Have you ever left your acoustic guitar sitting for a few days, only to come back, play it, and realize that it sounds incredibly dull?
It couldn’t be your strings, right? You just changed them!
Unfortunately, that dull tone may have a lot to do with humidity. Humidity is something we rarely think about, and it can change pretty drastically depending on where you live or where you travel to.
If the environment is majorly humid or dry, it can damage your acoustic to the point where you may not ever be able to get your original tone again.
Acoustic guitars are made of wood, and if there’s anything we know about wood, it’s that it is incredibly vulnerable to the elements. This is why when you go into a big box store like Guitar Center, you’ll notice that they keep the acoustic guitars in a temperature and humidity-controlled room separate from everything else.
If you’re looking to keep your guitar in pristine condition, we recommend getting yourself a guitar humidifier. Most guitarists have no idea where to start when it comes to looking for one, let alone what they actually do.
Luckily, we created this humidifier guide to give you all the knowledge you need and help you find the right one for your guitar.
Note: This article focuses on in-hole and in-case humidifiers. If you are looking to humidify an entire room, we recommend checking out our favorite guitar room humidifiers.
Top 9 Acoustic Guitar Humidifiers
The Oasis OH-1 is one of the best guitar humidifiers on the market. This soundhole humidifier, incredibly slim and portable, sits nicely between the strings so that you don’t ever have to worry about brushing up against the wood on your guitar.
It works by utilizing Oasis’ patented gel that holds up to 500 times its weight in water. While you have to spend time refilling other brands with water, you won’t have to spend any time refilling this one. The water capacity makes it perfect for those who are always on the go.
In the front of the tube rests an ingenious fabric that only allows a little bit of water vapor to pass through. This way, you can trust that it will keep your guitar at the perfect humidity without dripping or leaving water residue.
The plastic tubing on it is transparent as well, so when it does come time for you to give it a refill, you’ll already be aware that it needs one.
Bottom Line: If you're looking for the perfect acoustic guitar humidifier, the Oasis OH-1 is a formidable choice. It has an incredibly long lifespan, is safe to use, and rests nicely in any acoustic soundhole.
The D’adarrio Two-Way System is a very close runner-up for first place, as it is an easy-to-use humidifier that allows you to keep your case at the perfect 50% humidity without any necessary maintenance.
Thanks to the uniquely designed mesh pouches, you never have to add any water to them. Instead, they collect and disperse moisture on their own.
The reason they call it the “two-way system” is that it works in two ways, taking the moisture out of your case and putting it back in evenly.
We love how portable the packs are. You can easily place them in just about any case without taking up too much room. The fact that they work by placing them in a case means that you can use them for multiple instruments besides your acoustic guitar.
These packs don't last forever though and must be replaced every couple of months to keep your guitar in prime condition. Unfortunately, the one disadvantage of this acoustic humidifier is that you must buy new ones when they expire.
Bottom Line: If you’re someone who wants to put your humidifier in your case and forget about it, the D’addario Two-Way Humidifier System is an excellent choice.
The Music Nomad MN300 is your basic sponge-style humidifier. To use it, you get the sponge wet, wring out any excess water, and put the sponge back into the plastic casing before sliding it through the strings.
It’s a simple process that leaves you ready to humidify for a solid amount of time. The reason we love the Music Nomad MN300 is that it lasts a long time, as do most sponge-style humidifiers. The reason being is that you can continuously pop the top of the humidifier open to see if you need to get your sponge wet again.
The humid-i-bar sponge holds up to ten times its weight in water and features some cool anti-drip properties to ensure you that no water will make its way onto the wood of your guitar. It hangs safely from your strings without brushing up against the finish so that you know your guitar is safe.
Bottom Line: If you’re in the market for an easy-to-use and little-maintenance acoustic humidifier, we highly recommend the Music Nomad MN300. For the amount of humidifying time it gives you, it’s great for the price!
The Kyser Lifeguard lives by its name, helping your guitar to stay safe from drowning in the evil depths of humidity. It sits nicely between the strings of your acoustic guitar to help keep it at the optimal humidity conditions.
Unlike some of the other soundhole humidifiers, this one works by covering up the entirety of your soundhole. This makes it a bit less versatile regarding what instruments it works with, though the complete coverage gives it more control.
If you want to buy one for another instrument such as a ukulele or classical guitar, you must purchase a different size.
To actually fill it up, you must submerge the Lifeguard in water, shake off any water that is on the body, and slip it softly into the hole of your acoustic. You do have to be careful not to drop it into your guitar, as it will be a bit hard to get out due to the shape.
Bottom Line: If you’re looking for an acoustic humidifier that provides completely controlled coverage, the Kyser Lifeguard is the ultimate solution. It may not be the most versatile guitar humidifier, though it does provide excellent protection that you can’t get anywhere else.
The Arion In-Case is easily the most unique looking of the bunch and offers a simple, yet effective way of keeping your guitar dampened within the case.
The transparent tubing is filled with a special gel that allows moisture to seep out slowly while keeping it from dripping and making a mess. The hydrogel is the one thing that separates it from many traditional humidifiers out there. One fill will typically last you anywhere from 2-3 months, though you can easily refill it an use it again, which gives it a hell of a value.
We love the fact that it comes with an easy-to-read fill line so that you can make sure not to overfill it. Simply place it in the pocket of your guitar case once filled. We recommend keeping it away from the headstock of the guitar so that it doesn’t bounce around when you’re carrying it and damage the guitar.
Bottom Line: The Arion In-Case Humidifier is very unique thanks to its hydrogel properties. For something that is easy-to-use, highly visible, and can be used over and over, it’s an excellent value.
If you go back through the history of acoustic humidifiers, you’ll likely see the Dampit at the beginning of the timeline. Dampits have been around forever and have truly withstood the test of time thanks to their ingenious design.
The Dampit is shaped like a miniature guitar hose and is meant to keep your guitar hydrated. It works by immersing it in water, drying it off until it’s only damp, and then placing it inside the hole of your instrument so that it stays at the optimal humidity.
There are unique little color-changing spots on the side of the Dampit that let you know the average humidity. This is perfect, as you'll know when you can take it out. What's even cooler is that you can leave it in pretty much all the time thanks to the fact that it doesn't hang outside of the hole. Many guitarists say they leave it resting within the hole while they play, as it doesn't affect their tone whatsoever.
Bottom Line: While the thought of tossing a little garden hose inside your guitar might be weird to some, the fact that it can provide optimal humidity while giving you the humidity readings is pretty impressive. If you want something that you can keep inside your guitar all the time, the Dampit might be for you!
The Fashionclubs Acoustic Guitar Humidifier is very similar to the Music Nomad MN300 in that it utilizes a sponged design. This means that you fill it with water and place it back in the casing before setting it in-between your strings.
Unlike the Music Nomad MN300, you don't take the sponge out, but instead, fill it with water through the indicated hole. This means that you will have to let it drain and wait a bit longer to use it.
With that said, it's made in such a way that you'll never have to deal with any leakage and the casing will never touch the body of your guitar. Instead, it merely releases moisture in an even manner and keeps your guitar from shrinking or cracking.
The design allows it to last much longer, and you can typically get a few weeks of use out of it before having to refill.
Bottom Line: Looking to pay next to nothing for an easy-to-use and sponge-style soundhole humidifier? We highly recommend checking out the Fashionclubs Acoustic Guitar Humidifier!
It's a pretty close run between the Soarun humidifier and the Fashionclubs humidifier in that they are mostly the same thing. The main difference is the materials and the small shift in price.
The sponge is made with a very dense composite material that retains a pretty substantial amount of liquid that should last you up to a week or two before you need to refill it.
The sponge is not removable, meaning you will need to submerge it in a large container of water and let it soak, as there is also no fill hole on top. You can then leave it out to dry so that it doesn't drip when placed in your soundhole.
The Soarun hangs within the soundhole by sitting flat on the middle two strings of your guitar. This means that you won’t have to worry about it brushing up against the body of your guitar and damaging anything.
Bottom Line: The Soarun Acoustic Guitar Humidifier is a low-cost and easy-to-use device that keeps your guitar in solid condition. If you like the sponge design and don't want to spend a lot to get the removable sponge, it is a great option.
Herco is easily the lowest cost guitar humidifier on the market. The coolest thing about this nifty case humidifier is that you can use it for pretty much any wooden instrument out there.
Unlike other humidifiers, this one uses a unique blend of clay to help provide humidity for your instrument. All you have to do is let the humidifier soak in water for around five minutes before placing it in your case. The longevity of the Herco is about 1-2 months before you need to fill it up again.
If you’re going to get the Herco HE360, we recommend buying more than one. This is because they don’t offer up the optimal humidity as much as others thanks to the two small holes that are on top. With that said, it truly depends on where you live and how arid it is.
Bottom Line: The Herco HE360 is perfect for those who are looking for a natural and incredibly inexpensive way to keep their guitar’s humidity at an optimal state. It’s also extremely versatile, meaning you can easily use it for any other wooden instruments like violins or ukuleles.
Keep It Cool
Guitar humidifiers aren’t just for professional players with thousand-dollar guitars. Thanks to their relatively small price, every guitarist should have the ability to get one. If you love your guitar, there is no excuse not to make sure that it stays safe and in good condition from the harsh world we live in.
We hope that our guide was helpful in narrowing down your choices and helping you to find the best humidifier for your needs! We highly recommend the Oasis OH-1 for those who want something versatile, safe, long-lasting, and easy-to-use.
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