Storing guitar in a gig bag and hanging from a wall hook

Question

The Question: Is it advisable to hang a guitar from a wall hook, but first put it in a gig bag.

I am aware of the question about hanging it on a hook. But the part I want to focus on is about first putting it in a Gig Bag and hanging it, and your views or suggestions on that.

Background: I have a beginner acoustic guitar (Epiphone AJ220SCE - Black), and was looking for a way to store it that balances accessibility and protection.

I would like it to be as handy as possible, i.e. not out of sight and hard to access, but yet safe from accidental as well as environmental damage. (I also have a toddler around the house who likes to investigate anything within reach).

Edit: Just to clarify the "Protection" bit. Hanging it at that height would put it out of reach of toddler. But the reason I was asking about the bag was to do with dust and string corrosion. Even if played everyday, there would be more dust accumulation than if in a case. But reading some of the answers below, it makes sense that the barrier to just start playing will outweigh the protection provided by a gig bag.

Answer 1

Hanging the guitar from a wall hook would allow you to display it as an accessory to your music room or living room and make it easily accessible. As Tim said, high enough to be out of reach of your little curious one.

A gig bag would offer protection from dust accumulation, but if you are going to leave it untouched long enough to accumulate dust - then Dr. Mayhem's advice about storing it under a bed in a hard shell case is probably best.

A good quality hard shell case can also help maintain proper humidity levels if a humidifier is used inside the case.

No matter how or where you store your guitar, one of the most important considerations (especially for acoustic) is the humidity level. Too damp will cause the wood to swell and too dry will cause it to shrink (both are bad). Optimal levels will be between 45% and 55% relative humidity. If storing on a wall in a room, you will want to monitor and adjust humidity levels as needed with either a humidifier or dehumidifier. The room humidity will likely be different in heating season than during cooling season.

In my opinion, if your goal is to maintain accessibility to a guitar you want to play regularly, a zippered gig bag will diminish the accessibility and make it less likely for you to reach for your guitar as often. It's the difference between lifting it off the hook and beginning to play verses lifting it off the hook, laying it on the couch or table to unzip the gig bag, extracting it from the gig bag, placing the gig bag in a location where it does not become a toy for the kid, and reversing the entire process when you are done.

My every day players live on guitar stands in various rooms throughout my house where the mood might strike me to pick up a guitar and strum a few chords. If I had toddler's roaming about, they would live on wall hooks near the ceiling. My expensive guitars live in a humidified hard shell case under the bed lying flat on the floor so they can't get knocked over.

Another guitar storage option might be a specialized rack or case (similar to a gun rack or gun case) as contemplated by this question on Stack Exchange Storing Guitars in Glass or Wood Case/Rack.

For the situation and guitar you described, I would suggest a high wall hook. A gig bag would only add an impediment to spontaneous playing at random times when the mood hits you. Have fun.

Answer 2

Given that a guitar is about 3' long, hanging on a hook you could put near the ceiling, that gives a good 4' from guitar to floor. Toddler won't reach that for a year or two. Can't see how the gigbag is going to help much, unless he's throwing things around the room. If he is, then try putting him in the gigbag and...

Answer 3

If you are worried to that degree, using a hard case for your guitar will give you a lot of extra protection. You could also put the case on top of a wardrobe, or under a bed for safekeeping.

Like Tim suggested, I keep most of my guitars (certainly all the expensive ones) hung on the wall. When the kids were little this kept them well out of their reach, but of much more usefulness was just teaching them not to touch. This meant they were also safe when we went to other houses.

Answer 4

I keep my two guitars each in gig bag and stand them in the corner of "my" room; it's no problem to lift either when I want to and if unzipping a bag, taking out a guitar and sitting down with it and reversing that process when you've done is a chore, then you're not really committed that much are you.