Home › Forums › Discuss Your Gear › Best way to store guitars?
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February 26, 2017 at 2:59 pm #64088
Can anyone advise best way to keep a guitar on day to day basis…when not being played! In hard case or just on a stand, Temperature, humidity…???
So question is for Acoustic, semi-hollow, and solid electric. -
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February 26, 2017 at 3:28 pm #64100
Ian,
I think generally guitars should be stored with humidity in the 40-50% range and temps not below 60 and not above 85 degrees F. So storage depends on your climate. If your house stays in these ranges, you can certainly store a guitar in a stand (although maybe there is more chance to damage it that way).I live in a dry climate so I have to humidify the guitar to keep it in those ranges. My two better guitars (acoustic and archtop) are kept in a case with a humidifying system. I made mine with a small plastic case into which I drilled holes. I keep a damp sponge in the plastic case. I have a bluetooth monitor so I know when the sponges need to be dampened. I also have an electric guitar and and old acoustic guitar that I don’t humidify and I have never had a problem with them, but I would not recommend that to others.
Hope this helps.
Bob
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February 26, 2017 at 9:08 pm #64181
Assuming you are not going on holiday and leaving your guitar in storage, there is this to consider:
A while back I read about some research done on the benefits of “micro-practice”. Huge learning benefits. It goes like this: Never store your guitar. Keep it on the wall or on a stand in a place you frequently walk past. Then several times a day (more is better) when you pass by your guitar, pick it up and play whatever you’re working on for a couple of minutes – maybe one time through the hard part of a lesson. Then put it back and go about your business. I’ve been having a major increase in learning by doing this. Try it and see if it works for you. Of course if your guitar becomes waterlogged or dries out and shrivels up, you’ll just have to go buy a new one….
Sunjamr Steve
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February 27, 2017 at 3:16 am #64229
I am in the process of moving and keeping my guitars in humidity in the 40-50% range and temps not below 60 and not above 85 degrees. might be problematic for the next few months. I had planed to keep both of my guitars cased.
question: how much does a case help in protecting a guitar from temperature change ?
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February 27, 2017 at 1:50 pm #64291
When I lived in Minnesota, my guitars stayed in their cases, with damp-it’s to keep the humidity up. Here outside Houston, we never have that issue, and I keep the three in different rooms, basically doing what Steve has recommended, but I never thought about it that way. My wife recently commented that it’s like there’s a guitar in every room. I neglected to tell her that we still have eight rooms with no guitar…
For what it’s worth, an acoustic or hollow body will be more prone to damage from dryness, and also much harder to repair if it happens. A cracked soundboard sucks.
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February 28, 2017 at 5:43 am #64364
My wife recently commented that it’s like there’s a guitar in every room. I neglected to tell her that we still have eight rooms with no guitar…
you should follow her suggestion! you noe have permission to get eight more guitars!
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March 2, 2017 at 11:29 am #64532
Thanks for responses. I like the idea of always keeping the guitar handy to play when you pass it. Unfortunately climate here is damp outside and at the moment quite cold40 to 50f..so really need to watch the central heating doesn’t dry the OR overheat the rooms.
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May 11, 2017 at 11:19 am #70152
I m new here and found found this post. It is a while ago..but i have same problems cause i m regular a long time away from home and here in germany we have also 4 seasons..specially the dry winter and summer with higher humidity, May be someone is interested in how i handle that.
Once a guitar builder here in Berlin told me simply to follow the rule.. a guitar feels good where a human feels well..
so that means about 50-60% humidity and about 21 degrees C, ( i don’t know in the moment how much is it in F )And he suggest to use Ballistol oil (weapon oil), thats the only oil what is made for protecting wood and steel as well and its nice for cleaning too, its very thin so it can penetrate the wood deeply and keeps it moisturized.
So what i simply do before i leave home for a long time..i clean it with a good amount of Ballistol, not polishing, tune the strings a little bit down and put them in the case and store them in a safe, not too cold as well not in a too warm room.
I d never had a problem with any of my guitars since i do so..
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May 12, 2017 at 1:38 am #70185
I have all my guitars (mainly) upstairs in my house. Here I have problems with the humidity in the rooms when the heating is on in the cold autumn until the cold spring. For this purpose, I use room humidifiers. They maintain room humidity between 45- and 55% (at about 20°-22° C / 68° – 72° F) . In addition, I have in the acoustic guitars, a plastic case with a damp sponge. It’s between the strings.
With the semi-akusitischen guitars I do not make it, of course, because it is not possible.Play guitar just like you live; don't get bogged down in theory, it's just a tool without feeling.
Wilfried
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May 12, 2017 at 6:01 am #70195
Mine are on the wall, as the temperature and humidity are stable. And thinking about it, I have more guitars then rooms 🙂 Mission accomplished.
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May 12, 2017 at 6:55 am #70199
Great topic, thanks for all the great suggestions. I usually play only one guitar (gotta break out of that but the unamplified Guild suits my apartment-dwelling early morning, late night practice needs). When I leave for more than half an hour or so, I keep it in the case. The Oasis humidifiers are great for acoustics with big round soundholes, but I use a thin sponge in a plastic sandwich baggy (heavyweight so it doesn’t tear), punched with many dozens of pinholes, to fit in the f holes.
And I keep the Oasis in the 2 acoustics (I use all 3 through about the same period that I need heat, October to May).
Sunjamr Steve, although it’s hard to measure, even to perceive, our own growth, I think what you said about the short practices is true.
Six 10-minute sessions beats one 60-minute session most of the time. But then the epic weekend sessions really serve a good purpose too, not least, the enjoyment of feeling like I’ve played a concert.
Don D.
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May 12, 2017 at 7:34 am #70204
You don’t want to leave guitars outside of the recommended temperate zone. 40^50% humidity give or take it can fluctuate but i like on the wall in temperate room ,, sometimes too long in a case with humidity can cause musky order because of mold spores will react with wood. That is why outside of case is good idea but in a humidity controlled room. winter months when heat dries you want to add moisture to raise humidity preferably 40% to 60%,, summertime too with home A/C running you need to add or monitor humidity levels sometimes it is better to just use humidifiers in the hardshells
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