Room temperature and guitar storage

Limehouse_Blues

We recently moved into a much bigger flat so I've got myself a guitar cave for the first time ever which is super cool.

One downside - the room in question is the only one in the flat that has an external wall and the room is noticeably colder than the rest of the flat. The thermometer tells me it's room temperature in there (almost bang on 20 degrees, when it's maybe 12 outside) but it just feels nippy in there, particularly in the evenings.

I've had my guitars on a 5 guitar stand next to the other wall (internal) in the room and have been noticing that they feel cold in the hand when picking them up to play. They're not exposed to any wild swings in temperature and although the room is chilly it's dry as a bone in there.

Nevertheless, I'm starting to think I might be better off keeping the guitars in their cases and retiring the stand. Thoughts?

Do FBers have a preference for case or stand storage? Has anyone else had to find space for their guitars in a chilly room? 

Bridgehouse

Your Guitar cave is the only room with an external wall?? What do your other rooms windows look out onto? Your neighbours bathroom?

underdog

I'm pretty sure they will be fine. My guitars are in the basement, it gets no sun and is always much cooler than rest of house. The guitars all live on a multi guitar stand I made and never had an issues at all, rarely have tune them even.

Rock_Zorro

You’re worrying too much.

I’d suggest buying a room thermometer/hygrometer which can store minimum and maximum readings over 24 hours. They aren’t expensive and you can monitor temperature and relative humidity and be reassured all is well.

Limehouse_Blues

Bridgehouse said:

Your Guitar cave is the only room with an external wall?? What do your other rooms windows look out onto? Your neighbours bathroom?

I mean it's the only windowless wall that is external (all the windows in the flat are floor to ceiling sliding glass doors that open onto balconies).

Apart from the wall in question, every other windowless wall in the flat either adjoins another room in my flat, the landing or a room in the neighbour's flat.

Adamski

Mine are in a room that sits around the 18-19 degrees mark and humidity between 48-60ish. 

They are fine. It's major swings you have to worry about. Gradual changes are ok and don't forget most are well finished. 

My doors for instance can change and open/close easier and my guitars stay in tune. Could be because I haven't bothered to coat the doors more than once.....

VimFuego

mine are in an unheated room, I haven't experienced any issues with them at all. TBH I think this humdity/tem thing is more of an issue in countries where they experience big swings between winter and summer. In the UK, with our boring weather, it's less of an issue IMO.

Sassafras

20 degrees?
I would class that as almost tropical.
Relax in your deckchair and pop a tube of Fosters.

Limehouse_Blues

VimFuego said:

mine are in an unheated room, I haven't experienced any issues with them at all. TBH I think this humdity/tem thing is more of an issue in countries where they experience big swings between winter and summer. In the UK, with our boring weather, it's less of an issue IMO.

Sassafras said:

20 degrees?
I would class that as almost tropical.
Relax in your deckchair and pop a tube of Fosters.

I'm in Belgium - so the weather is not too different from home. Though Brussels does seem to get more rain than London.

Anyway, when I'm chilling in the guitar cave these days it's more likely to be a Rochefort (about 9 per cent abv!) than a Fosters!

guitars4you

We don't have adverse temps in the UK compared to other countries - I adopt a simple policy that if you are to hot or cold then so is your guitar - equally to dry can be an issue like to much humidity

WezV

Don't leave any touching the wall of it feels colder than the room, on a stand a few inches away will be fine

usedtobe

Sassafras said:

20 degrees?
I would class that as almost tropical.
Relax in your deckchair and pop a tube of Fosters.

This.

Hoof

I really wouldn't worry. Unless they're close to radiators, in direct sunlight or under open open windows then pretty much everywhere of a resonable room temperature is absolutely fine in my experience. Particularly if they have proper finishes on them. I might be tempted to exercise a degree of mild paranoia if they were proper vintage guitars or expensive acoustics.

Remember, most of the warehouses they sit in for potentially months on end before they get to the dealers will not be temperature/humidity controlled. Neither are the shipping containers they sit in for weeks at sea on their way from the far east/USA.

Limehouse_Blues

While not vintage they're valuable guitars (2 Jaegerized Les Pauls, 2 CS Fenders and a Martin) so I probably ought to be keeping them in their cases more anyway.

It's funny but when I learned violin as a kid, putting the violin back in its case after playing and practising seemed the most normal and natural thing in the world. Maybe it's because of the style of music normally associated with the instrument but I just feels odd to be locking my electrics away in a case unless moving them between locations. When at home it's nice to have them within easy reach - what's more, they look cool.

I suspect what I will end up doing is putting up a wall hanger in the lounge (which is a much milder room than the cave) and keeping one of my electrics easily to hand while casing the others.

ICBM

Keep the Martin in a warmer room and don't worry about the others.

Adamski

I've got PRS, Collings and CS Fenders too. If they can't withstand being inside a mild British home, they are not fit for purpose. Keep them out and enjoy them - when my guitars were away I'd reach for them far less than I do now. In fact it's so handy to pick them up that I play a lot of them in one sitting rather than just one then back in the case 

WezV

ICBM said:

Keep the Martin in a warmer room and don't worry about the others.

Warmer than 20 degrees?

ICBM

WezV said:

ICBM said:

Keep the Martin in a warmer room and don't worry about the others.

Warmer than 20 degrees?

It's actually more the 'dry as a bone' I was concerned about. I should have mentioned that…

Being colder reduces the relative humidity although 20 is not 'cold' by British standards .

VimFuego

in Devon I believe relative humidity is the sweat a girl breaks when her brother chases her.