Rickenbackers and Colorado winters - HELP me sleep!

[ricricric]

I have two 360/6 and I live in Colorado.
So far since I have had both 360's we have had fairly humid conditions and my humidity readers that I keep in each case always stay around 35-40%, sometimes they are in the low 30's.

I'm concerned about the winter dryness and the amount of times I gig. I play out 2-3 times a week almost every week.

Will taking my Rics out of my apartment and into venues that are very dry, 20% or less, cause any issues? Has anyone who lives in similar conditions had to pay attention to this?

I would hope that gigging would never be a reason for my babies drying out...

*how long does a Ric 360 need to be in low humidity to show damage? Days, weeks, months?

Thanks!

[DriftSpace]

John Hall says ideal conditions are 70 degrees and 35% humidity.

I live in Colorado too, and have just elected to have a whole-house humidifier installed because the decrease in relative humidity is wreaking havoc on my family. I recently purchased a hygrometer, and without my intervention the relative humidity seems to drop to the low 30's; with an ultrasonic humidifier running all night I can keep the house at the mid 40's or low 50's.

Remember that relative humidity is directly related to temperature; warmer air can hold more moisture, so it depends on the temperature of the space in-question. The most I have noticed climate having an adverse effect on my instruments (including my 4003) was in a room where the temperature fluctuated 10-15 degrees within a 24 hour period.

I think drastic and rapid changes like this are the real concern for instruments in our climate, so I would advise just keeping your gear in a place where temperature doesn't fluctuate too drastically; +/- 5 degrees should be okay, but the more consistent the temperature: the better.

The only time I've heard about people having specific humidity problems with instruments in Colorado is when they overcompensated for the dry air, were too liberal with humidification, and had condensation on their walls.

So, again: keep your gear in a place where the temperature is constant and don't worry about it. If you're concerned about the climate at venues: arrive early so your gear can acclimate, but realistically: venue temperature should not be drastically different from your house. Relative humidity in Colorado is generally perfect for Rics; we're not in the desert, so it doesn't really get too close to the 20's, but stays pretty much in the 30's and 40's without intervention.

[T28]

So, again: keep your gear in a place where the temperature is constant and don't worry about it. If you're concerned about the climate at venues: arrive early so your gear can acclimate, but realistically: venue temperature should not be drastically different from your house. Relative humidity in Colorado is generally perfect for Rics; we're not in the desert, so it doesn't really get too close to the 20's, but stays pretty much in the 30's and 40's without intervention.

Pretty much this. I have lived in Colorado since '88, moving here from the slightly more humid Houston/GulfCoast area.

I have a whole house humidifier but also have a room humidifier in my studio where all the instruments are kept. Keeps that area a comfortable 40-45% and about 70 degrees. Never had a problem playing gigs....BUT, I also don't leave my bass or guitars sitting in the car overnight or in the garage as longer periods of time could cause concern.

[ricricric]

John Hall says ideal conditions are 70 degrees and 35% humidity.

I live in Colorado too, and have just elected to have a whole-house humidifier installed because the decrease in relative humidity is wreaking havoc on my family. I recently purchased a hygrometer, and without my intervention the relative humidity seems to drop to the low 30's; with an ultrasonic humidifier running all night I can keep the house at the mid 40's or low 50's.

Remember that relative humidity is directly related to temperature; warmer air can hold more moisture, so it depends on the temperature of the space in-question. The most I have noticed climate having an adverse effect on my instruments (including my 4003) was in a room where the temperature fluctuated 10-15 degrees within a 24 hour period.

I think drastic and rapid changes like this are the real concern for instruments in our climate, so I would advise just keeping your gear in a place where temperature doesn't fluctuate too drastically; +/- 5 degrees should be okay, but the more consistent the temperature: the better.

The only time I've heard about people having specific humidity problems with instruments in Colorado is when they overcompensated for the dry air, were too liberal with humidification, and had condensation on their walls.

So, again: keep your gear in a place where the temperature is constant and don't worry about it. If you're concerned about the climate at venues: arrive early so your gear can acclimate, but realistically: venue temperature should not be drastically different from your house. Relative humidity in Colorado is generally perfect for Rics; we're not in the desert, so it doesn't really get too close to the 20's, but stays pretty much in the 30's and 40's without intervention.

Thank you for this response, very helpful.

I store my guitars in a closet now, right now one case says 66 degrees/33% humidity, the other says 68 degrees/35% humidity. I am really concerned about the dry air that we get in the winter, like right now today. I totally agree that the other seasons in Colorado provide perfect storage conditions.

I played a gig last night after only a hour of taking the guitar from my house, into the car, into the venue, and having a glass of whiskey, I noticed the temperature/humidity readers I have in the cases were in the middle 20%'s humidity. In about a hour the environment (case) dropped 10% in humidity. Are these changes in humidity "drastic" enough to worry about? the guitar was back home in the closet a few hours later, this morning it was back at 35%. Sorry but I gig a lot around town and wondering if I should take other guitars out to shows in the winter...(paranoid, I know)

How long would it take for damage to occur when guitars are stored at lower humidity levels? I'm not talking about neck and action adjustments, but actual damage?
If I go on vacation and my house drops to low 20% for a month, am I at risk?

Thanks

[T28]

You are talking weeks if not months for typical damage from dryness to occur.

The more imminent danger would be sudden temperature changes and even that would have to be pretty drastic.