Storing basses in their cases or on the wall?

[wintremute]

I have stored my basses on walls for years.

Having said that, make sure your hanger is attached to a stud or a piece of horizontal wood attached to studs.

My 1 month old custom Fodera fell off a hanger that pulled out of drywall. The hanger had been there for at least 5 years. Miraculously I was there and caught it in midair. Not making this up. I almost passed out with shock. Hell of a catch if I might say so myself.

Just to be safe, ship the Fodera to me and I will give it a thorough inspection.

 

[Johnny Crab]

Living in south Texas = dust and sometimes humidity(dehunidifiers keep the home between 50 and 55% RH).
The ones here stay in cases so they look like they did they last time I used them AND the strings last longer not getting loaded up with dust. YMMV.

 

[Tim1]

If I think a bass is going to be in its case for longer than a month or so I detune it very slightly, about a semi-tone. I am not really sure whether this is a good thing or not. The original idea I read somewhere was to save pressure on the neck, but the more I think about it the more it seems to make sense to leave it under normal tension. Thoughts or experiences, anyone?

 

[gln1955]

What a miraculous catch!!!! (See post #5 above)

If you wall hang, DO NOT EVER trust screws that go into sheet rock. I don't care if you have a screw anchor the size of a dinner plate, don't trust it.

Wood screws into solid wood ONLY.

When I set up this room for hanging basses, I used oak 1x4 strips as a mounting base. Each oak strip was secured to wall studs by a dozen 3-inch sheetrock screws; then the hangars were mounted on the oak wood strips.

That's a really nice set up.

 

[RedHotFuzz]

A musical instrument is like a beautiful woman: it should be visibly enjoyed at all times.

 

[peterkidd]

Better for basses?

Cases.

Better for us?

The wall.

 

[matthewbrown]

I keep BOTH of my basses on the wall for easy access. If I had more, they would be classified as "art" and I would consult a curator on the matter.

 

[Rich Terry]

I have stored my basses on walls for years.

Having said that, make sure your hanger is attached to a stud or a piece of horizontal wood attached to studs.

My 1 month old custom Fodera fell off a hanger that pulled out of drywall. The hanger had been there for at least 5 years. Miraculously I was there and caught it in midair. Not making this up. I almost passed out with shock. Hell of a catch if I might say so myself.

I've been storing many of my guitars in both the cases in closets and hanging on walls for over 40 years. Never a problem but I do check the wall hangers from time to time because you never know. I also don't let a lot of folks see my stuff fearing a break in and theft.

Great Catch!!

 

[west al]

Cases. They would ok on the wall, they're just safer, and dust free in the cases.

 

[FerruleCat]

I would not hang them on an outside wall; insulation notwithstanding, I have an untested hunch that there might be a temperature differential between the wall and the rest of the room.

 

[waynobass]

Cases. I don't like dust.

 

[Jughead6]

Also - MOST IMPORTANT WHEN WALL HANGING - Do Not Expose Them To Sunlight!! Not even for an hour a day. Sunlight will fade any finish much faster than you can believe.

Agree with this! My metallic green Jazz has been slowly turning silver over the last 10 years. It was never in direct sunlight, but almost always out of its case. I didn't notice how much the colour has changed until I started to do some modifications and I saw the original colour underneath the pickguard. Lucky that I like the new colour

 

[Yango]

I have stored my basses on walls for years.

Having said that, make sure your hanger is attached to a stud or a piece of horizontal wood attached to studs.

My 1 month old custom Fodera fell off a hanger that pulled out of drywall. The hanger had been there for at least 5 years. Miraculously I was there and caught it in midair. Not making this up. I almost passed out with shock. Hell of a catch if I might say so myself.

Nice bass, nice catch—you're one lucky SOB!!!

 

[Winfred]

Basses come with cases. That's what they're for.

If hangers were better, they'd come with hangers.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

If I think a bass is going to be in its case for longer than a month or so I detune it very slightly, about a semi-tone. I am not really sure whether this is a good thing or not. The original idea I read somewhere was to save pressure on the neck, but the more I think about it the more it seems to make sense to leave it under normal tension. Thoughts or experiences, anyone?

No need to detune.

 

[allenhumble]

Would this be covered under home policy or do you have to have insurance for the instruments

 

[Baird6869]

Nice bass, nice catch—you're one lucky SOB!!!

Yup... Lucky. Not smart, but lucky!

 

[GrooverMcTube]

Wall hangers. As art.

Basses in cases live in dark lonely places. Put it in a case and the next thing you know you haven't played it in six months.

 

[Maxdusty]

Something like this... this isn't mine - I like how the guy did this though. I do put mine in a cedar wardrobe I picked up for like $50- haven't put dividers in yet, but stacked vertically in gig bags for now. A Cedar cabinet is a great place to put basses in because the wood sucks in moisture and keeps everything in it dry.
Nice and safe, plus you can lock it if needed. Also you can waterproof it on the outside if a leaky roof is something you get often.

 

[Rich Terry]

Would this be covered under home policy or do you have to have insurance for the instruments

You better have pix of them because I've had that happen and it was no fun. Got paid but lost some cool pieces I couldn't replace. It took me 15 years to find an ES335 that was equal to the one I lost.

I also had an American Made Schector that was fabulous that I could never replace and never did. Not made anymore.