Tip

Many guitar players already know this, but if you are a new guitar owner you may not be aware that it is very important to provide a good environment for your guitar. This is especially true if you have a quality guitar that would be costly to replace.

You should keep your guitar in an environment that is not too hot or too cold, and not too dry or too damp.

If you keep your guitar in your home, you probably don't have to worry much about temperature extremes. However, you do have to be concerned about humidity levels. Winter tends to greatly reduce indoor humidity, and low humidity can cause cracks to develop in the thin wood that is used in the body of quality guitars. Once a crack develops your guitar will not only lose a great deal of its value, but you will be lucky if it doesn't affect the quality of the sound from your guitar. The good news is that humidifiers for guitars are pretty cheap and readily available in guitar shops and from online music stores. I like to use the humidifiers from December through March in Minnesota. That is when the extremely cold and dry winter air presents the biggest challenge to indoor humidity levels.

Carrying your guitar in your vehicle may also require some precautions to avoid exposing it to temperature extremes. Before you put your guitar in your vehicle it is a good idea to let your vehicle warm up in the winter and cool down in the summer. That way you won't risk causing structural problems due to rapid expansion or contraction of the guitar's fragile components.