Humidity, string instruments and a New York apartment
Humidity, string instruments and a New York apartment
Solid-wood instruments respond to humidity, and a New York apartment in January is dry. Steam heat can pull indoor relative humidity below thirty per cent, which is well outside what a carved instrument is happy with.
What happens when it gets too dry
Wood loses moisture and shrinks across the grain. On a violin or mandolin the visible symptoms are, in rough order of severity:
- Sharp fret or fingerboard edges, as the fingerboard narrows while the metal does not.
- Lowering action and buzzing, as the top sinks slightly.
- Open seams, where a glue joint separates. This is annoying and, importantly, repairable.
- Cracks in the top or back, following the grain. This is the serious one.
Open seams are actually the instrument protecting itself: hide glue is meant to give before the wood does. A seam that opens is a warning, not a disaster.
What happens when it is too damp
Less common in a heated apartment but real in a humid summer. The wood swells, action rises, the tone goes dull and lifeless, and on a banjo the head goes slack and the instrument loses its voice.
The target
Roughly 40 to 55 per cent relative humidity suits most wooden instruments. The exact number matters much less than avoiding rapid swings — wood tolerates a slow change far better than a fast one.
A hygrometer costs very little and is the only way to know. Without one, everything else here is guesswork.
Practical protection
Case humidifiers
For a violin or mandolin that lives in its case, a case humidifier is the efficient answer. Small volume, easy to maintain, and it protects the instrument where it spends most of its time.
Room humidifiers
Better for instruments kept out on stands or hangers, and better for the occupants. It is more effort and more effective for a collection.
Where to keep things
Away from radiators, away from forced-air vents, off exterior walls, out of direct sun. An interior wall in a room that is not the driest in the flat is the practical target.
Banjos and heads
Synthetic banjo heads are much less humidity-sensitive than skin, which is one advantage of modern instruments. The wooden rim and neck still move, so head tension may need small seasonal adjustment.
Coming in from the cold
Leave an instrument in its closed case to warm up gradually before opening it. A cold instrument exposed suddenly to warm room air can develop finish crazing, and the temperature shock is unnecessary when half an hour of patience avoids it.
Seasonal setup
Many players have two setups: slightly higher action in the humid months and slightly lower in the dry ones. That is normal rather than a sign of a problem, and it is why bridges on mandolins and banjos are adjustable.
For a violin, seasonal movement generally shows up as the bridge needing straightening more often. Bridges creep towards the fingerboard as strings are tuned, and checking that it stands upright is a thirty-second habit worth having.
A short winter routine
- Buy a hygrometer and put it where the instruments are.
- Aim for 40 to 55 per cent and avoid rapid swings.
- Case humidifier for cased instruments; room humidifier for a collection.
- Keep instruments off exterior walls and away from heat.
- Warm cold instruments in a closed case before opening.
- Check the bridge stands upright.
None of this is elaborate, and it is the difference between an instrument that needs a workshop visit in March and one that does not.
Where this sits in the shop
Everything discussed above comes back to one part of the shop: World Instruments, which currently holds 4 listings between $22.09 and $185.00. The whole of it is picked and packed at Music Inn World Instruments, 169 W 4th St, New York, NY, during Mon–Sat 10am–7pm, closed Sunday — so anything written here can be checked by phoning the counter on ((212) 243-5715.
From our shelves
- 32 Pcs Harmonica, 16 Holes Cartoon Harmonica with Double Row – Perfect for Adult Beginners' — $24.99
- LANDTOM Guzheng Finger Trainer with Full Accessories/Guzheng Code/Backpack, Suitable for — $185.00
- Single String Indian Folk Musical Instrument Handmade Fine Crafted Wooden Playing Iktara — $33.49
What we get asked about this
How long will my order take?
Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days, so most orders land in 4–9 business days. Tracking is emailed as soon as the label scans.
How much is shipping?
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free inside the United States. Below that, a flat $5.99 covers packing and carrier handling, whatever the box weighs.
Read next
- Violin sizes, and how to measure for one
- Lyre harps: string count and what it changes
- Mandolin styles: A body, F body and what actually differs
Ordering from Music Inn World Instruments
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free anywhere in the United States, and a flat $5.99 covers everything below that. Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days. Unused items can go back within 30 days, and if the mistake was ours we pay the return postage.
Questions about anything above go to [email protected], answered within 1 business day, or call (212) 243-5715. Full detail is on the Shipping Policy and Refund and Returns pages.