Leaving Guitars Out

Overdrive

Overdrive

Inspired
I have several friends with multiple guitars who leave them all out of their cases, on stands. I'd like to do that, so I'd play all of them more, but my "studio" is the master bedroom and has a bathroom where I take showers--I'm worried about humidity affecting the guitars.

Is that a legitimate concern, that I'd end up having to reset the intonation and tweak truss rods constantly, or not really an issue?
 
Get a hygrometer and check it to make sure that your humidity level hovers around 40% (+/- 5%) It's the proper humidity level for guitars (and for human beings). If it's not in that area, get a humidifier or dehumidifier...
 
Entasis said:
Get a hygrometer and check it to make sure that your humidity level hovers around 40% (+/- 5%) It's the proper humidity level for guitars (and for human beings). If it's not in that area, get a humidifier or dehumidifier...
Click to expand...

Thanks, I did not know the appropriate humidity level.

What about the fact that it will change rapidly/drastically after a shower, then slowly dry out for 23 hours, then another shower ...?
 
I have been an engineer in the HVAC field going on 31 years, well versed in temp, humidity, enthalpy etc.... I C U live in Ga where humidity is usually hi. I assume (I know what this means) U have a central a/c unit & that ur house stays between 72-76 deg & ANY variance is NOT of any significant length of time. I believe u will be fine leaving ur guitars out & ready to play. I would suggest u look into getting a sling psychrometer, yes there "old school" but i believe in them, and use it to check ur room to give u peace of mind. Yes drastic & prolong temp/hum changes r bad for ur guitars, but I'm quite sure u will b fine leaving them out & enjoying them more.... BTW I live in middle Ga. & I leave mine out of there cases on the stands, ready to play...... & I do play them more often. Hope this helps u

 
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Wood will move no matter what,I live in NH and have guitars hanging on hooks by windows ,open most of the time.Wood heat in the winter.Maybe if I had a 5000 dollar guitar I would be concerned,but then again ,I wouldn't play that expensive guitar because I wouldn't want to do any thing to it.Never been one to baby a guitar.I repair and set up myself so doesn't matter :D
 
What Xrocker said. When I'm not playing, the guitars and basses are all in their hardshell cases, and while they're out of the case while I'm playing, the cases are closed. I've seen too many bad things happen to instruments that were just sitting out on stands. Everything from spillage to physical damage, and exposure to varying heat and humidity levels won't do them any good either.
 
I have a lot of excellent quality guitars. They are in superb condition. They stay in the case, unless they are being played.
 
One other thing to watch is the material they rest on. Some stands have cheap rubber or foam rests that may deteriorate over time and affect your instruments' finish.
 
I keep mine safe in their hard case. I am more worried about incidental damage than humidity. I did get an electronic hygrometer for under $20 from Amazon just to keep in the room and it has been 30-40% this winter. The colder it gets here the more dry it gets even with a whole house humidifier.
 
Wow, these are all great comments--and unfortunately, contradictory!

Axe5288, you have impressive credentials, so I'm leaning toward your recommendation. But I had a Les Paul Studio in this same situation many, many years ago, and something went wrong with it, which I attributed to the shower being close by, although I can't remember the problem. But the guy I took it to ended up refretting it. The person I later sold it to said he could never keep it in tune. Although some might say that's a "feature" of the not-top-of-the-line Les Pauls. :) I found the tuning improved a lot when I got a LP Classic 1960.

So, still conflicted. but if i left them out, that would be more incentive to buy another guitar without thinking I'll only be playing that one all the time.
 
Ok got one more thing to say ,If you really are concerned I'd do what immortal says and back in the case after playing.My experience is after 20 years of playing my own guitars and 2nd hand ones ,I bought a new Ibanez JS 1200,It was beautiful, open the case and that new guitar smell and all the eye candy that came with it. not a scratch or pick mark on it. Always went back in the case ,and there it stayed most the time for 3 years,Got it hanging on the wall by the window ,next to my computer and axe , I play it every day now :D Shut the door and turn the fan on in the bath when you take a shower :D
 
How hot are your showers man? I'd be more worried about your skin if your showers are that long and generate that much moisture. Isn't there a door that can be closed between the bathroom and bedroom?
 
I'm not clouding the place up with steam, but it's an expensive guitar, and I'm probably over-protective with it.
 
I have 8 guitars and I keep everything in my basement which is climate controlled. I also run my dehumidifier a few times a month. I keep three guitars at a time out on the stands and the others stay in the case until I feel like swapping out a guitar or two for the lineup. Been doing this for 7 seven years and no problems at all.
 
It may be more of an issue with acoustic or hollow body guitars. Low humidity can definitely cause cracks. Extreme and rapid changes in either humidity or temperature are not good.
 
Solid-body guitars are fairly forgiving of humidity, although prolonged extreme dryness can shrink a fretboard and turn the fret ends into a row of meat hooks.

Hollow-body guitars are more sensitive. I use in-case humidifiers when the indoor humidity drops much below 40%. Higher humidity levels (over 65-70%) can cause bellying and playability issues, but those effects are usually temporary, as long as there's not dew forming on the guitar. Low-humidity changes can be permanent. I've had the top fail on an acoustic—string tension just popped the bridge off the body—during an extreme dry spell.

I wouldn't worry about the occassional shower in the next room, as long as the guitar isn't exposed to visible steam or suspended water droplets. Humidity dissipates more quickly than heat. If you keep the door shut while you're showering, your guitar will only be exposed to elevated humidity for a few minutes. Then it's back to normal air.

I keep one solid body hanging on the wall. I rotate between several of them. Other than that, everything stays in its case. This is a necessity when humidifying acoustics. And sh*t happens to guitars when they're out of their cases for extended periods. So does dust. For me, that's reason enough to keep them cased.
 
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