Not playing my acoustic - best practice for storage?

guitarfishbay · August 2016

Hi guys,

I've had very little time to play in recent months, so am wondering what to do with my acoustic. It is all solid wood construction (spruce top, rosewood back/sides, mahogany neck with rosewood board).

I have a Hiscox case for it, which it is currently in, and it is stored in a dry place. I have the following questions:

1. Should I slacken the strings?
2. Should I loosen the truss rod?
3. Should I store it in the case? It can be put somewhere safe and dry.
4. What should be done when taking out of storage (does it need time to settle etc)?
5. If this should happen again in the future, what is the kind of timescale by which an acoustic guitar should be stored in this way?

Thanks.

richardhomer · August 2016

Leave tuned to pitch - it won't do it any harm at all.

guitarfishbay · August 2016

Thanks Richard.

paul_c2 · August 2016

I'd have thought, leave it tuned, but cover it up (so it doesn't get dusty) or put it in a case, and store it in a room which doesn't vary in temperature/humidity wildly, like a normal occupied room in a house with central heating not the garage/loft etc.

paul_c2 · August 2016

Probably worth thoroughly wiping the strings too? Not sure

ICBM · August 2016

Yes. Clean the whole thing thoroughly particularly including the strings and frets, then put it in the case somewhere temperature/humidity-stable as Paul said.

If you don't clean them you can sometimes get corrosion spots where the strings touch the frets when the case is closed, which can be bad enough to need a fret dress to fix.

guitarfishbay · August 2016

Thanks everyone.

Howdy, Stranger!

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Not playing my acoustic - best practice for storage?

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