Humidity casualty- a reminder! Sad Post

[D.A.R.K.]

A sad story: the temperatures in my area have been at extremely prolonged levels of below freezing, as it has for many in the mid east.
This has resulted in a very low humidity level in general, and as we all know home heating systems can dry things out- I usually put instruments away for mid winter and mid summer here (too little to too much humidity) and have a humidifier in my studio, as well as keep the door shut and heating vents covered/ closed (it's a top floor room so never gets cold).
Well, this year the weather event coincided with a whole lot of other things, so I did not even think of running the humidifier, and thought nothing of having my old faithful mid 60's Hagstrom on the stand to grab a couple times a day. I have owned this bass for near 30 years.
Yes, you know where this goes- when I picked it up yesterday for the second time, it has a hairline split, running the length of the neck.
Heart breaking. What a stupid, stupid mistake- I have had a home in this region for 40 years, I work on my own instruments. I know better.
I immediately went out and bought a modern humidifier with humidistat built in, and it is going to be a forever on item in my instrument area.
Just wanted to share as a reminder for people going through the same extremes and to shame myself into remembering to not let all the distractions overtake life to the point of derailing the basics of caring for what we have.
Now to order some clamps...

 

[Zooberwerx]

A sad story: the temperatures in my area have been at extremely prolonged levels of below freezing, as it has for many in the mid east.
This has resulted in a very low humidity level in general, and as we all know home heating systems can dry things out- I usually put instruments away for mid winter and mid summer here (too little to too much humidity) and have a humidifier in my studio, as well as keep the door shut and heating vents covered/ closed (it's a top floor room so never gets cold).
Well, this year the weather event coincided with a whole lot of other things, so I did not even think of running the humidifier, and thought nothing of having my old faithful mid 60's Hagstrom on the stand to grab a couple times a day. I have owned this bass for near 30 years.
Yes, you know where this goes- when I picked it up yesterday for the second time, it has a hairline split, running the length of the neck.
Heart breaking. What a stupid, stupid mistake- I have had a home in this region for 40 years, I work on my own instruments. I know better.
I immediately went out and bought a modern humidifier with humidistat built in, and it is going to be a forever on item in my instrument area.
Just wanted to share as a reminder for people going through the same extremes and to shame myself into remembering to not let all the distractions overtake life to the point of derailing the basics of caring for what we have.
Now to order some clamps...

I'm of the impression that's a Hagstrom multi (!)-lam neck. Curious as to how well it closes-up when clamped. Don't forget the cauls.

Riis

 

[D.A.R.K.]

I'm of the impression that's a Hagstrom multi (!)-lam neck. Curious as to how well it closes-up when clamped. Don't forget the cauls.

Riis

The split is in the thinnest overall part, in the center, but not all the way through at heel or headstock. I can get it closed with hand pressure, so it should be do-able. Less wood there than it seems due to the inner steel reinforcement in the design.

 

[Lo-E]

Sorry, man... I've been there.

I've had a couple of times where life got busy, the humidifier got neglected and really nice acoustic guitars paid the price.

 

[Zooberwerx]

The split is in the thinnest overall part, in the center, but not all the way through at heel or headstock. I can get it closed with hand pressure, so it should be do-able. Less wood there than it seems due to the inner steel reinforcement in the design.

Is the fissure pic'd under string tension or not? When introducing glue, I like to see it at its worst & widest. Best wishes with the project!

Riis

 

[Thumpin6string]

Another reason I keep my basses in their hardshell cases.

 

[Ben Clarke]

I wish I could find a humidifier that meets all my needs. I'm often away for weeks, and I rent so investing in a whole house system seems unwise financially.

Ultrasonic units pulverize the water physically, so any fluoride, chlorine, biological contaminants are going into the air and the surfaces. Some of those things might be better tolerated through the GI, but I'm not about to vape tap water on a daily basis.

The vast majority of warm mist units are all plastic - see above with regard to adding more garbage to the air quality.

I've found units that use stainless parts and seem safe enough, but nothing that will run for more than 6-8 hours on low.

If anyone knows of anything that could check my boxes, I'd love to hear about it.

My '23 G&L that played perfectly a couple months ago has sprouted some frets and it's bumming me out. Wouldn't really be an issue if I was less transient.

I can't haul all my instruments back and forth with me whenever I move around, or I would just make sure I had the small units I like wherever I go.

 

[elgranluis]

Don’t worry , it’s not a hairline fracture. Those hagstrom necks are actually 2 pieces. I have a 1969 h-8 where the headstock started separating. I also owned a h-ii guitar (not 100% sure about the name but it’s the guitar version) and the joint was clearly visible.

Also , hagstrom necks are mostly that H rod and a little bit of wood to cover it. Glue thay split and forget about it for another 60 years.

 

[Yahboy]

A sad story: the temperatures in my area have been at extremely prolonged levels of below freezing, as it has for many in the mid east.
This has resulted in a very low humidity level in general, and as we all know home heating systems can dry things out- I usually put instruments away for mid winter and mid summer here (too little to too much humidity) and have a humidifier in my studio, as well as keep the door shut and heating vents covered/ closed (it's a top floor room so never gets cold).
Well, this year the weather event coincided with a whole lot of other things, so I did not even think of running the humidifier, and thought nothing of having my old faithful mid 60's Hagstrom on the stand to grab a couple times a day. I have owned this bass for near 30 years.
Yes, you know where this goes- when I picked it up yesterday for the second time, it has a hairline split, running the length of the neck.
Heart breaking. What a stupid, stupid mistake- I have had a home in this region for 40 years, I work on my own instruments. I know better.
I immediately went out and bought a modern humidifier with humidistat built in, and it is going to be a forever on item in my instrument area.
Just wanted to share as a reminder for people going through the same extremes and to shame myself into remembering to not let all the distractions overtake life to the point of derailing the basics of caring for what we have.
Now to order some clamps...

That's the reason my luthier always suggest poly coated neck and headstock for extreme temp/humit shift environment.

 

[Iridescentone]

I wish I could find a humidifier that meets all my needs. I'm often away for weeks, and I rent so investing in a whole house system seems unwise financially.

Ultrasonic units pulverize the water physically, so any fluoride, chlorine, biological contaminants are going into the air and the surfaces. Some of those things might be better tolerated through the GI, but I'm not about to vape tap water on a daily basis.

The vast majority of warm mist units are all plastic - see above with regard to adding more garbage to the air quality.

I've found units that use stainless parts and seem safe enough, but nothing that will run for more than 6-8 hours on low.

If anyone knows of anything that could check my boxes, I'd love to hear about it.

That's why I stopped using room humidifiers...they're toxic. Both cold air, and steam types need frequent cleaning, as well. The ones with paper filters become moldy even when not in use. Just toss the filter, buy a new one. On some whithout replaceable filters, the innards must be de-molded but many of the inner workings are virtually impossible to get at. Once I realized how much crap I was putting into my air....

My neighbor does HVAC work for a living. I asked about a whole house humidifier system. You can get them from some big box stores apparently, but he explained that only the huge elaborate multi-thousand dollar systems are effective and reliable. He mentioned some $20K units he'd installed in some expensive new homes. So that's out.

What to do in dryass winter that's harmless? Almost nothing, really. Except set bowls of water near heat registers (forced air heat), and hang wet towels around the house. It's absolutely ridiculous but it helps a little. On the bright side, it's free and harmless. I have those little humidity/temperature meters in every room in the house. My problems start when it goes below 35%. YMMV But I'd rather deal with dry air than poison myself. Perfect time to attack any sprouting fret ends too, so there's that.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

That's the reason my luthier always suggest poly coated neck and headstock for extreme temp/humit shift environment.

Makes sense- I used to play Warwick basses but gave them up for this reason. The neck that cracked is finished, the original has worn off mostly but was treated with hand wipe urethane a few years ago. guess that wore off too.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

Is the fissure pic'd under string tension or not? When introducing glue, I like to see it at its worst & widest. Best wishes with the project!

Riis

In the pic it is indeed under tension, took it before taking the strings off. You can see in the pic how the split is down the center of one of the strips, the glued laminations on either side are intact.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

I wish I could find a humidifier that meets all my needs. I'm often away for weeks, and I rent so investing in a whole house system seems unwise financially.

Ultrasonic units pulverize the water physically, so any fluoride, chlorine, biological contaminants are going into the air and the surfaces. Some of those things might be better tolerated through the GI, but I'm not about to vape tap water on a daily basis.

The vast majority of warm mist units are all plastic - see above with regard to adding more garbage to the air quality.

I've found units that use stainless parts and seem safe enough, but nothing that will run for more than 6-8 hours on low.

If anyone knows of anything that could check my boxes, I'd love to hear about it.

My '23 G&L that played perfectly a couple months ago has sprouted some frets and it's bumming me out. Wouldn't really be an issue if I was less transient.

I can't haul all my instruments back and forth with me whenever I move around, or I would just make sure I had the small units I like wherever I go.

You could use purified water- that's what I'm doing right now. Got everything in a walk in closet area and rehydrating slowly. I've got over 20k shows under my belt mixing and playing full time for almost 4 decades, so as far as inhaling chemicals go I'm probably already dead from that and living really close to a main road

 

[GKon]

I'm so sorry that happened. I moved to New Mexico a few years back, and my acoustic basses and my Greek bouzoukia have suffered due to the lack of humidity.

That promoted me to buy a humidifier case. It does a fantastic job, the water reservoir doesn't need filling for over a month, and it's a nice piece of furniture that shows off my instruments beautifully. And the best part, they are so easily accessible. Much more so than when I kept them in their cases with a case humidifier.

I ended up getting two. One holds my basses, and one my bouzoukia.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

I'm so sorry that happened. I moved to New Mexico a few years back, and my acoustic basses and my Greek bouzoukia have suffered due to the lack of humidity.

That promoted me to buy a humidifier case. It does a fantastic job, the water reservoir doesn't need filling for over a month, and it's a nice piece of furniture that shows off my instruments beautifully. And the best part, they are so easily accessible. Much more so than when I kept them in their cases with a case humidifier.

I ended up getting two. One holds my basses, and one my bouzoukia.
View attachment 7426496

I really like that- got a link for those cases? I also like to have my instruments out; I have a production suite where I overdub and mix and like to have everything in grabbing distance. Nice instruments too- I have been looking for a Lauto that is reasonably priced for a while.

 

[GKon]

I really like that- got a link for those cases? I also like to have my instruments out; I have a production suite where I overdub and mix and like to have everything in grabbing distance. Nice instruments too- I have been looking for a Lauto that is reasonably priced for a while.

I can't say enough good things about this case. I often turn the light on in the case with all other lights off in the house at night because it really makes my instruments look beautiful.

Unfortunately, the seller I got it from on Amazon doesn't have any in stock, but here's their link nonetheless.

https://www.amazon.com/Humidifiers-Humidification-Dehumidifier-Electric-Acoustic/dp/B0BDZB7RQP?ref_=ast_sto_dp

You can try searching "Kemile Humidifier Case" and have luck finding one elsewhere?

Good luck!

 

[stevensivak]

Another reason I keep my basses in their hardshell cases.

Unfortunately a hard shell case does absolutely nothing in terms of maintaining temp or humidity...

 

[Thumpin6string]

Unfortunately, a hard shell case does absolutely nothing in terms of maintaining temp or humidity...

Better than sitting out on a stand. I live in southern Indiana where it has been a sauna during the summer and is currently drier than a popcorn fart and I have never had any wood issues with my basses. Not even needing truss rod adjustments.

 

[August West]

Better than sitting out on a stand. I live in southern Indiana where it has been a sauna during the summer and is currently drier than a popcorn fart and I have never had any wood issues with my basses. Not even needing truss rod adjustments.

I keep mine in their cases too, with three or four 49% Boveda packs in each case. Works great, but it does take that extra step to pull the bass or guitar out of its case. I've never seen humidity fluctuations as extreme as I have since moving to Oklahoma. Colorado was ironically much more consistent.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I keep mine in their cases too, with three or four 49% Boveda packs in each case. Works great, but it does take that extra step to pull the bass or guitar out of its case.

You are obviously more cautious than I am. I built my main bass over 25 years ago. It has been through many climate changes and has never had a problem. I just keep it in its case when it is not being played.