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Post by HenryJ on Feb 5, 2020 8:07:40 GMT -5
Which do you do? For decades I kept my guitars on stands, but I read a year or so ago that this is not good for guitars; that you need to keep them in cases so that the humidity will not damage them. So I purchased cases for the two that did not have cases or gig bags.
But then I found that, with the guitars in cases, I don't play them as often. And I need to be playing at least one of them daily. So I now leave at least two out on stands. Plus, it seems that very low humidity is what harms guitars. And it's rather humid around here, most of the time. So my acoustic is always out on a stand. I hope the high humidity doesn't damage it.
So, which is it like in your house? Stands, or cases?
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Post by themaestro on Feb 5, 2020 8:56:52 GMT -5
I have a 3-slot and a 5-slot stand that are usually filled with basses. I enjoy quickly grabbing different ones as the mood strikes me. That said, I don't have kids and pets to knock things over. I don't have super-expensive instruments that would make me feel awful if one got damaged. My instruments are just tools. So what if I have to dust them off once in a while.
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Post by Marty Small on Feb 5, 2020 9:28:44 GMT -5
I try to hang all my instruments. It keeps them off the floor and I’ll play them if they are out.
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Post by jazzguy on Feb 5, 2020 9:44:56 GMT -5
Buy a hydrometer and keep them between 40-50 humidity. In the winter w the heat on is when you need to be extra careful, it can get to 20% or lower, not good. Doesn't matter if they're on stands or in the cases, the humidity is the thing. Use a case or room humidifier if necessary.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Feb 5, 2020 11:06:12 GMT -5
I do both here because I have more guitars than I have wall hangers for them. So I rotate them around.
The only drawback to cases I can think of is long-term storage: many older guitars have celluloid plastic pickguards/binding/tuner knobs/etc. The plastic gasses off and the airborne acids can attack metal parts, including wiring and the innards of electronics. Being stored out of the case allows airflow to dissipate the bad juju.
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Post by hushnel on Feb 5, 2020 11:18:14 GMT -5
Usually I have more out than currently. A classical, a homemade short-scale fretless and the Squire Jaguar.
I suppose that extreme temperature shifts and humidity can be hard on an instruments. But I can’t help thinking that some of the most desired old guitars suffered high humidity cold, fireplace heat for years and years. Many of these instruments never had cases until recently. I think about my little ukulele that never had a case, purchased new in 1917, in California, Dragged around the country and wound up in southern Florida, with out a case. It had a loose brace when I got it, found it and repaired it. It sounds great with freaky huge volume. Yeah, I have a case for it now, I keep it in, unless I’m playing it. I’m not a 100% sure that those that survived all that high temperatures and freeze with raging humidity swings sound amazing because of it.
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Post by rickyguitar on Feb 5, 2020 21:57:24 GMT -5
Cases. The only gig bag I have is for a Squire jazz bass, it stays in the bag, man. On stage I use stands but only at ho.e if I am playing and need to set it down for a moment.
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Post by Sharkie on Feb 6, 2020 8:44:05 GMT -5
I keep most of them hanging on the wall in the rec room. This way nobody is sitting on the bench most get played. With the winter temps here and the furnace running regularly I have a hygrometer in the room to keep an eye on the humidity and a humidifier running to maintain a 40 to 50% level. Usually in late May the situation reverses and the humidity starts to creep well above 50%, so on goes the dehumidifier.
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TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Post by TBird on Feb 7, 2020 8:27:37 GMT -5
I have 12 electrics and 5 acoustics that are hung by the neck on the walls of my music room. I just love looking at them. Makes me want to play more, if that make sense.
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Post by gato on Feb 7, 2020 11:09:39 GMT -5
At home I have two guitar stands and an amp on my fireplace hearth. The stands hold one acoustic guitar and one Jbass, that I put in backwards ... that is, the string side rests against the rubber thingy on the stand. This way I don't wind up with dust all over the fingerboards. (and no, it has no detrimental effect on the strings, as evidenced by years of use this way)
At a gig, my Jbass hangs off the side of my top cab (two 1x15 cabs), using a wall hanger that screws into the wood on the side of the cab. No clutter on stage with a stand, and nobody ever blunders into a stand, knocking my bass down. (It's a beat up, working man's cab ... no resale value to consider)
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Post by tahitijack on Feb 7, 2020 14:37:56 GMT -5
I use to keep my guitars in their cases. A couple of years back I bought a couple of Hercules racks and put them out within easy reach in my office/music room. I wish I had done that sooner. I now play them more often and the ones that were almost forgotten, now get used a lot more. An added plus is my wife likes the look of them out on display. She thinks they are like art, they need to be seen and enjoyed. I agree.
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Post by hushnel on Feb 7, 2020 16:03:30 GMT -5
My wife got me a five guitar Hercules stand for Christmas, I’ve got three guitars sitting in it. The three mentioned above. I have four or five single Hercules stands laying around.
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Post by ninworks on Feb 9, 2020 4:16:23 GMT -5
I keep 2 electrics out at all times. Usually a couple Gibsons but occasionally I leave the Strat out as one of the two. The rest are in cases and I only get them out when I either need one for a track I'm working on or the strings on one of the others, that are out, get dead. Then I'll rotate to a different one.
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Post by Rick Knight on Feb 9, 2020 9:26:38 GMT -5
We were just talking about this. I've traditionally kept some on stands and wall hangers for easy access and others in cases. They are all in cases now because we are preparing to move but I miss having them out. It remains to be seen how many I will be able to have out in the new house but there will have to be at least a couple.
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Post by tiedyeddevil on Feb 13, 2020 23:33:17 GMT -5
Lately I have one or two on a stand.
I used to keep them all in cases.
Realized they'll probably all outlive me. :\
Only special consideration is to cover the rubber with bar towels for those guitars having a nitro finish.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Feb 15, 2020 8:01:53 GMT -5
Since relocating to Fla I've kept 2 electrics and 1 mandolin on the wall and the rest on stands. My 2 acoustics I leave in cases. With an AC/heat pump in the condo I find the humidity pretty stable year round, way more so than back in Michigan. My upcoming move to Texas I'll have gas for heat again so I'll have to reconsider. I'd love to be able to leave them out as this time I'm commandeering a bedroom as opposed to a 6x8 walk in closet. More room for more guitars!
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TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Post by TBird on Feb 16, 2020 8:01:17 GMT -5
I just like to look at them. I'm very lucky to be able to indulge myself.
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Post by rangercaster on Feb 16, 2020 14:16:20 GMT -5
Lived in Portland OR for years ... perfect environment for guitars ... luthiers locate there for this reason ... never worried about it. ..
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Post by langford on Feb 21, 2020 15:51:13 GMT -5
I used to keep one guitar out and the others in cases. I'd rotate the "out" guitar every few weeks based on my mood at the time. My girlfriend, though, has encouraged me to hang them up. I never used to like that because I felt like I would be showing off whenever someone came to the house. I've got them on hangers know. There are only four. One is in a quiet-ish corner of the main room because it is is a genuinely attractive object that fits well with the rest of my stuff. The others hang in a small backroom upstairs where I keep my music stuff.
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Post by Duke on Feb 22, 2020 18:50:50 GMT -5
I used to keep one guitar out and the others in cases. I'd rotate the "out" guitar every few weeks based on my mood at the time. My girlfriend, though, has encouraged me to hang them up. I never used to like that because I felt like I would be showing off whenever someone came to the house. I've got them on hangers know. There are only four. One is in a quiet-ish corner of the main room because it is is a genuinely attractive object that fits well with the rest of my stuff. The others hang in a small backroom upstairs where I keep my music stuff. I keep one out and the other two in cases. I only have three, but they are all really nice. '66 Tele, '68 Strat and 50's Les Paul TV Model.
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hilltop87
Wholenote
My Strat is my friend
Posts: 885
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Post by hilltop87 on Feb 22, 2020 21:45:54 GMT -5
I only have my Strat and I usually put it back in the case. I keep it in my TV room as well as my amps. It gets used quite a bit I must say.
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Geno
Quarternote
Posts: 42
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Post by Geno on Feb 24, 2020 7:48:24 GMT -5
I do both here because I have more guitars than I have wall hangers for them. So I rotate them around. The only drawback to cases I can think of is long-term storage: many older guitars have celluloid plastic pickguards/binding/tuner knobs/etc. The plastic gasses off and the airborne acids can attack metal parts, including wiring and the innards of electronics. Being stored out of the case allows airflow to dissipate the bad juju. How old is the "old" you're referring to? Would my '56 Gibson ES-125 fall into that category?
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Post by 6l6 on Feb 25, 2020 1:26:31 GMT -5
Everything in my stash sits out on a stand, ready to be grabbed and played.
I have no Hanger Queens. Everything I own gets played out on a regular basis.
6
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Post by LTB on Feb 25, 2020 3:34:33 GMT -5
I only have them on a stand during using them but typically they hang on the walls. I figure it takes some of the strain off the necks. My basses stay in tune quite a while hanging but guitars not as much.
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Post by modbus on Feb 26, 2020 18:16:02 GMT -5
I just like to look at them. I'm very lucky to be able to indulge myself. Wow! That's a nice spread.
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Post by LM on Mar 1, 2020 18:52:21 GMT -5
Typically, I keep out one guitar and the rest in cases.
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Post by LTB on Mar 2, 2020 1:41:10 GMT -5
I do both here because I have more guitars than I have wall hangers for them. So I rotate them around. The only drawback to cases I can think of is long-term storage: many older guitars have celluloid plastic pickguards/binding/tuner knobs/etc. The plastic gasses off and the airborne acids can attack metal parts, including wiring and the innards of electronics. Being stored out of the case allows airflow to dissipate the bad juju. Interesting, thanks for posting this. Most are hanging on the walls. I will use airflow method to "dissapate the bad juju" I don't want juju messing my guitars and basses up Poly finishes do not concern me leaving them out but I have a little hesitation with my Gibsons and their Laquer finish. Over years I see so many Gibson SG's that are very faded due to being left in the light most of their lives or am I seeing this wrong???
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Post by HenryJ on Mar 2, 2020 7:01:38 GMT -5
Everything in my stash sits out on a stand, ready to be grabbed and played. I have no Hanger Queens. Everything I own gets played out on a regular basis. 6 Since starting this thread, I took out all my instruments (4 guitars and a bass) and put them all on stands. They need to be played and my fingertips need the callouses. Each is getting more playing time now, except for the small acoustic.
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