If you’re anything like us, you view your guitar as a natural extension of yourself, and you want it to perform to its maximum capabilities. But humidity (or lack there of) can have a massive impact on the playability and sound of your guitar. Our friends at Gibson were kind enough to share their thoughts on the matter:
“A Gibson acoustic guitar is built in a controlled environment. Gibson maintains a 40% to 50% level of humidity at an average temperature of 70 degrees in the shop where each guitar is created. If your guitar is deprived of this level of humidity (lower than 40%) for an extended period, you may notice that the string height will lower, causing excess string buzzing. In extremely dry conditions, irreversible damage can occur (cracks or checks in the finish and or wood).
The best way to care for your guitar and avoid these types of wood changes is to maintain the level of humidity in the room where the guitar spends most of its time. A small room humidifier, available at most hardware or home stores, will generally provide the level of humidity needed. A soundhole humidifier (such as the Kyser Lifeguard KLHA) may be needed in low humidity areas will also help protect your instrument when environmental conditions are below the normal levels in which your guitar was carefully constructed.”
Though this is specifically about Gibson acoustic guitars, the same holds true for any acoustic guitar, and proper humidity levels prolong the life of the instrument, and provide the optimal sound.