Guitar storage climate

[Mentalo]

What’s your strategy when it comes to maintaining the right climate for your guitars?



Over the past two weeks, we’ve had a pretty intense heatwave here in Western Europe, with temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F) and extremely dry air (<25%). Thankfully, it has rained over the last couple of days and cooled down, but now the humidity has climbed to over 65%.

My guitars are hanging on a slatwall display. In theory, I could put them away in their cases or gig bags, and I also have both a humidifier and a dehumidifier. However, none of those options seem particularly practical when these kinds of weather extremes occur.

How do you deal with situations like this?

 

[fitz]

What’s your strategy when it comes to maintaining the right climate for your guitars?



Over the past two weeks, we’ve had a pretty intense heatwave here in Western Europe, with temperatures exceeding 40°C (104°F) and extremely dry air (<25%). Thankfully, it has rained over the last couple of days and cooled down, but now the humidity has climbed to over 65%.

My guitars are hanging on a slatwall display. In theory, I could put them away in their cases or gig bags, and I also have both a humidifier and a dehumidifier. However, none of those options seem particularly practical when these kinds of weather extremes occur.

How do you deal with situations like this?

My guitars (16) are all on hangers or stands - except for that acoustic I keep in the case in a closet full of the other cases...

I do supplemental humidification in the winter when the furnace is running and drying out the air.
This can usually keep the relative humidity in the house around 30%.

For the heat and humidity of the summer, the air conditioning takes care of the de-humidification well.
Right now, I'm around 50% humidity inside and it's been unseasonably hot and humid here lately.

Wood will expand and contract with the changes in temperature and humidity - more so in width (across the grain) than length (with the grain).
For a guitar, this will change the tuning and to some degree, the intonation.
Gradual changes are much better than drastically quick changes.

Constant retuning and an occasional truss rod adjustment may be annoying, but if you want to seal up the guitar in some kind of pristine environment, the shock of a drastic change in temperature and humidity when you take it out to play may be more harmful than letting it gradually acclimate to the changes from the weather.

 

[Mentalo]

Air conditioning in homes is still pretty uncommon here in Germany, although I suspect that will change in the future. A few years ago, my PRS Santana SE developed loose frets after a period of very dry weather, so I’ve become a bit more cautious about keeping my guitars in a stable environment ever since.