Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

It's probably a little late to be thinking about this (we've been getting some spring-like weather in this part of the world), but what is the ideal amount of humidity for storing guitars? Can you have too much?

John: I have had very good luck over the years by keeping the relative humidity in the winter at 40-50%. For most people living in cold climates keeping the humidity of their home at this level can be a challenge. By putting clay pot humidifiers in the instruments case, the humidity levels remain in the 40-50% range quite nicely.

Yes you can have too much humidity which plays havoc with the set up of an instrument and can lead to mold and corrosion.

I live in Michigan ... and it gets dry inside my house ... I run humidifiers and I turn down the thermostat ... but 50% humidity just don't happen ...

I have restored a couple of Rics that were stored in basements and they had plenty of corrusion ...

Jeff: I agree, that's why I keep mine in the case, each with its own humidifier.

35% is the perfect level for Maple, which translates to about 6.5% in the wood itself. Err on the side of too much humidity but 50% consistently really is too much, but a few days at even 95%, such as in thunderstorm season, isn't generally a problem.

Believe it or not but Lima Perú in the winter is consistently at 95% plus every day. I haven't had problems with my Rics here yet, thank Dios. One of them has gone through two winters here too. The necks haven't moved and I've had no corrosion on them. On the other hand, I brought a little amp head that had had some paint scraped off it for some years and it turned brown in a couple of months and was metallic color with no oxidation at all in Ma. for 5 years.

A salt air climate is the worst for corrosion, as opposed to high humidity away from the ocean. At my beach house (and soon to be permanent home and studio), a set of guitar strings won't last a week. Put an aluminum chair out on the deck and it will be a pile of powder in less than a year. Electronic devices such as a TV will rarely last more than 3 years there.

Wow.... So how would someone in that type of climate go about protecting their guitars and gear from corrosion?

It's tough but basically you have to add fresh water to the air with a humidifier and then remove everything with a dehumidifier, i.e. air conditioning.

Personally, I have the architect adding a very shallow closet along one wall with sliding glass doors such that the instruments are in their own enclosed case. I'll be experimenting with the atmosphere contained in that case to see what works best.

We live in Malaysia, where it is quite humid all of the time and we've had trouble with guitar electronics. I have an old telecaster which has just about become useless due to the rusting of internal wires. My son's 8-month-old Schecter is now having trouble with the volume control shorting out. My Ric arrived just two months back and I am wondering how to deal with too much humidity, apart from keeping it in air-con all of the time.

I am wondering whether keeping it in the case with a package of silica gel might be of any benefit. I suppose one runs the risk, however, of creating an environment that may be too dry unless it is carefully monitored. Some experts claim that 40% relative humidity can be obtained by keeping items in a case with packets of silica gel.

I have a Taylor acoustic which was showing some major bridge hump during the summer. I ended up taking it in to Taylor proper and having the neck angle adjusted - something they do a lot, fwiw. Their first step was to stick it in a controlled humidity room (47%) for two weeks because it was water-logged. They returned it to me with several large slica gel packs, each about the size of a pack of cigarettes. One of them is in my 4001 case right now. From the feel of it, it has absorbed some water.

Lima is also right on the Ocean (Pacific) and I live about 2 miles from the ocean, I think this just proves that Ric basses are great basses. The SVT I bought here a while ago,had a lot a problems with the wiring, jacks etc. the metal back with all the holes where the fan is is all rusty colored from the humid air going through it for 25 years. I saw an Ibinez bass look like it had been under salt water for a year, and it's not that old. This humidity raises havoc with soldier (sp?) joints too.

The silica gel pack sounds like a good, cheap solution. I will give it a try. Thanks.

keep in mind that the silca has a limited absorbtion 'window'. Once the crystals become saturated they absorb no more.

If the humidity is high enough some of the packets will start to leak and that corrosive mixture will be wonderful in a g'tar case.