Quick Takeaway:
To store a musical instrument well, clean it, case it properly, ease off the string tension, and make sure it goes somewhere dry, stable, and secure year round. Blue Box Storage has facilities in Farnborough, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford, offering flexible, secure self-storage on rolling contracts with no hidden fees. Whether you’re heading abroad, between houses, or just running out of room, we can keep your instrument safe until you’re ready to play again.
Table of Contents
Why You Might Need to Store a Musical Instrument
Which Instruments Can Be Stored?
Transferring Your Instrument to Storage in 7 Steps
Why Choose Blue Box Storage?
Frequently Asked Questions
Being able to play a musical instrument is a wonderful skill. You might have dedicated hours every week through your childhood to master your chosen instrument, or perhaps you’ve embarked on your musical journey as an adult. Either way, your instrument is a precious investment, carrying both sentimental and financial value. Indeed, for many people it’s a companion that travels with them throughout life.
So when your circumstances change and you need to put your instrument somewhere safe for a while, it’s natural to feel a little uneasy. Whether you’re a professional musician or a keen amateur, the condition of your instrument matters enormously, both for the quality of your playing and your experience. Poor storage can cause real damage that’s expensive (and sometimes impossible) to undo.
At Blue Box Storage, with facilities in Farnborough, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford, we’ve helped plenty of musicians to store their instruments safely and with complete peace of mind. Here’s what you need to know:
Why You Might Need to Store a Musical Instrument
There’s no typical type of person who comes to us with an instrument to store. Life moves in all sorts of directions, and a few common situations tend to crop up:
Going abroad or travelling for an extended period. You can’t take a piano in your hand luggage. If you’re heading overseas for work, study, or an extended trip, a secure storage unit is a far better option than leaving a valuable instrument in a draughty garage or with unreliable flatmates.
Running out of space at home. Instruments take up room (particularly larger ones like drum kits, upright basses, or keyboards). A storage unit near your home can effectively act as an extension of your living space, giving you easy, regular access without the clutter.
Moving house or renovating. The in between period of a house move can be chaotic. Rather than risk damage during the upheaval, a short-term storage solution keeps your instruments safe until you’re settled.
Decluttering or downsizing. Maybe your instrument has become more sentimental than practical. If you’ve got a guitar from your teenage years that you’re not ready to part with but don’t have room for, storage offers a sensible middle ground.
Which Instruments Can Be Stored?
The good news is that most instruments can be stored safely, provided they’re prepared correctly. This includes:
- String instruments (guitars, violins, cellos, double basses, harps)
- Keyboards and digital pianos
- Brass and woodwind instruments
- Drum kits and percussion
- Amplifiers and associated equipment
Acoustic instruments, particularly those made from wood, need the most care. They’re susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity, which is something we’ll come back to shortly.
Transferring Your Instrument to Storage in 7 Steps
Using a step by step guide helps to ensure you don’t forget anything during the storage process. We have further storage hints here.
1 – Clean your instrument before storing it. Rosin residue on strings, fingerprints on lacquered surfaces, and general grime can all cause deterioration over time. Give everything a proper clean before it goes into a case.
2 – Use a quality case. Hard cases offer far better protection than soft gig bags for longer term storage. If you don’t already own one, it’s worth investing in before putting your instrument away.
3 – Loosen string tension slightly. For guitars, violins, and similar instruments, slightly reducing string tension before storage is widely recommended by experts to reduce pressure on the neck and bridge over time.
4 – Disassemble where appropriate. Drum kits, stands, and larger equipment should be broken down and stored in original packaging or padded bags where possible.
5 – Label everything. If you’re storing cases, cables, accessories, and spare parts, a simple labelling system will save you significant time when you come to retrieve things.
6 – Consider professional transport. This is rather specific to pianos, but is important. Professional piano movers will minimise the risk of accidental damage while moving a piano into storage.
7 – Choose your unit size carefully. Our team at Blue Box Storage can help you work out the right unit size for what you’re storing, and it’s always worth a quick conversation before you book.
Don’t forget:
- Avoid placing instruments directly on a concrete floor, even when it’s inside a case. A pallet or shelf adds an extra layer of insulation and keeps the air circulating.
- Visit your unit periodically if storing long-term. If you’re able, a quick check every now and then will alert you to anything that needs attention before a small issue becomes a costly one.
Why Choose Blue Box Storage?
The facilities at Blue Box Storage are clean, dry, and secure. We’re a family-owned business, and we’re proud of the personal, friendly service we offer at each of our three sites in Farnborough, Hemel Hempstead, and Watford. With plentiful experience in storing possessions including all types of musical instruments, we’re the best people to contact for your musical instrument storage. Get in touch with us or request a quote online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I access my stored instrument whenever I like?
Yes. Our facilities are accessible during opening hours, and you hold the only key to your unit. You can visit as often as you need, particularly useful if your storage unit is doubling up as an overflow space rather than somewhere you’re putting things away indefinitely.
Do I need insurance for my instruments in storage?
Yes, your items in storage must be insured. We offer an insurance option for you, but often items are covered in storage as part of your home or business insurance, so it’s worth checking your policy.
I have a particularly large instrument, will it actually fit in a storage unit?
Yes. At Blue Box storage, we have a range of different sized units which means that there will be an appropriately sized unit for all instruments, no matter how large. Our contracts are flexible so you can even change the size of the unit that you’re renting if you’d like to increase or decrease what you’re storing.
