Storing Guitars: Keeping Them Organized & Safe

playing-guitarGuitars can be worth a lot of money, and provide years of enjoyment if properly cared for. That’s why it’s important to take some consideration into how you store your guitars. Here’s a rundown of a few methods and tips to keep your guitars organized and safe:

Polish and Clean Them

Keeping your guitars clean is an important maintenance duty however you plan to store them. Dust and fluids (like sweat), left on a guitar surface for long periods of time, can damage the finish and affect performance. Unfortunately, guitars accumulate both virtually every time you take them out to play. Take care to clean them regularly. Polish is available for guitar bodies, as well as cleaning fluids for its other parts.

Invest In Cases

Guitar cases may seem expensive, but they’re certainly less expensive than replacing or repairing a guitar that gets damaged because it was sitting around unprotected. Accidents happen; cases make them hurt less. Even a soft-shell gig bag can provide some protection, if money’s tight. Furthermore, cases prevent guitars from picking up dust and other contaminants from the air.

Hooks and Stands

Two non-case storage methods are prevalent for guitars: wall hooks and floor stands. If you go with the wall hook method, be sure to install it properly and on part of the wall that can hold it plus the weight of a guitar. As for floor stands, different ones fit different types of guitars better. Take the time to find the right fit, as a guitar that tumbles off a stand won’t find the trip very pleasant.

Since these guitars will be unprotected by cases, set up any stands or hooks in areas that aren’t humid, have relatively stable temperatures, and have few contaminants in the air.

Storing Long Term

If you’re going to store a guitar for a long period of time, and it uses active pickups, take out any batteries it uses. Batteries eventually corrode, which can lead to them getting stuck or damaging the guitar’s innards. Also loosen the strings a bit, to reduce tension on the neck.

Storing a guitar is, overall, pretty simple: Keep them clean and protected. Following these strategies can help make sure your guitar sounds just as good the next time you get it out to play.