The Merry Month of May Can Be Bad for Guitars

Here at MacKenzie & Marr, we're obsessed with humidity. Starting in October we monitor RH levels and make sure our hygrometers are accurate, and our humidifiers are topped up.

At home, it's no different. The guitars hanging in my studio deserve the same care as the ones in our office. But this year, I learned a lesson the hard way. The warm breezes of May are deceptive. They tricked me into opening the windows, leaving them open all day and not bothering with the humidifier—a big mistake. The spring air is still dry. Heating it as it comes indoors still lowers the interior RH. My decade old 12 string now has a minor endpin crack and the beginning of a split on the back.

Doing what I should have done all along - checking the hygrometer showed a reading of less than 20%. Live and learn!