Customer Reviews

Dampit Guitar Humidifier

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you have an acoustic guitar--and especially if you have a good one with a solid top-piece--you'll need a humidifier during the winter months. When I turn the heat on in the house, and the relative humidity drops, my guitar starts playing like @#$%. The wood in the guitar body dries out, causing the top to sink slightly, which in turn causes the saddle and therefore the strings to drop, too. The result? Tons of fret buzz. (If left unchecked, the wood can also crack, joints separate, and all manner of horrific things can happen.)

I've tried a number of humidifiers, and none of them have worked until I got this one. You MUST get a humidifier with a sound-hole cover. Without the cover, the humidifier itself is next to useless.

My only regret is that I didn't see the SUPER version for only $1 more. I may not need it but if I saw it I probably would have gone with that one instead.

Other than that, this is exactly what I expected. The material on the humidifier itself is very soft rubber so there are no worries about dinging up your finish. Also, the clip is coated in a soft rubber so if you clip it to a sound hole rather than using the clear cover, it will also not scratch up the finish. Another thing that I like about it is that you can clip it in the sound hole and not have to take it out to play if you aren't using the hole cover.

The sponge was easy to wet and seemed to be pretty quick to do so. No syringe to deal with. What is nice with this one is that you get a humidity indicator to actually see if it is working. It is a little tough to read where pink meets blue but it is better than nothing. You can really only read 3 different levels of humidity with it (Humid, Safe, and Use Dampit).

Overall...it is pretty basic but it seems to get the job done. The bonus is that you get the sound hole cover with the humidity indicator if you really want to target the humidity in the body.

I have a Taylor T5 that was in the dealer's stock for 1 1/2 years. When I rec'd it, the action was less than 1/2 as high as it should have been creating a lot of fret buzz. This was due to the arched top flattening due to lack of humidity in storage.

I bought two of these smaller diameter humidifiers so they could fit through the narrow f shaped cutouts. In just a week I had to remove most of the shims I had placed under the saddle to raise the action. They work and they don't let water leak directly on the wood.

This particular Dampit is way to small for an average sized acoustic guitar. It looks like it was made for a violin. "Be sure to order the bigger-larger one". When I did the Amazon search to look for the Dampit, this is the 1st one that came up. I had no clue I was ordering this tiny little thing.

I have 2 other Dampits of the "larger" size and they work great in my 2 other Martin guitars. I needed a 3rd one for my new guitar and this small one doesn't cut it. You need to add water to it everyday, It's that small..

Anyways...live and learn...and be sure to know exactly what you are getting before you order.

It wasn't worth my time and effort to ship this back...

Edited: 3-08-10
After e-mailing B&G Music w/ my concerns listed above, they sent me the bigger Dampit "free of charge".
B&G proved they are a stand-up company to deal with. I would do business with them again. Not many companies would go that extra mile to satisfy a customer. Thank you B&G Music!

This thing works great with My Taylor GA3. It seems really quality. Basically a long sponge encased by rubber cover with holes in it. It wedges between the strings and hangs into the body. I find it gets pinched just right so it doesn't slide- something that gives me peace of mind when storing it, obviously then the chances of water leaking out onto the wood is low. Obviously you have to exercise caution when using this. Great product though. I highly suggest it.

I've purchased five of these little guys after seeing them used in the Taylor resoration facility. I've used them up to three at a time in my guitars.

The soundhole cover is a good idea unless you live in a dusty environment, then they start to wear the finish around the soundhole when you slide them off to refill the little sponge inside the tube. nothing serious, just additional light scuffs in the finish that you may not even care about. Liekwise the humidity indicator is just that: an indicator. It will tell you if the little sponge has gone dry again.

Did I just call it a 'little sponge' twice? Yup. I did. By volume it is small and dries out very quickly when used in dry climates. Like, three days. Four max. Inside the case.

I've switched to the Planet Waves humidifiers that fit between two strings, have a substantially larger (and removable!) sponge, no soundhole cover, and just hold so much more water that I'm not constantly worried abuot humidity inside the guitar case. They are much better for the extreme clinate that I happen to live in where volume of water held means more than preventing water loss with the soundhole cover. For most anywhere that's *not* a desert, these should work fine.

This damper I guess is better than nothing, but not by much. It lasts less than a day before I have to soak it again, so it is way too small. It's also a lot of money for a cheap rubber tube with holes in it

Acoustic guitar players understand the need to keep their instruments properly humidified in dry climates or during the winter when home heating reduces humidity under 40%. These products do what they are designed to do; keep the guitar humidified. My only minor complaint is that I own several acoustics, thus it is necessary to continually check and service each dampit at least weekly. The larger 'Martin' product does the same thing and humidity levels are maintained for two to three days longer.

There were some product reviews about this particular product that stated that it ruined the expensive guitar finish because
it dripped inside the guitar...
Well... you have to use it right, get the moisture out and the introduce into the instrument. Its not major technology its a simple
concept... a hose with a sponge in it, and it hangs from a plastic sound board hole cover... and humidifies the guitar
in really dry climates (such as where I live). And that is what it does... have used it with no regrets, and it has actually
improve the conditions of my guitar that was suffering a little dryness.

So, no it has not ruined the finish, it has done and delivered what the manufacturer states it will do. Happy purchase,
would recommend it... buy it!

I own two acoustic guitars - a Martin and a Taylor - so I have an investment in cash in my guitars. It only makes sense to take care of them. This is a must if you want your acoustics to play as super as the day ya bought em. Extremely easy to use and have become part of my routine with them. Gets very dry here in Minnesota especially in the winter, so need a means of keeping my guitars humidified and Dampits are the best and easiest solution. I have my Taylor out of its case almost all the time, as I just like to pick it up whenever I want and just play. So everyday I just wet down a Dampit, wring it out and place it through the sound hole and the problem is solved. Have read some negative reviews and after owning a couple of these, all I can say is anyone who has a complaint just isn't using them right. So come on guys, read the directions and use some common sense. Bottom line - a really really small investment to keep your guitars in tip top shape.