Leaving your axe out of it's case

  • Thread starter Thread starter true-eurt
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true-eurt

true-eurt

Maneater
I have been pondering the thought of building a display wall rack for my guitars.

The thought of having quick access and the pleasure of looking at them in their beauty, appeals to me....but....the thought, they could be damaged when left out of there protective cases appalls me!! :eek:


What would be the safest amount of time to leave an axe out in the element of temp and humidity changes....a few hours....days...weeks...?

My studio is in the basement and it is not a super humid one. There are no signs of mildew nor musty smells either. I leave a window cracked open most of the time too...even when the air conditioning is on, so fresh air is constantly being circulated by the ceiling fans.

Can the gravity of them hanging vertically by the headstock cause any damage...?

I always keep mine in there cases.



Thanks in advance...

True :)
 
my guitar and bass have been out of the case for months now and they still work. :p


i dunno if it's such a great idea....


my acoustic stays in her case though
 
:D Yah...I am glad of that.

I don't want to hang all my guitars up and then find out too late, I screwed up.
 
My acoustic has never been inside a case. Ever. No neck warps, or other problems from humidity. It's been in my car, in my room, other people's houses, outside, etc. No problems. I've had it for about 6 years or so.

One of my cheap electric guitars has been in the garage most of its life and also has no problems.

My guitars are far from "top of the line" though, so maybe since they're cheap they were built stronger/sound not as good.

I personally wouldn't worry about keeping my guitars in a guitar rack. My friend (who owns over 10 really expensive Gibson electrics) keeps all his guitars in the guitar stand. He hasn't had any problems.

If I owned really nice guitars though I would just keep them in a case if possible. Or make sure the room humidity was always right.
 
danny.guitar said:
I personally wouldn't worry about keeping my guitars in a guitar rack. My friend (who owns over 10 really expensive Gibson electrics) keeps all his guitars in the guitar stand. He hasn't had any problems.
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I would think hanging from a rack with all the bodyweight pulling downward on the headstock could do some damage over time?

Sitting them in a stand I wouldn't worry about either...other than the humidity thing.
 
true-eurt said:
I would think hanging from a rack with all the bodyweight pulling downward on the headstock could do some damage over time?
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why?


gravity happens all the time. i don't think it's any different from hanging the guitar over your neck by the strap. it's made out of wood, so i think it can handle its own weight without breaking. as long as it doesnt fall off the mount.
 
true-eurt said:
How long have you been doing it?
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For many years. The only time that I use the cases is when I'm taking the guitars out of the house.
 
true-eurt said:
I would think hanging from a rack with all the bodyweight pulling downward on the headstock could do some damage over time?

Sitting them in a stand I wouldn't worry about either...other than the humidity thing.
Click to expand...

Sitting on a rack is how my friend does it.

Think though, of all the guitar shops that keep their guitars (especially acoustic) hanging on a wall rack. I would guess the neck of a guitar is made to handle a certain amount of stress since that is how most guitars are handled (by the neck).

But one thing I know they do is keep the humidity of the room right. This might not be as important for laminated guitars, but don't take my word for it. I would personally keep the humidity right in the room if leaving them out of the case. Especially for more expensive guitars.

Light or Muttley will probably respond sooner or later. ;)
 
zed32 said:
why?


gravity happens all the time. i don't think it's any different from hanging the guitar over your neck by the strap. it's made out of wood, so i think it can handle its own weight without breaking. as long as it doesnt fall off the mount.
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For one thing, having it hang from your neck is a more evenly distributed weight...with the body of the guitar supported at each end....rather than hanging from the headstock with all the weight pulling downward on it. The guitar would not be hanging from your neck, for as long as it would be hanging on the wall either.
 
When I first started playing, the conventional wisdom at the time was if it's not in the case it should be on a stand where it's supported by the body of the guitar. But nowadays, I've heard it's better to hang 'em by the headstock like they do at GC. I tend to think the latter is BS perpetuated by the makers of the Guitar Hook, 'cause I've never had any issues with my axes being on body-supporting stands.
 
ocnor said:
For many years. The only time that I use the cases is when I'm taking the guitars out of the house.
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No humidity damage whatsoever then?

Would that apply to your acoustics as well?

Thanks Ocnor
 
true-eurt said:
For one thing, having it hang from your neck is a more evenly distributed weight...with the body of the guitar supported at each end....rather than hanging from the headstock with all the weight pulling downward on it. The guitar would not be hanging from your neck, for as long as it would be hanging on the wall either.
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either way, guitars aren't made out of Laffy Taffy, so it should be perfectly fine. i don't see how it would cause any damage unless the guitar is heavy enough to snap the neck, but then it would probably have to be made out of a big chunk of solid lead or something like that, and everybody knows that solid lead sucks as a tonewood.
 
danny.guitar said:
Sitting on a rack is how my friend does it.

Think though, of all the guitar shops that keep their guitars (especially acoustic) hanging on a wall rack. I would guess the neck of a guitar is made to handle a certain amount of stress since that is how most guitars are handled (by the neck).

But one thing I know they do is keep the humidity of the room right. This might not be as important for laminated guitars, but don't take my word for it. I would personally keep the humidity right in the room if leaving them out of the case. Especially for more expensive guitars.

Light or Muttley will probably respond sooner or later. ;)
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Yah..I thought about the guitar store display rack too. It just seems like a lot of weight pulling on the headstock and neck...especially with a heavy bodied guitar like an LP.

Thanks Danny.
 
zed32 said:
either way, guitars aren't made out of Laffy Taffy, so it should be perfectly fine. i don't see how it would cause any damage unless the guitar is heavy enough to snap the neck, but then it would probably have to be made out of a big chunk of solid lead or something like that, and everybody knows that solid lead sucks as a tonewood.
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:confused:

Why the smart ass attitude Zed...did I piss you off or something?

I am not stupid. I know what the fuck guitars are made out of.

I think it is a perfectly legit question, as I care what happens to the axes I have put my money into and love so much. I don't want to spend money and time building a rack and find it will do harm to my guitars after time.

I would rather ask than not....so either way...fuck your attitude.
 
true-eurt said:
:confused:

Why the smart ass attitude Zed...did I piss you off or something?

I am not stupid. I know what the fuck guitars are made out of.

I think it is a perfectly legit question, as I care what happens to the axes I have put my money into and love so much. I don't want to spend money and time building a rack and find it will do harm to my guitars after time.

I would rather ask than not....so either way...fuck your attitude.
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sorry dude! i totally didn't mean that to come off as smart-assy, i swear.

it was meant to be more of a joking tone. :o :o :o


i know it's a legit question i'm just saying your guitars will be fine! :)
 
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