Is my eletric guitar in danger due low/no humidity applied?

Question

I bought a very expensive (for me) Dean from Hell signature which is limited to 150 pieced worldwide (in fact its the #121 of 150 of these: https://reverb.com/au/item/1390256-dean-usa-dime-from-hell-ml-limited-150). I am a huge Pantera Fan and a learning guitar player. That's why I do not want to play on it right now - I am not ready for it ;)

As you might guess I am not very proficient when it comes to guitar maintanence and technic at all. I just heard about the issue of humidity for guitar and that low or no humidity will destroy guitar! This is a complete horror scenario for me not only cause it's limited but also that I might lose a lot of value from it.

So this guitar is in its case for about a year and throughout this year it was stored in a storage room, cellar and lastly under my bed.

I have never applied any humidity due the lack of knowledge and just by coincidence heard about the importance.

Several questions I do have now:

1.) Is the guitar most likely to be broken by now? Or is there a chance nothing happened to it? 2.) How can I give it the humidity it needs and how do I figure out what level of humidity that might be? Are there case humidity devices or do I need to place it in a room and apply the humidity to the whole room?

Please help me before it's too late :(

Answer 1

Solid-body guitars are in general pretty forgiving, in comparison with acoustic guitars or bowed strings.
Obviously avoid storing it in a car parked in the sun or in some moldy cave/cellar, but other than that you should be fine. The body of such a guitar is too bulky and well-sealed to be affected much by humidity or lack thereof (unless the wood hasn't been properly slow-dried before manufacture), and the neck, even if it should change its shape slightly, can be re-adjusted using the truss rod. The through-body neck is an argument for being a bit extra careful since it can't just be replaced.

Honestly though... a) no offense meant, but, consider if you put a bit too much emphasis into that limited edition buzz. It's just a guitar, probably not really any better than off-the-shelf ones. b) if you have a nice guitar, play it! If you like it so much, play it more! If it gets damaged, have it repaired! Shame to lock a good instrument away that could make nice music. If you don't want to play it, lend it to someone you trust.

Answer 2

If in doubt, buy a humidity meter (hygrometer). Comfortable levels indoors are about 30 to 55% RH. If it's OK for a person, then it's OK for a musical instrument as well.

You don't have to "apply" humidity to an instrument, just keep it in a good environment that's not damp and not bone dry.

If you do live in a particularly damp place, consider buying a dehumidifier (or fixing whatever is causing the damp!). If you live in a particularly dry place, consider a humidifier instead.