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Where is your guitar when you aren't playing it?



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Hi, I'm curious as to how people keep their guitars safe and help keep the necks straight when they're not being played. Here's my opinion:

 

I hang mine in a climate controlled space, i use guitar cleaning cloths over the hanger's foam padding to prevent marring the finish. I believe hanging guitars encourages one to play them more often, the necks stay straight and there is more air for the guitar to breathe. I'm not big on case storage unless I'm not planning on playing the guitar for a while, or if I'm transporting the guitar.

If I'm storing the guitar I use guitar cleaning cloths where the neck supports touch the neck and detune the guitar so that the strings aren't placing tension on the neck.

 

I had a really nice Guild D-40 that suffered marring on the neck where the case lining was touching the neck. The neck itself was a bit bowed as well from lying flat on its back. Now if i case a guitar I put a polishing cloth where the neck meets the case.

 

I have created a poll (hope it works!) to get feedback; feel free to add comments, thoughts or opinions and thank you in advance!! [thumbup]

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My answer is kind of two answers. I have a floor stand that i keep my Acoustic Guitar and one of my electrics (usually my Strat) on. My other guitars (including my Les Paul) sit upright in their cases, i also detune the ones in their cases to prevent neck tension.

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Electrics hang. Acoustic and bass are on stands mainly b/c there isn't room on the wall for more hangers.

 

No cloth or anything else. I've never had a problem with pad material vs guitar finish.

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almost always cased when they are not being used. That's the best place for them to avoid any ugliness happening.

 

If I'm hanging around on weekends or evenings when I'm using a few of them, I will use hangers or a stand, (and not the cheesy 20 dollar stands with the pitchforks.. those are accidents waiting to happen) and the areas the guitar hangs on are covered to make sure the finish doesn't get damaged.

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My Silvertone archtop lives on a wall hanger in my office. The L-7 is on a floor stand in the family room. These are for easy/instant access.

 

If I'm practicing for an upcoming performance, whatever guitar I'll be using on the gig will be on a floor stand in my studio, usually the L-5. All other stock is in their factory cases, and locked up in a roadcase "vault" in a storeroom.

 

A couple of people above have mentioned slacking off the strings for storage. This is not a good idea. A guitar neck and neck/body joint is engineered and built for string tension at concert pitch. You have a greater risk of neck damage by the constantly changing tension of tuning/de-tuning, than constant tension (not to mention this is really bad on strings). My L-7 is nearly 70 years old, and I have other 45/55 year old guitars, and they have always been kept in-tune.

 

De-tuning IS a good idea when shipping a guitar by truck freight or airplane, for you are protecting the neck from "sudden impact".

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If it's not being played or about to be played, it's in it's case.....period.

 

Used to work in a shop and the number of beautiful broken guitars I've seen will make you sick.

 

No problem with a rehearsal or gig having them on good/safe stands while waiting their turn, but when its over, back in the proper case for storage.

 

NHTom

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  • 2 years later...

Definitely in the case. I'd really love having 'em standing/hanging all over, but it's a bad idea if there's any possibility of damage. Also, if they're cased it allows more control if you have to contend with children, adult idiots, and pets.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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For years I used cases. In closets. So I suffered from a lack of playing time - out of sight, out of mind - when your life gets in the way of things you'd like to be doing instead.

So now, with a dedicated 'music room' - I can keep them hung on an interior wall. I've only got 3 so they fit perfectly in horizontal racks. They're as nice to look at as any wall hanging you could find; and at least one is played every day because they're easy to grab.

I'm more comfortable monitoring and keeping the room in the right range for humidity than trying to do it if their locked away in 3 separate cases. Never had a problem with the 'foam' interacting with the finish.

But, for sure, if I had several guitars - knowing I couldn't get to them all - I'd put them up in their cases backing off 1/2 the tension on the strings.

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I have 3 on a 3 way stand for ease of access, and like someone else mentioned, if I put them fully away, I let life get in the way of playing. I do keep two in cases because of pets and other things, but I still drap them out frequently. One has a cracked bridge so it is tagged out for the moment, when I'm done school in three months, I will reward myself by rebuilding it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

If I'm not playing them, they're in their cases. Between sets at a gig, the guitar is in its case. I don't trust stands. Accidents happen.

 

ask any luthier... (especially those cheap swiveling pitchfork stands) are the root cause of the lions share of neck repairs they do, then miss handling (like leaning your guitar against a table or amp) and strap accidents follow.

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  • 1 month later...

I have four in the closet in cases and rotate one guitar out near my amp in its case. I have a stand that I use to set the guitar on when I take a break or something but at the end of the day, it's back in the case. I've seen lots of different accidents, including someone sitting on their guitar on their bed. Kids and pets tend to bump them and knock them over, or drop things on them, knock things over, trip over the stands, etc.

 

I don't have a man cave to hang my guitars on the walls. I have more of a man corner. And even if I did, that would mean more dusting but it would be cool to see them.

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Latest guitar was a Gretsch last birthday which never came with a case so it's on my 5 piece guitar rack. I play it almost everyday. Actually the 4 guitars on that rack, I play 3 of them all the time. The acoustic is very cheap and the 4th guitar on the rack. The Gibson and 12 are both in their cases. The very cheap Oscar Schmidt has a bad bridge and I need to repair it. Not worth taking it in to be fixed so it's up against the wall and chair as it can't fall over. Thought about throwing it away but then thought I should fix it as a learning experiment.

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I have axes in all the above categories (survey) and "other" as well:

4-7 hang from their neck on the wall- 4 currently

2-5 are standing next to me at my desk, lightly leaning into "corners" by me or up against the amp next to me- 5 currently

8-14 are in multi-axe folding stands- 8 currently

3 are on single-stands because they are oddly shaped and almost refuse to stand straight- a Warlock, A Mockingbird, & an Iceman

Up to 27 are standing straight and tall, in 3 uniquely slotted multi-axe (9x@) standing floor-holders that I invented- 17 currently

2-5 are leaning lightly, resting against the Marshalls, the Peavey and the Crate- 5 currently

14 are in 7 model-specific custom-crafted Dual-axe Hard-cases that I make - standing along the wall

17 are in Single Hard-cases I didn't make - standing along the wall

3 are in nicely padded Gig-bags - standing along the wall

These locations are all current (7/1/'17) locations and are prone to change with little to no notice.

I have been overheard at gatherings while in conversations, and criticized for speaking fondly of "My Harem", or about my Girls.

Yep, and there's a time or two I have even been a bit misunderstood as to the actual subject by a nosey eaves-dropper, even to the point of being taken for "a mouthy chauvenist" once.

That mistake was by a nosey, over-critical & not-so nice-about-it, "ex" of an old friend, who thought I was talking smack about all my "Ex-es" when I was just reeling tales of my "Axes".

As it came to pass, the joke was on her & that's what she gets for being a bad listener, & so quick to try and wanna go put shame on a good-guy, anyhow!

Besides, how would a fella maintain that kind of popularity & have that many females in the mix at the same time, and still have any sanity left at the end of the day?

And when could he ever find any time to play his Axes?

I say, Thank goodness my "Axes", my "Girls" & "My Harem" are one-in-the-same!

And my Woman agrees! LOL!!!

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  • 6 months later...

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