I live in Las Vegas, very dry. I do the same thing except I use baggies with a sponge. One in the headstock compartment, one in the sound hole. I keep the zip lock part of the baggy above the strings so I can get it out easily. I rehydrate the sponges every day even though they are not completely dried out. Seems to work great.
An excellent idea, Jeffrey. Also, I find that a wash cloth is all that's really needed to re-hydrate an acoustic guitar. Soak the wash cloth, wring it out so it's still a little wet, and with a few holes punched around the top of the baggie with a hole-punch, just suspend the baggie inside the guitars sound hole with a plastic coated paper-clip hung over the large "E" string. That way it's very secure and real easy to retrieve each time, and this "system" works whether the guitar is hanging on the wall or lying flat in the case.
I had a fender as a gift few years ago but barely touched it, now I wanna take lessons and I'm really happy I find out about humidity. Thank you for the clear explanation and the tips
If it's a laminate guitar, as many fenders are, you don't have to worry as much about humidity...but it never hurts to have proper levels. The neck is probably real wood.
An old guitar players trick is to cut the end off a potato and put it in the "glove-box" in the case and prop it open slightly but not so much it interferes with closing the case. The guitar draws moisture from the potato and when the potato dries out just relace it with another one.
I made a change to this method. Everything is basically the same except I use a hole punch, like a ticket taker uses, & I put two holes in the top of the bag, above the seal, on each corner, tie a piece of string to each hole. Then loosen your strings to the point where there is no clean tone, slide your humidifier under the strings. Of course it's easier to put the bag into the sound hole with loosened strings. With the 2 pieces of string on the bag, you can lower the bag about half way down the inside. You can use a pencil or something like that to tie the 2 ends of the strings to so it will keep the bag at the depth you want. Put your guitar into it's case & set it upright & allow it to "steep" inside for 3 days. Then check it out. It's a whole lot easier than trying to get a loose bag flopping around the innards of your guitar or turning it upside down and shaking it like a piggy bank. Besides that, I don't think your guitar likes being shaken very much. Use what I said as a basic how-to guide, but I'm sure you'll be better than I was the first time I added the strings & pencil. Now I use a chopstick because it's longer. Since I started playing in 1962, I've learned & unlearned a lot of stuff, tricks & ways to do different things in hopes of making taking care of my instruments easier. I suggest getting on a first name basis with your guitar(s). I don't know about you all, but every guitar I've had, has had a name. After your guitar & your fingers get used to each other, they'll talk with each other. You may feel the beginning of a slight buzz on your D string around the 5th fret or something like that. Anyway, others won't notice anything at all, but you & "Richie"(a current guitar of mine) know it's there... , and so on ! I may sound a bit crazy to some, but after 60 years or so, who wouldn't be a little crazy, but you do learn.
Yesss!! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing tip! I live in Colorado and literally have tried all the different humidifiers available, and they just don’t work. I just bought a new guitar and I was a bit stressed about it drying out like my Taylor did...until now...thanks again🙌🏻👊🏻
Or buy cheap two piece soapdishes and drill small holes in the top portion, trim small dollar store sponge to fit inside, wet the sponge and secure with a rubber band. Just leave in the case pocket area until sponge dries out.... they are effective, cheap, easy, and last a long time.....
That’s exactly how I just rehydrated one of my acoustics. A soap dish and a damp sponge. The top of my guitar had a dip in it and it was almost completely leveled out after just one day in there. There’s no need to buy these name brand humidifiers when most of us have the same materials at home already.
Thank you. I only have to humidify during winter when we run the heat and humidity reads about 28% and I use a couple small altoid cans with holes poked in the top and a wet cloth and that's worked beautifully for a couple years. Thanks for the reassurance that I wasn't being negligent.
Honest question, how exactly does water not get on the wood directly as you squeeze it through the strings like that when the bag is cut open from both sides?
I've been struggling to maintain close to 50% humidity level using even cheaper, simpler normal sponges. I had up to 4 in plastic baggies in my guitar case & I reached 40% max. (according to my hygrometer- & that's assuming the reading was accurate) I even tried putting a damp wash rag in there too. Still low 40s/ high 30s. Why do you suppose the regular sponges didn't do the trick? Also, being that this video is 5 yrs old now, have you changed your stance on the newer small humidifiers? People have been saying I should try Music Nomad or Boveda humidifiers. Any knowledge of those? I'd * rather * go low tech to save $$ but if these sponges of mine aren't working...
Have a martin top that is separating from the body. I followed your instructions to a tee although the rag still is wet after 48 hrs. Does that mean my guitar is not dehydrated? I was planning on doing the repair after the guitar got some moisture back into it. Maybe I should get a moisture meter to check. What percentage of water should the guitar be keeping?
Keep your guitar in its case and keep it out of the way of your refrigerated AC outlet. Many older homes in my city (Tucson) use "swamp coolers" Swamp coolers help with keeping your guitar humid but they wreck firearms and suck at keeping the house cool. My guitar store here in Tucson (Chicago Music) swears by the device (kyser?) you put in the soundhole. Recharge the device with water everyday. I brought my Martin D16E in for a 1 month post sale checkup. The effects of drying out were obvious. I was sick to my stomach to hear I was lucky it did not split the top. Only 1 month out of the showroom,and for the month of May no less, was too much. I am a new player. I practice 5x20min per day. It is a chore keeping up with the care on a guitar that is out of its case and being played so much.
It is so true don't waste your money on those small ass humidifiers. Im in newengland and when it gets cold the heat goes on and holy crap you have firewood. I boils water on the stove it helps i also use the sponge technique. You must constantly monitor your humidity. I use a rm and case gauge. Guitar sales peole leave out the TLC these little beauties need. The only question i have is how the hell are you going to get the towel out. it's big LOL. GREAT TRUE FULL VIDEO.
could/should/should you not do this with a guitar that has the same kind of acoustic electric unit, but the unit installed and located completely inside of the acoustic guitar? Its underneath the top of the sound hole.
Belteshazzar XXL yeah I wish I saw that before I tried it, I got a wet spot on the top of my guitar now and it warped where it is glued to the x brace.. now I'm pretty sure I'm screwed
David - Ouch... yep,, I'm just watching this for the first time and at about the 5:45 mark i'm thinking,,, ''I hope he puts a piece of plastic down beneath that bag, or it's going to leak onto the wood and mess up some glue joints''... so sorry to see you had that happen... this Zager fellow aint hittin on much here...
been doing this for years. Dan Erlwine from stew-mac recommends it too. He's one of the top luthiers and repair man in the world. The only reason it will leak is if you didn't squeeze all the water out! Also, needs to be replaced weekly and sponges need to go in dishwasher after 3/4 uses to cancel mold issues. If you're not gonna monitor your guitar, don't do it at all or buy HUMIDIPAKS OR OASIS HUMIDIFIERS which are not nearly as effective.
Thanks for this idea! I needed something more aggressive. I bought a nice Venta room humidifier for a small room with guitars, and it isn't really working. Maybe it will for maintenance humidity.
Just brought home a new Martin and in 24 hours it had a large crack. I'm an electric-bassist and didn't know the "wood thing". Warranty covered but a hassle. Would have liked to know how EZ cracks can happen in dry heat winter homes. I immediately put a zip lock bag with a wet towel in my acoustic bass purchase as well from a few months ago. Sales person was a drummer, still he should have told me this scenario. In fact, I would make this a sales pre-requisite especially for spruce tops. It's such a no-brainer and thx much for your great video.
A quick change from freezing temperatures to a really warm room isn't good either. Most sales people are just sales people. The guy probably just filled in from another department. Always monitor your humidity. Buy a quality hygrometer that can be calibrated. Most of the digital ones are not properly calibrated and can be way off.
Certainly sounds as if that Martin was already dry when you bought it. Some chain stores (I won't name names, but the initials--GC) don't always humidify the guitar area--not even if they have a separate "premium" room for solid-wood guitars. Either buy from a good small shop, or if you are limited to chain stores, carefully examine the room.Is there a humidifier running? If so, is there a hygrometer, and does it read >40%? Run your fingers along the fretboard edges--can you feel the fret edges sticking out? If so, walk away.
To remove the bag...Hold the guitar flat with the soundhole facing the ceiling, then shift it around till the bag lays directly under the sound hole. Then quickly flip the guitar (so soundhole faces the floor)... the bag will drop against the strings and then you can grasp the bag and maneuver it out of the hole. You'll get the knack after a few times doing this.
Great simple video. The concept of actually paying for a Damp-It is a bit beyond my comprehension these days. Sadly, I did waste money on one years ago.
I never heard of humidification of centuries old instruments like pianos etc? Doesn't dry wood sounds better? Of course if you dont count risk of cracks in the wood, but what about the rest rest?
A slightly konvex top is normal under string tension. Take a straight edge and lay it behind the bridge. You can see the height of the belly. If it seems like a lot to you, you can just ask the builder how much is normal for this particular instrument. If it's from a big company, call them. Be persistent.
It does depend on the manufacturer. Guitars designed for optimal sound and/or built in the traditional style tend to have a slight belly around the bridge. More modern and budget guitars tend to be over built with heavier bracing to prevent any movement in the top. This makes the guitar less likely to need warranty repairs caused by the user not keeping the guitar humidified, as well as other negligence.
IMHO:.....Perhaps,(after inserting the "shamwow"" in an open bag), the entire guitar could be then, also be put into a large enough "trash bag", prior to putting it back into the case, for storage, or transport....?
Buffalo in the winter is brutally bad on guitars with older furnaces which have less humidity in the air . l'll try this trick next winter.Thanks for the tip .
It's still a pain and inelegant to have to detune to take it out. I would wrap the bag in a cut nylon pantyhose sleeve and leave enough of the pantyhose out of the guitar hole to retrieve it later.
I guess that is a way to do it. I personally dont' think it takes much time to re-tune a guitar. I just used this method on a masterbilt and had some buzzing on the A&D strings at the 12th fret, and 3 days later it is gone. Whatever works for you though!
It's amazing what a difference the humidity makes to my Zager. This winter has been brutal with the temperature up and down 15 degrees every day. My guitar's been buzzing even on the fifth fret, with a dead zone of two or three frets around 12 where it sounds the same note even on different frets. I put the humidifier in and it all goes away.
Unfortunately for me i am currently living in a bedsit here in the u.k. As of 28 Oct the humidity in this room is 78%. temp 16 celcius . It sucks. my guitar has no case at the moment. I have just started to learn. A Noob. Guitar has a little belly bulge
Or of a guitar with a bad fret job. You can find a lot of guitars (not just cheap ones) with sharp fret ends. If it wasn't the case before, the wood of the fretboard shrunk and the ends come out. If you aren't careful and expect everything to be smooth you can really get some bad cuts after it happened. Imagine sliding down the neck quickly and ripping a cut right near the joints. It can keep you from playing for quite some time.
I am in the UK where we don't generally have a dry climate(!) but I have a couple of guitars which were previously OK now have sharp fret ends. Central heating maybe? Would a humidifier rehydrate the fingerboard or do I have to file the fret ends?
Most of the time you have to deal with too high relative humidity...currently around 94%. Which is another huge problem (some have the same problems in brazil when the wood swells...really bad for acoustic instruments) You still got drastic changes in humidity in the UK. timeanddate DOT com/weather/uk/london/climate shows the mean humidity for 2005-2015 Some months are around 30% which is a bit too low. Best way to keep them stable is in a CLEAN hardcase. In there you can control the climate with some kind of humidifier and with a big bag of silica gel to reduce the high humidity. Make sure you have an accurate hygrometer that can be calibrated. The cheaply produced digital ones are hit and miss. Don't get too scared about humidity (maybe with expensive acoustic guitars, violins and pianos) the changes take time so a short change won't cause much harm. After 2-3 days it might more problematic. I can't tell you if a humidifier would bring it back, but it's worth trying. It's important that the case is somehow tight enough to keep the humidity roughly stable. If you file down the fretends, take your time and mask of everything that could be damaged. I'd also advice you to look at every fret on your instrument if some frets rose in the high humidity months.
Glad I could help. I watched a lot of videos on that topic. Try "Temperature, Humidity, and Your Guitars" from Dogwood Guitars. A link would probably get deleted. It's a longer video but very helpful. It tells you exactly what to look for. If you're looking for a good hygrometer for your playing room, I'm very happy with my fischer hygrometer from germany. You can find them on ebay too. No batteries, only hang it out over night every few weeks so the treated hair inside can regenerate. I'm glad that I mostly own solid body guitars. Maybe one day I'll buy a carbon fibre guitar like from raindance guitars. Those will always work.
I live in Las Vegas, very dry. I do the same thing except I use baggies with a sponge. One in the headstock compartment, one in the sound hole. I keep the zip lock part of the baggy above the strings so I can get it out easily. I rehydrate the sponges every day even though they are not completely dried out. Seems to work great.
An excellent idea, Jeffrey. Also, I find that a wash cloth is all that's really needed to re-hydrate an acoustic guitar. Soak the wash cloth, wring it out so it's still a little wet, and with a few holes punched around the top of the baggie with a hole-punch, just suspend the baggie inside the guitars sound hole with a plastic coated paper-clip hung over the large "E" string. That way it's very secure and real easy to retrieve each time, and this "system" works whether the guitar is hanging on the wall or lying flat in the case.
I had a fender as a gift few years ago but barely touched it, now I wanna take lessons and I'm really happy I find out about humidity.
Thank you for the clear explanation and the tips
If it's a laminate guitar, as many fenders are, you don't have to worry as much about humidity...but it never hurts to have proper levels. The neck is probably real wood.
@@MOAB-UT thank you
An old guitar players trick is to cut the end off a potato and put it in the "glove-box" in the case and prop it open slightly but not so much it interferes with closing the case. The guitar draws moisture from the potato and when the potato dries out just relace it with another one.
I made a change to this method. Everything is basically the same except I use a hole punch, like a ticket taker uses, & I put two holes in the top of the bag, above the seal, on each corner, tie a piece of string to each hole. Then loosen your strings to the point where there is no clean tone, slide your humidifier under the strings. Of course it's easier to put the bag into the sound hole with loosened strings. With the 2 pieces of string on the bag, you can lower the bag about half way down the inside. You can use a pencil or something like that to tie the 2 ends of the strings to so it will keep the bag at the depth you want. Put your guitar into it's case & set it upright & allow it to "steep" inside for 3 days. Then check it out. It's a whole lot easier than trying to get a loose bag flopping around the innards of your guitar or turning it upside down and shaking it like a piggy bank. Besides that, I don't think your guitar likes being shaken very much. Use what I said as a basic how-to guide, but I'm sure you'll be better than I was the first time I added the strings & pencil. Now I use a chopstick because it's longer. Since I started playing in 1962, I've learned & unlearned a lot of stuff, tricks & ways to do different things in hopes of making taking care of my instruments easier. I suggest getting on a first name basis with your guitar(s). I don't know about you all, but every guitar I've had, has had a name. After your guitar & your fingers get used to each other, they'll talk with each other. You may feel the beginning of a slight buzz on your D string around the 5th fret or something like that. Anyway, others won't notice anything at all, but you & "Richie"(a current guitar of mine) know it's there... , and so on ! I may sound a bit crazy to some, but after 60 years or so, who wouldn't be a little crazy, but you do learn.
Yesss!! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing tip! I live in Colorado and literally have tried all the different humidifiers available, and they just don’t work. I just bought a new guitar and I was a bit stressed about it drying out like my Taylor did...until now...thanks again🙌🏻👊🏻
Or buy cheap two piece soapdishes and drill small holes in the top portion, trim small dollar store sponge to fit inside, wet the sponge and secure with a rubber band. Just leave in the case pocket area until sponge dries out.... they are effective, cheap, easy, and last a long time.....
That's the BEST idea yet!
That’s exactly how I just rehydrated one of my acoustics. A soap dish and a damp sponge. The top of my guitar had a dip in it and it was almost completely leveled out after just one day in there. There’s no need to buy these name brand humidifiers when most of us have the same materials at home already.
Thank you. I only have to humidify during winter when we run the heat and humidity reads about 28% and I use a couple small altoid cans with holes poked in the top and a wet cloth and that's worked beautifully for a couple years. Thanks for the reassurance that I wasn't being negligent.
Honest question, how exactly does water not get on the wood directly as you squeeze it through the strings like that when the bag is cut open from both sides?
The secret is out. Now we know why Martins sound so good - an internal rag.
How do you take it out for re-wetting? Remove the strings?
When the guitar eventually gets full of towels in baggies, does it affect the sound? Thanks.
lmao
Ugh.
Seriously? Bro…
When will you be doing the video on how to get it out again?
'Damp Rag in a Bag'...patent pending.
I've been struggling to maintain close to 50% humidity level using even cheaper, simpler normal sponges. I had up to 4 in plastic baggies in my guitar case & I reached 40% max. (according to my hygrometer- & that's assuming the reading was accurate) I even tried putting a damp wash rag in there too. Still low 40s/ high 30s.
Why do you suppose the regular sponges didn't do the trick?
Also, being that this video is 5 yrs old now, have you changed your stance on the newer small humidifiers? People have been saying I should try Music Nomad or Boveda humidifiers. Any knowledge of those?
I'd * rather * go low tech to save $$ but if these sponges of mine aren't working...
Have a martin top that is separating from the body. I followed your instructions to a tee although the rag still is wet after 48 hrs. Does that mean my guitar is not dehydrated? I was planning on doing the repair after the guitar got some moisture back into it. Maybe I should get a moisture meter to check. What percentage of water should the guitar be keeping?
Keep your guitar in its case and keep it out of the way of your refrigerated AC outlet. Many older homes in my city (Tucson) use "swamp coolers" Swamp coolers help with keeping your guitar humid but they wreck firearms and suck at keeping the house cool. My guitar store here in Tucson (Chicago Music) swears by the device (kyser?) you put in the soundhole. Recharge the device with water everyday. I brought my Martin D16E in for a 1 month post sale checkup. The effects of drying out were obvious. I was sick to my stomach to hear I was lucky it did not split the top. Only 1 month out of the showroom,and for the month of May no less, was too much. I am a new player. I practice 5x20min per day. It is a chore keeping up with the care on a guitar that is out of its case and being played so much.
It is so true don't waste your money on those small ass humidifiers. Im in newengland and when it gets cold the heat goes on and holy crap you have firewood. I boils water on the stove it helps i also use the sponge technique. You must constantly monitor your humidity. I use a rm and case gauge. Guitar sales peole leave out the TLC these little beauties need. The only question i have is how the hell are you going to get the towel out. it's big LOL. GREAT TRUE FULL VIDEO.
Same question here. How do you get it out without removing the strings?
could/should/should you not do this with a guitar that has the same kind of acoustic electric unit, but the unit installed and located completely inside of the acoustic guitar? Its underneath the top of the sound hole.
If you just slit one side of the baggie and lay it in the guitar with the uncut side down, you won't have any leakage.
Belteshazzar XXL yeah I wish I saw that before I tried it, I got a wet spot on the top of my guitar now and it warped where it is glued to the x brace.. now I'm pretty sure I'm screwed
David - Ouch... yep,, I'm just watching this for the first time and at about the 5:45 mark i'm thinking,,, ''I hope he puts a piece of plastic down beneath that bag, or it's going to leak onto the wood and mess up some glue joints''... so sorry to see you had that happen... this Zager fellow aint hittin on much here...
been doing this for years. Dan Erlwine from stew-mac recommends it too. He's one of the top luthiers and repair man in the world. The only reason it will leak is if you didn't squeeze all the water out! Also, needs to be replaced weekly and sponges need to go in dishwasher after 3/4 uses to cancel mold issues. If you're not gonna monitor your guitar, don't do it at all or buy HUMIDIPAKS OR OASIS HUMIDIFIERS which are not nearly as effective.
Robert Gaydos
It’s recommended to use distilled water to prevent mold.
👍🏻
Thanks for this idea! I needed something more aggressive. I bought a nice Venta room humidifier for a small room with guitars, and it isn't really working. Maybe it will for maintenance humidity.
My guitar bridge is slightly raised does this method will help??
Just brought home a new Martin and in 24 hours it had a large crack. I'm an electric-bassist and didn't know the "wood thing". Warranty covered but a hassle. Would have liked to know how EZ cracks can happen in dry heat winter homes. I immediately put a zip lock bag with a wet towel in my acoustic bass purchase as well from a few months ago. Sales person was a drummer, still he should have told me this scenario. In fact, I would make this a sales pre-requisite especially for spruce tops. It's such a no-brainer and thx much for your great video.
A quick change from freezing temperatures to a really warm room isn't good either. Most sales people are just sales people. The guy probably just filled in from another department. Always monitor your humidity. Buy a quality hygrometer that can be calibrated. Most of the digital ones are not properly calibrated and can be way off.
Certainly sounds as if that Martin was already dry when you bought it. Some chain stores (I won't name names, but the initials--GC) don't always humidify the guitar area--not even if they have a separate "premium" room for solid-wood guitars. Either buy from a good small shop, or if you are limited to chain stores, carefully examine the room.Is there a humidifier running? If so, is there a hygrometer, and does it read >40%? Run your fingers along the fretboard edges--can you feel the fret edges sticking out? If so, walk away.
Boomerette thank you for that. Well said.
onpsxmember Good points. Should be in big print of every acoustic purchase. Thx.
Do you know how long a towel like that would take to fix a guitar with a bulging top caused by a lack of humidity?
A slightly "bulging top" is by design or from too much humidify.
You forgot to mention how to get the baggie out. It's probably about as hard as putting it in. Nice idea though. :)
To remove the bag...Hold the guitar flat with the soundhole facing the ceiling, then shift it around till the bag lays directly under the sound hole. Then quickly flip the guitar (so soundhole faces the floor)... the bag will drop against the strings and then you can grasp the bag and maneuver it out of the hole. You'll get the knack after a few times doing this.
If you installed an anti-feedback cover over the sound hole is that as good as keeping it in a case?
Buz Roberts yes it is. that is what i do. and it works perfect.
Great simple video. The concept of actually paying for a Damp-It is a bit beyond my comprehension these days. Sadly, I did waste money on one years ago.
glad there is something with a towel. i have a sponge phobia.
If you don't use coated strings they can get rusty from too much moisture.
I never heard of humidification of centuries old instruments like pianos etc? Doesn't dry wood sounds better? Of course if you dont count risk of cracks in the wood, but what about the rest rest?
great video!
Thanks goid idea.
excelent thanks !!
shouldn't the guitar top be totally flat? Without the belly..?
A slightly konvex top is normal under string tension. Take a straight edge and lay it behind the bridge. You can see the height of the belly. If it seems like a lot to you, you can just ask the builder how much is normal for this particular instrument. If it's from a big company, call them. Be persistent.
It does depend on the manufacturer. Guitars designed for optimal sound and/or built in the traditional style tend to have a slight belly around the bridge. More modern and budget guitars tend to be over built with heavier bracing to prevent any movement in the top. This makes the guitar less likely to need warranty repairs caused by the user not keeping the guitar humidified, as well as other negligence.
IMHO:.....Perhaps,(after inserting the "shamwow"" in an open bag), the entire guitar could be then, also be put into a large enough "trash bag", prior to putting it back into the case, for storage, or transport....?
Buffalo in the winter is brutally bad on guitars with older furnaces which have less humidity in the air . l'll try this trick next winter.Thanks for the tip .
I keep water simmering on the stove or potporri.
Thank you, thank you ,thank you 👍👍
Awesome video. I would never thought of using towels like that. I can't wait to try it.
@Boy Freitag is right.
Makes sense. How do you get the bag out? Change strings?
Yeah, how the hell do you get it outta there?
Just loosen your strings and pull them aside.
It's still a pain and inelegant to have to detune to take it out. I would wrap the bag in a cut nylon pantyhose sleeve and leave enough of the pantyhose out of the guitar hole to retrieve it later.
I guess that is a way to do it. I personally dont' think it takes much time to re-tune a guitar. I just used this method on a masterbilt and had some buzzing on the A&D strings at the 12th fret, and 3 days later it is gone. Whatever works for you though!
It's amazing what a difference the humidity makes to my Zager. This winter has been brutal with the temperature up and down 15 degrees every day. My guitar's been buzzing even on the fifth fret, with a dead zone of two or three frets around 12 where it sounds the same note even on different frets. I put the humidifier in and it all goes away.
How do you get it out again?
turn the guitar face down and it will drop down into the sound hole at the strings.
Unfortunately for me i am currently living in a bedsit here in the u.k. As of 28 Oct the humidity in this room is 78%. temp 16 celcius . It sucks. my guitar has no case at the moment. I have just started to learn. A Noob. Guitar has a little belly bulge
thanks
instead of towels, you can use carrots
How do we take it out?
loosen the strings or take them off?
Seven head
Frets sticking out of the edge of a neck are symptoms of a "dry" neck....interesting. Thanks.
Or of a guitar with a bad fret job. You can find a lot of guitars (not just cheap ones) with sharp fret ends.
If it wasn't the case before, the wood of the fretboard shrunk and the ends come out. If you aren't careful and expect everything to be smooth you can really get some bad cuts after it happened. Imagine sliding down the neck quickly and ripping a cut right near the joints. It can keep you from playing for quite some time.
I am in the UK where we don't generally have a dry climate(!) but I have a couple of guitars which were previously OK now have sharp fret ends. Central heating maybe? Would a humidifier rehydrate the fingerboard or do I have to file the fret ends?
Most of the time you have to deal with too high relative humidity...currently around 94%. Which is another huge problem (some have the same problems in brazil when the wood swells...really bad for acoustic instruments)
You still got drastic changes in humidity in the UK.
timeanddate DOT com/weather/uk/london/climate shows the mean humidity for 2005-2015
Some months are around 30% which is a bit too low. Best way to keep them stable is in a CLEAN hardcase. In there you can control the climate with some kind of humidifier and with a big bag of silica gel to reduce the high humidity. Make sure you have an accurate hygrometer that can be calibrated. The cheaply produced digital ones are hit and miss. Don't get too scared about humidity (maybe with expensive acoustic guitars, violins and pianos) the changes take time so a short change won't cause much harm. After 2-3 days it might more problematic. I can't tell you if a humidifier would bring it back, but it's worth trying. It's important that the case is somehow tight enough to keep the humidity roughly stable. If you file down the fretends, take your time and mask of everything that could be damaged. I'd also advice you to look at every fret on your instrument if some frets rose in the high humidity months.
Thank you. I need to take more care!
Glad I could help. I watched a lot of videos on that topic.
Try "Temperature, Humidity, and Your Guitars" from Dogwood Guitars.
A link would probably get deleted. It's a longer video but very helpful. It tells you exactly what to look for.
If you're looking for a good hygrometer for your playing room, I'm very happy with my fischer hygrometer from germany. You can find them on ebay too. No batteries, only hang it out over night every few weeks so the treated hair inside can regenerate. I'm glad that I mostly own solid body guitars. Maybe one day I'll buy a carbon fibre guitar like from raindance guitars. Those will always work.