Who else does not pamper their guitars

[Rosette]

I have heard and read people before saying that a guitar sitting in its case won’t get played as often; this seems to be a common myth and anecdotal at best. I leave my cheap Takamine out on a stand and it’s the guitar that I play the least.

My other guitars stay in their cases (and still get played more), with humidity control and I take care not to bump them against things although it has happened. I work too hard for my money to not care for them well. If that is pampering, then I’m all for it.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by nostatic

To be fair, the moral high ground is occupied by both camps to varying degrees. And other rogue warriors (e.g. budget vs high dollar instruments) aspire to occupy the territory.

One problem I've seen over now almost 3 decades of online forums is a tendency towards "experience blinders" - many have never walked a mile in another's moccasins. Some have never collected, others have never gigged, so the tendencies of that other population seem foreign. To quote Grandpa Simpson:

"I used to be with it, but then they changed what *it* was. Now what I'm with isn't *it*, and what's *it* seems weird and scary to me. It'll happen to you..."

Agreed! A Santa Barbarian who quotes Abe Simpson certainly gets my admiration and support. Two thumbs up to be sure Jealous

[printer2]

No sleeping at the foot of the bed, they get put out every night.

[jheath]

At least 5 of my 10 or so acoustics stay out on stands regularly, currently including a Fairbanks, a vintage J45, vintage D18 and a Halcyon. House humidity is monitored and is never in a dangerous range but they do get played, bumped, sometimes dusty and occasionally brushed with a dog's tail. But they all get played very frequently.

[Mike4mus6]

Update and new question….

I put damp-rid bag in room where guitars are kept.
My Taylor (in the soft case) after a week, went down from 66 - 65 humidity so not much if any difference.

I got 50 gr desiccant paks and put 2 in soundhole with the hangy thing that comes with the boveda paks.

Two days later the humidity is down to 55 and dropping.

Is this safe? I can easily monitor, but wonder if the desiccant paks do any damage other than lowering humidity I’ve been trying to lower for months now.

[lfarhadi]

My care regiment:
1. Wipe down the strings after each session (increases longevity)
2. On the Jang, spray and wipe around the arm area (I learned years ago with my CEO-7 that the nitro finish will cloud if I don't do this)
3. Humidify as needed

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Rosette

I have heard and read people before saying that a guitar sitting in its case won’t get played as often; this seems to be a common myth and anecdotal at best. I leave my cheap Takamine out on a stand and it’s the guitar that I play the least.

My other guitars stay in their cases (and still get played more), with humidity control and I take care not to bump them against things although it has happened. I work too hard for my money to not care for them well. If that is pampering, then I’m all for it.

For me, I would agree, even though I leave them out most of the time. But mine are in the bar in the basement, all three of them, and not scattered around the house where I can just pick one up in passing and strum a few chords before moving on with whatever it was that I was doing. I mean, that's just not how I play guitar, cased or not.

So I don't think keeping them in a case would change that much for me. I can see how having them out and scattered about might encourage more playing if one is so busy or so inclined that they just want to take advantage of a few minutes here or there to strum or pick a few measures on the way. But it isn't a universal truth that if they are left out they get played more. It takes a lot of those five or ten minute respites to add up to something as meaningful as taking a guitar out of the case and playing it for an hour or two and then putting it back.

[Tnfiddler]

I don’t pamper my guitars and they’ve both acquired some dings and scratches at festivals and gigs, BUT, I do try to take good care of them and they’re thoroughly cleaned after every trip, outside the home. I also don’t take the D41 outdoors to hot gigs or festivals, due the Martin finish. I guess you could say that mine have a slight level 1 “aged” finish that I earned and didn’t pay for.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Mike4mus6

Update and new question….

I put damp-rid bag in room where guitars are kept.
My Taylor (in the soft case) after a week, went down from 66 - 65 humidity so not much if any difference.

I got 50 gr desiccant paks and put 2 in soundhole with the hangy thing that comes with the boveda paks.

Two days later the humidity is down to 55 and dropping.

Is this safe? I can easily monitor, but wonder if the desiccant paks do any damage other than lowering humidity I’ve been trying to lower for months now.

I lived in SoCal for most of my life. I never did any of that with my instruments. I just played them, gigged them, and left them out. I did avoid direct sun and if there was a Santa Ana I'd maybe put them in a case and in a closet but that would be very rare.

I would imagine Oxnard rarely gets dry, and only would be worrisome on the high side if you're right near the coast and have a lot of marine layer. But I lived in Santa Monica about a mile from the ocean and never worried about my instruments.

[Mike4mus6]

Yes indeed living 1.5 miles from coast has brought humidity levels 80-85% much of the summer. I am anxious to see what winter brings!

[Dave Hicks]

My instruments are owned by a clumsy oaf - and they look it.

D.H.

[guitarman68]

All my instruments live on stands in my studio with humidity control. That's all the pampering I have to offer. Each single instrument gets used on gigs and sessions, no matter of the value of the instrument, just because I love to play them. But for rougher gigs or for playing in the sun, I sometimes decide wich one to take.
Dings are unavoidable. I bought the instruments for use.

[Joseph Hanna]

Originally Posted by Mike4mus6

Yes indeed living 1.5 miles from coast has brought humidity levels 80-85% much of the summer. I am anxious to see what winter brings!

Mike, I live virtually on the beach, and humidity is a real problem. We don't have a furnace or any air conditioning, so the windows are wide open on the daily. I have struggled for years to get my cases under control with almost no luck. I've tried the standard desiccant packs, several of the DryTote products, Everbamboo products, and Tyvek Clay pouches. I've spent excessive time with a hair dryer, all to almost zero long-term success. Cases won't settle below 64% RH. In the end, I have a guitar cabinet, which is a steady 39%, and I rotate the guitars in the cabinet. If there's an answer here, I'd love to discover it!

[Mike4mus6]

From last post Joseph

I got 50 gr desiccant paks and put 2 in soundhole with the hangy thing that comes with the boveda paks.

Today my Taylor 12 is at 54 humidity, something it hasn’t been since April. So I will monitor this for a bit.

I checked out the guitar humidity cabinets and it looks like they’re coming down in price. Someone here mentioned a case at IKEA and then fitting it with a (de)humidifier thingy as a cheaper alternative.

I’ve got 4 I’d like to put in, but would sacrifice the Taylor 12 if needed.

Anyway, the weather this year in particular has been most bizarre since my arrival in California 46 years ago. Summer downpours in July almost ruined our Cannabis tomatoes 🍅, and the rain in summer here hasn’t even happened in last 10 years.

[Russ C]

For decades I wanted a D45. It became an irrational obsession and when I got the one I wanted I made a promise motivated by years of damaging guitars that it would move slower than my other guitars and I would only carry it in front of me. I’ve been doing that for 12 years and it hasn’t a ding anywhere. I like that - it’s a sort of personal achievement.