Dampit or dry

Here in Colorado Springs, humidity is typically 10-20%. A common question among violinists moving here is, "should I use a Dampit?" In case you're not familiar with them, a Dampit is a long, flexible tube with a sponge inside, used for increasing the humidity in an instrument case.

Dryness itself doesn't do much harm to an instrument. Changes in humidity, however, can cause seams to open. Open seams are easy and inexpensive to repair. Violins are glued with a relatively weak hide glue, so that stresses will just cause seams to come unglued before the wood itself cracks. Only on rare occasions does the wood crack, and that's usually with poorly-made violins or violins which have been subjected to extreme heat or cold.

Most of the violinists I know here do not use a Dampit (or any other humidifying device). Once the instrument is dried out, there's not much point to remoisturizing it.

In a dry climate like this, each time the instrument comes out of a humidified case for an extended playing session, then is put away again, you'll get a very rapid change in humidity. With each humidity change, the wood swells and contracts, putting strain on the seams (or on nascent cracks in the wood).

If you do use a Dampit, it must be kept moist to avoid dangerous humidity changes. Unless one is willing to check the Dampit regularly, it'll dry out and cause a big change in the humidity.

Now if you're visiting here from, say, Florida, I'd heartily recommend that you use a Dampit.