OK, this may be a really stupid question, but one philosophy claims that there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers...
Bleh, anyway.
What is better for a guitar, to be kept in the original case or on
a stand?
I use this:
http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS412B.html
which basically locks underneath the head of the guitar and the weight rests on it.
and this:
http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/GS402B.html
which is a just an ordinary stand.
Like I said, probably a stupid question, but what is better (less chance of the neck curving etc)
Personally I dont think that it is a big deal which you keep it in/on. I have never heard of necks warping because of the stand / case that the guitar was kept in. I think the majority of necks warp/curve because of the tension of the strings but that takes years, and I have never heard of it happening on a quality guitar, mostly just cheap ones. If you are really worried about the neck warping I would just loosen the strings off in between playing. As for stands vs case, my guitar was in a case for 30+ years and it has been on a stand since I aquired it and its pretty much perfect besides a couple minor cosmetic things (guy before me knocked it on his belt buckle so the back has some knicks)but as far as the neck goes its all good, one advantage of keeping it in the case is no dust and no chance of it getting hit or bumped, one advantage of a stand is everyone can see it and its easy to get at for those times you have to compulsivly play lol In the end I dont think there is a super big difference.
I would say in a case. I have heard a rumour about certain stands that use a non-wood-friendly material that hold the guitar up and damages the wood. Also, guitar stands can be knocked over and your guitar will collect dust and could be exposed to too much direct sunlight causing fading and moisture which can cause rusting and wood seperation.
Yeah - rarely stands do have materials that are not good for the finish on certain guitars. I don't think that's generally a problem though - more so on unusual finishes afaik.
I like my stand because my guitar is always at hand, but if you're not playing it regularly it does collect dust and wear more. I would also never hang my Gibson from a wall hanger thingy. I just always feel that the neck is too fragile for the weight of it, but I think that's just me
Interesting you mention string tension bloodletting - I'd heard that you should keep the tension on your guitar's neck with the strings, otherwise it would warp! So I don't know for sure, but like you say this is more of an issue with cheap guitars. Also constant loosening and tightening of strings will shorten string life quite a lot.
I have a cream 1989 Les Paul, and someone told me that they hadn't done many in that particular finish as, when left on a stand, the cream parts touching stands made of certain materials discoloured badly. I've left my guitar in a stand for a while and never had this problem, though I usually leave it in its case these days (my room is quite small so I would be quite likely to knock and damage it if it were left out). Plus the inside of the case is fluffy and pink
I don't know whether a particular stand is better for neck warping, but I would imagine you couldn't go wrong leaving it in a case, as with other stringed instruments. I haven't heard of any problems with different types of stands though (seen various types in music shops and I think they would have stopped using ones which damaged their guitars...).
From what I understand, it has less to do with the case or stand than it does the atmosphere. If you keep it in a place where the temperature or humidity changes a lot then a case is better for an extra layer of protection. I've also heard that in high humidity areas (like mine) it's better to keep in the case b/c the weight is more evenly distributed during expansion and contraction so there is less of a chance for warping.
But, I would imagine that if your guitar is played frequently it doesn't matter so much, as long as you keep it out of extreme temperatures altogether.
Interesting you mention string tension bloodletting - I'd heard that you should keep the tension on your guitar's neck with the strings, otherwise it would warp! So I don't know for sure, but like you say this is more of an issue with cheap guitars. Also constant loosening and tightening of strings will shorten string life quite a lot.
When I was having work done on my guitar (had some symour duncan pickups put in my hoyer), thats what the guitar teck told me. He said that the constant pressure of the strings on the neck caused it to bend. But like I say that shouldnt happen on a quality guitar. I can see how the string tension would keep it from warping though, the pressure of the strings might exert enough tension to keep the neck from going wonky (Just my estimate lol). Im not actually really concerned about it I play my guitar atleast once a day. Maybe it has to do with where you live? Maybe where you are the best thing to do is keep the strings tight? The world is a funny place, what works here may be the totally opposite somewhere else haha. Here it is super dry or cold most of the year with little moisture in the air but there is about 1 week where its humid, maybe the guitar absorbes the moisture from the air and then lets the strings pull the kneck a little bit and then drys back out and over the years it gets more and more until you have a problem. Where as other places have a more constant moisture in the air and the guitar doesnt dry out, permanently keeping the neck in that position? Who knows! either way there are a lot of factors that contribute, I agree with Little Whip, and the atmotphere.
stands vs. cases
New Topic 
Reply to Topic
Posted - 05/24/2010 : 15:36:51 
