Look, playing guitar is all fun and engaging, but there are some serious things an average guitar player should think about. It’s not just about playing the instrument, it’s also about keeping it in great condition. With improper maintenance and storage, you’re at risk of doing longterm damage to your instrument.
And with this said, different environments can affect guitars in different ways. Since this great instrument is, in almost all cases, made from wood, it’s pretty obvious that the environmental factor is an important one to think about. Humidity, in particular, can be an issue, and it depends on different micro and macroclimate conditions.
But low humidity levels can be as big of a threat as high humidity levels. This is why a guitar humidifier is important for every guitar player living in or traveling to dry areas. To help you out with this, we’ve come up with a list of the best guitar humidifiers that you can find today.
Humidifiers might seem like not much of a big deal, but they can make a world of difference when used in action. They can make a big impact on your instrument’s performance, as well as its longevity. They’re not that simple either, as they’re supposed to hold water and let out a certain amount of humidity without completely soaking the instrument. So after looking through many different examples, we narrowed our choice down to a list of what we consider to be the best humidifiers for guitars.
Oasis OH-5 Plus+
Oasis is a company that specializes in making the best humidifiers for wooden instruments. They have a few interesting things to offer, but the one product that stood out in our eyes was their OH-5 Plus+ that does a pretty great job at keeping your instrument safe in the long run. Sure, it might be a bit pricy, but it’s designed to work as a long-lasting humidifier that can be refilled.
The company’s OH-1 proved to work well, but its capacity didn’t meet the demand of some guitar players. Thus the need for a humidifier like OH-5 Plus+. They’re roughly the same size, but OH-5 can achieve a greater humidity output and requires fewer refills. It’s pretty simple to use and is just stuck between the strings and dipped into the guitar’s soundhole.
Music Nomad MN300
Not strictly focused on humidifiers, Music Nomad is known for quality guitar maintenance accessories. If you need your instrument maintained and safe, Music Nomad has some good stuff to offer. Knowing that acoustic guitars need some special care, they’ve come up with their MN300 humidifier. Although different in design compared to the one we mentioned above, NM300 is also intended to be placed between the strings and dipped into the soundhole. The plastic casing includes the company’s Humid-i-Bar sponge that’s designed to hold a fair amount of water. It’s also pretty easy to take the sponge out, soak it with distilled water, and you’re ready to go. Very practical and effective.
Music Nomad MN303 Humitar
However, Music Nomad also has another version of this same design, which we would also recommend. The principle is similar, although this one is not designed especially for acoustic guitars, but any other instrument as well. It’s intended to be held in a guitar case or a gig bag. But there’s also another difference, which is an upgrade that helps it hold much more water. Compared to an average humidifier, it can hold up about ten times more water. At the same time, its special design keeps it from spilling and soaking up the instrument.
Kyser Lifeguard
Kyser’s Lifeguard is a bit of a different deal. Although it’s a humidifier that serves the same function, it’s not the kind you’re supposed to dip into the soundhole. Instead, you just soak it, shake off the excess moisture, and put it over the soundhole. It’s circular in shape and flat, somewhat resembling a disc. However, its design allows it to fit different soundhole shapes, as well as different sizes, ranging from 3 and 3/4 inches up to 4 and 1/8 inches. This should be more than enough to cover almost all guitar soundholes.
Boveda 2-Way Humidity Control Kit
This humidity control kit by Boveda might not be the cheapest one. However, it includes a lot of different features you won’t find with other standard humidifiers. It comes with four packs of humidifiers, each bearing a 70-gram specially designed fabric moisture holders. It can last for quite a while, depending on the climate. But even if you use it in the dryest possible condition, the whole pack can last for about 3 to 5 months. And when the fabric becomes rough and rigid, you just soak it up again. It comes in handy for both electric and acoustic guitars, and can even fit inside an acoustic guitar soundhole.
Herco HE360
The Herco humidifier kit HE360 is one of the most popular ones on the market. Aside from being much cheaper than most of the humidifiers out there, it’s also pretty diverse as it can work with both acoustic and electric guitars. It’s essentially a plastic container with clay. Of course, clay is well-known for keeping moisture well due to its specific properties. Just keep it in your guitar case and you’ll be safe from any potential wooden cracks on your guitar in the long run. It’s a pretty useful and cheap little thing.
D’Addario GH
Lastly, we would also like to mention D’Addario’s GH humidifier. This particular one is designed for acoustic guitars, the standard design that fits into any average soundhole and sits on the strings without even touching the body. It’s pretty easy to refill and can last for quite a while. Knowing that D’Addario makes some great guitar accessories, this humidifier is more than worth checking out. Also, it’s quite inexpensive.
