"In" Case Or Not?

[Musically Mr M]

Morning. Been a while since I've posted but life happens sometimes and it will press your nose to the grinding stone! I am thankful however to be a working musician and educator! Any how, my question.

I have about 25 guitars. (After playing for over 30 years, I don't think that to be an extravagant number). I am very anal-retentive about gear maintenance as well so this is bothering me a bit.

Most every guitar I own is in a hard-shell case or at least a well made gig bag. Solid-Bodies, Hollowbodies, my acoustics, my basses-they are all usually protected. I remodeled my Home Studio space (made it bigger) and for convenience, I'd like to keep an acoustic, one of the hollowbodies and three solid bodies setup ready to run in my studio when the muse hits me or as projects/artist come in to record. (like my keyboard rigs are) In general, aside from a concern about people (or pets) knocking them over, is there any realistic reason why leaving them sitting on the stands in my studio would be detrimental? Should there be any environmental concerns? (ie-sunlight, humidity, dust, etc.) or am I just being overly protective of "my babies"? This is one of those "things" that work my brain every single time I pass by my studio door. The wife thinks I'm crazy because it does bother me. Then on the other hand, it's aggravating to have a musical idea come about (sometimes at night or early morning or after coming home from the day job) and having to go in and set up equiptment too. What are you guys oppinions on this?

[oldane]

I have the guitars I play often on stands in my home and only put them in their cases when taking them out of the house - but I have no small children or dogs running around. Those guitars I only play rarely are stoved away in their cases. Having guitars out of the case most of the time may lead to yellowing of blonde woods by the light, but other than that, I have never seen any negative effect (if it is a negative effect - true blonde guitars are often very harsh to the eye).

Generally, I use plywood hard cases for archtops, whereas I won't mind to carry a less fragile solid body in a padded gig bag, provided I can carry it myself all the way. For air flights, I wouldn't use anything but a Calton case or the like, though it is the heaviest case one can get. There are many examples of airport luggage handlers destroying even plywood hard cases. I wouldn't count on being able to take a guitar as carry on luggage these days.

[Patrick2]

While you do pose a good question, I am confused that after 30 years as a professional musician you need to ask it.?.?

Whether in cases or out on stands or hanging on a wall . . . on nitro friendly stands or wall hooks to preven nitro burn . . . (which is another conversation entirely) . . . . the surrounding temperature and relative humidity are critical. The ideal target range for guitars is 70 degrees F and 50% relative humidity. Plus or minus 5 degrees and 10% humidity won't hurt . . unless the temp and humidity swings are rapid and frequent. If you've recently re-done your studio, you should have also incorporated a humidifier for the winter months when the heating system will dry out your guitars . . . especially the hollow bodies. Invest in a good quality digital hydrometer. Also, think "stability" in temp and relative humidty.

Here's a good rule of thumb . . and the perfect world for guitars; 70 degrees and 50% relative humidity with no changes, ever, in either number, up or down. Now, realizing that you will never achieve that level of perfection . . . try to get as close to all aspects of it as you possibly can and your guitars will be happy for ever . . and hardly ever need a neck adjustment or retuning.

Also, do not be lulled into a false sense of security thinking that just because your guitars are in their cases they're "happy". You must also moniter the conditions in your cases as well.

[Musically Mr M]

Originally Posted by Patrick2

While you do pose a good question, I am confused that after 30 years as a professional musician you need to ask it.?.?

Thanks for the reply Patrick. This is not so much a common sense care question as it is something that, shall I say, I just have a gut feeling about. Almost a damned paranoia.

Early on in my guitar experience, I didn't have much of an investment tied up in them. I'd take chances. Cheap gig bags, leaving them in cars, going straight from cold cars to warm rooms, etc. I have my share of disasters over the the 30 plus years that I've played. My dad had this saying, "As you learn better, you'll do better." The result of "learning better' through experience? Everything transported and most of the time when stored is secured in very substantial cases or nice gig bags. The gig bags only go where my body can take them btw. I am a clarinet major and for example, I would never leave my Buffet Green Label uncased in a cold car nor not allow it to come into a warm space and not allow it to naturally come to temperature before playing it. Cracked bore or tenon= significant financial loss. Bores are periodically oiled, corks are always regularly cleaned and conditioned. That kind of maintenance is done as well to the guitars.

Yeah, the studio is humidity-regulated. My acoustic guitars (and the hollow bodies) have humidifiers in their cases. You do have to be careful about humidifiers in rooms that share electronic equiptment however since they would much rather have cold, dry spaces to thrive at their best. I have Synthesizers, computers, Multitrack recording devices (digital and analog) that don't deal with the same atmosphere as amicably.

I think I have reached a happy medium however so back to the original post. I guess my concern with my guitars is definitely along the way of protection of finish, checking etc., the necks and adjustments (as well as having instruments with various types of materials and fingerboards). I have lots of friends who are also working musicans who leave their gear laying out and about the house, in chairs, on the beds, hung on walls in direct sunlight when not being used and they never ever seem to have a problem. I respect my gear and realize it's value and just believe in taking care of things in general-stuff is hard to come by. I simply like convenience too so a guitar or two sitting ready in the studio is something I like the luxury of having. Maybe much ado about nothing but such is my strange, over cautious nature.

All that to say i understand what you were saying, at it's most technical but I'm basically looking for some "real world" oppinions

[Gramps]

The guitars I play regularly are on stands all the time unless they leave the house. My grandchilderen know that they have to ask and be supervise before they can touch them. (Have you washed your hands?) My cats don't bother them even when they romp.

I take a certain amount of risk leaving them out but I play them more by not having to go get them out of their cases.

[Patrick2]

Originally Posted by Musically Mr M

Thanks for the reply Patrick. This is not so much a common sense care question as it is something that, shall I say, I just have a gut feeling about. Almost a damned paranoia.

Early on in my guitar experience, I didn't have much of an investment tied up in them. I'd take chances. Cheap gig bags, leaving them in cars, going straight from cold cars to warm rooms, etc. I have my share of disasters over the the 30 plus years that I've played. My dad had this saying, "As you learn better, you'll do better." The result of "learning better' through experience? Everything transported and most of the time when stored is secured in very substantial cases or nice gig bags. The gig bags only go where my body can take them btw. I am a clarinet major and for example, I would never leave my Buffet Green Label uncased in a cold car nor not allow it to come into a warm space and not allow it to naturally come to temperature before playing it. Cracked bore or tenon= significant financial loss. Bores are periodically oiled, corks are always regularly cleaned and conditioned. That kind of maintenance is done as well to the guitars.

Yeah, the studio is humidity-regulated. My acoustic guitars (and the hollow bodies) have humidifiers in their cases. You do have to be careful about humidifiers in rooms that share electronic equiptment however since they would much rather have cold, dry spaces to thrive at their best. I have Synthesizers, computers, Multitrack recording devices (digital and analog) that don't deal with the same atmosphere as amicably.

I think I have reached a happy medium however so back to the original post. I guess my concern with my guitars is definitely along the way of protection of finish, checking etc., the necks and adjustments (as well as having instruments with various types of materials and fingerboards). I have lots of friends who are also working musicans who leave their gear laying out and about the house, in chairs, on the beds, hung on walls in direct sunlight when not being used and they never ever seem to have a problem. I respect my gear and realize it's value and just believe in taking care of things in general-stuff is hard to come by. I simply like convenience too so a guitar or two sitting ready in the studio is something I like the luxury of having. Maybe much ado about nothing but such is my strange, over cautious nature.

All that to say i understand what you were saying, at it's most technical but I'm basically looking for some "real world" oppinions

Thanks for clarifying. It seems that you already have all the right info and that you are doing what's necessary to care for your "herd" appropriately. I too have more than 25 guitars, with most of them being arch tops. So, proper RH and temp levels are critical to me. All of my guitars are always sitting prominently out in the open and on nitro friendly stands. While my wife isn't too happy about that, she also knows that I couldn't possibly live with myself if they were locked away, lonely and out of sight in their cases. She's far more reasonable than I am and she allws me to continue to be a little boy with his toys.

[Musically Mr M]

Originally Posted by Gramps

I take a certain amount of risk leaveing them out but I play them more by not having to go get them out of their cases.

Now this kind of sums up how I feel 90 % of the time.

[Musically Mr M]

Originally Posted by Patrick2

Thanks for clarifying. It seems that you already have all the right info and that you are doing what's necessary to care for your "herd" appropriately. I too have more than 25 guitars, with most of them being arch tops. So, proper RH and temp levels are critical to me. All of my guitars are always sitting prominently out in the open and on nitro friendly stands. While my wife isn't too happy about that, she also knows that I couldn't possibly live with myself if they were locked away, lonely and out of sight in their cases. She's far more reasonable than I am and she allws me to continue to be a little boy with his toys.

Three cheers to understanding wives! Mine has an acute sense of the $$$$ spent and all of the $$$$$ made (that she puts into shoes, handbags, hair, accessories etc.)

[cjm]

Originally Posted by Patrick2

All of my guitars are always sitting prominently out in the open and on nitro friendly stands. While my wife isn't too happy about that, she also knows that I couldn't possibly live with myself if they were locked away, lonely and out of sight in their cases. She's far more reasonable than I am and she allws me to continue to be a little boy with his toys.

I don't have as many guitars, and none of them are particularly fragile, and they do, along with an amp, sit out on stands cluttering up one end of the living room. I don't like the play room. My recliner is in the living room. Therefore, my guitars are in the living room.

But I think my wife deliberately slams into them with the vacuum cleaner when she is P.O.'d at me, which has been most of the time for well over thirty years.

[RoyaleT]

I have 5 currently, all are kept hanging on the wall in a room dedicated to play/practice. The room is humidified when necessary. Two full hollow body archtops, two acoustics, and a Dot semi..

[TieDyedDevil]

The biggest threat to any instrument on a floor stand is my own klutziness. Not that I've done anything to justify such an observation, but I know that the potential is there. Just one careless moment is all it takes to make a really nice guitar do a face-plant.

If I had a large enough room (and I don't), I might consider wall hangers.

[cosmic gumbo]

If you can afford to own 25 guitars, surely you can afford to own a couple good sounding beaters you can leave out for when the muse strikes, without having so much anxiety. Do you own them, or do they own you?