Popeye

Cindy- I have not tried the smart sensors. I can see some value from a convenience standpoint. It would allow you to view Humidity level without opening the guitar case. This is important if your in a real dry area and you do not want to expose the instrument and nullify your humidity packs by opening and checking the hygrometer daily. Depends if this is a guitar you are storing for periods of time. Everyday used guitars are coming out of the case and cycling air on a daily bases. When I remove my guitar from the case to play, I set the three Boveda packs back in the case and snap it shut to continue the process while I play. There are some parts of the country where the humidity levels are touchy and you need all the help you can. When I get a low humidity, reading do to a stretch of dry weather, I will watch for those days when it gets back in the 50- 60% range and open the guitar case and expose the inner case to the 55% for as long as I can to help stabilize the case again.

This is a great testimony about how powerful our guitar family is.....we have a great tool in the forum to share and converse; we establish a trust to share and value others comments and experiences; we are fortunate to share a common goal with people of with the same goals that are truly nice people. Patlam & Matonanjin story is an examples of what transpires daily here on our forum. Pat's skills of repairing damaged guitars is well know. His heart for sharing and giving is even bigger and greater. Matonanjin shares and spend a fair amount of time helping on this forum. Well done Pat and Matonanjin. Great story!

Bovida packs work in the guitar humidity bags..... two in the sound hole and one in the neck head stock compartment of the case, I use 72% 3ea per case. These keep my guitar at 50-55%. I shop sales in Amazon and order when I find these at about 2.00 - 2.50 per pack. Depending on your local humidity levels and the type of case ( My Taylor case is tighter and these last 4-5 months. My Martin case these last 2-3 months. Boveda Technology Works Two Ways Whether it’s food, cigars, cigarettes, RYO, chewing tobacco or herbal medicine, these products lose their character if the humidity isn’t right. Too much humidity is just as bad as being too dry, especially when mold enters the picture. Boveda’s patented technology adds or removes humidity as conditions require, maintaining the specific moisture content engineered into each pack. Available in three sizes and a range of RH levels, there’s a Boveda for every package, container, and personal taste. What Humidity Level Do I Need? Boveda is available in relative humidity levels of 62, 65, 69, 72, 75, and 84% (exclusively for seasoning). All Boveda are accurate to +/- 1% of the RH printed on the pack in an air-tight environment. Humidors are not air tight. Depending on humidor quality and ambient conditions, it’s not uncommon for the actual RH to be stable anywhere from 2-6 points below the Boveda RH you’ve chosen. This is why we recommend 72% for your first set after seasoning. If it’s 72 on the nose, you’re perfect. If it drops a few points, you’re still perfect. Based on how your humidor performs, you can decide whether to move to 62, 65, 69, or 75. How Do I Know When Boveda Needs To Be Replaced? All Boveda will turn into a solid wafer when they’re dead. So it’s short of that, when there aren’t many soft spots left, that you’ll want to replace them. Pronounced crystallization and hardening of the corners first is completely normal. What Makes Boveda Different? All humidification products are not created equal, and we know it’s difficult to cut through all of the misinformation out there. Below are some simple points which we believe will help consumers (and retailers) understand the important differences between the various types of humidification on the market. If you think your humidification device is "regulating" to a certain RH level because the packaging says so, it's very simple to test. Place the (filled) device in a clear air-tight container with a hygrometer and let it sit for 24 hours. Only Boveda will still be reading at the RH level it's supposed to, because it's the only true two-way humidity control. How Many Boveda Do I Need? Humidor Capacity Wood Plastic 0-50 2+ 1 50-100 2-4+ 1 100-150 4-6+ 2 150-200 6-8+ 2 200-250 8-10+ 2-3 How Do I Choose The Right Number Of Boveda? We recommend using at least one large 60 gram Boveda per 25 cigars your humidor holds, even if it isn’t full. It’s still air space and wood that needs proper humidification. Because Boveda will never over-humidify beyond the number on the pack, using more than is recommended will just work more efficiently and need to be replaced less often. Air-tight containers like plastic tupperdors and travel humidors don't need as much horsepower to keep humidified because they don't leak as much air. The Boveda Isn't Reaching The Number On The Pack - What's Wrong? This is a common question and the solution always boils down to one (or more) of these three issues: You didn't season your humidor or it needs to be re-seasoned because it's winter or you live in a very dry climate. Your hygrometer needs to be calibrated. You're not using enough or the right size Boveda. Note: Do not mix Boveda RH levels within the same humidor, and do not use Boveda in the same humidor with other humidification products. They will fight against each other and reduce the efficiency of the Boveda.

The ideal humidity range for an acoustic guitar is 45-55 percent, but 40-60 percent is generally acceptable.

Keep after it Doug.......I played Pretty Woman for a month before the two riffs fell into the muscle memory mode and it just started working!

Try this......roll your index (bar finger) slightly toward the nut while making a bar chord, it usually helps. This along with relaxing everything while getting the elbow position, wrist angle, fingers to hit all the right strings and frets.........nothing to it! Keep on getting after them barre chords.....it will all fall together with practice, patience and perseverance!

I am a Clapton fan and looking forward to "Life in 12 Bars"!

Steve- As always......you are a class act all the way. Thank you for putting this together and allowing the Guitar Family to continue our journeys together!