Should I Store My Guitar Up or Down

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Your Guitar needs to be ready to play when your ready! When your not using it you will want to keep it safe and sound. It’s best not to store it just on a stand. For reasons that you can guess. Such as knocking it over, dust on; and in the crevices and moisture. A condition that can reek havoc on your pride and joy. Just to name a few reasons you don’t want to store your guitar on a stand.

You may have wondered should I store my guitar up or down? The answer to this great question is, you should store your guitar in a case upright. If you want to know some valuable tips to keep your guitar new while it’s being stored then read these 5 tips.

5 Tips to Keep Your Guitar Safe & Sound

Should I Store My Guitar Up or Down?

Tip #1 to Keep Your Guitar Safe 

If you are going to be using  your guitar you can have it on a guitar stand. Like me, my guitar stays in the case. When I’m ready to play. I take it out and place it on the guitar stand. After I tune it!

There are guitar hangers that are mounted on the wall. They seem to work well. Providing you attach it to the wall properly. It should work pretty good. Keeping the guitar out of the way, yet still on display.

The reason I don’t like the wall hangers for a guitar is; Yes they are nice and convenient, but your guitar is out in the elements. When I say elements mostly dust.  Also some guitars with a nitrocellulose finish, like on a Les Paul. The guitar can acquire damage due to the rubber that is used on the hanger.

When the guitar finish, and the rubber touch it damages the guitars finish. There is a chemical reaction. A negative reaction that devastates the nitrocellulose finish.

That would be enough to take you over the edge! I don’t have a guitar with that type of finish, but I don’t want to dust off my guitar every time I want to play it.

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Wall Hanger or Guitar Rack for Storage?

If you have more than one guitar you can have a guitar rack. Say your at the Gig take a rack with you. It makes sense to have your guitars ready to use. Your probably not going to have time to remove your guitars one at a time from the case. That would be to chaotic.  In this scenario you would be better off with a guitar rack.

If you are storing your guitar in a case. If this is the case, and you have more than one guitar. Don’t stack the guitars one on top of the other. This is to much weight on the guitars at the bottom. You will be better off stacking the guitars side by side if you can.

When you are storing the guitar for a long period of time. The best option is to store the guitar erect. If this is impossible to do, the second best option would be to store the guitar in the case on its side. With the handle of the case at the top, or facing up. This is a good choice of action that will help eliminate the chance of damaging your guitar.

Should I Store my guitar up or down
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Tip #2 Keep Your Guitar Safe from the Weather

Store your guitar in an area where the room temperature is balanced. Meaning not a big shift from hot to cold. If your putting a guitar in storage it would be of value to you to get a climate controlled storage unit. This will keep your guitar from overheating or becoming to cold. Which can damage your guitar.

If the guitar gets to hot it can swell, warp, and become unglued. When the guitar gets to cold the wood runs the risk of cracking due to dryness. If your interested in what the humidity levels can do to your guitar I urge you to read this post on Guitar Humidifiers.

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Guitar Storage Tip #3 

When your guitar is being stored for a considerable amount of time it is a best practice to take the tension off of the guitar neck. You don’t need to completely loosen the strings according to Fender “this can cause a bowing problem”. Fender says to “loosen the strings one or two half steps”. This is an excerpt from Fender guitar storage tips.

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Tune Your Guitar Down

If you want to know what a half step is or a whole step. When considering loosening the strings for storage. This would be lowering the tune of your guitar down one or two frets.

For example when your guitar is in tune the open strings are E A D G B e. If you are tuning the thickest string down 1/2 a step that would be a Eb if you are going for one whole step. Which is two half steps. Then you would tune it down to D.

This goes for all the strings. Find out what a whole step or a fret is. Then tune that string down. If you need to know what the notes are to tune the guitar down. Click this link to learn all the notes on the fretboard.

When You get your guitar out of storage. When your ready to use your guitar again. Here is a post to help if you need to know how to tune your guitar.

Tip # 4 for Storing your guitar

We know that the best, and safest way to store your guitar is in a guitar case. Either storing it for a short period of time, or a long period of time. A guitar case will keep your guitar out of the elements.

If you are storing your guitar in the house, and you are using it quite often you should use a guitar humidifier. They come in all different shapes and sizes. The humidifier keeps the humidity level at a perfect condition for the health of your guitar.

A guitar humidifier is the cheapest way to eradicate the humidity. It also can  keep the correct amount of humidity that your guitar needs. Keeping your guitar at its top optimized condition possible.

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Related Questions

What is a Hygrometer?

There is another great tool you can use to determine the humidity level in the air. It’s called a “Hygrometer”.  A Hygrometer is a digital humidity sensor. That can tell you what the humidity level is. They also tell you what the temperature is.

This precision tool indicates relative humidity from a range of -32 degrees to 122 degree Fahrenheit or Centigrade. With a relative humidity. A low and high reading that vary, but some register as low as 20% & as High as 99% accuracy.

Your guitar is made of wood. All wood takes in humidity or water. Wood can also dry out. This is why it is imperative to keep your guitar in a climate controlled situation as much as possible.

Another way to be sure your guitar is hydrated properly is with a room humidifier. Check out the link for humidifiers. There is a great quality room humidifier in the article. That will humidify your studio and more. A great choice for a house with a lot of wood. Guitars, Chairs, Tables. Humidity Spares no wooden object!

Optimal Conditions for a Guitar is?

Optimal conditions for a guitar is an average temperature of 70°
Fahrenheit (21° Celsius) where you store your instrument. Since wood can dry out in the winter months, when the temperature drops below that 70 degree marker. Then your guitar can become brittle and crack.

A humidifier in the case is a sponge that releases the water (not all at once) and allows your guitar to get the moisture it needs.

Then when the temperature rises like conditions we see in the summer time. The humidifier takes the moisture out of the air so that the guitar will not absorb to much moisture.

This is why it is a good idea to keep your guitar in a case with a humidifier in it too. This is the safest and most cost effective way to assure your guitar will not crack or swell and come unglued due to temperature variations.

There are a lot of different guitar humidifiers that fit in the case. Click this Link to see some of the best humidifiers for your acoustic guitar.

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The best tips for storing your guitar are:

  1. Keep your guitar in a case
  2. Keep the guitar standing upright
  3. Use a humidifier to save the life of your guitar
  4. Keep the Temperature Acclimatized

If you are in need of a guitar case. There are several different kinds that you may be interested in. Based on what purpose you will be using it for. Click here to see all the latest, and best value of guitar cases.


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Source

Fender

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