Double Bass Humidity Help!

[BassBot5000]

So I live in SoCal with a very nice Bjorn Stoll bass, and we are getting hit pretty hard by the sudden heat wave. The last time we experienced Santa Ana conditions (hot, dry, & windy), my bass got 2 massive cracks that were miraculously repaired by the good folks at Lemur Music. But the temperatures are rising again, and try as I might, I can't seem to keep it humid enough in my room! I've got a small Holmes cool mist humidifier cranked pretty much all day, I leave the doors and the windows shut when I'm not around, I avoid using the AC, but the humidity levels on my PlanetWaves device always read around 25-30% in the afternoon when it should be around 45. I'm also doubling down by using a Dampit, but I'm scared to death it will crack again! Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas to keep the humidity up in hot, dry weather? Preferably ones that don't involve turning my room into a swamp?

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Keeping it in the bag will slow down humidity changes.

Pots and pans of water will evaporate into the air; the bigger the surface area the better. If push comes to shove, you can always pour some on the carpet...its like a big Dampit really!

 

[Andrew McGregor]

Hang your washing to dry in the room with the bass.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Hang your washing to dry in the room with the bass.

Nice one!

 

[thewhale]

keep it in a smaller room? get a bigger and/or another humidifier?

 

[arnoldschnitzer]

I think you set your sights too high when you say the humidity should be 45%. You live in a semi-arid area and ought to be thinking more like 30-35%. If you make the bass more wet, then you will have trouble when you take it out into the real world.

 

[Andrew McGregor]

Nice one!

Works too... the humidity in here never goes below 35%, it can easily be 12% outside on a Nor-west day (big Foehn wind like the Santa Ana). Mind you, it's pretty much 70% right now, on a cool, foggy, easterly Autumn day. Keeping the house humid is enough that my bass has never cracked, even through humidity variations that drastic.

 

[Gary Lynch]

Humidity question;

What changes or stress does it put on a DB when the humidity stays the same but temperature doesn't?

In the winter, in my tiny music room with humidifier cycling on and off, and oil filled potable heater set at 68 degrees, I keep the humidity between 38% - 48%.

In the summer I do not use a heater or air conditioner and the heat builds up to as much as 80 degrees in the day with the humidity still cycling at 38% - 48%.

What type of heat/humidity ratios effect a DB? It seems much more moist in the room when it's 80 degrees but both my digital hygrometers still show 38% - 48%, the same approximate readings as when the room in 68 degrees in the winter.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Hygrometers measure relative humidity, moisture content relative to the temperature. Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air, so it feels wetter. Your humidity looks okay to me.

 

[Gary Lynch]

Hygrometers measure relative humidity, moisture content relative to the temperature. Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air, so it feels wetter. Your humidity looks okay to me.

Thanks.

Do you think any more would evaporate off a t-shirt hanging into a bucket of water then just the bucket of water sitting there? The bucket surface is fairly large, like a five gallon plastic bucket. I can make a pvc set up for the t-shirt support but I wonder if just the bucket of water (I will put two in the room) would be just as good as the t-shirt Idea and less hassle? I am hoping I could then not have to hassle with the humidifier as much.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

The surface area of a 5 gallon bucket is probably something like a square foot whereas the surface area of a Large T-shirt must be about 8 square feet.

Try a bucket and see if its enough...

 

[Gary Lynch]

The surface area of a 5 gallon bucket is probably something like a square foot whereas the surface area of a Large T-shirt must be about 8 square feet.

Try a bucket and see if its enough...

Thanks again.

I am going to the hardware store today and buy PVC pipe and fittings and design a 'tree' to hang a t-shirt on that sits in the bucket. If this works, it's a simple solution for an old ceremony.

 

[bonaventura]

Hang your washing to dry in the room with the bass.

Hey, thanks for that tip, Andrew.

Tried it. We were into a few days of dry spell with about 35%. Putting the wash to dry in the "bassment" really helped out. Within 1 hour, I had 45% and then it levelled off at 48% for about 24 hours.

On a dry day this works and is a gentle way to give humidity in a smaller room without the trouble of setting up a humidifier...

 

[Gary Lynch]

The surface area of a 5 gallon bucket is probably something like a square foot whereas the surface area of a Large T-shirt must be about 8 square feet.

Try a bucket and see if its enough...

Today the humidity outside is 18%. With my two buckets/tee shirt set up my music room is 42%. This is working perfect. And the water in the buckets does not evaporate fast either.

If the water does not get moldy or something funky then this will work great. I think bleach would eat away the t-shirts. Maybe just a few drops might be in order?

 

[Jake deVilliers]

A couple of drops of bleach will keep down the polliwog population!

 

[forester]

the mid-atlantic states seem sticky right now..my bass feels and sounds doughy...bound to get worse as things heat up.

 

[Gary Lynch]

Today the humidity outside is 18%. With my two buckets/tee shirt set up my music room is 42%. This is working perfect. And the water in the buckets does not evaporate fast either.

If the water does not get moldy or something funky then this will work great. I think bleach would eat away the t-shirts. Maybe just a few drops might be in order?

A few drops of bleach and all is well.

Today outside, 15% humidity

Inside my music room 41% humidity.

This is the way to go. Cheap, noise free, no electricity needed and, I only have to add water once a week!

I have cleaned and stored my humidifier!

Thanks to all who suggested this idea. IT WORKS GREAT!

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Hey Gary, a photo would be nice....and how much is the 'noise fee'?

 

[bonaventura]

Yes, Gary, please describe your T-shirt apparatus in more detail.

Jake, buddy, I think he meant "noise-free".

 

[Gary Lynch]

I used standard 1/2" PVC pipe to make the 'tree' that holds up the t-shirt. I keep one at each end of the room (not next to the basses). The room is about 12' x 16'. I have a fan on the ceiling that circulates the air around when I am in there in the warm months. These work great. I use two. Cost to build was very minimal.