to hang or not to hang?

stonepiano

stonepiano

Member
I'm looking for someone to perhaps confirm my suspicion or debunk a myth.

Basically, I'm intrigued by the idea of saving some space in my tiny condo by hanging my 3 most used guitars on the wall as a general place of rest. I use a martin dred, an epiphone casino and a p-bass the most and I'd like them to be readily accessible. I am considering using something like this or these to hang them.

The condo has standard central air and heat, which I have at standard levels of comfort. Would I be doing a disservice to these instruments by displaying my guitars this way? Would they be significantly better off stowed away in cases between use?

While I play guitar daily, I don't play each guitar daily, for the record.
 
I've found that heavy guitars with painted necks and glossy finishes like Les Pauls can get blemishes on the finish where they hang. I saw it a bunch of time in my music store days, on new/newer guitars with (I assume) finishes that are still soft.

My acoustic, my strat, and my 12 string I've never had a problem with, been on the wall for years. YMMV. They also seem to ignore temp/humidity changes, so I'm lucky.:)
 
stonepiano said:
I'm looking for someone to perhaps confirm my suspicion or debunk a myth.

Basically, I'm intrigued by the idea of saving some space in my tiny condo by hanging my 3 most used guitars on the wall as a general place of rest. I use a martin dred, an epiphone casino and a p-bass the most and I'd like them to be readily accessible. I am considering using something like this or these to hang them.

The condo has standard central air and heat, which I have at standard levels of comfort. Would I be doing a disservice to these instruments by displaying my guitars this way? Would they be significantly better off stowed away in cases between use?

While I play guitar daily, I don't play each guitar daily, for the record.
Click to expand...

My Strat, Les Paul, and Taylor acoustic have been hanging for about 6 years with no ill effects other than one stumbling drunk incident that required some repairs to the Les Paul. I don't leave cables plugged into them any more.
 
stonepiano said:
I'm looking for someone to perhaps confirm my suspicion or debunk a myth.

Basically, I'm intrigued by the idea of saving some space in my tiny condo by hanging my 3 most used guitars on the wall as a general place of rest. I use a martin dred, an epiphone casino and a p-bass the most and I'd like them to be readily accessible. I am considering using something like this or these to hang them.

The condo has standard central air and heat, which I have at standard levels of comfort. Would I be doing a disservice to these instruments by displaying my guitars this way? Would they be significantly better off stowed away in cases between use?

While I play guitar daily, I don't play each guitar daily, for the record.
Click to expand...









Have you ever been in a guitar store:rolleyes:
 
I don't think the P-bass will care. The Martin will get very dry and unhappy in the Chicago winter unless you have a house humidifier. The Epi, beats me :confused:
 
This was discussed at length recently but I can't find the thread.

Wood dosen't like swift changes in temperature or more importantly moisture/humiduity. If you live in a region that has quick sharp changes in either then pay attention to your heating and humidity control. If you gig a lot and take them in and out of air con or from dry central heating rooms to cold car boots etc as I do just allow as much time as possible for the guitar to adjust before you open up the case.

Hanging your guitar is fine but make yourself familiar with the way wood behaves with environmental changes and become aware of the changes in environment in your house/studio or whatever....

If someone can find that recent thread its all in there. Hanging guitars as a rule is not a problem as long as you can control the environment.
 
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Okay, another excuse to show off the picture of my Guitar hanging rack.....yet again..:o
 

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i agree with the guitar store

they always hang em

i have hangers for 12 instruments on my walls and i used to have the rest on stands

cases are a drag although very protective
 
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Solid body electrics aren't quite as sensitive to temp/humidity changes as hollow body electric or acoustic guitars. If you have both temperature and humidity control hanging guitars can be a nice way to display them. If your room is subject to change, especially in humidity then a good case is definitely the best place to keep your guitars when they aren't being played. I like to think of the word case as an acronym, CASE- Controlled And Safe Environment, which is where I like to keep my guitars when they aren't in use.
 
I hang 21 instruments in my studio and have for 40 years.

Consider this -
A case, by itself, does nothing to humidify the instrument. It might(?)
slow some rapid humidity change but I think even that is questionable.
Even if it did, every time you took the guitar back out of the case,
it would be subjected to the change/shock.

Keep anything wooden in an environment where the humidity tends
to remain constant. If your building humidity varies significantly from
ideal, address the problem with the building,

A whole house humidifier for 100 bucks from Sears will do wonders
for your guitars, your pets, your skin, your throat and your
"electric doorknobs".

From the heart of guitar hell, Phoenix -

Lumpy

In Your Ears for 40 Years
lumpymusic.com
 
thanks for the links mutt. I did do a search but nothing ping'ed with "wall hooks."

I think I may do the hang thing and be vigilant about loading a "dampit" in the acoustics while not being played.
 
the nicest-playing acoustic guitar ive ever had in my hands was a guild dreadaught that had been singed in a fire and then soaked by firehoses

sure the finish was harmed a little but it was the sweetest and easiest acoustic guitar ive ever encountered

that was in san francisco and a friend's roommate had it and let me play it and sing songs while he accompanied me on another guitar

fun
 
I'm forced to keep a couple out that never had cases. I keep them in the half basement of a quad level with dehumifer in the summer and humdifier in the winter. You have them ready when you need them that way. But 75% of them
spend most of their lives in cases. In this level of the house the temperature and humidity are very stable.

If you hare keeping them out in the upstairs level of a condo I would suggest keeping them on the lower half of the wall you should be getting a much heat
down lower in the room as you do in the upper half of the room. I know they
are more easily beat up down there but you should not have to worry as much about the wood drying out. In Chicago I would use a humidifier during the winter months
 
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