The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Your thoughts on not using guitars for a while--maybe months. Would you keep the tuning up to tension? Or lower the tension ?--say a whole tone or even more to keep the tension off the neck--causing the neck to warp if kept under tension?

    Many thanks.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    If it is just for storing (no shipment) I'd leave the strings as they are.
    Imagine if a neck would warp under normal playing tension ... !

  4. #3

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    I tend to lower the tension by some amount, which I never measure, but I'm not religious about it.

  5. #4

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    Guitar is made to withstand the tension by design so this is not something you really should do. The guitar can warp in other ways if simply left sitting with no tension so frankly I can see no need for this, leave it strung up. One thing to do though is no matter what change the strings say every year. That gives you a chance to do a once over and see how things are going.

  6. #5

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    I leave at normal tension, but I do check pitch at least once each season. Even though I try to control humidity, I believe my summer humidity levels are a little higher than winter humidity levels.

  7. #6

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    Keep at tension. If that makes you nervous, it probably won’t hurt to tune down a whole step. What’s much more important are temperature and humidity—especially for carved top guitars.

  8. #7

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    Well, a new student started with me the other day, he’s an older gentleman, using his grandfathers Gibson l50 that’s been under the bed at least a few decades untouched.

    i literally tweaked the low e about a chin hair and it was in tune and playing great.

    So, there’s that.

  9. #8

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    A single example proves nothing. I lower the tension on some about a step or so, but I often forget and leave some at pitch. They have always come out of the case the same way they went in, either way. I don't think my few examples prove much either, because the sample size is still small and the conditions are not standardized. My advice would be to do whatever you feel is best, and don't worry until you take the guitar out and it's warped or broken, or more likely just as it went in, because I don't have a definitive answer, or even a sound opinion based on experiment by anyone.

  10. #9

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    Lots of acoustic and archtop guitar builders advise to keep the guitar under the tension it was designed for (specific string sets). Guitars that benefit from loosening the strings are ones without a truss rod, most nylon strings, where builders advise you to store them detuned, with less tension.

    However, temperature will make the tuning move unless you keep it constant throughout the year. Not a big deal, but i like to tune the guitars i have in the closet and in cases couple times a year..

  11. #10
    Many thanks for all your info.--much appreciated.