I thought I’d report on these D’Addario Humidipaks once again as winter became spring/summer (in Michigan we only have two seasons, Bitter Cold and Road Repair, but I’ll use the conventional terms here).
This was my third year using this product year-round in all of my guitar cases, electric and acoustic. The winters are dry and there’s forced air heat. The summers are humid and hot. That’s what we get. A few weeks ago we had an ice storm. Yesterday it was 94 and muggy.
For years in the past, my guitars needed adjustment and setup after the seasons changed.
At some point years back, I started using a steam humidifier in the winter months, in the room where I keep them, and that seemed to work well, but I had to run the humidity in the room high enough to cause frost on the windows to have it work. And that isn’t good, because wet, drippy windows and window frames in a room all winter can cause problems. As to the summers, well, there just wasn’t a cure other than air-conditioning.
One of the guys here turned me onto these Humidipaks. They worked so well with my Tonare acoustic (the system is really designed more for acoustic guitars, where two packs are suspended over the strings into the soundhole, and the third pack is put in the case near the headstock) that I began putting one in each of my electric guitar cases.
Each year I’ve used these, the guitars have required zero adjustment or setup, either in summer or after the winter.
For those who haven’t seen them, these are little packs of water and chemical salts that don’t leak, don’t smell, etc. The pack is permeable, however. They fit into a cloth bag that the kits come with (refills without the bags are also available). Because of its chemical formula, it releases humidity when it’s lower than about 40-45%, and absorbs humidity when it’s higher than 50-55% or so. In winter, the packs last for about 2-3 months. In summer, they’ll go the distance, and I change them in the fall.
Bottom line is that these things work. No issues after 3 years of continuous use. The only setup I’ve had was to my CU24, and that was because I wanted to change the action to accommodate some nerve damage to my fretting hand.
I’m not saying everyone needs to run out and buy these, but if your guitars need seasonal setup adjustments every year, these can help and are worth considering. For acoustics, they prevent a lot of problems, like sinking tops in winter, and bulging tops in summer, both of which affect the action and tone.
This was my third year using this product year-round in all of my guitar cases, electric and acoustic. The winters are dry and there’s forced air heat. The summers are humid and hot. That’s what we get. A few weeks ago we had an ice storm. Yesterday it was 94 and muggy.
For years in the past, my guitars needed adjustment and setup after the seasons changed.
At some point years back, I started using a steam humidifier in the winter months, in the room where I keep them, and that seemed to work well, but I had to run the humidity in the room high enough to cause frost on the windows to have it work. And that isn’t good, because wet, drippy windows and window frames in a room all winter can cause problems. As to the summers, well, there just wasn’t a cure other than air-conditioning.
One of the guys here turned me onto these Humidipaks. They worked so well with my Tonare acoustic (the system is really designed more for acoustic guitars, where two packs are suspended over the strings into the soundhole, and the third pack is put in the case near the headstock) that I began putting one in each of my electric guitar cases.
Each year I’ve used these, the guitars have required zero adjustment or setup, either in summer or after the winter.
For those who haven’t seen them, these are little packs of water and chemical salts that don’t leak, don’t smell, etc. The pack is permeable, however. They fit into a cloth bag that the kits come with (refills without the bags are also available). Because of its chemical formula, it releases humidity when it’s lower than about 40-45%, and absorbs humidity when it’s higher than 50-55% or so. In winter, the packs last for about 2-3 months. In summer, they’ll go the distance, and I change them in the fall.
Bottom line is that these things work. No issues after 3 years of continuous use. The only setup I’ve had was to my CU24, and that was because I wanted to change the action to accommodate some nerve damage to my fretting hand.
I’m not saying everyone needs to run out and buy these, but if your guitars need seasonal setup adjustments every year, these can help and are worth considering. For acoustics, they prevent a lot of problems, like sinking tops in winter, and bulging tops in summer, both of which affect the action and tone.
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