Storing Guitars

Gadgie

I've got a few guitars starting to take up a bit of space, with no real spae or time to play them all. So I'm thinking I need to start storing them somewhere. This is most likely to be in the spare room so the temp etc will be approx the same as the rest of the house. However, my question is this. Is ot better to store them vertically in their cases or horizontal in their case maybe two at a time etc.
Any ideas and pros and cons etc 

Musicman20

When I went to Uni, I left my decent gear at my rents house and they were all in hard cases, laid horizontally but stood up on the thinner part of the case. I didn't stack them up. They were left like that for quite some time.

I had two Musicman basses in the collection and strangely, over the course of about 6-8 years, both needed a new neck plate (which meant a long boring process of sending them in, Musicman updating the database, new neck plate being sent, etc) and both had been for some time (not continuously) laid like that.

No other issues occurred and it could well have just been the way things are, and nothing to do with the storage.

I would suggest in a hardcase, vertically, then rested against each other at not too big an angle. The case will take the weight and the necks will be very secure with zero stress. I store them like that now but I take them out every now and then to clean and tune up.

rico

I've left guitars out of their cases and in stands for 5-10 years with no issues whatsoever. 

Exorcist

yep, mine are all out of the cases in the spare room/studio/man-cave/library - have been for years, no issue here. to be honest, I guess the temp changes a bit in that room over the winter, heating on and off during he day. Never had an issue that I have noticed. They are standing in racks or on stands, all upright. IMHO as long as you don't put them next to radiators or leaning with pressure on the necks or anything they should be fine, or nothing the odd tweak won't fix. I don't think they are as delicate as some people think they are...

HAL9000

Mine are in gigbags, vertically, in the mancave. Never had any issues. I reckon keeping them in some sort of case means any temperature or humidity changes will only hit the guitars gradually.

richardhomer

HAL9000 said:

Mine are in gigbags, vertically, in the mancave. Never had any issues. I reckon keeping them in some sort of case means any temperature or humidity changes will only hit the guitars gradually.

Word of warning if they have hard cases as well - there's often a temptation to store them in the loft. If you do, they often end up smelling for the rest of time....

Schnozz

I don't think the orientation of the case will matter (even if it's upside down!) and unless you live in the outer hebrides, it should be ok in a room between 10-20 oC, as it's extremes that would cause the neck to warp.

In the past I've bought Guitars offer ebay that have been kept in a freezing shed/garage and all the hardware becomes tarnished from condensation etc - Don't do that. I don't like crap looking cases either.

It's just common sense really, but I keep mine in their case in a wardrobe, unless it's my main player - Then it's on a stand my the bedroom.

underdog

I've just this week built myself a stand/rack to hold 8 guitars. It's been great they are all to hand so have been playing guitars I've not played in years as a result. It also looks good and takes up minimum space.

Sassafras

I don't mind 'looking after' them for you.

usedtobe

Sassafras said:

I don't mind 'looking after' them for you.

Gotta love a trier! 

fretfinder

underdog said:

I've just this week built myself a stand/rack to hold 8 guitars. It's been great they are all to hand so have been playing guitars I've not played in years as a result. It also looks good and takes up minimum space.

Pics?

underdog

@fretfinder  I will take a couple of pics tomorrow. I'm in no way handy in any way but was pretty simple,made it out of some chipboard I had about the house, I think in total I spent £15 on it 

Edit: it's essentially 2 sides of chipboard, a piece front and back at the bottom to rest base of guitars on and another piece at top with cut outs for neck. 

Where body rests is covered in pipe insulation foam, the cut outs have strips of camping mat foam in them, all padding covered with 100% cotton bed sheet.

I have plans I found web if they are any use to you? I started with them but changed measurements to suit as I found the plans made the guitars too close together for me to be happy, also it was a good few inches deeper than it needed to be.

In the end mine is pretty much a metre wide with cut outs for 8 guitars but each space would be big enough to fit an acoustic in each slot if needed, so when I have 7 electrics and an acoustic in there they aren't bunched up.

Gadgie

Thanks for the ideas and comments. We have had some new DG fitted as well so the temp should be okay now.