I do mention where I live - up in the North of Europe. The duration is a fair question, as I have not addressed it precisely. I predict at least a year.
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Long term storage of basses
- Thread starter totalnoob
- Start date
Fender may say that, but they don't always ship out their basses detuned. Both NIB Fenders I've bought were at pitch out of the box.
Are you storing them outside? In a shed? In a storage unit type of place? At my house?
Let's go along with that: where do you live?At my house?
My intention was either the attic or somewhere in the basement. Both can get quite cold in the winter, but neither goes below 0 C.
1) No.
2) No.
3) OK
4) No
1 - No. I left my P-bass for 23 years tuned to pitch and in its hard case, sitting not flat but on the hinged side as you would normally set it down. The neck was perfect when I returned.
2 - No. You will trap whatever is in the bag, whether it's humidity, dirt or insects. Your bas will be fine if you follow my answer #4.
3 - Sure, protection is good. A hard case is MUCH better to prevent damage while in storage.
4 - Absolutely no. If you're not comfortable, your bass isn't comfortable. Keep it in ONLY a living environment you would be comfortable in.
I'd avoid an attic for instrument storage. Substantial heat is a big enemy for wood, more so than cold (though obviously avoiding extremes in general is a good idea).
Three Jazz basses (Player series - about $800) I just looked at (to buy one) were sloppy loose on the strings, and truss rods at least 1-1/2 full turns loose. It took about 3 weeks of constant tightening daily before it stabilized at what is close to the factor spec relief. Very dissapointing . . . all three were barely playable in the store, but I took a chance and did the work thanks to a good return policy.
It’s normal for strings to go sharp after resting. It’s due to string tension, not movement of the neck.
I had a case humidifier that leaked and damaged the HS on a mandolin. I’ll never use them again. But I have a whole house humidifier that does a good job of regulating the humidity.
I had a case humidifier that leaked and damaged the HS on a mandolin. I’ll never use them again. But I have a whole house humidifier that does a good job of regulating the humidity.
Basements are generally more climate controlled than attics. Basements can also get quite humid. Interesting quandary you have. I do think hard shell case will ride the changes better than gig bag. A humidity meter would be illuminating, hopefully your basement isn't too gnarly to put instruments in.
I have an acoustic guitar that was stored with strings tensioned in a regular guitar case in a home closet for near onto 40 years and emerged after that barely out of tune. I think the strings need to be tensioned to maintain proper neck shape and the environment controlled to not swing between extremes and anything other than that is nothing to worry about. WRT extremes: basements and attics are frowned upon. Just stick it in a clothes closet.
Put it in a Hefty bag in the corner of the basement. (NOT)
Firearms for deep storage, bags. Lots of oil or grease. Ziplock or something like that.
Guitars, a nice quality case under the bed, in tune with a nice cleaning beforehand.
My cousin has 3 Fender Strats from the 70’s stored that way, and they are near perfect after all this time.
Firearms for deep storage, bags. Lots of oil or grease. Ziplock or something like that.
Guitars, a nice quality case under the bed, in tune with a nice cleaning beforehand.
My cousin has 3 Fender Strats from the 70’s stored that way, and they are near perfect after all this time.
Sunlight exposure is the primary cause, followed by other sources of UV, or ozone. (Used to work in the plastics industry).
D
The critical part isn't the temperature but the humidity (but they are often related of course). Like I said in my earlier post: Get a hygrometer and find out what you're dealing with humidity-wise. Then take the necessary precautions to keep the humidity between 40-50%.
If you're not prepared to do this there's no point coming here asking for advice. Your basses will probably still be fine though. Like I said before, solid body instruments can usually handle far more abuse from temperature/humidity than most people seem to think (with the exception of some types of finish). Acoustics are a completely different matter of course.
I’ve heard horror stories about case humidifiers plus they’re a pain in the ass, especially if you have multiple acoustics (I had 3 at one point). Your house humidifier is a good idea or some kind of display cabinet where you can regulate humidity.
I keep my selection of 7 basses in my air-conditioned lounge room with us the last 7 years..all strung and tuned. I prefer to store them this way instead of in their hard cases in a different room..besides being a talking point with visitors my wife thinks they look quite decorative in here with us lol.
We live in an extremely dry environment here in South Australia generally, but winters can be sometimes wet although humidity is very rare, so we consider ourselves quite lucky and all the basses are in excellent shape being stored this way in the room with us.
We live in an extremely dry environment here in South Australia generally, but winters can be sometimes wet although humidity is very rare, so we consider ourselves quite lucky and all the basses are in excellent shape being stored this way in the room with us.
