Storage Wars: In Case, No One Can Hear Your Guitar Scream!

Your riff stick...

You play it, you love it, you want to keep it protected so you keep it in the safest circumstance.

But how safe is it?

I remember when I first began procuring instruments from Japanese auction websites. Certain lots would come with a "Junk" warning due to instruments being in storage for long periods making the guitars significantly cheaper. Sometimes it's hard not to chance an opportunity to blow on your lucky dice take a gamble. That being the case I succumbed to the temptation on many occasions and learned a terrible truth.

Unused instruments die.

Some can survive for surprising amounts of time in optimum conditions, but if left alone too long without being at least inspected and cleaned every once in a while after a time something will happen.

Necks bow, inlays lift, poly finishes flake, old sweat or blood eats at everything, corrosion, rust, bridges sag, frets sprout and lift. Many are the terrors of disuse.

Sometimes all thats left is just pretty fire wood, and in this case not even that.

Behold this tragic scene.

Apparently once an Ibanez JEM.

I found this image doing the rounds on the guitar forums.

This poor bloke thought he had left this once magnificent riff stick in safety, stored in its case and kept in storage. He could never have foreseen the absolute devastation that he was to find as insects found their way through the case and decimated all organic matter inside.

A stark warning of the fate that could await all our instruments should the worst befall them. 

Pour one out for our fallen comrade.

Luckily most people will never experience this level of destruction, but i hope this demonstrates to everyone that you shouldn't take your riff sticks for granted. Use good cases, ensure cleanliness, use moisture wicks, and most importantly take them out for a spin and polish at regular intervals. That last point cannot be stressed enough, it's the only true way to ensure the continued playability of your instrument into the future.

If any of these issues mentioned sound familiar don't worry most are correctable, it's what I do. Get in contact and we can see whats to be done to make your bad riffer A1 again.

Till next time stay safe and riff hard.

Chris Re-Animator.