High Mountain Strumming

[Staramouche]

Any pickers out there that live above the "high altitude 4000-6000ft" cooking instructions on the Rice-A-Roni packages? Do any of you have problems with your mandos drying out or what steps do you take to prevent it?

C'mon, who's the highest on this board?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Joe

[Don Grieser]

I'm at 7500 feet in the high desert of New Mexico. I keep the mando in the case with one of those clay humidifiers with extra holes cut in the cap. It stays above 30% in the case even during the dryest seasons, according to the hygrometer in the case.

I'm sure someone in Colorado is higher than me. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[stanley]

I might not be very high (4,000ft), but it does get very dry here(very close to death valley). I just checked a minute ago and it is a whopping 13% humidity outside.

In the winter that will go up a bit but not much. Inside my house with the woodstove going (with a BIG pot of water on it!) the humidity stays around 30-35%. Figured I could live with that....

I'll be interested to see how it goes this summer. RH will easily drop into the single digits and the temps will get just over 100f. Fortunately my house is cooled using a 'swamp cooler' (evaporative cooler). I'm guessing this will keep things at least 35% inside, but I'm not sure how high it'll go (I'll monitor this year because of the new mando...). Bummer part will be when I want to play outside during the evenings...I'll have to see how it responds.

I'd be interested to hear who's drier than me, and what they do to deal with it!


BTW: I just finished a 9 day Sierra ski tour where I was skiing/camping at over 10,500ft for all of it...but that doesn't count does it?

[johnwalser]

I'm at 7000 ft. in the High Sierra and guitars and mandolins seem to develop tone quicker than when I lived in Santa Barbara on the coast.
John