Guitar maintenance advice is usually written for a generic climate. The Adirondack region isn't a generic climate — and a guitar that's well-maintained here is one that's been managed through all four seasons deliberately.
Fall (September through November)
Fall is the transition season and the one most players ignore. The humidity is dropping, the heat is coming on, and the guitar is starting to move. This is the time to get ahead of it.
Get a setup done before heating season starts. A guitar that's properly adjusted in October will hold up better through the dry months than one that goes into winter already fighting. A standard setup is $79 and it's the most useful thing you can do before the heat comes on.
Check your humidity situation. If you don't have a hygrometer, get one. They cost less than $15 and tell you what the air in your room is actually doing. If you're already below 45 percent relative humidity, start humidifying now. Don't wait for January.
Change your strings. Strings that have been on through a humid summer have absorbed sweat and oxidation. Fresh strings intonate better, feel better, and give you an accurate read on how the guitar is actually playing.
Wipe down the fretboard. Unfinished rosewood and ebony boards accumulate grime over the summer. A dry cloth gets most of it. A small amount of lemon oil on unfinished boards once or twice a year is appropriate. We use Music Nomad or D'Addario products on the bench — both are fine, neither requires soaking.
Winter (December through February)
Winter is the hardest season for guitars in this region. Forced air heat strips moisture out of indoor air fast. A room that was at 45 percent humidity in October can drop to 20 percent or lower by January. At that level, acoustic guitars are at real risk.
Run a humidifier. A room humidifier works. A case humidifier works for acoustics specifically. D'Addario Two-Way Humidipaks are reliable and low-maintenance — we stock them at the shop. Target 45 to 55 percent relative humidity. Below 40 and acoustic guitars start to show it. Below 30 and you're in cracked top territory.
Keep the guitar in its case when you're not playing it. A guitar on a wall hanger or stand in a dry heated room is absorbing that dry air all day. A guitar in a closed hard case with a humidifier is not. See Guitar Case vs. Guitar Stand.
Check the fret ends. As the neck dries and contracts, fret ends can protrude past the edge of the fretboard. If the neck feels sharp or scratchy on the edges, that's the wood shrinking. Bring it in — it's correctable.
Don't store guitars in unheated spaces. A guitar in an unheated garage, barn, or mudroom in an Adirondack winter is not going to be okay. Temperature swings alone stress the finish. Combined with low humidity, the risk of cracking is real.
Spring (March through May)
Spring is the recovery season. The heat is coming off, humidity is rising, and the guitar is moving back in the other direction. Most of the seasonal damage from winter shows up now.
Inspect the guitar carefully. Look at the top of any acoustic for sinking between the braces. Check the fret ends. Play every fret on every string and listen for buzz that wasn't there before. If something changed over winter, spring is when you find it.
Get a setup if the guitar needs one. A guitar that went through a dry winter without humidity control may need a truss rod adjustment, action correction, or both. A setup puts it back. If you're not sure whether it needs one, bring it in and we'll tell you.
Ease off the humidifier as outdoor humidity rises. You don't need to run a case humidifier through a humid Adirondack spring. Check the hygrometer and adjust. Over-humidifying in spring can cause the same swelling problems as a humid summer.
Summer (June through August)
Summer in the Adirondacks runs humid. The guitar is now dealing with the opposite problem from winter — too much moisture rather than too little.
Watch the action. As the neck absorbs humidity and swells, action goes up. If the guitar starts feeling harder to play than it did in spring, humidity is the likely cause. A setup can correct it, but managing humidity is the better long-term answer.
Don't store guitars in humid basements or unventilated spaces. A basement that smells damp is not a good place for a guitar. Finish checking and binding separation are both caused by wood expanding under the finish in high humidity. See How to Store a Guitar Long-Term.
Change strings before any outdoor playing. Humidity, sweat, and temperature changes are hard on strings. Fresh strings hold tune better and last longer.
Keep the guitar out of direct sun and hot cars. A guitar left in a car on a summer day in the Adirondacks can reach temperatures that soften glue joints and warp necks.
Year-Round
A hygrometer in the room where you store your guitar is the single most useful tool for guitar maintenance in this region. It costs less than $15. Everything else — humidifiers, cases, setups — is a response to what the hygrometer tells you.
Seasonal setups are maintenance, not a sign that something is wrong. A guitar that gets a setup in fall and spring will play better year-round than one that gets a setup once and is expected to hold through four Adirondack seasons. We see the difference at the bench every day.
Players in Glens Falls, Queensbury, Lake George, and across the Adirondack region deal with this every season. See also Why Upstate NY Is Harder on Guitars Than Most Players Realize and How Humidity Affects Your Guitar for the full breakdown.
Come In
If you have questions about how your guitar is holding up, stop in. We'll look at it and tell you what it needs.
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 you need assistance, give us a call and we'll come down.
The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5pm
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com