Review of Oasis Guitar Humidifiers,
Vintage Guitar Magazine, October 2006

Midnight at the Oasis

I live in one of the driest places in the United States. Anything made of wood, if not protected, will shrink up quicker than a polar bear club member's unit on the first of January. Every acoustic instrument I own has at least one, and often two humidifiers to keep it healthy. But even with all those devices in place I always keep an eye out for new humidification systems that can deliver more moisture with less chance of water damage. The new Oasis guitar humidifier is such a device.

Developed by David Hepple of Columbia, Maryland, the Oasis combines an often-used physical shape with some new technology to make a clever product. At first look the Oasis resembles just another “snake” style humidifier that hangs from a flattop guitar's strings. But first impressions can be deceiving. Instead of a sponge foam interior to hold water the Oasis uses water-absorbing crystals. And instead of merely an outer sheath populated by a bunch of holes the Oasis is a sealed vacuum system with a porous outer membrane. As the Oasis dries out the compartment holding the water actually shrinks, and it deflates, making it look similar to a half-filled balloon.

I first tried the Oasis system in my CA graphite guitar which lives on a stand in my office. I wanted to make sure the Oasis didn't leak and I wanted to watch it deflate. Under normal conditions in a guitar case the instructions predict the Oasis will only need to be refilled every two to four weeks. In my guitar it only took four days for the Oasis to show signs of desiccation. After a couple of refills I felt secure enough in the vacuum seal's ability to prevent leaks or wicking to place it in a wooden instrument. I'm pleased to report that the Oasis worked quite successfully in a guitar case. Even in dry Colorado climes it only needed to be refilled every two weeks.

Although the Oasis may look like a short snake style humidifier, it avoids the snake's proclivity for leaking and wicking into a guitar's wooden sides and back. Unlike the Keyser humidifier, which covers a flattop's entire guitar hole, the Oasis humidifies both the interior and exterior of an instrument. Also unlike the Keyser, which uses foam which needs to be wrung out and can be victim to mildew, rot, and mineral-rich water, the Oasis' replaceable crystals promise longer useful life with less danger of leaks. Compared the Planet Waves sound hole humidifier the Oasis offers equal protection from leaks and equal whole-guitar humidification, but the Oasis also delivers instant feedback as to whether it needs to be refilled.

Available for $19.95 directly from Oasis at WWW.Oasishumdifiers.com this device may not be the least expensive humidifier on the market, but it is certainly the safest and most user-friendly in-guitar humidifier I've tested.

Steven Stone
Columnist
Vintage Guitar Magazine