Caring for your Guitar in Winter, so It’s Not Damaged

Essential Care to Protect Your Guitar During Winter in New York

Common guitar care questions I hear:

• "How can I protect my guitar in NYC's winter?"

• "What humidity level should I keep my guitar at?"

• "Why are my guitar's fret ends suddenly sharp?"

• "Do I need a humidifier for my guitar in winter?"

• "How often should I check my guitar in winter?"

• "What causes guitar cracks in winter?"

Here are my professional winter guitar care steps:

Step 1

• Always take your guitar to your trusted local repair guy for a seasonal setup.A good repair person will be able to help you spot troubles before they become a problem.

Step 2

• Maintain a stable humidity in the room your guitars are in. Read on to learn more about humidifiers.

Keep an eye out for these winter issues.

Dry house heat in the winter from forced hot air and other heating elements causes wood to shrink. When the wood shrinks these things can happen:

Solid Body Guitars

They will develop neck issues and sharp fret ends. A way to avoid this is to keep your electric guitars in a room with a humidifier or to have them in a closed case with a humidifier. ex: HERCO Guitar Case Humidifier.

Acoustics Instruments

Acoustic instruments can also develop neck issues, and sharp fret ends, but top cracks, bridge lifts, rippling in the finish from dry wood are other potential issues— again, all of this can be avoided with a room humidifier.

The ideal humidity level for acoustics is specific. Acoustics should ideally stay in 50% humidity with a variance of 5% under or over (meaning between 45-55% humidity).

The absolute best way to care for your guitars during winter is to maintain a stable humidity by using a room humidifier.

If a room humidifier is not the cards or if you want to create more daily work for yourself, you can use one of these tricks of the trade for keeping acoustics humidified without a room humidifier:

Dampit Humidifier for acoustics (around $15 bucks)

• You need to refill this daily.

Broke? Create a DIY damp it for acoustics (around $3 bucks)

• Poke 1/8” holes in ziplock bag (around 12 holes each side)

• Place a clean damp sponge inside the bag (you want the sponge damp, NOT dripping [you DO NOT want physical water droplets in the guitar]).

• Placing the bag inside the body of the guitar can help prevent damage.

• Remoisten sponge daily.

IMPORTANT: Any of these tips can be helpful, but sometimes you just need your repair guy.

Ready for your seasonal setup? Visit Izzy in Brooklyn.

Schedule an Appointment