Strings and "storage" questions

[Dogma]

I got my first additional guitar in January and have been playing it pretty much exclusively (for no reason other than to get to know it.) Do you all with multiple instruments do anything particular with regard to the strings of those instruments not getting regular playing time? I guess the one thing I can think of is whether it's good or bad (for either strings or guitar itself) to loosen the strings a bit? This would be for a guitar stored in its case.

My other question is whether strings that are not being played continue to degrade in any way? Or if they are reasonably new and wiped down when the guitar goes into the case will they remain so when the instrument sees the light of day (or dark of night) again?

Thanks!

[bufflehead]

One of the reasons I've limited the number of guitars I have is that I don't want to own a guitar that goes more than a month without being played. That said, I think it's good for a guitar to remain under tension since that's how it's built and braced.

Strings will degrade much slower if they're not played, but they will still degrade. As they say in the boat world, "Rust never sleeps."

[dnf777]

Great questions. I have heard trusted, qualified opinions on this from very experienced shop owners, luthiers, and read articles from the big names who deal in many, many guitars, vintage and new. There is a lack of consensus. I know from these same folks that some detune when storing or shipping, and others dont, and they all seem to do just fine.

For my own comfort, I give the strings a good wipe down, and roughly tune down a half to whole step. Not saying its right, but it doesnt hurt.

I know some will have different results with string aging, but I find that if I dont play a guitar for a while, the strings tend to stay where they were when last played. Especially the coated strings, that seem to resist surface corrosion. Of course, YMMV, etc...

[The Bard Rocks]

He's right, it doesn't hurt. But I don't do it, too lazy. I leave them at pitch and made do with gray fingertips if one goes too long without playing. It doesn't make much different either way.

[TBman]

I don't tune them differently to store them. Only 3 of my guitars are in standard, the rest in DADGAD and other tunings by design. The only guitars that see practically zero play time are my Alvarez and Washburn.

[RalphH]

I wouldn't bother detuning personally. It would be a barrier for me picking up the guitar again, knowing i had to retune it before I could play it.

As for string life -- they will slowly die over time. The only guitar I have that I don't play often is my electric...

So I put coated strings on it. If you don't play if often enough to wear out the coating they will last more or less forever - imo coated strings are the perfect option on an occasional use instrument, even if you prefer uncoated generally. I haven't changed the strings on my electric in over a year and they still sound new.

[Tannin]

Originally Posted by Dogma

Do you all with multiple instruments do anything particular with regard to the strings of those instruments not getting regular playing time?

No such thing as an instrument not getting regular playing time in my place*. If I'm not playing it, I get rid of it.

(* Except for my bass, but I like to have a bass handy, just in case. Bass strings last practically forever anyway, so it's not an issue.)

Strings do go off slowly when they are not used, both from corrosion and from being under tension, but it takes a long time. Plucking a number out of the air, 6-12 months before you need to think about it.

[rllink]

My wife has a guitar that she put out in the attic of the garage forty years ago. Thirty years ago we moved and she put it in the storage shed. Fifteen years ago my daughter got it out, played it for a month or so and put it in the basement. Last year I got it out and the strings were just barely out of tune and sounded good to me.To my knowledge nobody ever put new strings on it or detuned it. That is my only experience on the subject.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Dogma

I got my first additional guitar in January and have been playing it pretty much exclusively (for no reason other than to get to know it.) Do you all with multiple instruments do anything particular with regard to the strings of those instruments not getting regular playing time? I guess the one thing I can think of is whether it's good or bad (for either strings or guitar itself) to loosen the strings a bit? This would be for a guitar stored in its case.

My other question is whether strings that are not being played continue to degrade in any way? Or if they are reasonably new and wiped down when the guitar goes into the case will they remain so when the instrument sees the light of day (or dark of night) again?

Thanks!

Hi Dogma

I wipe down the strings of every instrument I play immediately when finished whether it's going to sit out on the stand, hang on the wall or go back into a case. If you do not, then the strings will deteriorate more quickly. I do not loosen strings on guitars which are not being played.

I use the thicker soft blue colored microfiber cloths which have a deeper nap on them, about 12" square (30cm), which we buy in bags of 24 at our local Sam's Club. We use them for dusting off TV screens, wiping phones, tablets etc and cleaning eye glasses as well as guitars.

I have one in every guitar case and a couple in my practice area. We wash them weekly unless they have had undue use before that time.

We don't use them to clean up liquid spills, they are just for wiping screens, guitars, strings, and light duty.

As for string storage, I have a closet cabinet with three large drawers in it where I store strings for my electric, classical and steel string acoustics. It's in a very dry section of the house and I have strings in there that are years old which still sound and perform great.

Our part of the country is very dry (single digit humidity outside in the winter).

[Mandobart]

I have 23 stringed instruments (currently). I regularly play 5 or 6 of them. The rest are fully tuned and hanging in my humidity and temperature controlled music room.

I have several full sets of strings in their original packing and lots of individually packaged strings just in paper envelopes sitting out in this room. Every new string sounds and lasts like brand new when I use it.

I've been doing this for over 7 years with no problems with (or differences between) either daily played or idle instruments.

[Goat Mick]

I have three guitars that I gig with regularly and three others that don't really leave the house. Two of those are family heirlooms and one is a Mexi-Martin that hangs on the wall upstairs in the living room. It's basically there in case I'm upstairs and have a moment of inspiration (and the wife really likes having a guitar hanging in the living room). I use Pearse PB Lights on all of the gigging guitars and they rarely go more than a couple of weeks without getting a fresh set of strings. I keep Elixers on the stay at home guitars and change them once a year or so. They always sound pretty fresh when I change them and could probably go longer.

[Misifus]

I’ve been playing since the 1964 and I’ve never detuned any of my guitars, even when I left my 1957 D-18 home when I was shipped to Panama. (Good thing, that, cause my sorry little brother stole it and took it to college to play with folk groups while I was gone. Did I mention that he also trashed the lower ends on both my Triumph bike and my beloved ‘56 Chevy?)

Ah, but, de mortuis nil nisei bonus.

[Dogma]

Thanks for the insight(s) everyone. I really appreciate it!! And, I think it's time to get the older guitar out again ; )

[Pura Vida]

I wipe down my strings after each use, and even though I play most of my guitars regularly, even for the ones I don't play as much, I don't do anything different with the strings. Detuning and retuning them can actually wear them out faster, so just leave them up to tension and keep them clean.