Guitar storage and protection

[englishHobbyist]

I like to have my guitars out for a couple of reasons - because I play them more often if I can see them, and because they look good.
At the moment, I just have one stand, so I alternate the guitars to always have one on there.
My 3rd guitar is arriving on Tuesday, and I'm thinking of other storage solutions.

I think I'd like them on the wall, to reduce the floorspace used. To reduce the amount of cleaning needed, I'm thinking of something like this http://www.classiccase.co.uk which is basically a velvet-lined box with a Stringswing mounted in it. Or for roughly 3x the price, a local joiner will make me something similar out of solid oak, and with a glass front instead of acrylic.
Thoughts on this? Or any better options you know of (available in the UK)?

Also, my new guitar is a couple of firsts for me. It's a hollowbody, and it has a nitro finish (I don't think a 2019 core custom 24 would be nitro?) Do I need to take any special precautions with it for either of those reasons? Should I throw a humidifier into the cabinet?
I will also keep a single floor-stand, so I have somewhere to put a guitar if I need to put it down mid-practice. I'll get a new one though, as my current one is cheap and I can't see any branding, so possibly not nitro-compatible materials.

 

[ViperDoc]

This would be a great question to take to the source. I bet PRS customer service could give you some great advice, especially if the various finishes your guitars have could be researched with your serial numbers.

Whether you need a humidifier or not will depend on the resident level of humidity in your room, and how that shifts throughout the year and with the outside weather.

You will also want to take great care in selecting any light sources in your room to minimize finish breakdown by light.

I am a case whore. I keep all my guitars in their cases, and they look like the day I opened them. But I understand the desire for temptation. It's more exciting, isn't it?

 

[RickP]

Zither Stands (zitherusa.com) and, of course, PRS, both make really nice guitar stands. I have two of the Zither oak stands. They use String Swing hangers and are excellent in every aspect.

Humidity is a possible concern, but the first thing you’ll need to know is what the humidity is in your environment. My home is near the water, and is older than many (built ~1950) so even when the ac runs, the humidity never gets too low or high. It may not be perfect for humans, but the guitars like it! Accordingly, my guitars stay out all the time. I also have no kids or pets in the house to worry about. Nail down your environmental sand give PRS a call. They’ll let you know if there are any concerns.

Just as a reference, I did contact them on mine and there were no concerns with them being open in the room on wall hangers. I clean and inspect them regularly, just in the interest of keeping them up, and have discovered no problems with any of the variety of finishes.

 

[englishHobbyist]

Thanks both of you. I've ordered a hygrometer to test how the room is now.

 

[englishHobbyist]

I've also had some advice from PRS. No mention of humidity and temperature from them, but the main concern was for fading of the blue finish. He wouldn't say how bad it was, just said that the blue dye fades if left out of the case and isn't covered by PRS lifetime warranty, sorry for any inconvenience.
I believe Acrylic does provide UV protection, and I'd have it in an acrylic-fronted case. It would also be on a wall that doesn't get any direct sunlight, just ambient daylight.
Does anybody happen to have any photos of, say, a 10-year-old blue PRS that's been stored on a stand instead of in its case?

 

[bodia]

Not the same guitars, but here are two samples of PRS's Faded Whale Blue. The first is what it looks like new. The second is on a 4 year old guitar that has seen all kinds of sunlight.

 

[WA Paul]

I have several blue PRS. Best to shield them from even indirect daylight. I used to use blackout blinds and LED bulbs to prevent fading when hanging them on the wall at my prior home. My current house I don’t have the same level of light control so they are staying in their cases until I can. If putting them in a display case w/acrylic or glass, make sure it has UV blocking film on it to help keep out any UV light / daylight.

My prior home setup. No fading.

 

[bodia]

Here's a sample from a Forum brother. See post #31 on page 2

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/is-it-my-eye-sight.31749/page-2

 

[Duvupov]

For humidity it can help to place a fair amount of house plants in your house. My wife likes plants a lot so our living room is filled with it. A few pretty big ones. Humidity is always between 40-60%, so pretty good for guitars. It also makes the living room cozier. Double win.

 

[englishHobbyist]

*gasp*
That's way worse than I expected. I assumed PRS were just covering themselves in case people noticed a little bit of fade. But to get to that in 4 years is way beyond the top end of my expectations.
That's decided then - I'm treating this new guitar like it's a vampire or something. I'll keep it in its case, and play it by night only.

The guitar room is also my home office, so keeping the room dark wouldn't be nice for that.

My other PRS is in cherry charcoal burst. Should that be ok, or do I also need to keep that away from the light? I've had it 2 years and until recently it was my only guitar, so it was almost always out on the stand. I haven't noticed any fading, but I don't know if I would notice it without a new one to compare to.

 

[bodia]

*gasp*
That's way worse than I expected. I assumed PRS were just covering themselves in case people noticed a little bit of fade. But to get to that in 4 years is way beyond the top end of my expectations.
That's decided then - I'm treating this new guitar like it's a vampire or something. I'll keep it in its case, and play it by night only.

The guitar room is also my home office, so keeping the room dark wouldn't be nice for that.

My other PRS is in cherry charcoal burst. Should that be ok, or do I also need to keep that away from the light? I've had it 2 years and until recently it was my only guitar, so it was almost always out on the stand. I haven't noticed any fading, but I don't know if I would notice it without a new one to compare to.

Yeah, you're cherry charcoal burst should be ok. It's really just anything that has blue in it. Darker blues maybe don't fade as bad, or as quick. I mean, other colors may fade over time, but the worst culprit is the blue

 

[englishHobbyist]

Yeah, you're cherry charcoal burst should be ok. It's really just anything that has blue in it. Darker blues maybe don't fade as bad, or as quick. I mean, other colors may fade over time, but the worst culprit is the blue

Thanks, that's reassuring to hear.

 

[strat63]

You do want to be careful with the blue colors as the fading can be extreme. Both of these guitars started life as Royal Blue. The 2nd one is now owned by another forum member.

 

[Duvupov]

What is the reason blue fades quicker than other colors?

 

[englishHobbyist]

Please stop... I've seen enough.
I'm super happy with the guitar (it arrived today: https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/ngd.50256/ )
but these pictures are enough to give me nightmares.
I'm going to forget about the wall cases and keep this one in its case when not playing it.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Please stop... I've seen enough.
I'm super happy with the guitar (it arrived today: https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/ngd.50256/ )
but these pictures are enough to give me nightmares.
I'm going to forget about the wall cases and keep this one in its case when not playing it.

I have one blue PRS as well, but my current environment only allows for case storage so I am not worried at this point! If I were to ever put it on wall or stand for extended periods, I would ensure it does not get direct sunlight or other bright lights. I will not however shy away from playing it in the sun if need be. They are in our hands to create music and if the color fades, the tone/playability is not affected. I then assume it is more like me with hair color fading, joints failing, etc.! Protect it when not using it, but use it when it calls you, daylight or not!!! That is my two cents (oxidized as those pennies may be)!!!

 

[11top]

I am a case whore. I keep all my guitars in their cases, and they look like the day I opened them. But I understand the desire for temptation. It's more exciting, isn't it?

This

 

[Broseph]

Fade and relic it with pride