Out of sight, out of mind...

[tnez13]

Originally Posted by Sloplay

Hmmm....laminates have their strong points....hmmmm.

Admittedly, this is the time of year my beater Oscar Schmidt gets the most play time. It stays on the wall while my nice guitar needs its time in the case.

[SalFromChatham]

This




https://www.amazon.com/Vornado-Evap4.../dp/B00O0WOO74

[musicman1951]

Last few days in NY I'm having trouble keeping the humidity above 30%. But I keep my guitars in their cases all year.

Try putting the case next to your chair. It probably takes me about 14 seconds to remove a guitar from the case.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by themissal

This




https://www.amazon.com/Vornado-Evap4.../dp/B00O0WOO74

Yep...that’s the one I’ve used in my guitar room the last few years. Works great...

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

Not sure if it helps, but my guitars happily coexist with three cats. I don't leave my guitars on stands permanently for other reasons (burglaries), but the cats are not the issue. When I play off and on during a weekend day, the guitar(s) stay out.

Kittens grow up eventually into less rambunctious creatures...

Haha yes indeed, and I trusted the older one enough to have some guitars out, but the young one (1.5 years now) is still zooming about in oblivion. Also some of my guitars had 5k MSRP, and I would not want to see them bowled over or used as scratching posts.

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

I should either bite the bullet and say "this guitar may get damaged, but so what, that's just the cost of doing what I've set out to do" or get an affordable laminate or non-wood guitar.

Usually it is the top that will crack first. Are there any guitars with laminate tops?

[Nyghthawk]

Originally Posted by guitar george

Usually it is the top that will crack first. Are there any guitars with laminate tops?

Yes. Entry level Yamaha (F335?), Epiphone DR-100, etc. Most of them sound bad. Just my .02.

[Muddslide]

Originally Posted by guitar george

Usually it is the top that will crack first. Are there any guitars with laminate tops?

Indeed. A good number of them.

I find that laminate topped nylon string guitars just don't get it for me, but I've played scores of all-laminate steel strings that have really surprised me with their sound, volume, action, intonation, playability and of course PRICE.

Epiphone has some nice laminate topped acoustics...pretty sure some Recording Kings, Yamahas, Alvarez...definitely some Oscar Schmidt models.

I have two all-laminated Ibanez acoustics. They were both inexpensive as heck, sound and play great and I'd put them up against many solid topped guitars that cost 3 times as much.

Maybe the best part? They are essentially bulletproof, I never need to worry about temp or humidity and even if they got damaged or burst into flames, they are easily replaced (although they have great sentimental value to me.)

[maxtheaxe]

Originally Posted by Shades of Blue

Well, the acoustics have all gone in their cases and put in the closet to be humidified for the winter. Living in SC, I can usually go until January before my house is constantly under 40% RH. Once I notice that the RH doesn't get out of the 30% range, they get put away.

With that, comes zero play time for me. When guitars are out on their stands, I play just about everyday, even if for just a few minutes. However, once in the packed closet, they are out of sight, out of mind.

So, what to do with this break? Do I give some of my other hobbies some attention? Do I pull out the camera and snap some outdoor shots, fly the drone, or go shooting? I will probably do a lot of that over the coming months. I think I'll put one of my electrics out on a stand so I can at least grab a guitar and play....or not.

What about you? Does this happen to anyone else?

Northern Oregon coast here & quite humid most of the year. Winter it gets cold enough that the heat runs all night in my studio & dries the air so I use a room humidifier to keep it right in the range of about 43-55%.

Other than that, I keep my guitars out on a rack 24-7. Sometimes in the summer I have to run a DE-humidifier to keep ambient humidity below 50%, but either way, it's never out of the safe range for long enough to matter. Been doing it this way for many years with no trouble.

[ruger9]

This is precisely why my guitars are NEVER in their cases, unless they are on their way to a rehearsal or a gig.

I only have 2 acoustics here now, and neither are $5000 custom shops or Ryans, LOL. But if I DID have those kinds of axes, I STILL wouldn't keep them in cases, they'd be hanging on the wall, and I'd spend the money on a room humidifier. Or, if I had the room for it, a glass display case. I like to look at my guitars as well as play them.

The "out of sight out of mind" also applies to many other things in life for me, which is why I keep lists. My wife wants me to hand a new picture, then puts the picture somewhere I can't SEE it, it ain't getting hung LOL.

[skinnerb]

When I started playing guitar, 1968, there was little or no knowledge about humidity or set ups or what we all now assume is normal care. Or, at least amongst the folks that I knew. I bought a Martin D-18 for 75 bucks and took it everywhere and played it under conditions that would alarm anybody nowadays. Finish cracks and some crazing but very playable. Now, at home, I wash my hands before playing and wipe them down afterwards.

[darylcrisp]

Shades
lots of good suggestions from other folks. here's a few thoughts. the humans in the house will benefit from the 35-45% humidity of a humidifier during the winter months as will your instruments. everyone will sleep better and not awaken with a dry stuffy nose or throat.

the one I use, and I like it because it goes for a full day and night without refill:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/AIRCARE-Hor...ier/1000106417

another thought is to get a good sounding, nice playing, cheaper instrument to keep out on a stand. I've set up 3 of these since Sept and these guitars rock:
Taylor Academy 12(concert) and 10(15/16 dreadnaught size, 4" deep at endpin). both have 24.75" scale, 1 11/16" nut width, 2 3/16" string spacing at the saddle. around 4lbs. solid Sitka top, layered sapele. real wood on the headstock veneer. Ebony bridge and fretboard. Every one of these that I have had in hand give a dryer tone than what a Taylor typically offers. I've often felt they lean more towards a Gibson tone. Nice gigbag too. The neck plays great, they set up easy and have a low buzz free action. You can get one without the electronics for around $450 shipped(sweetwater or musicvilla). I've been extremely impressed with the 3 that have come thru my worktable.
I did find they need a check on fret height as I found 2 or 3 ever so slightly high frets, a quick light fret level and redress the top of the few that needed a spot level, and the 3 needed a little nut slot work to drop into the lowest action. Maybe an hours work total. The pickups, if you get the 12e or 10e, sound really good.
The arm bevel that is built on each really makes a difference.
These are real workhorse guitars, they don't feel or sound like a toy or junker. 4 lbs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV4VM5z2s-s

[Groberts]

I leave all my acoustics in the cases because its' always dry in the winter with central heating running and dry in the summer with AC running. So I just have to get them out of the case (where I keep Humidipaks in the soundhole) I am religious about maintaining them to the best of my ability. But that doesn't stop me from playing.

But ...if there is a guitar on a stand, I DO pick it up more. So I get it. But putting them in their protective shells does not limit my passion or magnetism to play.

[lowrider]

This is just silliness. I keep my guitars in their cases 99% of the time, in the room where I play. It takes less than a minute to take one out of the case. And why do the cases go in the closet? I don't get it,

[Methos1979]

What a sad story. I don't have that problem here. Humidity locked solidly at 29 and both guitars hanging on the outside wall get played every day.