Grateful Dead Music Forum

So I just moved all my stuff into the basement of my parents house. It gets damp down there and the floor can get wet if it rains enough so my mom told me to run the dehumidifier at all times. Now that sounds like it could be verrrry bad for my guitar. Any way around this? Maybe if it was in a case would it still be affected? And will the dehumifidier really do much damage?

Sounds like youre in a win-lose situation here. If I was you, Id leave the guitars upstairs for safe keeping in a closet or something. If you leave them downstairs, Id still run the dehumidifier, but not all the time, and remember to check on your babies regularly.

Blob
A general rule for collectibles is always store them on the 2nd floor if you can.
Where temp and humidity are more likely to remain the same year round.The change from wet to dry to hot to wet is what does a lot of stuff in.
My basement is way too wet for electronics and my attic jam room is hot and dry in the summer.I keep my gits on the 2nd floor.
I think I remember you said you were moving soon - try not to leave the gits anywhere too crazy.
Good luck

I understand the problem with humidity, but what problem does the dehumidifier bring? It's obviously gonna improve the humidity, but you guys seem to see some negative that im not. What is the downsider of the dehumidifer?

Nothing wrong with a dehumidifier.I got one in the basement too.
But I'm not thinking its gonna save my collectibles from ruin.I live in an old house so I gotta live with it.damp basement.
I keep my gits in the hallway by the steps to my "Attic Man Cave".The wife hates it,but tough luck woman,dont mess with the gits.
It gets hot in the attic- so hot guitars go out of tune after awhile.Summer sucks.
Theres just too much varation in temp and humidity to keep the good stuff in the basement or the attic.
Comic books,Star Trek shit,football cards,etc.

I keep my stuff in the basement, it's my man cave, and that just works for me. The basement is not too damp mostly. I bought a thermometer, barometer, humidity gauge thing from a flea market, you see them around, some bizarre decorating scheme from the 60's; and it seems to work.
Right now it is at about 40% humidity, after a winter that I was very dry and itchy. I bought a damp-it humidifier for my guitar case just a few weeks ago even though the guy at the shop was honest and said that the need for it was about over til next winter. I figure I'll throw it in the pipe tobacco jar when the humidity nears 50%.