Need more expert F512 advice

[idealassets]

With particular regard to 12-string jumbo's, and also dreadnaught's- I am interested in knowing what is the best way of keeping my guitar when not playing it. I was told when I bought my new F512 to "always keep it in the case, when not playing it", which is exactlty what I do when gigging.

However at home I am writing my own songs and really want to keep the guitar out of of the case in my temperature/ humidity controlled room for many days at a time (along with 2, or 3 other uncheap guitars- out of the case)

OK then, so at most guitar shops they are all strored these ways (sometimes for years):
1. Hanging from the headstock with a cloth pad guiding the back side.
2. Sitting on the floor, and leaning slightly into a rack, with endpins either in or out.
3. Hanging on a floor stnding rack that supports the weight at the bottom of the headstock.
4. Sitting in a smaller tripod stand that supports the guitar at 2 points on the bottom, and a guide for the back.

So the big question that I have is what type of damaging problems can occur over time if I let no sunlight on the guitar and:

1. The guitar is set against the wall with a slight lean into the corner, so it wont fall over.
2. I hang it on my Jamstand double rack with a cotton sock between the guitar and the foam.
3. I consider the tripod style of rack, either wood or metal/foam.

I really appreciate your pro's, cons, and comments.
-Craig

 

[adorshki]

I really appreciate your pro's, cons, and comments.
-Craig

MY personal philosphy is store 'em in the case, but I keep my cases in a very easy-to-get-to place. Besides the insurance from accidents that a case provides, it also gives a "no-added-stress-to-the-neck" storage method. So that's my main point. Sounds like you're already aware of the issue of rubbers/ latex moldings degrading nitro finishes, so I say go with the method that supports the guitar at the lower bout and the heel of the neck. There's tripods with adjustable height neck rests that'll let you do this. I even hold my guitars there (at the heel) when I'm handling 'em, just so I don't turn the neck into a lever against the weight of its own body. I mean, in your case you've already got 12 strings worth of tension on there, why add any more no matter how small it might seem?

 

[12 string]

I also keep them cased. Even if temp and humidity are okay there is dust, possibility of direct sunlight damage and a whole host other other possibilities that a case would protect against.

' Strang

 

[wileypickett]

Craig,

In the case, with a humidifier in the sound hole -- especially 12-strings.

I prefer the Oasis humidifiers, which let you know when they need refilling. I've already noticed, with the cold weather here in Boston, and the forced air heat in my house, than I'm refilling them almost twice as often (about every four days) as I was in the warm weather.

Glad you got your 512!

Glenn//.

 

[spiderman]

In the case for all the reasons said. If you must keep one out, get a beater. Also get a decent hygrometer for the room so you know what the humidity is. You don't want to top crack a 512.

Harmony H-173 bought in 1960 (retired), Alvarez AC60S 2008, Eastman AC320ce 2008 "Hybrid", Guild GAD-JF30E(blonde) 2008, Guild JF55 1997, Guild D25M 1974, Martin Grand J35E 2009, Martin D12-20 1970
"I'm glad there are a lot of guitar players pursuing technique as diligently as they possibly can, because it leaves this whole other area open to people like me."
Richard Thompson

 

[FNG]

I used to have mine hanging on Hercules hangers. Now they are all in the case. One benefit is I've found that the strings last a lot longer.

 

[killdeer43]

Call me names and kick my dog (if I had one) but mine are on hangers or a stand and only in their cases when traveling.
I'm not a collector as much as I just enjoy playing my guitars....and I like 'em handy.
For instance, one hangs next to the bed, two hang in my office and one hangs in the hallway so I can grab it on the way to my studio (the bathroom).
**The banjo's on another hallway wall.

Cases take up a lot of space that I can use for other things. 8)
I can get to them easily if I need to.

Joe

 

[Graham]

Mine are on stands or hangers, much easier for me to pick them up and play.

Since I'm a hack I do need the impetus of easy access.

 

[chazmo]

In winter, I only keep one guitar out at a time, if that. The rest stay in cases. And, I keep the room humidified as well as dampits and sponges in the cases. It's a pain, but since I've already dried out and cracked two guitars, I've learned my lesson.

And, get a stand... resting a guitar against a wall is a recipe for disaster.

 

[killdeer43]

Mine are on stands or hangers, much easier for me to pick them up and play.

Good to know I'm not alone. :wink:

Joe

 

[Guest]

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[kokotele]

Folks go round and round on the subject of stands, in ways that I think are kind of entertaining.

Hanging a guitar from its neck will not provide enough stress on the guitar for it to notice. A 12 string guitar has over 300 pounds of tension on it from the strings. The 5 pounds of stress going in the opposite direction is negligible, and is like tuning just one of the strings down a step. There is no danger at all in hanging your guitar on the wall.

As long as your room is at the proper humidity, there's no problem in keeping it out of the case. I'm the same way as you, and guitars in cases tend not to get played. I keep as many hanging from my wall as I can.

As for stands... the most stable are the A-frame style stands that support your guitar at the bottom. The least stable are the tall tripod types that hang the guitar by the neck. One little bump and the center of gravity can quickly get outside the range where the stand can right itself.

I don't let rubber of any kind touch my nitro guitars. I found some nice, soft black cotton and sewed covers to slip over the rubber support arms of my stands, and they don't with the finish.

 

[killdeer43]

Further to my thoughts about hanging my guitars to keep 'em handy is the sheer delight I get when I see one just hanging there, catching the morning/evening light, begging to be pulled down and taken through a few chords, etc.

D50

Hang 'em and play 'em every chance you get!

Joe

 

[idealassets]

Thanks you all for you helpful advice. Considering the autrocities I have seen locally done to guitars. Why do I ask your advice instead of theirs, lets figure...

And yes, for that west coast thing, I did live only 2 miles from the epicenter of the Northridge quake of '94 at 4:28 AM (remember that one). I, myself was thrown off the couch (fell asleep there, not in dog house) and found myself waking up in the center of the living room diving under the coffee table.

Everything spring from its place, and in the aftermath my $250 Alvarez guitar got not a scratch. Now if it were a nice Guild I can wager a different outcome. So yes, by all means in the case, under the bed in that local!

Now then the coolest thing I have seen giging is a fellow that brings in a collapsible "guitar parking lot" that holds maybe 10 guitars, but mostly for Stratocasters, etc. and basses for the entire band. I didn't see any nice acoustics in that set-up.

Ok, first thing is at least I will get those guitars off the floor!

And also I like to read all the guitars that you folks own and like. Just a few momths ago I would hve never conjured all this, being totally aloof of the situation. Drums are one thing, guitars are yet another. Like how many drummers have 8 different drum sets for example? (You don't really have to tell me).

Many thanks,
Craig

 

[Donal]

I learned my lesson on humidity also. The humidifier(s) come out during heating season. I always have at least one instrument sitting in a stand in the living room, near my chair. If I had to get one from the case, I'm sure it would drastically reduce the number of times the instrument got use.

Don .

 

[chazmo]

Thanks you all for you helpful advice. Considering the autrocities I have seen locally done to guitars. Why do I ask your advice instead of theirs, lets figure...

And yes, for that west coast thing, I did live only 2 miles from the epicenter of the Northridge quake of '94 at 4:28 AM (remember that one). I, myself was thrown off the couch (fell asleep there, not in dog house) and found myself waking up in the center of the living room diving under the coffee table.

Everything spring from its place, and in the aftermath my $250 Alvarez guitar got not a scratch. Now if it were a nice Guild I can wager a different outcome. So yes, by all means in the case, under the bed in that local!

Now then the coolest thing I have seen giging is a fellow that brings in a collapsible "guitar parking lot" that holds maybe 10 guitars, but mostly for Stratocasters, etc. and basses for the entire band. I didn't see any nice acoustics in that set-up.

Ok, first thing is at least I will get those guitars off the floor!

And also I like to read all the guitars that you folks own and like. Just a few momths ago I would hve never conjured all this, being totally aloof of the situation. Drums are one thing, guitars are yet another. Like how many drummers have 8 different drum sets for example? (You don't really have to tell me).

Many thanks,
Craig

Craig, it's really great that you're learning from our experience. I am a brass player (trumpet) and I was completely ignorant of guitar care before getting turned onto the web boards about 5 years ago or so... I've learned a ton since then, and I would spare you "learning the hard way" with those wonderful Guilds you've got!

Oh, and by the way, check out the Hercules stand(s) at your neighborhood music store. These have some built-in give, and they're awesome protection for the instrument. Not the prettiest for displaying in the house, but definitely excellent for stage/perforamnce.

 

[wileypickett]

I was, in a past life, of the opinion that humidifying guitars was strictly for anal-compulsive fruitcakes!

I'd been playing since I was 14, had subjected my guitars to every indignity you can think of, and never really had anything too awful happen.

Then, an old Washburn 12-string that I had sitting in a stand when I went away for two weeks one December, was unplayable when I got back home. The bridge, which had been flat, had come partially unglued and pulled up about 16 degrees, enough so that the heavier gauge strings, the ones farthest behind the saddle, went right from the bridge pin holes to the nut without touching the saddle!

I took it to my guitar repair guy, and his first questions was, "How do you heat your house?"; his second was, "How do you store your guitars when you're not playing them?"

Once bitten, twice shy. I've been humidifying ever since.

Forced air heating not only dries out wood, but it can break down the glue that holds a guitar together. It's not at all unusual to find partially unglued braces, bridge lift, etc., in guitars that haven't been properly maintained. I'm constantly checking out used guitars on my local craigslist and I see both these things fairly often in New England.

(Parenthetically, if you were buying a used guitar -- a good one anyway -- who would you rather buy from, someone who took care of their guitar or someone who left it on a stand or hanging on the wall year-round?)

Keep in mind Craig, that this is just one guy's opinion / experience. It's your guitar -- you can do whatever you want with it.

If you use forced air to heat your house, like I do, you may wish to err on the side of caution and keep your beater guitar handy, rather than your 512, which probably set you back a grand or two. For me, the 10 seconds it takes to open a case is a hassle I can live with.

BEST ADVICE: ask an experienced guitar repair person IN YOUR AREA -- someone familiar with the local climate and what it does to acoustic instruments -- what he or she recommends.

Glenn Jones
Cambridge, MA

 

[killdeer43]

(Parenthetically, if you were buying a used guitar -- a good one anyway -- who would you rather buy from, someone who took care of their guitar or someone who left it on a stand or hanging on the wall year-round?)

If I were buying a guitar, I would let the condition of the guitar itself determine whether or not I buy it. Abuse or neglect by the owner or previous owners would be apparent and the sale just wouldn't happen. :wink:

Joe

 

[wileypickett]

Of course, that's basically how I buy too.

But it's kind of like maintaining your car -- if you go look at a used car and the owner hands you a stack of receipts showing that the car got frequent oil changes and repairs when they were needed, you might feel a little better about buying. You'd still look at the car too, naturally!

Likewise, if I go check out a guitar, open the case and there's a humidifier in the soundhole (doesn't happen often, I gotta say!), I feel like, well, here's someone who's trying to take care of his instrument. And the guitar being good in other respects, I may feel a little more secure taking the plunge.

 

[killdeer43]

We could kick this dog around the block forever, Glenn, but I'm just saying that it's too broad a stroke to equate a guitar being on a hanger to abuse or neglect or not caring for the instrument.
My D50 hangs within my reach, year round, and has been well cared for from Day One. If I didn't already own it, I'd buy it!

Cheers,
Joe