About storing guitars...

[rapfohl09]

Hey guys, I am off to college soon. Unfortunately all of my guitars mean to much to me to take them with me. So im going to be putting them in their respective cases and putting them under a blanket on my bed. My room is in the basement, which gets humid in the summer, but drys out in the winter. Would that be ok or should I take some extra steps? Thanks.

 

[jimh]

If you are not intending to play them for a while, I'd just say slacken the strings off. Other than that you'll probably be ok. Other may have better opinions.  :dontknow:

 

[Mor Paul]

Other may have better opinions.  :dontknow:

I have a storage area. Climate controlled. No extreme temperatures. Radio. Keyboard. Guitar stands. And a bed. Constant supervision.

 

[jerryjg]

:icon_biggrin:
^ Oh good. Would you please store my  '02 Flying V, '80 SG std. , '05 Les Paul  and '08 SG Classic  for me for about 5 years?

 

[Mor Paul]

Ha, I'll take Wino  :toothy10:
:laughing7:

 

[tfarny]

I'll take em Jer! I live in NYC where the weather is different every day but usually is bad for guitars, but what the heck!  :hello2: PM for my address.  :evil4:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

We've all heard the Jaco story about his upright in Florida. 

I think acoustics handle it worse because they "breathe" more with a big hole exposing unfinished wood.  (That's not supposed to be dirty.)

But seriously, if you're leaving them there, and the house is still occupied, I would assume the house is central heat and air?  Why would it be any different than when you're there.  I mean, is it just "stored" because you're away.  The conditions at the house shouldn't be any different because you're gone, right?  They were fine then.

 

[BobR55]

I respectfully don't agree with JIMH. If your action has been setup and has been stable for some time, your neck wood and trussrod are balanced against the tension of the strings and they are at equilibrium - no movement. I would be concerned that if you slacken the strings the trussrod will have a predominating force on the neck and a permanent backbow might result.
I would not suggest doing anything. Just clean and dry your strings and store it at full tension.  My acoustic has sat for 30 years strung at tension with no adverse effect.
If this scares you and you want to neutralize the system slacken the strings and the trussrod, too. IMHO

 

[Alfang]

I agree with BobR55, jimh's suggestion is the common answer that I've heard over the years.

But if you think about it, it's almost the same as saying, " tighten your strings up a few turns and store your guitar"

I have heard that while traveling on an airplane to loosen strings, I haven't tried to figure that one out yet, cuz I won't fly anyway. ( I used to fly alot and I feel i've used up my safe flying hours, my next flight will crash, It's not funny, I'm serious)

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The tighten/loosen advice is difficult.  For Airplanes, you have to loosen the strings, the temperature and pressure changes associated with altitude and the string tension will kill an instrument in the storage hold of a plane.  The loosening of the strings is to keep them from snapping over time as the weaken with age.  What I have been told, and follow is to loosen the strings about 1 step down (to D from E) to ease up with out removing tension, and keep in a hard case upright.  The case buffers temperature and humidity changes (inside versus outside your house idea,) and the upright in the case is supposed to stop odd movement from long term gravity effects of storage.  Also it is easier to put a number of cases upright in a closet, and this avoids any rouge three year old's from using the case as a jump off point, hopefully, avoiding neck injuries.  Interpret that last part how ever you see fit...
Patrick

 

[Alfang]

if the only reason for loosening strings is to prevent strings from breaking, I say leave em and let em break, I don't really think they will, besides, your gonna wanna change strings to new ones anyway when you take it outta storage

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

He's not storing it, if I understand correctly.  He's leaving them at home and moving away for college.  Why would he do anything differently?  I left my guitars at home when I went away to college.  When I lived at home, they stayed in cases.  When I lived 3 1/2 hours away, they stayed in cases at home.  No difference.

 

[Mor Paul]

Well, I'm going to repeat my suggestion of storing them at my place  :laughing7:

 

[Alfang]

He's not storing it, if I understand correctly.  He's leaving them at home and moving away for college.  Why would he do anything differently?  I left my guitars at home when I went away to college.  When I lived at home, they stayed in cases.  When I lived 3 1/2 hours away, they stayed in cases at home.  No difference.

I don't care where he leaves the guitar, If he's not playen it, it's stored...even if he leaves it on a guitar stand.  In the post title he asks about storing guitars.  So you do not understand correctly.  He's not gonna play them for a while, and was asking our opinion on how to STORE them for a while.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I understand completely.  There's several of us that have multiple guitars.  Some of them may go months w/out being played.  They may be on stands, wall hangers. or in cases.  Are they stored, are they hurt?

 

[Alfang]

You haven't a clue do you?  He said he's storing them, define it however you want, your previous post seemed to argue the definition of storing a guitar, it's a broad definition for which you tried to change the basic subject.

You have in fact backed up my response to your previous post. I'm not trying to argue with you, but if you STFU we'll both be correct!  And super turbo....I mean that in a good way  :toothy10:

 

[jerryjg]

You haven't a clue do you?  He said he's storing them, define it however you want, your previous post seemed to argue the definition of storing a guitar, it's a broad definition for which you tried to change the basic subject.

You have in fact backed up my response to your previous post. I'm not trying to argue with you, but if you STFU we'll both be correct!  And super turbo....I mean that in a good way   :toothy10:

I think the OP mispelled his subject.
I think he meant to say he's asking about  "stoning" his guitars.
I would like to tell the OP not to stone your guitars.First of all, thats an archaic form of punishment. If you don;t like your guitars, then sell them, but don't stone them.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

You haven't a clue do you?  He said he's storing them, define it however you want, your previous post seemed to argue the definition of storing a guitar, it's a broad definition for which you tried to change the basic subject.

You have in fact backed up my response to your previous post. I'm not trying to argue with you, but if you STFU we'll both be correct!  And super turbo....I mean that in a good way   :toothy10:

I guess I am clueless.  I don't know why he needs to do anything different.  Stored, unstored, whatever.  Put 'em up and go to college.

 

[smavridis]

You haven't a clue do you?  He said he's storing them, define it however you want, your previous post seemed to argue the definition of storing a guitar, it's a broad definition for which you tried to change the basic subject.

You have in fact backed up my response to your previous post. I'm not trying to argue with you, but if you STFU we'll both be correct!  And super turbo....I mean that in a good way   :toothy10:

I think the OP mispelled his subject.
I think he meant to say he's asking about  "stoning" his guitars.
I would like to tell the OP not to stone your guitars.First of all, thats an archaic form of punishment. If you don;t like your guitars, then sell them, but don't stone them.

that answers a lot of questions...

 

[Alfang]

I am so glad you guys have a sense o humor, you guys rock, especially super turbo supercharged porche custom 911 deluxe, or whatever you go by