D'Addario Acoustic Guitar Soundhole Humidifier

still one of the best systems around...use it in all my guitars...right size for any acoustic

I like that the top can be removed. I can check if the sponge is dried out or still moist.

I've been on a mission around guitar humidifiers, so I've been trying several over the past couple of weeks. This one was very inexpensive, and it works pretty well, but not as good as some alternatives. I originally was disappointed with it and gave it 3 stars. But after using it a while, I came back and upgraded to 4 stars. PROs * It is inexpensive at $6.79 * It will put some humidity into a guitar body CONs * The sponge used is like a basic kitchen sponge material, not especially absorbant but not bad * The shape of the sponge container is too narrow at the bottom. Once soaked, the sponge does not slide all the way down into the plastic body. It sticks up * The lid is a bit awkward to take on and off. It has clips on the ends. It's not awful, but it's not designed to be convenient CONCLUSION If you're on a budget, this is the cheapest guitar humidifier I've found. It works ok but is a little less convenient than the Music Nomad humidifier. You can’t beat the price though, and it works fine. ALTERNATIVES Music Nomad Guitar Humidifier: I like the sponge, the plastic body is great, it clicks into space better, and the lid just flips up. It's over priced at $15 but works really well. They make another with a built in hygrometer. It's WAY overpriced at $29 and lacks bluetooth connectivity to the hygrometer. I like the $15 version, especially if you can get it on sale. I paid $6.79 for mine because the store I bought it from was out of the DAddario that was 6.79 so they made me a deal. (score!) DAddario PRO guitar humidifier - about $12 - I haven't tried this one. Perhaps it was designed to improve on this cheaper model. I may investigate it. I have a lot of guitars. It's worth a look, but if I were going to spend that I'd probably just get the music nomad. I do like that one a lot. DampIt Guitar Humidifiers - I have two of these I bought about 15 years ago. They still work. When I bought them, they were $3.25 each (2 for $6.50). Now they are $11.50 each or something. I was going to buy more until I saw the price...but come on guys. Do they work...yes, and you can hang multiples in your guitar. I also like that they don't push the strings very far out of tune while hydrating. But overpriced. One benefit of these is you can lay one alongside (but not right on) the neck in the guitar case and make sure you're getting some moisture there. All of the sponge humidifers above are one way hydration - meaning they can just ADD humidity. They also require rewetting every day or two, or whenever you want more humidity in the guitar case. They cannot REMOVE excess humidity. If you are in a dry climate, that's fine. But I hope you like wetting sponges daily and messing with it. Humidity Control Paks - Offered by D'Addario, the Humidipaks are kind of expensive ($25 per kit, and you need ~ 4 per year) but are designed to add or subtract a little humidity to bring the case and guitar to 55% (I think) and hold it there. They last about 3 months in theory. I bought some and by 2 days with the 3 packs in place and two Bluetooth hygrometers (one under the neck and one down inside the guitar body) both are reading 55%. You also need to "rehydrate" your guitar and case if it has gotten too dry, and for that you want their "RESTORE pak" which you use for a week or two. It is capable of adding a lot more humidity to the case and guitar and saves you money very just putting the MAINTAIN paks in, which will be used up rapidly and you'll need 3 or 4 sets to get the humidity to stabilize. Spend the money to start with the RESTORE kit to hydrate everything well, then use the MAINTAIN kit to hold it steady at the right humidity. I recommend buying a bluetooth or wifi enabled hygrometer (or two) so you can monitor the temp and humidity without opening the case. BOVEDA - makes the DAddario packets. They also sell their own. They make 70 gram, 49% packets which are their version of the "maintain" packets. For seasoning the case (i.e. RESTORE) they recommend the 72% packets (60 or 70 grams) for about 2 weeks then switching to the 49% packs. They used to be cheaper but now I think they are selling these for the same price or maybe $1 more for their equivalent "kit" to the Daddario. The benefit of the packets is you don't have to soak sponges, they can add or remove humidity not just add it, and they target the ideal range. From what I have read, their effectiveness varies depending on the local climate - for that reason, they do make some specialty packets - some that are designed for high humidity climates and can soak up more humidity, and BOVEDA offers packets in different sizes (grams) and humidity targets (49, 58, 62, 65, 72, 75, 84%). They make them for cigar humidors, weed jars, guitars, smaller instruments, etc. with a little experimentation you can dial in exactly what you need for your local climate.

Works as it should, perfect size for the sound hole, very effective. No leaking.. provides humidity that the guitar needs..

I bought several of these to use on my Taylor guitars during the colder/drier 6 months of the year here in Washington DC. I've tried pretty much every guitar humidifier out there, and these Walden Planet Waves ones are the best. The material used in this humidifier seems to hold the water MUCH better than the sponge types. It gets quite dry in my apartment in the winter, but I only have to add water once per week to my 4 guitars. With many other humidifiers you end up having to add water once every other day, which is just too often when you have 4 guitars to take care of. I keep a single gallon of distilled water for these. I fill a shot glass with water and then fill the syringe and inject into the humidifier until it's saturated. A brand new one might take a few syringes worth to become saturated, but I only end up adding 1 to 1.5 syringes per week after that, and the guitars are hovering nicely in the 45 to 50% range. I plan to buy a handful more soon. EDIT 11/2/2013: I don't think Planet Waves makes the same humidifiers anymore. The new version of their humidifier has a different type of sponge, which I believe probably dries out much more quickly than the old version, though admittedly I have not yet confirmed at the time of this writing. The old material wasn't a sponge at all but rather was some other type of water-retaining material. I believe it was actually a floral foam, absorbent material. Be mindful of what you're purchasing. I'm not sure that a better, longer-lasting humidifier exists, but my original review above was based on the older version of the humidifier made from a different material than the newer ones which use a standard sponge. I plan to purchase some standalone floral foam to insert into my Planet Waves humidifiers to replace the old foam that was in their previously but has since worn out.

Pros: easy to use; just open the lid; get the sponge wet and place in between the 3rd and 4th string. Voila! Cons: very small unit; tiny sponge; sponge quality is just fair; it needs frequent refreshing. The Nomad Humistar One is three times as expensive but it is worth the extra expenditure, i.e. USD 15 vs USD 6. If you decide to use this one instead I advise buying two units, and to check whether the sponge remains humid every 3 or 4 days.

Ok Boys and Girls...Guitar 101. If you own a guitar that is made of wood and you really really care about it..ya had better take the time to humidify. I live in Tampa Bay and all of the guitar shops and the repair people keep telling me that "With the high humidity you have no need to use a humidifier, and you do not need to keep your instrument in the case to protect it from drying out. WRONG WRONG WRONG !!!!! If you live in Da swamp with an old creeky window style AC unit perhaps there will be enough humidity in the air.. The modern Whole house units will pull your humidity down to 40% or lower. We have a fresh 20 SEER AC that brags about the dehumidification power of the unit. After all de-humidifying is most of what your AC is doing, pulling moisture from the air to make you feel cool. My Hygrometer shows 38% at night and 40% during the day. Martin tells me that is way too low for my guitars. 45%-55% is considered ideal. If you are not sure get a Hygrometer and be sure, do not take chances. D'Addario humidifier works well and will slowly release moisture just do not go overboard. Fill it and let it sit then shake it out till there are no droplets at all. slap it against your leg shake it hard, then feel it. Just make sure that what is in it will be held by the sponge. Check it every few days. And put a Hygrometer in your case. Check out this Bluetooth case monitor!!! D'Addario Humiditrak - Bluetooth Humidity and Temperature Sensor [[ASIN:B019JD0XZ0 D'Addario Humiditrak - Bluetooth Humidity and Temperature Sensor]] 5 Stars A++ RECOMMENDED VOTE thumbs UP IF YOU FOUND THIS HELPFUL

I have one in each of my acoustic guitars. Easy to put in, distilled water is perfect to moisten the sponges and keeps the humidity level just right. I also have the D'Addario hygrometers, one in a case and one in the room. Every few days if it's dry I check the sponges. Surviving the winter or any dry environment is important.

It works! My guitar healed after using this for a month continuously! You just gotta fill it up everyday and eventually you'll find yourself filling it less frequently and that's when you know the guitar is getting better.

Works fine and very inportant product in wintertime for acoustic guitars

Dimensioni "giuste" per essere infilato tra le corde o tra Mi basso e bordo buca Ottima chiusura. Da consigliare a tutti i chitarristi che ci tengono a umidificare correttamente i propri strumenti nei mesi invernali (riscaldamento ambiente pericoloso !).

Hace su trabajo. literalmente la madera de la guitarra se "bebe" la humedad de la esponja en 1 o 2 dias.. es importante estar recargando para mantener la humedad correcta.

By far the safest way to maintain the humidity in your acoustic guitar. Their are other ways out their but this is the safest in my opinion. People in this review section don't know what they are talking about so don't judge this product based on these reviews. I admit that the product should not be priced this much i mean this is just a plastic cup with holes in it and a sponge. But good luck with your homemade experimental crap. I am not about to experiment on my guitar. And i don't think people who own an expensive guitar would either. The way this product works is you should have a hard case for your acoustic guitar. Open the cap and take the sponge out. Wet the sponge and squeeze the excess water until it is just lightly wet and not dripping( this is the most important part you don't want water dripping in your guitar). Place the sponge back in the plastic container and slide the whole thing in between D and G string and place your guitar in your case. Keep it inside for 24 hours and check if the sponge is dry if it is then repeat the same process again. If the sponge is wet at all after the 24 hours? Then your guitar is at the perfect humidity. You should take your room's humidity into consideration too. Too much of something is not good. Be careful and always check on your guitar while using the product as water can damage the wood if not handled properly.