As the weather turns colder, and the furnace works harder, don't forget to put a little time into humidifying your guitar.

By Greg Wessel

A friend of mine on who is also on church staff has a beautiful Taylor acoustic guitar. Fairly regularly I would borrow it to lead worship, as playing such a fine instrument is a delight, and is surely pleasing to Jesus' ears.

A few winters ago, I was doing some work in the sanctuary, and I heard a pop, like a string breaking and the rest of the strings ringing as if frightened. I went over to the guitar stand which held the Taylor, and there was no broken strings. Confused, I looked for a foreign object that may have struck the guitar. Nothing. I went back to work.

The next day I picked up the guitar to run through a song, in horror, I noticed a crack in the top from the bridge to the tail. The solid spruce top shrunk and cracked. If you hire a luthier to fix a crack, it could cost $20 or more an inch. Being a hobby luthier, I was able to fix my friends guitar, but the repaired crack will always serve as a reminder to take care of the guitar through humidification.

Many guitar makers include tips on humidifying your guitar. Chances are, the manufacturer of your guitar has a page on their website devoted to the care and maintenance of your guitar. The cost of proper humidification is nothing compared to the potential repair costs and devaluation of your instrument.

Some signs that your guitar is thirsty include high action, frets buzzing in the upper register, frets can stick out or lift out, and the top or back may bulge or distort.

Here are some tips to keeping your guitar hydrated.

1. Keep your guitar in your case when you're not using it. Though your case isn't necessarily a perfect seal, it will protect the guitar from the dry air much more than a stand.
2. Keep your case, guitar, and stand a safe distance from heating and return vents. the movement of the air will accelerate the drying effects.
3. Buy a guitar humidifier, and use it. Follow the instructions, making sure to not saturate the humidifier. You can over-hydrate your guitar, which can be have terrible consequences as well.
4. Use a room or whole house humidifier. Luthier shops try to keep their shop's relative humidity between 40% and 50%. The closer you can get to this ideal, the better. Plants can also help keep the air moist and fresh.
5. Buy a hygrometer. Keep tabs of your room humidity and temperature.
6. As a general rule, keep your guitar in conditions you would be comfortable in. The trunk is not an ideal place for your guitar to travel or to be stored.
7. Avoid rapid and extreme changes in environment. When you bring your guitar in from the cold, keep it in it's case as long as possible to slowly acclimate back to normal temperatures. If you're going to a dry climate, take precautions to ensure safe travel.

You may be lucky, and avoid disaster without taking these precautions, but a little maintenance can go a long way in preserving the livelihood of your favorite instrument.

Greg Wessel is a guitar and amp builder, and Pastor of Creative Arts at Vineyard Community Church in Grafton WI. His website is wesselguitars.com.