Collings Case Humidifier?

[prairieschooner]

I just received my new Collings MT-2 with the Collings Case. I am curious what others have done about a humidifier because of the limited clearances. I used to use an Oasis in the case but now not sure if this is the best way.
Thanks in advance!
Steve

[papabear075]

I love using the Humidipak’s. For a guitar they go in the sound hole but for mandolins the go under/over the strings above the bridge.

[prairieschooner]

Those look cool & I may need to consider them...not sure if they will fit in the case though

[pops1]

I humidify the house, too many things also need humidity.

[prairieschooner]

I humidify the house, too many things also need humidity.

Thanks but not easy for me since I live in a "cabin in the woods" and we travel in a Motorhome during the winter (to escape the snow) or our vintage Airstream other times.

I did find a solution though, there is enough room over the headstock for the Oasis Case Case Humidifier to be attached to the case. I also put a microfiber cloth over the headstock to protect it just in case

[pops1]

Thanks but not easy for me since I live in a "cabin in the woods" and we travel in a Motorhome during the winter (to escape the snow) or our vintage Airstream other times.

I live in a small place in the woods too, but I envy the winter travel in a motorhome. Way to go.

[prairieschooner]

I live in a small place in the woods too, but I envy the winter travel in a motorhome. Way to go.

We have met others from Wisconsin while at the Colorado River. Being retired has it's advantages!

[pops1]

Yes, I am also retired, but not able to travel. I have wood heat and a backup that would be expensive for anything but a short term absence. A friend of mine and his wife have been living on a houseboat in the summer and motorhome in the winter. Ahhhh such is the life.

[sblock]

NFI. I like and use the Humistat #1 (available, for example, from Elderly Instruments). It's tiny -- just a bit over an inch long -- and it fits easily into any kind of mandolin case (even those without an accessory pocket, like the Eastman cases). It has no spongy components that can develop mold or require periodic replacement. You just fill it with tap water every week or two. It's inexpensive. Best of all, you can tell at a glance when it's running dry: with other types of humidifiers, this is not so easy. Empty, it looks like this:



I also highly recommend buying and carrying an inexpensive, compact digital hygrometer in your case, so you can easily check the humidity levels achieved with whatever humidifier you try. These are tiny (1.8" x 1" x 0.5"), run on hearing-aid-type batteries for months, and will also fit easily inside your case. Available from China from Amazon, eBay, etc. They do not have to be very accurate to do the job! You can buy them online for as little as $1.69 right now. Oh, and they tell you the temperature, too!

[colorado_al]

In some of my cases I put the clip on the lid of the accessory compartment and place the oasis next to the neck of the mandolin

[prairieschooner]

sorry no room guys the Collings case is made to fit their mandolin with little if any room left. I did find a way to get the Oasis in on the lid

[sblock]

sorry no room guys the Collings case is made to fit their mandolin with little if any room left. I did find a way to get the Oasis in on the lid

Yes, and you could equally well have fit the Humistat in that very same location. And you could also have fit in a compact hygrometer if you so desired, either inside the accessory compartment or outside it, just underneath the headstock/neck junction, and directly below the location of the nut. Or is that where you put your coiled-up strap?

Anyway, that case looks rather impractical to me. I'll take my Hoffee or Calton case any day over that! No need to remove and coil up the strap. Plenty of room for strings and things. Fits the ToneGard, too. Great protection.

I don't wear skinny jeans, either...

[prairieschooner]

Yes, and you could equally well have fit the Humistat in that very same location. And you could also have fit in a compact hygrometer if you so desired, either inside the accessory compartment or outside it, just underneath the headstock/neck junction, and directly below the location of the nut. Or is that where you put your coiled-up strap?

Anyway, that case looks rather impractical to me. I'll take my Hoffee or Calton case any day over that! No need to remove and coil up the strap. Plenty of room for strings and things. Fits the ToneGard, too. Great protection.

I don't wear skinny jeans, either...

To each his own.
The Humistat mounted on it's side looks to be able to leak. Anyway figured it out & quite happy with the included case for my MT2. I was just looking for ideas from other MT2 owners. Maybe later I will buy a Hoffee or Calton case but not today.

Here is a pic of her ready for bed

[peterleyenaar]

It is not advisable to humidify in the case, humidify the room or house, sooner or later leaking occurs in the case damaging your mandolin.
Quote by a well-known mandolin builder: " a lot more mandolins have been wrecked by humidifying than by dryness"

[sblock]

It is not advisable to humidify in the case, humidify the room or house, sooner or later leaking occurs in the case damaging your mandolin.
Quote by a well-known mandolin builder: " a lot more mandolins have been wrecked by humidifying than by dryness"

Sorry, but I don't believe that is true. Furthermore, a well-made humidifier doesn't leak. (And some of them, which use sponges or absorbent clays, can't leak.)

Poor advice.

[DougC]

Sorry, but I don't believe that is true. Furthermore, a well-made humidifier doesn't leak. (And some of them, which use sponges or absorbent clays, can't leak.)

Poor advice.

Ah, I was wondering when this 'raging debate' would occur.


As in all things, moderation is the key. And attentiveness. All humidity, or lack of humidity cracks and problems are a result if inattention. Well meaning people have over humidified cases, or left them to extreme changes and dryness. So I look at the humidity of the house regularly and I check the humidifiers inside the cases. The problem is me, not the humidity.

[peterleyenaar]

Sorry, but I don't believe that is true. Furthermore, a well-made humidifier doesn't leak. (And some of them, which use sponges or absorbent clays, can't leak.)

Poor advice.

I am certain that the mandolin builder I mentioned, has seen more damaged mandolins than you or I

[sblock]

I am certain that the mandolin builder I mentioned, has seen more damaged mandolins than you or I

It's a worthless tactic to cite other folks anonymously for the purpose of making your point: you can attribute to them anything that you like! We have no idea who this builder is, nor what his or her experience might be. We have no idea if you're quoting them accurately, or whether what they said on this topic was much more nuanced.

"I am quite certain that I know more about this than you do! Or anyway, my friend does." (See how silly and arrogant that kind of thing sounds?!)

DougC has it right. Moderation and attentiveness are the key to taking care of your instrument.

[peterleyenaar]

It's a worthless tactic cite other folks anonymously for the purpose of making your point: you can attribute to them anything that you like! We have no idea who this builder is, nor what his or her experience might be. We have no idea if you're quoting them accurately, or whether what they said on this topic was much more nuanced.

"I am quite certain that I know more about this than you do! Or anyway, my friend does." (See how silly and arrogant that kind of thing sounds?!)

The reason I didn't mentioned the builder's name is, simply that I didn't ask his permission to quote him, what I quoted was what he
answered me asking the very same question on humidifying in the case or in the room.

My reply is not a tactic or an untruth is you imply, merely to pass on what I learned from this builder, so it may help others.

[Jeff Mando]

Ah, I was wondering when this 'raging debate' would occur.

Dare I mention the "WARNING: Humidipak" thread from two years ago? Easy to find with a google search......

[peterleyenaar]

The thread is here:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...idipak-WARNING

enough said

[sblock]

Dare I mention the "WARNING: Humidipak" thread from two years ago? Easy to find with a google search......

Yes, and Emmett Marshall wrote this comment in that very thread:

"I'd wager that the percentage of people having issues with this product is quite minuscule. More often than not, for every one person who comes online and reports a negative experience, there are thousands more who have not had that experience. In the light of that, my experience has been positive and I expect that it will continue to be."

Amen to that.

Violin soloists who travel with expensive Stradivarius and Guarneri violins, worth far more than a Lloyd-Loar signed Gibson F5, routinely use humidifiers inside their cases. One of the more popular models is the Dampit (tm), which is also available in models for guitars, cellos, etc. It is impossible for the Dampit to leak because, as the name implies, it is merely a damp sponge housed in a rubber tube.

Some musicians have reported bad experiences, from time to time, with all sorts of instrument accessories. This includes strings, cases, case covers, straps, pickguards, tuners, picks, armrests, ToneGards ... and humidifiers. These experiences tend to be isolated and rare. If they were commonplace, no one would use these accessories. My advice would be to keep such reports in perspective, and not to allow scare tactics, overly broad pronouncements, and anecdotes to rule the day. Humidifiers that go inside the case are a good thing to use in a dry climate. And if you travel, there is no option to humidify the entire house. You don't travel with your house!

[pops1]

If you travel, most likely you will leave the heat on, and I doubt you will be taking every instrument you own with you. Maybe an instrument sitter will fill all the humidifiers in all the cases while you are gone. It is still simpler to humidify the house. It also helps your house and every thing made of wood in it. It also helps you, it feels warmer if it is not so dry. There are other health benefits of not being in a very dry environment.

[sblock]

If you travel, most likely you will leave the heat on, and I doubt you will be taking every instrument you own with you. Maybe an instrument sitter will fill all the humidifiers in all the cases while you are gone. It is still simpler to humidify the house. It also helps your house and every thing made of wood in it. It also helps you, it feels warmer if it is not so dry. There are other health benefits of not being in a very dry environment.

No one here is suggesting that it's a bad idea to humidify your house, particularly if you live in a dry environment. On the contrary! There are many benefits to having your house humidified, in fact. (But, of course, a home humidifier requires regular maintenance to avoid mold and clean filters, etc., and it costs significantly more than a case humidifier.) That said, not all of us have large collections of instruments. And not all of us own a home, for that matter! And some of us travel a lot with one particular instrument that we want to protect on the road. So, installing a home humidifier is not always the practical answer.

The discussion here, instead, is whether a case humidifier is sometimes warranted. Many, many musicians with valuable instruments use these routinely, and without incident.

[prairieschooner]

If you travel, most likely you will leave the heat on, and I doubt you will be taking every instrument you own with you. Maybe an instrument sitter will fill all the humidifiers in all the cases while you are gone. It is still simpler to humidify the house. It also helps your house and every thing made of wood in it. It also helps you, it feels warmer if it is not so dry. There are other health benefits of not being in a very dry environment.

Sorry Pops1, We travel in our Motorhome in the winter (as previously stated). I always winterize our cabin because we do not leave the heat on when we will be gone for a few months or better. I don't leave my mandolins (only two a Kentucky & now the Collings) behind because it could easily get below 15 degrees and when it that cold it gets dry, very dry. Besides when out camping I'd rather have the Kentucky KM254 when around the camp fire than the Collings MT2.