If you’re a musician, you’ll know that your instruments can mean the world to you and be valuable for all sorts of reasons beyond financial.
They might be a gift from a loved one, a family heirloom, something you worked hard and took time to save up for, or something that’s been with you since you first embarked on your musical journey.
No matter the reason, there are times when life gets in the way, separating you from your pride and joy. Whether you’re moving home, emigrating the country, need more space in your student accommodation, or require a convenient location for your instrument between rehearsals and concerts, self-storage can be an excellent solution to keep your musical instruments safe and secure.
However, if you’re parting with your instrument on a longer-term basis for the first time, what you may not realise is that storing your musical instruments requires a little more attention to detail than furniture, clothing, or most other personal items.
In this blog, we’ll examine the key benefits of keeping musical instruments in self-storage and discuss how you can prepare yours to keep them in the best condition possible.
Why choose self-storage for musical instruments?
Improved lifespan
One of the most important reasons to choose self-storage is to increase the longevity of your instruments. Not only do musical instruments frequently hold immense sentimental value, but they can also cost a significant amount to repair.
By keeping your musical instruments in self-storage instead of a busy home or rehearsal space, you can keep them out of harm’s way. In turn, you’ll reduce the likelihood of nicks, scrapes and bumps.
While it’s true that a quieter room at home can do a similar job, spaces like attics, basements and garages are all extremely prone to changes in temperature and increased humidity, making them unsuitable for certain instruments, and could cause damage under such circumstances.
Increased security & safety
Self-storage is an excellent option for keeping instruments safe, thanks to the increased security measures that a space such as this can afford.
While the thought of a break-in, fire, or flood at home doesn’t bear thinking about, sadly, these things do occasionally happen. Even with home insurance, this can lead to the damage of irreplaceable items such as musical instruments.
With a quality self-storage service, the likelihood of these events affecting your stored items is reduced dramatically, thanks to state-of-the-art security measures and strict rules around what can and can’t be stored.
Convenient location
With many music rehearsal spaces in city centres, self-storage makes a great halfway house for your instruments, saving you the effort of carrying your gear from home to rehearsal, especially when storage at home is limited.
At GTW, we’re perfectly placed to house your musical instruments, as we sit within walking distance of Glasgow’s top rehearsal spaces, including Berkeley 2 and Carlton Studios.
Storage tips for different types of instruments
Now that we’ve covered some of the main benefits, we can look at some of the best ways to store your instruments.
Musical instruments use widely differing materials and construction techniques, and each has unique storage needs.
When committing to longer-term storage, it’s important to be cognisant of these needs.
Guitars & other string instruments
There are a few steps you should follow to store stringed instruments in self-storage.
First, unnecessary tension can be reduced by detuning or removing the strings altogether. This will decrease stress on the instrument’s neck and prevent warping or breakage.
Once the strings have been detuned or removed, clean the instruments with a soft cloth to remove any lingering dirt or oils. This will reduce the likelihood of the finish becoming worn, or rusting of frets and other metal fixes on guitars.
Stringed instruments must be protected as much as possible from temperature and humidity changes to maintain their structural integrity.
Ideally, you should use the original case in which your instrument came in, as this will have been designed specifically to house your instrument model.
However, if you don’t have a case or are currently using a gig bag or lower-quality soft case, consider investing in a high-quality hard case for maximum protection from physical knocks and temperature fluctuations.
Brass & woodwind instruments
To store a woodwind or brass instrument, many of the same steps should be followed as for stringed instruments.
This primarily includes cleaning your instrument using soap and water or, in the case of brass, a specialised cleaner.
Once cleaned, ensure that each part of the instrument is completely dry to prevent moisture damage or mould, and keep it disassembled where possible.
Once your brass or woodwind instrument is ready for storage, store it in a quality hard case.
Drums
There are a few steps to follow when storing drums in a self-storage unit.
Typically made of metal and wood, drums require many of the same storage needs as other musical instruments, i.e., consistent temperatures and low humidity.
However, with so many parts to the average drum kit, such as shells, pedals, heads, cymbals and stands, you should ensure that they are stored meticulously is vital when moving them into a storage space.
Start by detuning or removing drum heads wherever possible, before cleaning with a cloth to keep them dry and free of oils and moisture.
Once the kit is thoroughly cleaned and deconstructed, it’s time to begin the storage process.
While this may be more laborious than other instruments, it’s essential to use quality cymbal bags and individual hard cases for each drum to ensure that temperature is highly regulated and to avoid scratches and other wear and tear that may occur during the moving process.
Pianos
Finally, we come to pianos.
We understand that their size and weight may seem intimidating, but the process can be relatively straightforward with the correct attention to detail.
Unlike other instruments on this list, a specialist is generally required to tune a piano.
While this is generally carried out once a year or more, depending on the environment they are generally held within, tuning before storage is generally not advised. This is primarily because the piano is likely to become slightly detuned regardless, making hiring a specialist a waste of money.
As a highly intricate instrument, pianos are more sensitive to chemical damage and environmental changes than other instruments on this list.
To prepare for storage, gently clean your piano using a soft cloth, following the specific instructions laid out by your piano’s manufacturer, avoiding using any cleaning products unless recommended.
A piano cover or heavy blanket can further protect your piano from subtle shifts in temperature. You may also wish to check the piano periodically during its storage period for any issues.
Due to the piano’s considerable size, it is recommended that you hire a removal team to assist with moving it to and from storage for maximum safety and security of the instrument (and you!).
Once removed from storage, allow the piano around two weeks to adjust to its new surroundings before calling in a piano tuner.
Conclusion
We hope this has given you all the information and guidance that you need to store your musical instrument safely at a self-storage location.
While each storage solution is different, please do not hesitate to contact our team if you have any further queries or require specific information regarding temperature management to help you decide on the best course of action.
We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions and meet your needs wherever possible.