A good humidifier is an essential purchase for anyone who wants to keep their guitar in tip-top shape. While it may seem like a dry subject (pun intended), anyone who’s left their acoustic in less than savory climate conditions can tell you what havoc leaving your instrument un-humidified will wreak: warped necks, buzzy frets, horrifying cracks, the works. Sometimes the damage is irreparable. This can be particularly important to keep in mind during the colder months, when heating systems dry out homes and, consequently, your stringed instruments.
Unlike other accessories you can buy for your guitar, there are many different types of humidifiers to consider, but they all seek to accomplish the same thing: keep the wood in your instrument properly humid and happy. You can use a hydrometer to measure the humidity of a room or space, which should ideally be kept between 40% and 50%. There are even some nifty in-case sensors out there that will tell you what the humidity is like inside of your guitar case.
Of course, if your guitar is already dried out, there’s not much any of these devices can do. Also keep in mind that you want to use distilled water in all of these humidifiers. Regular tap water contains minerals and traces of chlorine which aren’t good for the guitar or the humidifier itself. While you might experience some “sticker shock” after dropping $20 on a gallon of distilled water, know that this supply will go quite a long way for use in humidifiers.
So if you want to make sure your instrument stays humidified and healthy with some top-of-the-line options, read on to see our primary choices in this guitar humidifier buying guide.
Planet Waves Two-Way Humidification System
Formerly christened the Humidipak, the Two-Way Humidification System, manufactured by D’Addario family member Planet Waves, takes the prize for our number one guitar humidifier. Easy to use in a maintenance-free kind of way, the Two-Way Humidification System keeps the humidity in your case at an optimized 45-50%. The Two-Way is unlike other humidifiers in that it removes the potential mess and frustration that comes with refillable humidifiers by using soft mesh pouches to both add and remove moisture on demand.
That’s why it’s called the Two-Way, in fact—because it provides “two-way” humidity control that allows you to suck out or increase moisture in your case. Once the pouches, now donning the name Humidipak that the system once carried, become firm, which should take between two to six months, you simply remove the pack and replace it with a new one. Of course, this leaves the only downside to the Two-Way: you’ll need to buy replacement Humidipaks every 6 to 18 months. But if you’re willing to spend the few bucks per pack, it’s well worth it to have such keen control over the humidity your guitar is exposed to.
Great for: guitarists who don’t like the refillable humidifiers and would prefer a mess-free alternative that requires very little hassle considering the control it offers.
Oasis OH-1
The idea of a humidifier leaking and therefore damaging your instrument is a horrifying one—that’s where the Oasis OH-1 comes in. This guitar humidifier, designed to be virtually spill-proof, is an incredibly simple device that will keep your acoustic from getting too thirsty during the drier seasons.
Maintaining a 45-55% relative humidity inside the guitar body, the OH-1 sits in the sound hole of your instrument mounted on a stabilizer bar. When the humidifier needs a refill, it simply crinkles up, visually notifying you that you need to use the 10cc syringe to replenish the device’s water supply.
Great for: guitarists who want an incredibly simple refillable humidifier with virtually no possibility of spilling in or on your instrument.
Music Nomad The Humitar
While none of these humidifiers are specifically for acoustic guitars alone, the Music Nomad Humitar caters to the wide world of wood-based string instruments. Acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, cellos, violas, and other alike instruments would all benefit from the presence of a Humitar in their cases.
Releasing moisture at an even pace, the Humitar utilizes a sponge, which Music Nomad calls the Humid-i-Bar, to hold a significant amount of water inside a plastic casing. The material the sponge is made of is designed to be no-drip and hold a whopping ten times its weight in water, so you don’t have to worry about refilling on the regular. It’s also quite easy to tell when the Humitar needs a refill—just pop open the top and touch the sponge. Dry? Refill it. Still wet? Leave it be. It’s that simple.
Great for: string players of all stripes who want an unconventional refillable humidifier that distributes moisture via a sponge rather than your typical plain water-filled variety.
Kyser Lifeguard
Much like a lifeguard is specially trained to dive into the depths to save a drowner, the Kyser Lifeguard is trained to dive into the sound hole of your steel-string guitar, classical guitar, or concert ukulele and keep it safely humidified. Or, rather, it was specifically designed to fit in those sound holes.
The Lifeguard comes in three distinct sizes perfect for your acoustic, classical guitar, or concert ukulele. It easily slips under the strings and into the sound hole of your instrument to keep the body nice and hydrated, but also absorbs excess moisture in the case of a damp climate. To fill this one up, submerge the Lifeguard in water, shake the excess off, and you’re free to humidify to your heart’s content.
Great for: acoustic players, but particularly classical guitar and concert ukulele players who want a humidifier designed especially for those instruments.
Dampit
The Dampit is perhaps the oldest, most time-tested humidifier on this list. Like a little hose designed to keep your instrument hydrated, the tube-shaped Dampit can be immersed in water, dried off and then placed inside of your instrument to keep it at the ideal humidity of about 45-55%.
The Dampit can even tell you the percentage of humidity in your room, using color-changing spots on the side of the device to indicate just about how humid it is. Perhaps even cooler, however, is the fact that you don’t need to remove the Dampit to play—you can keep it inside the instrument to reportedly no tonal loss.
Great for: players who want a device that can both humidify and read the room’s humidity, and those that don’t like the idea of removing and replacing a humidifier whenever they want to play.