Here in Wisconsin winter hits us pretty hard and we are already getting our first taste of bitter cold temperatures and snow. While we do all we can to protect ourselves as the seasons change, are we doing the same to protect our guitars? Our instruments struggle just as much as we do in seasonal transitions, especially when Winter's cold, dry air arrives. Make sure you do all you can to keep your instruments looking and playing it's best and keep reading as we breakdown how our guitars are stabilized here at the shop and what techniques you can use to do the same in your home or studio.
With so many high end guitars in one building keeping a steady climate in the shop is key. From 90 and humid to -10 and dry we see it all and make sure to adjust accordingly. A high quality HVAC system can regulate temperature easily, but humidity plays just as big of a role in maintaining a guitars playability and structural integrity. As cold winter temperatures pull moisture from the air, they also pull it from your guitar. As your guitar drys out the wood contracts and can wreak havoc on it's setup, finish, and structural integrity. Here we have multiple humidifiers running Fall through Spring in order to keep the humidity level at a stable 40-50% when the outside temperatures drop and the air starts to get dry. Some guitars are more affected by these changes than others so for those instruments we built a humidity chamber that can slowly bring them back to life if they need special treatment. Slow and steady is everything when it comes to reviving a dry guitar. Put too much moisture back in the wood too fast and you may only make things worse. You want to ease the moisture back in so the wood can absorb it at a more natural rate. We place older and more delicate instruments in their case for winter with their own in-case humidifier. This allows us to isolate them and give them each the individual attention they need.
A lot of the techniques we use here can be applied to your own guitars too. One of the first things you may notice when your guitar starts to become compromised by low humidity is fret sprout. As the wood drys and shrinks your neck may narrow just slightly, causing the fret edges to become exposed. You will start to feel the sharp edges as you slide your hand along the neck. You may also notice your guitar action change considerably and it may suffer from more tuning issues. The best way to combat this is to keep your guitar stored in it's case through winter when you aren't using it.Toss in a case humidifier too. They are easy to come by at most local music stores or online and pretty affordable considering the alternative is an expensive trip to your local luthier. This will ensure that your guitar stays comfortable and unaffected by the change in weather while it's not in use. We also recommend you pick up a hygrometer that will let you know the humidity level in the case or in your home. 40-50% humidity is a good range to shoot for. If you like keeping your guitars on display then make sure to keep the room as humidified as you can. Check your guitars regularly for fret sprout so you can humidify them before the effects become more severe. If one of your guitars is having trouble then humidify it in it's case for a few weeks before bringing it back out on display. If you have multiple guitars then just rotate them through, keep some in their cases while some are on display and then switch every few weeks. It may cut down on your awesome display but your guitars will thank you for it.
Humidity is one thing, but temperature can be equally damaging to your guitar if not worse. If you can avoid one thing in these winter months, it's drastic temperature change. Bringing a cold guitar into a warm room and opening it's case right away can result in an array of cracks throughout your finish. The warm air causes the cold wood to expand quicker than the finish which gives you that finish checking you see on many relics and vintage instruments. The best thing to do is let the guitar sit and acclimate to it's new environment with the case closed. As the case warms up it will slowly warm the guitar inside allowing for both the wood and finish to slowly expand together. Here at the shop we let all incoming guitars sit in their cases for 24hrs before opening them. If you are taking your guitar to a gig try to minimize these temperature changes. Transport your guitar in a hardshell case or thick gig bag to keep it well insulated. You should also wait until your car is warmed up before loading your guitar in. This way it won't experience any big temperature changes and the distance from your door to the car isn't enough for the cold to penetrate your guitars case. When you reach your destination your guitar will be ready to go!
In short, keep things consistent. Do all you can to keep the changes in temperature and humidity outside from reaching your guitar inside. For some it might be as simple as pressing a few buttons on their thermostat, for others it may take in-case humidification and regular monitoring. As long as you know what signs to look for and how to treat them you will be able to keep your guitar looking and playing as it should.