidity.Can it? Too much humidity expands the wood, which also creates problems.

Also, a room humidifier is cheaper than a bunch of case humidifiers, and a whole lot easier to manage.

dh

 

[fronobulax]

What is Planet Waves?

A gear company.

I use one room humidifier and no case humidifiers. That's because I don't see how a case humidifier can keep your guitar at a constant humidity.Can it? Too much humidity expands the wood, which also creates problems.

Also, a room humidifier is cheaper than a bunch of case humidifiers, and a whole lot easier to manage.

If a guitar is stored in a case for reasons other than humidity stability - such as protection from family or pets - then the case is going to be more of a barrier than a help to a room humidifier.

A case humidifier is an alternative to no humidifier and as such does not have to keep humidity constant and stable. It just has to keep the humidity within a safe range. The proper use of a case humidifier would include checking the humidity inside the case on a regular basis and removing the humidifier rather than over-hydrate.

You pays you money and makes you choice.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Thanks fro. I should have mentioned that I keep the case lids slightly open--enough to let air in. I would do that if dogs could get to them.Dogs can be one of the worst things for guitars. I'm lucky to have a spare room where I can keep all of my instruments.

 

[Don]

Check this site out Darryl.

http://store.daddario.com/category/283852

It gives you the run down on the system I use.

Pros: It's brainless. Put it in and it works. Well. Packets get hard, replace them. Gronk can do this!

Cons: It's expensive if you have multiple guitars. It's really expensive if you have multiple dry guitars. Read my list. They were all thirsty. I had to buy two more to cover my son's guitars. So you might say I'm "Invested" in Planet Waves.

The system runs $20 on Amazon with free shipping if you buy some refills ($15) to go with. 'Bout the best deal I've seen so far. Wal Mart sells a thermometer/humidistat in the hardware section for about $7. I keep one in every case I have and keep them latched shut. I dropped a D40SB out of a case I forgot to latch and picked up. Couple scrapes and knocked it out of tune. Happened 30 years ago and I still remember it as if it was five minutes ago.

Happened in church. Priest didn't even bother waiting until I went to Confession. He gave me ten Our Fathers for blasphemy right on the spot.

Cheers!

Don

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Don,

I dropped a D40SB out of a case I forgot to latch and picked up.

That's the risk with my system of leaving cases partially open--with only one or two latches closed.

Happened in church.

That's why I'm always uptight in church. I lead such a straight life that swearing is my only bad habit.

He gave me ten Our Fathers for blasphemy....

Who are the Fathers for blasphemy?

 

[Don]

I was ordered to recite the "Our Father" prayer ten times for the sin of blasphemy. Calling down the condemnation of God upon the occasion of dropping a guitar in front of the assembled congregation was not considered proper behavior.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Just kidding around, Don.

How do you like your DV52? Best deal on earth in a rosewood dread, says I.

 

[Don]

That's why I answered you the same way. I love my 52. Mine has a pickup so I just had to obtain a Guild acoustic amp. Had my eyes on a Tamarack but an Aspen ended up coming available. Great amp that doubles as a weight set.

That 52 of mine has some really odd finish degradation (Don't ask me to describe it) along with the standard finish cracks so the price was right. I'm in the process of cycling all my guitars through the local luthier to make certain they are set up correctly and deal with any structural issues. I think the 52 is due a saddle and I may have the nut replaced just because and upgrade to bone or ivory while I'm at it.

Cheers!

Don

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Don,

I go to various churches (Mormon, Baptist, Catholic, Unitarian, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox) and it's amazing how different they all are.

By coincidence, I'm in the midst of having several guitars in the shop now too.

How do you like your Aspen? I thought about getting one, but if it's that heavy I'll have to pass.

hf

 

[adorshki]

I've been using the Planet Waves system to great effect on all my acoustics. When I do eventually get my Starfire I want to ensure it stays hydrated. Putting those pouches in the sound holes doesn't look so likely to me so I'm wondering what the consensus is here.

It occurs to me that I haven't seen nearly the attention paid to hydration on the 'leccie forum as in the acoustic forum. Could this be due to the fact that the laminated tops/backs sides/are far less susceptible to the humidity issues? Just posing some food for thought as I think Starfires are laminated. But I'm certainly no expert about 'em. Not even sure the postulation about humidity and laminates is accurate. Maybe someone with better knowledge 'll toss out some useful nuggets of info. :?

 

[fronobulax]

It occurs to me that I haven't seen nearly the attention paid to hydration on the 'leccie forum as in the acoustic forum.

That's because everybody knows electricity and water are a safety hazard.

 

[Don]

I'm a pretty big guy and I grunt when I pick it up. You might look for the Aspen's littler brother, the Tamarack. It's smaller and lighter but has all the same features.

 

[adorshki]

It occurs to me that I haven't seen nearly the attention paid to hydration on the 'leccie forum as in the acoustic forum.

That's because everybody knows electricity and water are a safety hazard.

Now THAT'S a nugget!

 

[yawningzakk]

Daryl,

What kind of room humidifier are you using ( brand/model )?


Does anyone else have experience with these devices?

I've been wanting to purchase one for quite some time, but have been wondering whether a warm or cool mist device would be more efficient, and if these things really do work ...

During the winter, we only have around 30% humidity in the house. I don't dare taking my favorite guitars out of their cases when it's below 40% ...

 

[guildman63]

yawningzakk,

30% isn't ideal, but I can't imagine that a few months at that level would do any damage to the types of guitars you have. That said, it gets to 10% or below in my house in the winter, and while case humidifiers have worked just fine for my acoustic as well as my electrics, I had to keep my guitars cased, which is no fun.

In January I got a MoistAir MA1200/MA1201 (www.moistair.com) rated for 2500 square feet. I put it at the base of my stairs along the front wall with my office/guitars at the top of the stairs in the back corner of my house. Set at 45% RH it raised my office from 8% without the humidifier to 35-40%, and my gits are very happy to be out and about again. This is a cool air humidifier that actually makes it feel a little warmer (perhaps for the same reason that 70 degrees in Fla feels warmer than 70 degrees in Az (RH). With a marginally low RH any of the MA models would probably work very well for you.

FYI...I chose the MoistAir MA model because it was the only one I could find online with an average review greater than 4/5 stars. Their HD models did not appear to fair so well in the reviews. Also, a local music store uses both an HD and MA model, and they loved the MA but did not like the HD.

I hope this helps.

 

[yawningzakk]

Guildman63,

Thank you for your advice and info!
If I understood the description of your device on moistair.com correctly, it works with cold mist?
Have you ever had any issues with this device, like a white residue being spread in its vicinity?

I'm currently looking for a smaller device, which could control the humidity of one single room ...