humidity and the Great Tone

[GTison]

We were playing a lil' fall fest. last night here in FL. #It was about 74 degrees and humidity was up, due was "falling" ( my fiddle was wet as it sat in the case open on stage) #Anyway... as we were playing at one point my 02fern mando just seemed to come alive. #It was kinda odd, but it was putting out this great sound. #Anyone else experience this???

[Steven]

Yes!Yes!Was playing my Weber last night with the humidifier on high lots of humidity to offset the heater (Late OCT. in Maine),when all of a sudden the mando kind of just wakes up!Great tone,more volume,very different from normal but in a good way.Kind of scary at first.....like what the!....HA,HA it was great.

[Douglas McMullin]

Ditto! I discovered that my Mandolin sounds better in the summer as compared to winter with my super dry wood heated house. BTW Im also in Maine.

[J. Mark Lane]

Odd. My experience has always been the opposite. I think my instruments get a duller sound in the summer, when the relative humidity is higher. In the winter, they tend to sound more "crisp." To the extent I am able to control the rh (keeping most instruments in an air conditioned room in summer, and using various humidifiers in winter), I minimize this effect. But to the extent instruments leave that space, I notice it.

Mark

[mike_c]

i also always like the sound of my mandos better when they and the air they are playing in are as dry as possible...a example might be when you are jammin and the humidity increases in the late night..the instruments just start sounding dead..i love good instruments dry and punchy and loud-- mike c

[smilnJackB]

It may be more than humidity alone affecting our instrument tone. Atmospheric pressure is a factor as well. I don't have it figured out, but some times my instruments really sing and sometimes they sound lifeless.
Have you noticed how often you have to tune DOWN your strings when the weather changes? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif Jack

[Bob DeVellis]

Usually, when humidity has been up, the instrument goes sharp. The wood swells and the instrument sort of "grows" a bit. On arch top instruments, I suspect that the "growth" is mostly in the top, increasing the arch a bit and acting sort of like an increas in bridge height. I suspect that different instruments have been set up for (or at least in) certain conditions and that when those conditions are matched, they sound their best.

[GBG]

I agree with Mark and Mike. I don't like high humidity for tone or volume on any string instrument.

[Flowerpot]

The wetter, the better, for my mandolin. I love playing at festivals at night when the dew starts to fall. A few hours out in that, and it's sounding tremendously rich, full, and deep. As it dries out, it gets thinner in tone and the volume goes down. Kind of a bummer, cause I live in AZ, and it takes a lot of effort to keep it humidified.

My guitar seems to like moisture in the mid range, and will get a little thumpy sounding if it's too wet.

[Tom C]

Sound travels better/faster in a warm humid day. -Just try yelling to somebody on a cold winter day. The sound will not travel.

[GBG]

Are we trying to compare humidity levels vrs. tone in Arizona and South Louisiana ?