“Footprints in the Snow.” Both deal with a topic that I cared little about until I suffered the consequences. I’m talking about humidity.
Only recently did I hear of a “case humidifier” along with dire warnings of the effects of humidity on a wooden musical instrument. (lucky sousaphone players!)
My beloved home-made banjo now has frets that stick out beyond the neck. They rip into your hand every time you slide up the neck. Ouch! Turns out, the wood dried out and shrank, but frets don’t shrink, hence the protrusions. That sucks.
I did a search on the Forum and came up with some old postings that kinda sorta addressed my concerns, but they were primarily from mando & geetar players. Their instruments aren’t bound together with a lot of metal like a banjo. So I need to hear from banjo players. Do you take precautions regarding humidity?
I like t leave my banjo on a floor stand, so I can simply pick it up and play. When my wife wants to vacuum, it hangs on the wall. So far, no issues, but I’ve only been doing this since maybe April. Prior to that the banjo spent decades in the case. I joined BB in Nov 2019 and that’s when the banjo came out for some fresh air.
Last winter I finally started using a home humidifier because my dog was getting angry with the sparks whenever I would pet him. I have no idea what the relative humidity is in the house.
I know back in the day humidity was a real bugaboo for calfskin heads, but that was then.
Anybody use a case humidifier?
Is the dry air of a forced air furnace in the winter worse for a banjo that the soggy air of an Eastern summer?
