Scratches And Dents: Keeping Your Guitar Safe On The Road
21 Mar 2016
Traveling is great, but the wear and tear of the road can completely destroy guitars. Although guitars have a reputation as rough-and-ready instruments that you can take anywhere, they are actually quite delicate. Not only can they easily get dented or scratched from a bumpy ride in a trunk or airline luggage apartment, but they are also very sensitive to changes in temperature, pressure and humidity. The tips in this article will help your guitar survive tour relatively unscathed.
Trunks and Checked Luggage Are Your Worst Enemy
Avoid packing your guitar in the back of a tour van or in the cargo hold of an airplane if you can possibly help it. If you’re traveling by car, your guitar will be much safer in the back seat than in the trunk. Even small jolts from rattling around in a trunk can throw off the truss rod adjustment and intonation. Exposing your guitar to the tender mercies of airline baggage handlers is even riskier. Airline employees are notorious for carelessly tossing around luggage like sacks of flour.
Trunks and airplane cargo holds are also bad for your guitar because they lack climate control. Changes in temperature and pressure can cause the wood in your guitar to expand and contract. This will ruin your intonation, cause your neck to bow, and even make your finish crack. Drastic temperature changes can even cause acoustic guitars to separate at the seams.
Choose the Right Case, Keep Your Investment Safe
No matter how careful you are, your guitar is going to take some hits when you’re on the road. Only hard-shell cases are sturdy enough to withstand the wear and tear of travel without exposing your guitar to harm. Coffin cases, like those available from Encore A&S Case Company, can help musicians keep their instruments safe. Gig bags are alright for carrying your guitar around town, but instruments can easily get scratched or dented inside soft cases. Make sure you buy a hard-shell case that is designed for your specific model of guitar. If you have a case that doesn’t fit, your guitar is just going to bump around inside the case.
Keeping Your Investment Safe
If you go on a trip without taking the proper steps to keep your guitar safe, it can suffer irreparable damage. You didn’t save up money to get a nice instrument just so you could destroy it when you go on tour. The first few dents might make your instrument look cool and road-worn, but too many battle scars will make your guitar fragile and difficult to play.
This article was republished with permission.
Find the original article, written by Rachelle Wilber, on Music Think Tank.
