What's the Verdict? Tension or no tension?

[DustyCat]

If you have more than one guitar, chances are that you might store the ones you are not playing at the moment in their cases.

So...what if a good chunk of time goes by before you take them out again for playing?
I'm talking a couple of years of not playing a guitar.
My question is, to keep the strings taught and tuned as if they are ready to be played at any time?
Or....leave the strings slack as to relieve the tension on the neck?
I've heard both sides, and even a compromise of de-tuning the strings an octave lower than standard tuning.

Personally, I leave the strings on my babies taught and tuned to standard tuning, and when I pull them out, they usually keep their tuning  :hello2:with maybe some minor tweaks....however, violinists have told me they loosen the strings  :dontknow: of their bows when not using them, so I figured some of the guys here who build instruments, and have harnessed such an intimate feel for the instrument would know and be able to give a straight answer.

Keep the strings taught and tuned? or loosen and detune???  :icon_scratch: :help: :dontknow:

Thanks!

-DC

PS. I regret to say that I am not very proficient with maintenance of my babies.  :sad:
And even after 16 years of playing, I am unable to set up a guitar like a tech/luthier would be able to.

 

[reluctant-builder]

I'm not totally sure of this, but I think violins may not have truss rods, which provide a force to counter string tension, so slackening the strings prevents the neck from developing a permanent back bow. With a guitar, unless there's some fear of "wearing out" the truss rod, I guess, there isn't the need to slacken the strings because doing so will require you to slacken the truss rod as well, otherwise you'll end up with a neck with up bow and likely ruin the neck.

I never leave my guitars unplayed for long, so I can't attest to their shape after sitting idle for long periods ... but if I've got the ideal balance between string tension and truss rod tension, I leave it be.

 

[mayfly]

When a violinist takes the tension off the bow, it's the bow hairs that they are worried about.  Note that they don't take the tension off the strings on the violin itself.

 

[reluctant-builder]

When a violinist takes the tension off the bow, it's the bow hairs that they are worried about.  Note that they don't take the tension off the strings on the violin itself.

Ah, good catch. I completely missed that he was talking about the bow and not the strings. I might have been derailed by that mid-sentence emoticon ... or, more likely, I lazily read the post.  :doh:

 

[pabloman]

The truss rod applies tension against the stings. So backing of the string tension and replying it continuously seems like it could pose problems. Necks are designed to be under tension so I can't see releasing it for storage.

 

[Cagey]

If you played it every day for 15 years, the neck would be under tension the whole time, right? So, what's the difference between playing it every day or letting it sit? None.

 

[SkuttleFunk]

unless you are going to loosen the trussrod proportionately to how far you de-tune, keep it tuned to pitch. this is what your neck was designed for

it's not a classical guitar without a trussrod

it's not an accoustic


same thing for shipping a guitar - keep it tuned to pitch (half step detune at most, but why?) unless you also loosen the trussrod proportionately (i.e. totally loose strings = totally loose trussrod)  this is exactly how all the major companies and boutique builders ship their uber expensive custom intruments.

all the best,

R

 

[Updown]

Yep Violin Bows have 150 -200 bits of Horse's hair (poor horse's  :toothy11: ) that needs to be loosened off after using, Plus you need to use Rosin on the bow strings.

A hell of a lot different to guitar strings.
I leave all my guitars in the standard tuning when stored in cases.  :icon_biggrin:
Doesn't mater if it's a though neck or bolt on or a warmoth pro or whatever.

PS. I regret to say that I am not very proficient with maintenance of my babies.  :sad:
And even after 16 years of playing, I am unable to set up a guitar like a tech/luthier would be able to.

Hey .. DustyCat
This is exactly why I started building some guitars for myself ..... to learn the in's & outs, to be able to adjust & setup my own guitars.
I was dead-set afraid of even touching my Gibsons (not that they need to be) but if ever needed to, I can now !!

Myself knew nothing at all in setups etc at the start of this year  :sad:

With purchases of some good tools / books & measuring devices etc .....  :blob7: I know what to do  :blob7:
Like ... http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Cleaning,_maintenance/Basic_Setup_Kit.html
This book helped a lot .... http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Building_and_repair:_Guitar,_electric/How_To_Make_Your_Electric_Guitar_Play_Great.html
Plus all the good tips / advice from all here at the Forum.

All thou .... One thing I won't touch is the fret filing or any fret work .... I haven't learnt that part yet.  :toothy11:
Cheers  ccasion14:

 

[Cagey]

All thou .... One thing I won't touch is the fret filing or any fret work .... I haven't learnt that part yet.  :toothy11: Cheers  ccasion14:

You need the right tools for that, too, and you can spend some serious money there. You can spend up several hundred dollars in a hurry, and you won't be done. Then, lots of study is good. But, really, the thing you need most is some guitars whose fate is already more or less sealed. That is, necks that if you screw up, nobody's gonna lose any sleep over them. Kinda like medical school corpses. It doesn't even matter if there's no chance of making them playable - what you want is some frets to play with. You can graduate up to guitars that people might want back but don't particularly care about - tell them "free fret dressing, but don't get excited". Then, you move on to necks that people do care about. But, at that point, you should be in good shape. the proper tools and knowing what the end result should be will carry you quite a way, and the experience will do the rest.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Always keep the tension on the neck.

 

[DustyCat]

If you played it every day for 15 years, the neck would be under tension the whole time, right? So, what's the difference between playing it every day or letting it sit? None.

E-X-A-C-T-L-Y!!! :icon_thumright:


(Althoguh, actually I think there would be more tension if I played for 15 years cause bending increases the pitch because the tension) :doh:

 

[DustyCat]

Hey .. DustyCat
This is exactly why I started building some guitars for myself ..... to learn the in's & outs, to be able to adjust & setup my own guitars.
I was dead-set afraid of even touching my Gibsons (not that they need to be) but if ever needed to, I can now !!

Myself knew nothing at all in setups etc at the start of this year  :sad:

With purchases of some good tools / books & measuring devices etc .....  :blob7: I know what to do  :blob7:
Like ... http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Cleaning,_maintenance/Basic_Setup_Kit.html
This book helped a lot .... http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plans/Building_and_repair:_Guitar,_electric/How_To_Make_Your_Electric_Guitar_Play_Great.html
Plus all the good tips / advice from all here at the Forum.

All thou .... One thing I won't touch is the fret filing or any fret work .... I haven't learnt that part yet.  :toothy11:
Cheers  ccasion14:

Thanks UPDown.
I claim no expertise, and I don't care if the tech thinks I'm a noob when I don't use all the buzzwords he is expecting to hear, but I know whjat I like: What feels good!  :headbang1:

That's why I'm on a quest to convince Warmoth to build a chambered Contoured CarvedTop  JagStangg w/f hole and all the contoujrs of the human body (I think VIP has the most contour options out of any stock body at the moment).
Although, when I look at the body shape (Jgstg) I might could use just a smidge more curve in the A1 sector like a boob, or a bee's bottom/stinger) to fill out the roundness. :cool01:  :guitaristgif:

-DC