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do you store your bass in its case?

#101
I leave mine out.... I've been a modulus user for 22+ years and haven't thought about humidity until recently as I've started buying wooden-necked instruments again.

But, Hercules will tell you not to leave a guitar on their stands. I've ignored that but then a funny thing happened. My stands are themselves really old. One day I went to my music room and grabbed my main modulus Q5 and the neck of the stand fell through the bottom stand to the floor. The post slid all the way down. Inspecting the hand grip showed the plastic had failed.... The only thing holding the bass up was a pin or screw of some kind, the weight of the guitar pinched it in place. Lifting the guitar released the broken pieces to the floor.

The Internet told me there was a bad batch of stands so I contacted Hercules and they gave me a replacement, all I had to do was give them photos of the parts... The tell-tale sign that my stand was one that was failing was that the plastic grip was getting gummy and wet looking.

Anyway, I didn't learn a lesson here, I still keep my bases on stands. But, sometimes I at least now think about putting them away where before the thought never crossed my mind.
 
#103
I used to hang everything on the wall always and would just cycle stuff out to gig bags for shows.

Now, I keep everything in cases, preferably a hardcase. Its definitely more space intensive, but it keeps my instruments more playable and sounding their best. My relative humidity is around 60% year round in Brooklyn.

I've never had an instrument become magically unplayable but I have had damage to finishes, dead strings, etc by leaving my instruments out on the wall. I also like my action super low, so this can also be affected. Less so when living in its HSC.

For those who have never had an issue, I'm very happy for you. :)
 
#105
No. I think it gives me flashbacks to working in a music store when guitars and basses that were left out would get this funk on the strings and dust in all the nether regions.

I might keep one out hanging on a wall or leaned in a corned for a time, but during the winter especially I keep them bagged or cased. I never really got the "I need to see my complete lineup" approach. But we all have instruments for different purposes. Some like them as pieces of art, some as tools, and some as both.
 
#111
moon-bass said:
Enough to protect it from drastic changes. Obviously some cases more than others. Some makers even recommend leaving the base in it's case after shipping to acclimate to the local conditions. Ymmv.
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Suit yourself. Nothing about the build or materials quality in the guitar cases I see indicates anything more than a few hours of delay in exchanging air.

I suppose if you have to carry your bass around outside in conditions very different from where it sits inside, the case provides enough air exchange delay to matter. People in this thread are talking about leaving their bass in the case indefinitely inside their homes as protection against seasonal climate changes - that's not happening.
 
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#114
Altitude said:
Suit yourself. Nothing about the build or materials quality in the guitar cases I see indicates anything more than a few hours of delay in exchanging air.

I suppose if you have to carry your bass around outside in conditions very different from where it sits inside, the case provides enough air exchange delay to matter. People in this thread are talking about leaving their bass in the case indefinitely inside their homes as protection against seasonal climate changes - that's not happening.
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yeah, that's why I said "from drastic changes." A few hours delay is exactly what I was referring to, enough to allow the bass to acclimate and/or slow down drastic changes to temp/humidity. That's it.
 
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#115
I like to have hard cases for storage, but I have several hangars in the music room and by the bed, and a couple chucked in the corner incase I need them.

unless your house is hermetically sealed, and you never play anywhere that isn't also hermetically sealed, chasing humidity is kinda silly
 
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#116
marchone said:
I kept a vintage Fender Telecaster Bass in its case for about ten years undisturbed. When I got it out the original pickguard had disintegrated. Apparently it was a common occurrence.
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yeah, nitrocellulose pick guards will do that! My in-laws had a 63 Gibson J-45 Deluxe - the guard shrunk before it disintegrated, and cracked the wood in the process.
 
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#118
moon-bass said:
A case will slow the changes to the humidity inside the case. Generally, the humidity changes are more of a concern than the actual humidity (some exceptions of course).
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My experience is that the action changes no matter what. Some instruments seem more resistant than others, but they’ll all change to some degree or another. This is why I always check and adjust my action on the day of a gig as a matter of course.

I have two basses with carbon fiber necks and one with roasted maple. There is no magic bullet.
 
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