OK. The topic of hanging guitars on an "outside" wall came up the the 50th Anniversary thread. Figured I would bring this topic front and center.
broken, you said you ruined or almost ruined, a guitar by hanging it on a outside wall. Care to elaborate?
What is it about the outside wall that causes a problem? I understand that there will be temperature differentials from the outside to inside but why will that ruin a guitar?
It's especially true in winter when the wall is cooler and the space between the wall and guitar (1/2" - 1") of stagnant air will allow moisture to collect on the guitar surface, causing the wood to swell, which will pitch the neck forward . My oo is ok but the saddle is lower than it should be. If I had not noticed it in time it may have needed a reset.
Have you ever seen mold growing in the corner of a room where the air isn't circulated much? That's what happens behind the guitar when conditions are right.
I have many guitars on the wall right now. But I also monitor the humidity, and none ever hang on an outside wall. Also no direct sunlight falls on them.
The winter is different. The heating unit drys out the air, and even though I do use a humidifier, I case up most guitars. Also hygrometers are placed in all the rooms guitars are stored in and more.
Well, if it were not for air conditioning, Phoenix wouldn't have ever become a decent place to live. At least that's what they taught us in A/C school.
Pretty much. The population was around 50,000 until they invented A/C.
I have a friend who lives in Surprise AZ. He tells me they rise early and finish their business by ten am, then it is indoors for the rest of the day. Oh joy.
Anyway, I think the wall thing is obviously dependent on location and construction. I only hang my >$500 guitars but I've never felt much difference in wall temps, never had mold growing save for the closet of an old apartment I lived in once. The main reason I won't nice guitars on the walls is because I like to mitigate light and dust exposure, and because, if someone ever broke in, I'd rather them run off with a cheap one than an expensive one.