Sealed plastic guitar cases - Warpage!

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Do not put your $3,000.00 steel guitar in a sealed plastic cases.
There is no air flow. No where for the hot air and moisture to escape. Warpage will occur over time. Steel cases need to breathe. They cannot be air tight or you will warp your guitar over time. This is why I never put any of my six string in air tight plastic cases.

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

May we assume there's a story behind the warning?
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More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Derrick Unger · From: Newark Ohio, USA

Can you drill a few small holes????
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Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

We have a 16 year old acoustic guitar that has an SKB (Plastic?) case that was purchased with the guitar. It has no problems.

This is in "Humid" Florida

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

I have three Sierra steels in SKB plastic cases and three vintage Peavey six string guitars in plastic cases and absolutely No damage.
And...I live in humid, sub-tropical, Houston, TX.

Dan Behringer · From: Jerseyville, Illinois

Whooaa Horse! Thereâ€™s more than enough proof around that long term storage of any musical instrument in a case is the wrong thing to do. I have a Martin that I store in a case because I have no where else to put it. I make sure to pull it out of the case to air out at least every other month.

Plastics and finishes decompose over time and if left sealed in a case the vapors turn to acids that will eat away just about anything. Some call it â€œoff gassingâ€.

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Bruce Derr · From: Lee, New Hampshire, USA

I had an OMI Dobro that was stored unplayed in the case for years on end. This was the original OEM case, a traditional wood form-fitting plush-lined case. The instrument did suffer some damage. The nickel plating on the Grover tuners was attacked and turned a dull gray. Same thing happened to the Stevens bar stored in the center compartment, and the round-head wood screws that secured the cone cover. The wood finish on part of the guitar developed some crazing cracks. The worst damage was to the tailpiece, and a small area on the cone cover, where rust developed. I replaced the tailpiece and all of the cover screws, and was able to polish out the cone cover.

I believe this corrosion came from the case itself, not the guitar. There were no plastics on the guitar, but the case had a cushion made of foam rubber or something similar, wrapped in crushed velvet and attached to the case lid right over the tailpiece. It was designed to press against the tailpiece when the lid was closed. All indications were that this was the main, perhaps the only, source of corrosive substance. The foam inside had broken down and had even left some goopy residue on the tailpiece.

My takeaways: 1) Yes, plastics on the instrument can off-gas, as Dan showed so dramatically, but so can materials in the case itself. 2) I wouldn't trust a traditional case to be better than a plastic case. It could even be worse, depending on what it's lined with. 3) I need to get my instruments out of their cases more often!

Susan Alcorn · From: Baltimore, MD, USA

Kevin, thanks for this information! My feeling is that instruments really want to breathe and resent being locked up in a dark and stuffy case (and I say this more than half-seriously).

Plastic cases. In these days of failing limbs and 50lb airline limits, I really really like the old Wheel-Eze cases that Sierra used to make, though they don't last forever. Mine have travelled on flights all over the world with no problems (knock on wood). It would be nice if Hatton cases offered a similar modification of the SKB case for pedal steel. I would gladly be your first customer.
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"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
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Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

OUCH!! Dan, I hope that wasn't your guitar. From what I see, it looks like a Gibson Trini Lopez, extremely rare. I have an early '70s Mosrite Gospel that I kept in the original wood and vinyl case for years with no problems, but I pulled it out a year or so ago and noticed it had just started de-gassing from the plastic cap on the end of the neck, near the neck pickup. I caught it just in time, only the strings were rusty directly above the end of the neck. It now sits on a rack on my music room which allows the gas to dissipate without any problems.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Jim Heep · From: Hendersonville, Tn

Here's some info. I've use the same case for the past five years and our band is using them also. And we have never had any issues. And yes our stuff has gotten rained on before we put it in the cases. We travel so many different temps and climates all around the world. No one is having any kind of mold or discoloration, like they do in a lot of the original plywood cases. I'm not knocking any competitor product, BUT wood holds moisture, how many times has anyone opened a vintage case and you have a mold smell? If we had any issue I would try to resolve or atleast give everyone a heads up. I know we will have competitors try to attack us. Remember this folks, I only use the things we sell. I will not ever try to sell something that I would not use. I'm over picky on keeping my gear in great working order. I'm also a freemason, so I'm going to do the right thing. Treat people like you want to be treated. Their are a lot of great case builders out there and I know that people have opinions so I'm not trying to destroy anyone's credibility. Some people prefer the plywood cases I used to until an airline destroyed mine. So I went a different route. Also our instruments are not cheap by no means. So I want the best protection for my gear. But you must remember our cases have a lifetime warranty. Who else has that? Not any plywood case builder...

Dan Behringer · From: Jerseyville, Illinois

It should be added that low humidity is usually what causes wood to warp. Those of us that live in cold north really have to worry about that because colder air will hold less moisture. Air gets extremely dry in the winter.

If you plan to keep any musical instrument for the long term, you owe it to yourself to give some thought about how to store and preserve it. A serious guitar collector keeps his collection hanging in a climate controlled vault. For most of us, itâ€™s really difficult figuring out how to keep our guitars in good shape over a period of decades.

Applause for Kevin for starting this thread. I think he hit on a subject that needs to be covered here.

That picture of the Gibson (above) was just something I found on the internet. There are plenty more like that if you do some research.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Jim Heep · From: Hendersonville, Tn

Yes we do sell skb cases and accessories. As far as how much humidity in the case, I'll look into finding a humidity gauge device that we can put in the case. I've owned one years ago on another instrument so shouldn't be an issue and I'll have it on our website.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

In the mid 60's, I was working overseas (on a NASA tracking station). I left my 1961 PX6120 Gretsch Chet Atkins guitar at my mother's house while I was gone (15 months). It sat in the Gretsch case (the white one with the tooled leather binding around it) with the strings tuned up and was not opened for the 15 months. Nothing happened to the guitar, including neck. Gretsch's were known for problems with the binding on the body and nothing ever happened to mine and I kept it until 1985.

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