Protecting bass from baby

mheintz · #1 10-24-2008, 08:15 AM

My first born is due in December and I have some time to baby proof. How do you protect your bass and bows from baby? We live in a two-bedroom so keeping the baby out of the room where I practice will be impossible. My bass leans in the corner. Do you fence off your bass? Keep your bass gear on a high shelf? What about your music stand?

odin70 · #2 10-24-2008, 08:30 AM

you could put youre baby in youre bass case. That will give some protection.

Phil Smith · #3 10-24-2008, 08:35 AM

I would say just use common sense, babies that crawl or walk have access to everthing that's floor level and at their reach level. You or your significant other have to keep an eye on your baby at all times whether it's mobile or not because things sometimes happen quickly.

bassteban · #4 10-24-2008, 08:36 AM

That said, a friend told me to screw an eyelet into the ceiling & tie a noose-lie loop to it, just long enough so that it can be slipped over the scroll & prevent the bass from going over in case of *mishandling*. The other items will have to be put away/out of Tiny's reach whenever you're not in the room, unless you don't mind baby barf & chewed-up food on every page, and you feel like going to the ER to stitch the kid's head up after taking a blow from the falling stand(if he/she survives- they're pretty fragile

).

Liko · #5 10-24-2008, 09:01 AM

Well, you'll have some time, as that baby isn't going much of anywhere for the first 6 months.

I think all that's really necessary is to put it in a gig bag, then if necessary hang that bag as far off the ground as you can given the height of your apartment's ceilings. For a 3/4 DB with a typical 8' ceiling, that's probably not going to be much. Usually a gig bag is not viable long-term storage (little or no humidity control) but if you're asking this question I have to assume you don't have a hardshell case and therefore are regulating the climate of that room well enough by yourself. As far as the bows, you can often buy a case just for them that can then slip into a pocket on the GB or be placed on a high shelf.

Jake deVilliers · #6 10-24-2008, 09:25 AM

Congratulations on the baby!

Facing into a corner is the perfect way to store your bass. There's not much damage tiny hands can do to the back of a bass.

Its a good idea to put a fastener in the wall just a little higher than the scroll so you can tie the top to keep it from falling.

mheintz · #7 10-24-2008, 09:47 AM

Thank you for the replies. Yes, I have plenty of time before the baby is cruising, but it's funny how fast time goes.

Jake deVilliers and bassteban, that's a good idea. We are planning to secure some of our tall shelves at the top in an abundance of caution so that they don't tip over. I would have thought that tipping a shelf or a bass would be impossible until I spent time with my toddler-nephew, an incredibly destructive dynamo, which even my gig bag wouldn't stop.

I'm perhaps most worried about the stand. I suppose that I could place it in a high shelf. In general, I prefer to make it as easy as possible to practice, so setting it up each time is probably not the best solution. I also use a leaning mirror that we are planning to secure against the wall. Finally, we are purchasing some new dressers so that we'll have more space on which to place items away from him. It's funny though how one runs out of flat surfaces above two feet on which to store stuff. It's like we are preparing for a flood.

bolo · #8 10-24-2008, 10:14 AM

Congrats!

Securing bookcases and tall furniture and your bass like you said is a good idea. We did. Also installed drawer and cabinet locks, and electrical outlet caps.

Our place was so small when we had toddlers that my bass stayed behind a closed door in a linen closet. Wife is still pissed off that I made her give up the linen closet.

Eric Swanson · #9 10-24-2008, 10:31 AM

Congratulations!

I baby-proofed everything BUT my bass and my daughter pulled it down one morning, destroying it. Luckily, it didn't hit her...could easily have been lethal. So, by all means, secure the bass...

Now I keep the (replacement) bass in a corner, bridge in to the wall. My bow hangs on a screw (the screw threads heavily wrapped with tape so the metal doesn't scratch the inside of the bow's tip), right in the corner itself, covered by the bass, so the child can't reach that, either.

I have a heavy-duty strap of nylon webbing with an easily released buckle, attached to the wall framing, with a heavy screw and a trim washer, right through the strap. I wrap the strap around the neck right where it joins the body, going around a couple of times and buckling it.

That way, even if the end pin goes in, for some reason, or the bottom of the bass gets pulled into the room by the Little One, the bass stays hanging/attached to the corner.

And yeah, all the other stuff, too, we did before; plug protectors, table corner pads, child gates, drawer locks, etc.

I adore my daughter in ways I can't begin to express. Again, congratulations!

bassteban · #10 10-24-2008, 10:33 AM

Their reach is often just a bit more than you think, & ALWAYS increasing(as is their imagination relative to how to get ahold of whatever you think they couldn't possibly reach..).

mheintz · #11 10-24-2008, 10:38 AM

Eric, Great ideas. Thanks to all again!

Eric Swanson · #12 10-24-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassteban

Their reach is often just a bit more than you think, & ALWAYS increasing(as is their imagination relative to how to get ahold of whatever you think they couldn't possibly reach..).

+1

Plus, they have an uncanny ability to find, then make a bee-line toward, the single most dangerous object in any given room.

Then there is the talent for turning seemingly safe objects into trouble...

But you have some time until the perambulation starts...

Marcus Johnson · #13 10-24-2008, 10:56 AM

With the baby due in December, it's a little late to be thinking about protection.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #14 10-24-2008, 11:26 AM

I have my bass bungied to the corner, and it has survived my son (he'll be 6 on Sunday) and two cats thus far.

Gufenov · #15 10-24-2008, 11:51 AM

Something to consider, here: http://www.petstreetmall.com/pet-gates.aspx , scroll down to the adjustable fencing options

Disregard the "pet" part, you might be able to "fence off" a corner of a room and keep your musical and non-musical babies separated.

Chris Hodges · #16 10-31-2008, 09:00 AM

Congrats! I will have my first born in march so I am in the same boat. If your scroll is narrow enough (mine is) you can use a wall mount for a guitar. Mount it high enough where the top of the scroll fits in it and use the little rubber strap (that comes with guitar floor stands) to hold it in.

Parenthetically, you should have it high enough (and bass positioned) where the neck has very little weight on it and make sure the bass doesn't stay in a turned position putting tension on the scroll.

I used to use a strap mounted to the wall in the corner until I moved my home office to a room where my current set up only has corners with windows in them.