3 Reasons to Buy an Acoustic Guitar Humidifier

If you have ever paid a lot of money for an acoustic guitar, you've probably been told that you need an acoustic guitar humidifier to protect your investment. Is this really the case, though?

Well, yeah, actually. An acoustic guitar humidifier protects your axe from cracking due to low moisture and it's an absolutely necessary investment. Here's a look at three reasons that every acoustic guitarist should own a humidifier designed specifically for a guitar.

They're easy to use. Many acoustic guitarists don't buy humidifiers because they assume that they're overly complicated or tough to use correctly, and they're worried about screwing up and damaging their precious guitars. This isn't the case--an acoustic guitar humidifier simply needs to be inserted into your guitar's sound hole or sometimes just kept in the case with it. They need to be "recharged" by soaking them in water every once in a while. Seriously, that's it. There's no more to it.

Humidity protection also protects sound quality. You're not just stopping your wood from cracking and warping and lowering the resale value of your acoustic guitar when you buy a humidifier, you're protecting its sound. Guitars without humidifiers can lose bits of their bass and high end, leaving you with a flat-sounding axe that isn't going to impress anyone. Think of it this way: when you bought your acoustic guitar, you paid a certain amount for sound quality. You're wasting that cash if you don't keep the sound quality up with a little bit of intelligent acoustic guitar maintenance.

They're cheap. A good guitar humidifier is by no means a major purchase. You can find a great, top of the line humidifier that installs in your guitar and stays in your case for $20, and you can find a cheap one that will get the job done for under $10.

How much did you pay for your guitar? Chances are pretty good that you laid down more than $20 for it, so it makes since to protect the thing. Even if you've got a really cheap-o guitar that you don't care about, regularly using a humidifier is a good habit to pick up for the day that you get an axe that you really want. Plus, the same guitar humidifier can last for years in your acoustic guitar, and it usually only needs to be refilled once a month (instructions are included with all good acoustic guitar humidifiers). Buying a good humidifier is really a no-lose proposition that every serious guitarist should consider, regardless of what you're playing or how serious you are about your instrument.

Do you have any suggestions for using an acoustic guitar humidifier? Post in the comments section below.