Putting Guitars in Storage

[geoff_hartwell]

Hey Y’all!

After many years juggling studio space, NY area apartments and so forth I have to put a bunch of stuff in storage including some guitars.

Assuming that I’ve already bought insurance through Heritage and any instruments are photographed and logged before going in, and the storage facility stays within reasonable temp and humidity ranges, doesn’t flood or blow up, etc.

What are your space saving methods? Even for homes and garages, what are you guys doing with tons of cases??

ETA: do they make vacuum sealable bags for instruments in cases? Like mattress bags or golf bag size, or something?

For scads of cases- Pallets and stacks? Store-bought shelves? Custom jobbies? Let’s say for 12-15 cases to start. Gimme some ideas TIA 😁

[Dutchman]

Shelves to keep them up of the concrete.  Don't lay them flat. Standing up or stored with the handle side up. Mark each case as to which guitar is in it. I like tags on the handles vs tape as tape leaves a residue after being on a long time. Once you have everything in place and marked cover with a thick poly making sure everything is fully covered. Just in case the roof leaks. I think they make vacuum bags for storing big items that you can get. Never used one tho.

Now the worst! Rodents!! Nothing worse than rodents eating up the leather handles on your cases or amps. And they will. The love to live in the back of amps and chew on vintage wiring whilst pissing on everything!

I hate them and prefer them dead so I set out lots of treats for them to chew on and then go search for water. I use lot's of the bags and check frequently for dead rodents and empty throw bags. Fight back and give them more treats until there's peace in the valley and the treats are undisturbed. 

GOOD LUCK!

Oh Yeah! Make sure the other storage stalls aren't storing food items, animal or human. If so do not rent in that area cause it'll be a rodent mecca!

 

[stobro]

Here's the rack I built for my guitars in my basement. Everything is on its side, handle up except for some overflow on the top shelf. I've since sold off a few items and there is no more overflow. The upright basses were down there only temporarily while I arranged furniture to accommodate them upstairs. Otherwise they'd be in their gig bags.

 

[geoff_hartwell]

All good!

Keep it comin!

[django49]

Cobbling together the racks to custom size with 2 x 4s and plywood would be the fairly easy and inexpensive solution. 

What I did was get some of the steel shelf units from Costco. You can go 6 feet or more high and as long length-wise as you care to connect. Easily customizable at 1" or so increments for the exact size shelf clearance you need. I set them all above ground level, with the second shelf high enough to stand  cases on end, leaning against the back wall. With shelves above that adequate to hold a couple guitar cases laid flat, with more free space above the top shelf. Each shelf is 4' long, so plenty big for all but way oversized cases. As set up, mine is 16' long and 6' high. With a second 8' by 6'. Certainly helped me to organize "the vault".

They are also easily customizable to hold amps/cabs and keep them outta the way when not in use.

I must have a few pictures somewhere.......

And one nice thing is that you can take them apart and reconfigure as needs change without prying out a lot of nails or removing large numbers of screws.

[Jimbilly]

my dad built this rack for me nearly 22 years ago (terrible photo, and of course it's a mess...). Vertical 2x2s, 5/8" boards horizontally for the cases to sit on at about 30" off the ground. 4 cases fit vertically between each 4x4. Plenty of room for a 4x10 amp underneath.  I had bungee cords across the front to further stabilize the cases, but nothing has ever come close to falling out.  As you can see, you can jam extra soft cases in front of the lp style cases.  (dimensions available upon request). Re rodents mentioned above: I've read on a car forum that scented dryer sheets are offensive to rats, and can keep them from chewing on your car wiring, - worth a try to scatter a few under the guitar cases?

[django49]

At risk of showing off my housekeeping (or lack thereof), here is the storage area inside "the vault". I have found the Costco (or similar) to be a great choice for me. The shelving units are 6 feet tall and the ceiling over 9 feet, so I COULD literally add more shelves above.....I have chosen to simply use the space above to stack things. I cut off the top end  of the pictures rather than show off my packrat tendencies.

And this clearly shows I have a ways to go in "downsizing". When I say I should be selling "another 6 or 8" I am not kidding. But I DO have my Hamer head count down to single digits. I seem to have an offer pending for the complete Mesa rack and halfback cabinets, but we will see if he comes up with the bucks.....

The space is sealed, so  there has yet to be anything like rodent intrusions. It is well secured, heated and weather tight, so it is a great place for protecting instruments as well as important financial documents, etc. I do run a humidifier in the winter. And if we stock up a bit too much at Costco, there is a place for that too. There was a simple workbench inside when we moved in.....That was moved out and I built the cabinets. Low on one wall as a workbench, taller ones on the far wall that hide away other "treasures" like a couple thousand pieces of old vinyl.

A far as the instruments go, it is a convenient way to be organized and not cause unhappiness with too many cluttering up the house at one time. And very few people even know that this 1800 cubic feet even exists.

Anyway, that is my solution to storage. Not counting the large (about 8 x 8 x 6) self built storage racks in the shop to hold the lumber awaiting new projects......

 

[HSB0531]

On 12/27/2022 at 9:46 PM, geoff_hartwell said:

Hey Y’all!

After many years juggling studio space, NY area apartments and so forth I have to put a bunch of stuff in storage including some guitars.

Assuming that I’ve already bought insurance through Heritage and any instruments are photographed and logged before going in, and the storage facility stays within reasonable temp and humidity ranges, doesn’t flood or blow up, etc.

What are your space saving methods? Even for homes and garages, what are you guys doing with tons of cases??

ETA: do they make vacuum sealable bags for instruments in cases? Like mattress bags or golf bag size, or something?

For scads of cases- Pallets and stacks? Store-bought shelves? Custom jobbies? Let’s say for 12-15 cases to start. Gimme some ideas TIA 😁

When I had stopped playing for a good 13 years or so, I went to Westy's storage and got a second floor room and put all my basses, guitars, amps and speakers in there.

I stored artwork and anything that was fragile.  When it came to selling off gear on eBay, everything was in top condition.

Best thing I ever did.  There's no way I could have gotten that kind of temperature and humidity control in a House, Condo, or Apartment.  A reputable indoor storage facility will be worth it.

[tomteriffic]

On 12/29/2022 at 7:07 PM, django49 said:

At risk of showing off my housekeeping (or lack thereof), here is the storage area inside "the vault". I have found the Costco (or similar) to be a great choice for me. The shelving units are 6 feet tall and the ceiling over 9 feet, so I COULD literally add more shelves above.....I have chosen to simply use the space above to stack things. I cut off the top end  of the pictures rather than show off my packrat tendencies.

And this clearly shows I have a ways to go in "downsizing". When I say I should be selling "another 6 or 8" I am not kidding. But I DO have my Hamer head count down to single digits. I seem to have an offer pending for the complete Mesa rack and halfback cabinets, but we will see if he comes up with the bucks.....

The space is sealed, so  there has yet to be anything like rodent intrusions. It is well secured, heated and weather tight, so it is a great place for protecting instruments as well as important financial documents, etc. I do run a humidifier in the winter. And if we stock up a bit too much at Costco, there is a place for that too. There was a simple workbench inside when we moved in.....That was moved out and I built the cabinets. Low on one wall as a workbench, taller ones on the far wall that hide away other "treasures" like a couple thousand pieces of old vinyl.

A far as the instruments go, it is a convenient way to be organized and not cause unhappiness with too many cluttering up the house at one time. And very few people even know that this 1800 cubic feet even exists.

Anyway, that is my solution to storage. Not counting the large (about 8 x 8 x 6) self built storage racks in the shop to hold the lumber awaiting new projects......

 

Got the right idea.  And I thought my pack rat tendencies were bad.  But yeah, the Costco/Sam's restaurant racks (rated @ 600lbs/shelf) work great.  They can be arranged however you like, are 4' long and 18" deep.  What isn't seen here behind the ugly bastard is that my basement has been decorated with 7 of these (with 3 more upstairs), holding guitars, amps, parts, computer bits and backup pantry, camping gear, etc.  Upstairs, one has been modified into an entertainment center, another holds books and CD's (yeah I'm old) and the third a mixture of mementos, orphaned sound equipment and my grab and go gear.  If you do the racks, I'd recommend using the included casters. 

During the last cold snap I put a console humidifier down there and it kept the humidity well up, but it wasn't crucial.  It was pretty OK anyhow.

 

[hamerhead]

Another metal rack guy here:

The 18" deep shelves will hold 2 LP-sized cases lying down in opposite directions. If you have the wheels on them you can roll 20 guitars around pretty easily. Mine tend to catch every bit of crap I can jam onto them. Those plastic spring clamps are great for holding cables or headphones, or as a makeshift guitar holder.

I use them for a desk and a workbench, too.

Jeezus I really need to do some cleaning.

Pure peppermint extract will keep mice away. I use it in the shed around the car while it hibernates for the winter. Re-applying once-a-month is a safe bet.

[hamerican gigolo]

On 12/28/2022 at 7:18 AM, Dutchman said:

Shelves to keep them up of the concrete.  Don't lay them flat. Standing up or stored with the handle side up. Mark each case as to which guitar is in it. I like tags on the handles vs tape as tape leaves a residue after being on a long time. Once you have everything in place and marked cover with a thick poly making sure everything is fully covered. Just in case the roof leaks. I think they make vacuum bags for storing big items that you can get. Never used one tho.

Now the worst! Rodents!! Nothing worse than rodents eating up the leather handles on your cases or amps. And they will. The love to live in the back of amps and chew on vintage wiring whilst pissing on everything!

I hate them and prefer them dead so I set out lots of treats for them to chew on and then go search for water. I use lot's of the bags and check frequently for dead rodents and empty throw bags. Fight back and give them more treats until there's peace in the valley and the treats are undisturbed. 

GOOD LUCK!

Oh Yeah! Make sure the other storage stalls aren't storing food items, animal or human. If so do not rent in that area cause it'll be a rodent mecca!

 

Just imagine, some idiots actually prefer vermin as pets... 😳