How bad is humidity for electric basses?

[Rev_Slinky]

I'm wondering if there is any practical consensus around this question. I know that it's important to control humidity as best you can for hollow-body instruments, but what about solid-body electric ones?

To put my query in context: I live in Wisconsin, where summers tend to get a bit muggy, and I play most of my summer gigs outside. I don't like using AC if I can avoid it, and don't even have any kind of whole-house AC option, just window units in a few rooms. I tend to leave my instruments in the living room, with the windows open and a ceiling fan keeping the air moving a bit. There's fluctuation in conditions over the course of the year, and I will usually have to do a few adjustments to setup in both the summer and winter as the humidity conditions change. I like having my instruments already accustomed to the weather so I don't run into issues when playing out, but am I being neglectful? Could those fluctuations harm the instruments over time? It hasn't been a huge issue so far, since I mostly have relatively cheap basses, but I have been gradually upgrading the arsenal, and don't want to cause any preventable harm, if I can help it.

How do y'all deal with this issue? Is it worth running a window AC summer-round to keep things a bit drier? Are there other ways to accomplish that? I'd appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Sam Evans]

Fellow Wisconsinite here. Is it just me or have the summers gotten really hot and humid?!

I have central AC but it doesn't work all that great in every room (old house), so it's hardly a controlled environment. My acoustic and hollowbody guitars seem to weather (ha) the summer just fine, so I tend not to worry too much about my solid body instruments. I might need to tweak the reflief on the necks a bit more often, but that's all I've seen.

As far as keeping things drier, dehumidifiers are an option. I have one but it's just for the basement (again, old house, and the basement gets some water when it's really wet out there). You could try one in your main instrument room(s).

I haven't done any outside gigs in quite a while, but I don't recall having problems before. I am gearing up for a couple at the end of the summer. I'll let you know how they go ...

 

[Geri O]

Deep South USA here.

When the central HVAC in my 43-YO mobile home quit, I had 3 mini-split units installed around various places in thr house. Best move I ever made.

But I've noticed that they seem to throw more humidity than I remember. I may be wrong about there. At any rate, I keep a dehumidifier in my office/studio where my basses stay. I keep the dehumidifier set to 45%. I ran a drain hose through the floor.

This has worked well for me for 2 years now.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Humidity is good if you have fret sprout

Don't think how you deal with Summer should be a problem may have neck move towards less relief but it will be slight

If you are fairly comfortable under those conditions you Basses should be fine

 

[Rev_Slinky]

Thanks, y'all, I appreciate the input.

Have fun with the gigs, Sam! I hear you about having an old house the does its own thing. I run a dehumidifier in the basement, but it has an old field stone foundation, so it already has its work cut out for it. Still, that could be an option.

When the central HVAC in my 43-YO mobile home quit, I had 3 mini-split units installed around various places in thr house. Best move I ever made.

But I've noticed that they seem to throw more humidity than I remember. I may be wrong about there. At any rate, I keep a dehumidifier in my office/studio where my basses stay. I keep the dehumidifier set to 45%. I ran a drain hose through the floor

Have you noticed much of an adjustment period for your instruments if you play outside, Geri? That's the only thing I worry about if I can rig up a controlled environment in a room. Those mini-splits seem like a great idea, especially since the house doesn't have ductwork.

 

[Killing Floor]

Bass from tree. Strong like bull.
Strongest bull grow outside.
Bass so mighty because tree for bass grows in rock.
String and bridge and pickup from ore, ore is rock who knows someone.

Bass ok inside soft people house.

Bass say "wuhdjuh-juhjuh finish him!"

 

[bass12]

Humidity is a problem in that (as you probably already know) it can cause wood to expand. How much the wood expands will depend on the individual pieces of wood. A less stable neck, for example, will need more adjustments if the humidity levels fluctuate often. The humidity levels here in Montreal during the summer (especially more recent summers) can get very high. I have a dehumidifier in my music room that I run on-and-off. The problem is that the dehumidifier generates heat, so on really hot days I tend to avoid using it. But it's better than nothing.

 

[Barticus]

Bass from tree. Strong like bull.
Strongest bull grow outside.
Bass so mighty because tree for bass grows in rock.
String and bridge and pickup from ore, ore is rock who knows someone.

Bass ok inside soft people house.

Bass say "wuhdjuh-juhjuh finish him!"
View attachment 6979134

Not sure what you are drinking this afternoon, but sounds like it's some good stuff

 

[Barticus]

I do keep some of these cheap thermometers with humidity gauge in several places throughout my house and shop where I have instruments. Probably more useful in the winter for me.

 

[Geri O]

Thanks, y'all, I appreciate the input.

Have you noticed much of an adjustment period for your instruments if you play outside, Geri? That's the only thing I worry about if I can rig up a controlled environment in a room. Those mini-splits seem like a great idea, especially since the house doesn't have ductwork.

Only that the tuning moves around ever so slightly, nothing to worry about. The action doesn't seem to move around any when I change environments.

But I remember the days in the 80s and 90s when I had a Fender Jazz and the tuning on that bass seldom ever drifted. I remember leaving Orlando, FL headed to Virginia Beach, VA. It was in the 70s when we left and in the high 30s when we arrived the next morning (because our agent forgot what "routing" meant!….). My bass was still in tune! Crazy.

That doesn't happen these days….

 

[Wasnex]

Depends on the bass.

My #1 has been a Yamaha TRB6P since about 1995. My military axe had dual truss rods and the neck was very stable.

I bought a personal TRB6P for civilian gigs and it only has one truss rod. This bass had a crack on the fretboard that had been professionally sealed when I bought it. The crack was stable until I moved to the mid-west.

During the winter, humidity in my house sometimes drops down below 10% and summer humidity sometimes rises above 60%. Due to the extreme humidity shifts, the neck on my TRB6P was constantly shifting and it required four or more truss rod adjustments every year. The change in setup was pretty extreme, so the adjustments were not optional IMHO.

The crack in the fretboard opened a few years back and the truss rod is getting more and more difficult to adjust. The crack tends to close up during the summer months.

I have taken an incremental approach to mitigating the problem. When I moved into my house I installed a bypass humidifier on the heat pump, air handler. I estimate it increased humidity by about 2%...so not very effective. A few years back I bought a 50 pint dehumidifier that I run in the basement. This usually keeps the summer humidity between 40 and 50%, although it still occasionally rises above 50%. Last year I bought three Venta LW45 Comfort Plus humidifiers. For the most part, these kept the winter humidity above 25%, although I think it dropped a bit lower during a really cold spell.

The setup of my TRB6P still varies throughout the year, but it seems to be staying within a tolerable range.

I have 8 or so bass guitars total. I try to play through all of them a few times every year. None of them experience the severity of neck problems incurred by the TRB6P.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Most of my basses maintain their setup well.
I do live by a large manmade lake, on an isthmus.
My bass called PrettyGirl has a very sensitive neck. For years she's needed a truss rod tweak about once a week. She seems to be settling in, but for a while I couldn't gig her because the settling was pretty extreme.
Humidity, it's not just for breakfast anymore!

 

[Slevage]

In general-Less humidity conditions is worse for wood than too much humidity.

The biggest issue is huge fluctuations- like when 30% in dry winter months swings to 60% in the Summer.

 

[Jay2U]

Over here humidity changes by the day, causing wood to expand and contract. So I have to frequently tune my basses. I don't care. As a matter of fact I like it.

 

[Rev_Slinky]

The biggest issue is huge fluctuations- like when 30% in dry winter months swings to 60% in the Summer

Welcome to Wisconsin! It's a challenge to keep the humidity above 35% in the winter, and most nights in the summer get up to 80-90%. It would probably be great conditions to barrel-age spirits in...

 

[klokker]

Over here humidity changes by the day, causing wood to expand and contract. So I have to frequently tune my basses. I don't care. As a matter of fact I like it.

Same here. The humidity can really change a lot here. My basses go a little out of tune, but not much. My bass is usually in the house all week, it can be subjected to quite a humidity change going to a gig if it's outside. I try to leave it in the case to adjust to the temperature change more slowly, but that probably doesn't affect the humidity much. It's happened a lot and from what I can tell hasn't had any effect.

I agree that super low humidity is probably harder on them. But I've had my basses a long time with no effect from any weather. They've been soaked in fog, and so hot I can't touch the body. No problems. Both G&L's.

 

[rickdog]

The crack in the fretboard opened a few years back and the truss rod is getting more and more difficult to adjust. The crack tends to close up during the summer months.

Ouch!

Do you treat the fretboard with anything? I use lemon oil (100% lemon oil from the health food store, not "lemon" oil that is a petroleum product with a little lemon scent added like you find at Guitar Center).

I have one bass with an unfinished ebony fretboard and finished maple neck that seems to be fairly sensitive to humidity swings. I bought it during a period of unusually warm and humid weather. In the nicely air-conditioned store I was thinking I could tweak the setup to take out some relief and lower the action a bit; but the change in conditions when I had it home a couple days (I'm an open window kinda guy when the season permits) took all the relief out of the neck and it definitely needed a truss rod adjustment! I suspect the wood swells a little with the humidity.

The fretboard was very dry when I got it (I suspect the previous owner never oiled it at all), and had a couple of very fine grain cracks. I've been treating it with lemon oil (every time I change strings, sometimes more often), and that seems to have decreased the sensitivity to humidity and closed up those fine cracks. It still needs an occasional truss rod adjustment, but now it's more a seasonal thing than a response to this week's weather.

 

[moon-bass]

New Orleans here. It's hot. It's humid. Very, very humid, to the point where two very large AC units can't keep up sometimes. We use fans and vents to keep humidity manageable, but it can sometimes get as high as 70% indoors if we're not careful.

Humidity in itself isn't bad - IME, solid body instruments are fine anywhere from 30-70% on a regular basis, as long as you keep up with a little maintenance (more on this in a second). But, here's the deal - it's not the fluctuations that you have to worry about, it's the RAPID fluctuations - rapid changes in humidity and/or temperature - that will do ya in. If the instrument absorbs or loses moisture rapidly - that's what you gotta be careful of, as well as circulating the air.

It's also not just the wood - rapid changes can cause condensation, which can corrode hardware and electronics. Similar to that is air circulation - a bass in a high humidity environment will no air circulation (i.e. in a case or gig bag in a humid closet) is a recipe for mold. I keep large bags of silicon gel in my closets and I run a dehumidifier in my music room - just in case. I also don't store any instruments in gig bags or cases, and if you do, make sure you get 'em some fresh air and wipe them down. Same for humidity swings - a little proper maintenance and you should have nothing to worry about.

And a few anecdotes -

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, land of humid basements, I had a friend that had this gorgeous USA transparent green Fender Elite Strat - had the beautiful gold hardware. He left it in a in his basement and just kind of .. left it there. I don't know how long it sat, but when he pulled it out it was moldy and the hardware was rotting. It was sad :-(

On the other hand, y'all remember hurricane Ida a few years back? It caused a massive power outage in New Orleans. Our power was out for nine days, in the sweltering, super humid August days. The temperature in the house reached 110 degrees F, and humidity was pretty close to 100% for the duration. On top of that, my wife and I had to leave after a few days and so we had to close the windows - who knows how hot it got then, and of course the air was much more stagnant!

After nine days, the power returned and the house was cool by the time we returned. 40 basses and 11 guitars - some of them very old, some acoustic, some hollowbodies - after nine days in high heat and humidity, plus relatively rapid cooling and dehumidification - every single one of them was fine, a few may have been knocked a little out of tune, but I had no issues.

 

[billybrix]

Lots of variables. The age of the guitar makes a difference. Newer instruments generally have finishes that are more resistant to temp and humidity variations. And really, it's the changes that hurt, moreso than a gradual buildup. New guitars generally come with a warning not to open the box for 24 hours after it's delivered to your porch. If you want to try to keep things somewhat balanced without getting into A/C units, do what music stores do and buy a floor-standing dehumidifier unit. You either have to run a hose to somewhere convenient or dump the water collector every day.

I'd say that if none of your instruments have exploded yet you may be safe.

 

[Wasnex]

Ouch!

Do you treat the fretboard with anything? I use lemon oil (100% lemon oil from the health food store, not "lemon" oil that is a petroleum product with a little lemon scent added like you find at Guitar Center).

I have one bass with an unfinished ebony fretboard and finished maple neck that seems to be fairly sensitive to humidity swings. I bought it during a period of unusually warm and humid weather. In the nicely air-conditioned store I was thinking I could tweak the setup to take out some relief and lower the action a bit; but the change in conditions when I had it home a couple days (I'm an open window kinda guy when the season permits) took all the relief out of the neck and it definitely needed a truss rod adjustment! I suspect the wood swells a little with the humidity.

The fretboard was very dry when I got it (I suspect the previous owner never oiled it at all), and had a couple of very fine grain cracks. I've been treating it with lemon oil (every time I change strings, sometimes more often), and that seems to have decreased the sensitivity to humidity and closed up those fine cracks. It still needs an occasional truss rod adjustment, but now it's more a seasonal thing than a response to this week's weather.

I occasionally rub the fretboard with a bit of bore oil. Doesn't really seem to make much of a difference.