guitar care

[k5_gypsy1]

Hi, i'm new to the group here.I have been playing guitar for the past 25+ years.i live in mid-michigan in the woods,so i get alot of time on my instrument.
I just bought a new guitar new from the shop.But i didn't get the case yet.Until then I'm trying to keep the best enviroment,such as moisture in the air,safe temperature in the room you know not to hot or to cold.
I have guitar stands for all my best guitars,but I'm concerned with neck warpage from sitting in the stand all day,day after day.need some feedback on this if anyone can help. Thanks

[zepp_rules]

i had the same problem when i bought my jackson. what i did was i took some old clothes and made a makeshift bed out of the way. there's really not to do, guitars are pretty resiliant so you shouldn't worry too much, especially if this is temporary.

[Kevin Taylor]

Depends on what you bought the guitar for.
If it's for collection or resale value, keep it protected in something solid and at the same temperature and humidity that you feel comfortable in yourself... 70 - 75deg, 25-50% humidity.
If it's for playing at home, and you don't have to worry about kids or ex-wives, it's pointless keeping it in a case and having to go through a huge hassle every time you get the urge to play. Leave it out and plugged in ready to go.
It'll get banged up a bit, but as long as you aren't dropping it out of an airplane or whatever, it won't affect the playing ability.. and you'll probably be a better player yourself cause you'll be more inclined to pick it up and practice if it's convenient to get at.

[mc9mm]

My friends fathers guitar stood in a closet for over 40 years,
and the neck is fine, so I wouldnt worry too much.
And if you have a good guitar stand, the pressure on the guitar
should be leveled out.

[pstring]

You never said if it is an accoustic or electric guitar, so if it is an accoustic get a good case, new accoustic guitars takes a few years to acclimate to the enviroment, the top, sides, and back are only sealed by the finish on the outside, the inside surfaces are not finished and will react quite a bit to changes in humidty and temperature, add in the strain on the top by the strings and in the first 2-4 years a guitar can shift around quite a bit before it starts to settle in, the neck may react a bit too, you'll probably see some changes in string height above the fretboard, especially as the hot humid summer comes in and dry, cold fall-winter follows it, I'm in southern Ohio and I usually adjust the truss rod about those times of year as the neck reacts to the seasons.......

[chris mood]

I purchased a new nylon string acoustic at the end of January this year. I use my guitars a lot and there always getting dragged around w/me (teaching, gigging,etc). We had a pretty brutal winter here on the east coast w/lot of temperature changes. Being that this was a new guitar for me I was taking it everywhere, playing it constantly trying to break it in. By the end of February I noticed an up-bow forming at the top of the neck. For those of you who know about nylon string guitars there made the old fashion way, meaning no truss rod. So basically after a month this thing was ruined, just when I was really starting to bond w/it.

I'm not a big fan of the "chain" music stores, I usually try to give my business to the smaller mom and pop ones, but I ended up purchasing this guitar at guitar center because they were the only ones who had it in stock at that time. I took it back to guitar center not knowing how they were gonna react. They took it back and exchanged it no questions asked.

I also had the experience of having a Gibson es335 crack on me. Again it was winter time and I was hauling this thing around w/me everywhere. I stopped buying expensive high end guitars after that experience. I tend to favor a good quality, middle of the road "work horse" guitar these days, one that can battle the elements of mother nature and the smokey bar room.