Winter brings specific challenges for guitars. Wood tries to match the humidity level of the air. It swells when it is humid, and shrinks when it is dry. Heating dries out indoor air and even small decreases in humidity can cause wood to shrink. This causes fret ends to stick out and feel sharp, lower playing action (and subsequent string buzzing) and a thinner guitar sound. Here in Utah, humidity levels can even get low enough to crack a guitar.
One simple way to keep your guitar healthy is to maintain the humidity at which it is stored.
| The Great Salt Lake Guitar Company recommends an easy to make humidifier with the plastic sleeve from a guitar string package (or any similar sized plastic sleeve)… |
And a regular cellulose sponge, wetted and wrung out halfway.
Cut off the top of the string package, cut the sponge to size, and slide the sponge into the sleeve.
Place the humidifier between the guitar body and the accessory case, under the strings with the opening toward the sound hole, or in soft cases, use a piece of sticky velcro to attach it to the case under the neck.
