FatBoy
The sillica gel thread got me thinking again. I would like to have my guitars out in the open on stands or wall hangers at all times, but this is my first real winter with my own guitars, and I have a feeling that the cold / moisture can't be good for a guitar.
I currently keep them in cases for the most part, only on stands when I'm busy jamming. Would like to know if it is safe to keep them out in the open.
How do you guys store your guitars?
Riaan
My guitars will soon be on wall hooks. I prefer to have the guitars within easy reach and ready to play - I find it a hassle to open cases, untangle cables etc. before playing. Ideally I would like to pick up a guitar, flick one switch and play.
I'm hoping that the temperature in my room will remain reasonably constant - I know it will be cool in summer with all the isolation I've put in, winter may be a bit cold though. In my part of the world, winter inevitably brings a lot of of indoors condensation - so much so that in the early morning all windows in the house are fogged up, and a puddle of water forms on the inside of the window frame later on. I guess aircon with a thermostat will help?
The thing is, I don't think that temperature and humidity inside the case is that much different than ambient conditions, unless one has an airtight case?
AlanRatcliffe
Wall hooks. In short, if it's comfortable for a human, it's comfortable for a guitar. We tend to keep temperature and humidity at comfortable levels for ourselves and that keeps our guitars happy.
Riaan - the sealed nature of a soundproofed room is a bit of a problem as the temperature and especially humidity cannot equalise with what's outside. Air con with humidity control is almost essential to avoid condensation.
Cases tend to equalise with the temp and humidity outside the case, but they slow down the change a bit. That's why I recommended keeping a guitar in it's case for half an hour when you move it into a new environment. The temperature and humidity change will be more gradual if it's kept in the case for a little while, which stops the finish from checking or cracking and the wood from warping.
FatBoy
Thanks! This winter is so cold that I am certainly not comfortable, so I'll keep my babies in their cases until it gets a tad less freezing.
