Yes, if it's a solid-wood acoustic in a heated house: Martin says to keep a guitar between 45 and 55 percent relative humidity, and Oasis says the indoor heating season, late fall through early spring, can put a room at 20 percent or less, which in Glens Falls is the whole stretch the heat is on. Five ways to do it are on our wall as of September 25, 2026, from $14.99 to $34.99, and this article picks one for your guitar and your case.
- Why a guitar needs one here
- What happens as the room dries out
- The five on our wall, and which one for which case
- Oasis OH-1 Guitar Humidifier
- Martin Acoustic Guitar Humidifier
- Oasis OH-6 Case Humidifier
- Oasis OH-14 Case Plus+ Humidifier
- Oasis OH-2+ Digital Hygrometer
- Which one is yours
- Questions about guitar humidifiers
- If it's already dry
Why a Guitar Needs One Here
Martin's answer is a number. Its FAQ and its care guide both say to keep the guitar between 45 and 55 percent relative humidity and 72 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit, checked with a hygrometer, and that damage from conditions outside that range isn't covered under warranty. Oasis's FAQ puts the trigger lower: humidify whenever the room is under 50 percent, which in temperate climates means the indoor heating season, late fall through early spring, when a room can read 20 percent or less.
That is the Glens Falls problem. The most damaging period for guitars here isn't winter cold, it's heating season: forced-air heat strips moisture out of indoor air fast, and a solid-wood guitar shows it. We see more cracked tops and lifting bridges come through the bench in January and February than any other time of year. Electric guitars are less vulnerable but not immune: necks shift and fret ends go sharp, which is how a Kiesel headless came to the bench after dry storage. The wood-movement mechanics are in how humidity affects your guitar.
What Happens as the Room Dries Out
Martin's dealer bulletin on humidification charts what a showroom of guitars does at each reading. Fifty percent is optimum. Below that:
| Room reads | What Martin's bulletin says you'll see |
|---|---|
| 40 percent | Sharp fret ends may begin; a small crack can start on the fingerboard extension, from the 12th or 14th fret toward the soundhole |
| 35 percent | Tops begin to shrink, the soundboard may look and feel rippled, "dried in," and sharp fret ends are more evident |
| 30 percent | A guitar or two may crack; the rest have sunken tops and often need a higher saddle |
| 25 percent | More guitars crack, and a lot of fret filing is needed |
Set that beside Oasis's 20 percent for a heated room and the question answers itself. Low humidity, Martin adds, is usually the bigger problem: the guitar slowly dries, the top lowers and takes the strings with it, and with no other way to relieve the stress the wood cracks.
The Five on Our Wall, and Which One for Which Case
All five are in stock, with the price as of September 25, 2026. The guitar decides the type and the room decides the output.
| Your guitar and your room | Pick | Why | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat-top acoustic, room at 25 to 40 percent | Oasis OH-1 | Oasis rates it for that range; 45 to 55 percent inside the body | $24.99 |
| Flat-top acoustic, the least to fuss with | Martin humidifier | A resin tube in the soundhole: fill, wipe, insert | $14.99 |
| Archtop, violin, cello, or anything spending the winter in a case | Oasis OH-6 | No soundhole needed; clips to the case, headstock end included | $25.99 |
| Room below 25 percent | Oasis OH-14 Case Plus+ | 50 percent more moisture a day than the OH-1 or OH-6 | $25.99 |
| Any of the above | Oasis OH-2+ hygrometer | The only one that tells you whether the others are working | $34.99 |
Oasis also makes mandolin, ukulele and bass models we don't shelve; when Oasis has one available, it usually arrives in 1–2 weeks, and special orders are final sale. Call or text (518) 217-8695.
Oasis OH-1 Guitar Humidifier
- Type: soundhole humidifier
- Mounts: a stabilizer bar across the strings; it never touches the body
- Made for: rooms at 25 to 40 percent, and a guitar that is already hydrated
- Holds: 45 to 55 percent inside the body, per Oasis
- Output: about 1.25 cc a day
- In the box: stabilizer bar, 10 cc filling syringe
- Price: $24.99
Oasis's most popular model, and Oasis says outright it is not made to bring a dried-out guitar back. It shrinks as the water goes, so a refill is visible, and the Humigel crystals inside turn a leak into a damp spot rather than a pool in your guitar. Replace the crystals once a year and fill with distilled water only; tap water clogs the liner. See the OH-1.
Martin Acoustic Guitar Humidifier
- Type: soundhole humidifier
- Tube: non-vinyl, non-allergenic resin, soft enough not to press on the soundhole
- Inside: a water-absorbing stem that holds up to ten times its weight in water and releases it slowly through the holes
- Martin item: 18AHG
- Price: $14.99
The simplest defense against a dry winter room. Martin's care guide warns that moisture in direct contact with the instrument can do damage, and so can a humidifier's rubber or vinyl parts, which is why Martin's own is a non-vinyl resin tube. Fill it, wipe it, put it in between sessions. See the Martin humidifier.
Oasis OH-6 Case Humidifier
- Type: case humidifier
- Mounts: two neodymium magnets, to a steel clip over the case side or an adhesive-backed steel strip
- Made for: instruments with no soundhole: violins, violas, cellos, jazz guitars, and the headstock end of a guitar case
- Output: about 1.25 cc a day, for rooms at 25 to 40 percent
- In the box: steel clip, adhesive steel strip, 10 cc filling syringe
- Price: $25.99
The clip fits over the side of the case and gives the magnets a flat face to grab; the strip sticks inside a violin or cello case. Clipped by the headstock, it covers the end of a guitar case a soundhole unit can't reach, and it is the one for anything spending the winter in a case. See the OH-6.
Oasis OH-14 Case Plus+ Humidifier
- Type: case humidifier, Plus+ membrane
- Mounts: the same magnets, clip and strip as the OH-6
- Made for: rooms below 25 percent: desert, mountain or frigid north, in Oasis's words
- Output: 50 percent more a day than the OH-1 or OH-6, about 2 cc
- In the box: steel clip, adhesive steel strip, 10 cc filling syringe
- Price: $25.99
Oasis uses the evaporative membrane from its OH-5 Plus+ soundhole model and rates it at 50 percent more daily humidity than the OH-6 or OH-1, about 2 cc a day against 1.25. Oasis's list of who needs it is desert, mountain or frigid north, which includes an upstate New York house in February. See the OH-14.
Oasis OH-2+ Digital Hygrometer
- Type: digital hygrometer and thermometer
- Humidity: accurate to plus or minus 3 percent between 20 and 80 percent; reads down to 10 percent
- Temperature: 32 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, shown in F or C
- Memory: min and max for both
- Battery: CR2032
- Option: Oasis's OH-20 holder puts it at the soundhole
- Price: $34.99
The one that tells you whether any of the others are doing anything. The current sensor is accurate to 3 percent between 20 and 80 percent, and the range now reaches down to 10, so a bone-dry room shows a number instead of the "LL" the older versions put up below 20. Read it indoors, where the guitar is, not the outdoor number on the news. See the OH-2+.
Which One Is Yours
- Solid-wood flat-top in a heated house: the Oasis OH-1, and the OH-2+ if you have never measured the room.
- A first acoustic, or a second one you want covered for $14.99: the Martin.
- Archtop, violin, cello, or anything spending the winter in a case: the Oasis OH-6.
- A room the hygrometer puts under 25 percent: the Oasis OH-14 Case Plus+.
- Anyone with a solid-wood guitar and no hygrometer: the OH-2+ first. Everything else, humidifiers, cases, setups, is a response to what it tells you.
We sell the humidifiers and walk you through it at pickup. All five are on the wall during shop hours; call or text (518) 217-8695 and we'll hold one for you.
Questions About Guitar Humidifiers
How much is a guitar humidifier?
$14.99 for the Martin, $24.99 for the Oasis OH-1, $25.99 for the OH-6 and OH-14 case humidifiers, and $34.99 for the OH-2+ hygrometer, as of September 25, 2026.
When do I start, and when do I stop?
If the hygrometer already reads below 45 percent, start now; don't wait for January. Oasis says to pull the humidifier when the humidity stays high, so over-humidifying doesn't feed mold, and to start again below 40 percent. Wash the crystals out in spring; fresh ones each fall.
Does a humidifier work with the guitar on a stand?
No. Oasis says its humidifiers are made for an instrument in its case: they humidify a closed case, not a room. Martin's FAQ puts the guitar in its case when you're not playing it.
Does an electric guitar need one?
Electric guitars are less vulnerable but not immune: necks shift and fret ends go sharp as the fingerboard shrinks. An electric has no soundhole, so the OH-6 case humidifier is the one that fits.
Do you ship humidifiers?
Yes, within the U.S. Accessories ship for $19; the full list is on the shipping policy page. Pickup at the shop is free.
If It's Already Dry
A humidifier keeps a hydrated guitar where it is; Oasis says the OH-1 is not designed to restore a dried-out one. A dried-out guitar needs humidity before anything else, and the repair page prices that at $49 on top of the repair. After that it's a job: an edge dress for the fret ends is $219 with a deluxe setup included, a crack repair starts at $79, and a lifted bridge is a reglue at $299, all on the repair and setup pricing page. Service is first come, first served.
The Repair Vault shows the pattern. A red Kiesel headless came in for a checkup and setup after sitting unplayed; the setup was routine, but the fret edges felt sharp under the hand, which Dave put down to low humidity in storage. An hour and a half on the bench, a fret-edge dress recommended, and the owner chose to wait and see whether summer humidity would swell the board back. A Japanese Fender Stratocaster came in with the saddles out and the electronics scratchy, which Dave read as the guitar drying out unplayed. Both are humidity problems, and both are preventable.
The five are in the humidifiers and hygrometers collection, the rest of the care shelf under guitar care products. Case or stand for the winter is in guitar case vs. guitar stand, long storage is in how to store a guitar long-term, and buying one from us, pickup and shipping included, is on guitar humidifiers in Glens Falls.
Every Martin that leaves here leaves with a humidity conversation; this is the written version.
Paul's Guitar Hideout is located at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Use the Cooper Street entrance and take the stairs up. If stairs are difficult or you're bringing in something you don't want to carry up, call or text us and we'll arrange access.
The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5 PM
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com