NAMM 2017: Product Spotlight – Boveda 2-Way Humidity Control System

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I am pretty sure that most guitarists know that humidity affects the way their instrument plays, and that long term exposure to environments that are too damp or too dry are detrimental to their axe. But how many actually do something about it? Lump me into that group too, I am just as guilty…

There have been desiccant packs and in-case humidifiers for years, but the user of these products has to know the what the actual humidity is to decide which solution to use, which can end up being a lot of work. The best solution would be a product that works to achieve the optimal humidity without a lot of user input, and it turns out that there is a product like this out there: the Boveda 2-Way Humidity Control system.

I thought the 2-Way Humidity Control system was pretty darned neat when I saw it last week as the NAMM show. Jason, Boveda’s VP of Operations, took the time to walk me through the details of the science and how it is applied, and I am now a believer in this technology.

This is an easy product to use, all you need to do is purchase the starter kit for $29.95, and you will be set within a few minutes. The kit includes four Boveda packs and two fabric holders. The packs are a paper-like material with a liquid in them, so they are kind of squishy. Put one or two of them in the fabric holders and hang them through the soundhole of your guitar or put them in the case and you are good to go -- nothing to soak, no hygrometer, and no drama. When it feels like the contents of the pack have dried out, it is time to replace it.

This sounds kind of magical, but there is legitimate science behind this product. There are a few scientific principles that state that a saturated solution of salt in water will maintain a constant level of relative humidity inside an enclosed chamber. You can vary the salts or type of salts to achieve different levels of relative humidity (for guitars 45% to 50%), put this solution into a bag with a semi-permeable membrane, and it will be able to maintain that lever of humidity inside a closed guitar case.

Thee are a few things to keep in mind, of course. The Boveda packs should last for 3 to 6 months, but if you have a wood case the first set will not last that long. The wood in the case can dry out, and it might need to be hydrated too. It is always a good idea to keep the case closed, even at gigs where you might leave it open, so it does not dry out again.

It is not possible to overdo things with the Boveda packs. The more you put in the case, the longer they will last. The science will not change, and they will continue to constantly adjust to the target relative humidity. It is a good idea to use the fabric holders that are provided in the starter kit, as they are soft and will help contain leaks should you happen to poke a hole in one of the packs. Also, keep in mind that Boveda sells these products with different target relative humidity levels for tobacco, food storage, and herbal medicines, so make sure you order the right stuff.

I think the Boveda 2-Way Humidity Control system is pretty slick, and it is cheap insurance to help prevent your instrument from cracking and warping. As I said, the starter pack is around $30, and you can buy 4-packs for $15.98. They supply this product to D’Addario too, so you might see them in their packaging at your local music store. For more details or to purchase online, go to bovedainc.com

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Epiphone Thunderbird Bass Hard Case Review

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Anyone that has a Gibson or Epiphone Thunderbird bass knows that you cannot buy one of these instruments and then stick it in a one-size-fits-all case. I tried a few hard and soft cases and none of them came close to fitting so I ended up having to order the factory case for my Epiphone Thunderbird Classic IV. It certainly was a mixed experience.

This is really the only choice, as I cannot figure out how to order one of the beautiful Gibson brand Canadian-made TKL cases, as they only sell them with the basses (and used ones are no bargain on eBay, either). So I shopped around and found that the Epiphone cases are the same prices everywhere, so I ordered one from Amazon to take advantage of their free shipping.

And when it showed up it was pretty much what I thought it would be. The case is made in China, and it is plywood covered with Tolex and lined on the inside with plush gray fuzz. There are three latches with a key-type lock on the center one. Does anybody actually lock their cases? The hinges seem solid enough, and will definitely outlast the Tolex. The bass fits like a glove, and there is no movement at all once it is nestled into its recess. The handle is comfortable, it balance well when carrying it and there is a huge storage are under the neck support. So far, so good.

It is heavier than hell, but then again it is made of wood so that is to be expected. But a legitimate concern is the quality of these cases. The Tolex is not terribly thick, and it appears that there was little effort to get sawdust and crap off the wood before they glued it down. This means that there are weird bumps all over the outside of the case. And worst of all, the screws that hold the center compartment in place missed their mark, so it is not held in by anything.

I debated about whether I should try to fix it myself, but decided that if I did and really screwed it up they would not let me return it. So it went back to Amazon and they shipped a new one out immediately and I had it in hand a few days later. The replacement case was the same, but with the compartment properly screwed into place. Good enough.

As I said, the Epiphone Thunderbird bass hard case is the only game in town, but at least it is not super-expensive. The list price for one of these cases is $148 and the street price is $97.50 – just make sure you buy it from a retailer with a good return policy in case it is not up to snuff.

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SKB 1SKB-300 ¾ Size Guitar Hard Case Review

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I travel a few dozen times per year for my day job, and to keep my fingers in shape (and to kill the endless hotel hours) I usually take along a guitar on my trips. I used to take a Martin Backpacker, but it is such a miserable chunk of crap, that I eventually found a Little Martin LX which is a lot more pleasurable to play.

The Little Martin is a ¾-sized guitar that comes with a nice padded gig bag that fits in the overhead compartment or front closet on most of the flight I take. Unfortunately, on small regional jets there just is not enough room for it and it has to be gate checked, which makes me really nervous. I did some searching around the internet and ended up with a nice molded hardshell case, the SKB 1SKB-300, which took away a lot of the worry.

The 1SKB-300 is specifically designed for the Martin LX (Little Martin) and Baby Taylor models. It fits a lot of the other ¾-size guitars as well, but it will not fit the Taylor GS Mini. Trust me, I have tried. Generally, it should fit guitars with a lower bout of 12.5 inches, an upper bout of 9.25 inches, a boy length of 16 inches and an over length of 34.75 inches.

This SKB case is made of blow-molded plastic with an extruded aluminum channel that seals the lid to the body of the case. To further protect the guitar there is EPS foam insulation (like in a motorcycle helmet) and some sort of synthetic fuzzy stuff on the inside. Inside you will find a storage cavity that will hold a tuner or a strap (but probably not both) and a key for the typical useless guitar case lock. Outside there are three chrome latches, including one with the aforementioned lock.

When my case arrived, I put my Little Martin in it, and it fit like a glove. The neck was very well supported, and there was no movement at all when the lid is shut. Unfortunately, the lid has never set completely flat, so it needs to be pressed down a bit to get it to latch. This is common with these cases, and I am willing to live with it. The latches work fine, but I worry that they are stuck to the outside of the case with no ridges to protect them, so I do not know how they will hold up to regular baggage handler abuse. On the plus side, SKB stands behind their products with terrific warranties and they are really good about replacing broken hardware The molded plastic handle is comfortable enough, but it would be nice if there were eyelets so that a shoulder or possibly even backpack straps could be attached.

This does not seem like too much to ask, because the SKB 1SKB-300 is awfully expensive for such a small, no-frills case. The list price for one of these is $144.99 with a street price of $99.99. It you are considering one of these, it would behoove you to keep your eye on Amazon, as the price for this fluctuates quite a bit – I have seen them as low as $65 to $75, which is quite a steal, especially if you get Amazon Prime free shipping.

This case is one of the only games in town, so if you are looking for a hard case for 3/4 –size guitar, you might want to pick one of these up.

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SKB 1SKB19-P12 ATA Pop-up 12U Mixer Case Review

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Mixing boards are covered with oodles of small knobs and fader switches, all of which are easy to break off if you even look at them funny. Once broken off, it is usually not easy to find direct replacements (in a timely manner), and it usually takes plenty of labor to disassemble the mixer and replace the parts, if it is even possible. It is better to protect your mixer in the first place, which is why I really appreciate products like the SMB 1SKB-P12 Mixer case.

SKB has been around since 1977, and they make molded polymer cases for most everything you can think of, from sporting goods to military applications to musical equipment. Many manufacturers (such as Fender and MusicMan) provided SKB-sourced cases for their instruments. SMB has tremendous customer support and offers a lifetime warranty on many of their products.

I got this 1SKB-P12 case to use with my Yamaha MC166CX mixing board, which is just about a direct fit for this unit. SMB specs this as a 12-space rack, and Yamaha says their mixer is 12 spaces tall. Somebody is wrong (Yamaha, it turns out), because after I installed it there was one space left at the top, which is fine because I can install a pre-amplifier or power conditioner in that spot. It is the standard rack width (19 inches) and it can handle mixing boards that are up to 5 inches deep.

The case it made of molded polyethylene (in fashionable black), and is pretty big on the outside. It measures 27 x 24 x 10 inches, and weighs a little over 16 pounds when it is empty. It has two latches with built-in TSA-approved locks, should you happen to feel comfortable turning your mixing board over to the baggage handlers (I cannot imagine a situation where I would actually need to lock it). The hinges on the opposite side of the case are designed so that the lid can be easily removed during performances. Oh, and there is a fairly comfortable handle provided too.

The best part of the case is that rack is mounted to a ratcheting mechanism, so it can be tilted up for easier viewing and reachability. The ratchet provides plenty of stops so you can find an angle that is best for you, and to return it to flat again, just pull the rack up to its highest angle and the ratchets will release and allow it to fold down.

Looking at the case, there is no way I am going to be able to break this thing, in fact it meets meets ATA 300 Category 1 specifications. This means it should be good for a minimum of 100 common carrier trips. And after using the case a few times I have no gripes. The ratchets and hardware are up to the task, and the material they made the case from is super tough. Plus I am able to fit a few extra microphone cables and my usual paperwork into the case, which makes my other road cases not quite as over-packed as they normally would be. I think it is a winner.

The 1SKB-P12 is a fantastic case, and it delivers everything that is promised, but man oh man it is expensive. It has a list price of $405, and a street price of $269 which is a lot of cash but it is worth it to protect your investment, not to mention getting all of your gear to the gig in one piece.

Mahalo!

SKB SKB-1200 Microphone Case Review

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Today we are looking at yet another product that I do not know how I lived without: the SKB SKB-1200 microphone case. This is a very good product at a reasonable price.

For the longest time I stored my microphones in the little vinyl bags they came with and tossed them into a road case with the rest of my cables whenever I needed to take them somewhere. I finally decided that I had tempted fate long enough and started looking for a dedicated microphone case.

The SKB-1200 looked good in the pictures, and I decided to give it a try. It has a foam insert with individual spaces for 12 microphones, as well as two roomy compartments for cables, microphone clips, or whatnot.

It measures about 18-inches by 14-inches by 14-inches, and weighs in around 10 pounds empty. This is pretty heavy, as they made it to last from military specification polyethylene. This material is molded into ridges to stiffen the case and to protect the two lockable latches, so they are less likely to get torn off in transit.

It is an ATA-approved case, meeting 300 class Category I requirements, which is the highest rating they give. It is so tough that SKB gives it their unconditional lifetime warranty, meaning that if it is broken they will repair or replace it.

This case has done well for me, with just a bit of wear to the foam over the past few years. The latches and spring-loaded carry handle still work well, and there are no cracks in the case. Needless to say, I have not had any microphones broken in transit.

The MSRP for the SKB-1200 is $216.99 with a street price of $159.99. If this product keeps you from breaking a single beta microphone you will be saving money, so if you do any live sound work you need to pick one up pronto.

Mahalo!