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Storing a Gibson long term


Opsanus Tau

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Hello I would like to ask how to store a Gibson long term, (years) as far as the strings are concerned, should they be loosened, or removed?,..or is it fine to leave it with the tension of a tuned instrument?

Thank you.

I asked this question in the introductions,..but apparently I was to vague.

Thanks again -Dave

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  • 2 weeks later...

Store the guitar with strings on, but tuned down a full step. It is really important to try to store the guitar in a stable environment without radical changes in temperature and humidity. Clean the guitar thoroughly before putting it away, and I would put on a new set of strings just so they aren't old, dirty strings covered with finger oils and corrosion.

 

Another thing to do that most people forget is to clean the inside of your guitar case thoroughly--vacuum it out to remove any grit, debris etc. that could scratch the finish. Make sure the cover to the accessory compartment is properly secured. Rather than leave loose items in this compartment, put them all in a ziplock bag or something similar inside the compartment so that nothing can possibly get loose in the case a wreak havoc on the guitar if it is moved around. I'm speaking from bitter experience on that one.

 

I stored my 1948 J-45 for seven years while my wife and I were traveling around the world, and it came through just fine, with no ill effects. The things suggested here are things I realized in hindsight that I should have done better.

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I would store the guitar in tune.

 

I'm in this camp on this one, let me explain why.

 

A guitar is designed and built to hold string tension at "concert pitch". The neck wood, truss rod, neck joint, string anchorage, etc, are all factors in the design, and most guitars will spend their entire lives in tune, or close to it.

 

So what is the difference between a guitar that sits in it's case and is taken out ever so often and played, or one that sits in it's case for an extended period of time and is not played?

 

Saying a guitar should be "stored" with slack strings is the same as saying that you should detune the guitar EVERYTIME you put it in it's case. If a guitar is damaged by string tension from not being played, it would have happened even sooner if it were played.

 

I have unscientifically tested this theory, for I have a 65 year old Gibson archtop and a 50+ year old Fender solid body (and an 80 year old Gibson banjo) that have always been tuned to pitch. I also had a traveling job at one point where my guitars went about three years untouched in their cases. All is well.

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I have unscientifically tested this theory, for I have a 65 year old Gibson archtop and a 50+ year old Fender solid body (and an 80 year old Gibson banjo) that have always been tuned to pitch. I also had a traveling job at one point where my guitars went about three years untouched in their cases. All is well.

 

 

Larry, did you really say the "B" word here?

 

Seriously, I suspect you are correct in that storing under full tension is normally the best way to go. Interestingly, when I took my J-45 out of storage after seven years, it was almost still in relative tune, but a bit more than a half-tone down. Strings will stretch over time.

 

However, my '68 ES 335-12 needed a neck re-set when I bought it (it had been stored under a bed for 30+ years with full string tension), partly because the ES 335 geometry and structure--which is identical on the 335 and the 335-12--really isn't designed for the roughly 50% increase in string tension associated with the 12-string configuration.

 

I believe Gibson recommends tuning down a bit for shipping, but that's probably to compensate for the risk of shock-loading, which we all know guitars don't like, particularly Gibsons with a big headstock angle and a huge rout at the neck/headstock transition for the truss rod nut.

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