How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

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chrisbower
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How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by chrisbower »

I'm going back to live in the UK for a year, possibly longer, starting in May. I have 3 pretty expensive guitars and my OCD self is getting pretty stressed out about how to ensure they are stored ok whilst I'm away. From what I've read online, best practice seems to be to store the guitars upright in their cases with the strings slackened off slightly, and in a place with not too much temperature/humidity change.

I have the opportunity to store them at my parents place, inside a bedroom cupboard that's in the middle of the house, but is against the side wall of the house. I've checked the monthly humidity levels for Dunedin and it seems to be fairly consistent, however I know it gets pretty damn cold in the winter months and then it will be warming up again come summer.

Should I be buying some of those humidity pouches to pop inside my guitar cases? Do they even do fuck all?

My other plan was to look at some sort of humidity/temperature controlled storage but it doesn't look like such thing exists. None of the storage company websites I've been on list this as something they provide.

So yeah... I'm just wanting some insight from people who may have been through this before.

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by Molly »

Mine are presently stored in the room with least temperature variation. Tuned to pitch. Wouldn't slacken the strings. First strat I ever owned had a back-bow through long-term storage without strings.

What about leaving them with Steve?

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by Single coil »

Storage usually implies a loosened truss and no strings. Ymmv.
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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by kwhelan »

friend went on 2-3 yr OE and bought a shipping container for his guitars, some very expensive and very old. all left with strings on and basically in tune, that was HB where we go from 4 degree frosts to over 40 in summer in a container.
all survived none the worse and I was highly doubtful at time, Id be leaving them under tension which is what you'd be doing if you were home.

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by Lyle »

Just drop them at my place...

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by olegmcnoleg »

There’s no reason to slacken the strings unless you are transporting them, or they are going to get very cold. You don’t slacken them in between playing.

Chucking a humidity pouch in the cases might help a bit. Especially if you are putting them in a cupboard—which may have a higher humidity but poor circulation.

You can drop them off at my place if you like, I have a humidity-controlled environment. :-)

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by jimi »

It’s only a year. I have guitars that go for over a year with out the case being open, strings on upright in case in a wardrobe. No dramas.

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by GrantB »

Do nothing other than make sure the room you store them in doesn't have extreme heat/cold/humidity issues.

Do not loosen the strings. Do not loosen the truss rod. Just set them up, put them in a case, either lay it flat or upright, job jobbed.
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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by null_pointer »

I did lol at this, I have at least 3 guitars that havent seen daylight in over a year. I must check on them...!

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by KNNZ »

likewise! I have a EBMM Stingray Bass that's been in the hardcase untouched for 2 years now! I wonder how's it going with it

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by clubhouse »

I used to work as a tech at the local art gallery/museum where they had a grand piano that would regularly get dollied up and down the lift and to various galleries, across bumpy slate, tiled surfaces. After nearly every time the piano tuner would turn up to settle the old girl in for the next performance so I asked him if all the moving and bumping across the floor was a big tuning issue. He said; not really. It doesn't affect good pianos with proper frames and set ups like this. Humidity and temperature changes are the problem.

The museum was environmentally controlled to nth degree and the cheeky bugger knew it, but he didn't tell the 'knobs' it was a honey job.

I remembered that when I stored my 1937, Gibson L-12 for a while. Kept it at tune, upright and in a room that maintained even daily and seasonal temps and humidity. Checked it 6 months later; still in tune. Checked it 6 months later; still in tune. Checked it 6 months later; not in tune...strings loose and bridge had dropped. Tailpiece had snapped at the hinges :shock: :thumbdown:

On closer inspection there were old, tarnished surfaces on the brass hinge fingers that must have been old hairline cracks from previous (mis)use and cleaner areas on the same finger that must have been holding the hinge together. It must have just bust due to age under tension and whatever slight temperature variation it did suffer.

If your guitars are in good nick overall, then you should be fine as they're made with considerable robustness to survive about 100 lbs of string tension. It maybe hardware tarnishing that could concern if the plating is dodge.

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by chrisbower »

Thanks for the tips so far guys. My biggest concern is the humidity eating away the hardware of the guitar, particularly the Les Paul Custom with the gold hardware. I think I'm going to invest in one of these 2 way humidifier kits for each guitar to keep the humidity at bay- https://www.rockshop.co.nz/shop/planet- ... ystem.html

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by Optical »

I had a Jackson kelly and an RG550 that got left in my parents attic for about 5 years. Blazing heat to bone cold near daily
Oddly, or not, they were both completely fine when i eventually pulled them out and not far off tune either

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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by willow13 »

Optical wrote:I had a Jackson kelly and an RG550 that got left in my parents attic for about 5 years. Blazing heat to bone cold near daily
Oddly, or not, they were both completely fine when i eventually pulled them out and not far off tune either
thats why shredder guitars rule :rofl:
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Re: How to store guitars long term (1 year+)

Post by Jay »

chrisbower wrote:Thanks for the tips so far guys. My biggest concern is the humidity eating away the hardware of the guitar, particularly the Les Paul Custom with the gold hardware. I think I'm going to invest in one of these 2 way humidifier kits for each guitar to keep the humidity at bay- https://www.rockshop.co.nz/shop/planet- ... ystem.html
I would be more concerned about sweat (or any other bodily fluids) tarnishing the hardware. Clean the hardware finish regularly if you are very acid :wink:
When faced with quality, I recognise it every time.

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