Long cold winter without your … bass?

[DawnPatroller]

Good morning everybody.

 

Situation is this: upcoming house move involving a new place for renovation. Intending to store most of my belongings in the garage while the work is being done. Garage is stand alone/detached but dry.

How important is maintaining temperature for storing basses? One in a hardcase, one in a gig bag, low value gear. I expect my stuff to be stashed away in there for the majority of this winter (UK based). Is the sky going to fall in if I do this?

TIA etc etc.

[Waddo Soqable]

If the garage is dry I wouldn't see a problem, especially for the bass in a hardcase. I seem to recall it being recommended that you store cased guitars standing upright on end, like "soldiers" if that makes sense.

Do you not envisage having a more "indoors" area to live / sleep in then ?

[DawnPatroller]

Storing upright is not something I would have thought of - thank you!

 

New house is very neglected (elderly owner) and needs much interior work, cosmetic as well as redesign. My plan is to load furniture into centre of each room and work around it for replastering, redecorating, etc. Get each room up and running one by one. Meantime, all items that fall under the category of 'can live without for a couple of months' are being boxed up for storing in the garage. Need to have as much stuff out of the way as possible to make life easier.

 

[nilebodgers]

Dry is the important thing. I stored my old Yam BB for about 12 years in a completely unheated but dry warehouse without any serious issues.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Good on you for taking the project on, but given that you've said you'll be doing each room one by one, I'd be tempted to find a central space in one room to stand the two basses up in. I'm they would be alright in the garage if it's dry, but it only takes the wrong person to see a new owner putting their belongings in a garage and you could potentially have a disaster.

[franzbassist]

Storing upright is a good shout.  Apart from the space needing to be dry, you also want to avoid sudden changes in temperature too: admittedly unlikely in a temperate climate like ours, but worth noting.

[Guest]

In my experience of storing things in dry garages over the winter, damp gets in and doesn't get out. Years later I can still tell which of my belongings spent that winter there.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[DawnPatroller]

All points worth considering.

Lock up will be secure so I'm not particularly concerned about getting ripped off. Although I have always prided myself on the fact that I don't really have anything worth nicking anyway 😊

I shall think on it ...

[Guest]

Within limits I dont think the temperature matters much. It's more the rate of change that I think is problematic? That may benan issue in an unheated garage, as would humidity and/or damp.

 

I personally wouldn't risk it,

 

 

[Chaosanator]

If I were going to try storing stuff in the garage I'd probably try to keep them off the floor somehow, just in case water gets in.

Good luck with the move!

[EssentialTension]

If it's just a couple of bases in cases, for a few months, I'd ask musician friends to look after them for me ... they usually don't mind too much having an extra instrument lying aound.

[yorks5stringer]

What about a proper job storage unit? Won't cost much if they are stored upright and they tend to be modern, kept at an even temperature and dry. Oh, and  you can go and visit your stuff on your day off....

[pete.young]

Some packets of silica gel in the cases wouldn't go amiss. Not sure I'd want to do this with my prides and joy though.

[Skybone]

I would also be concerned about the temperature variations when storing things like an instrument in a garage / summer house etc.

 

Surely it would be better to keep them inside in a constant temperature (and humidity) to minimise any movement in the instrument.

[JohnR]

I would always find space for my bass no matter the circumstances. In a similar situation I stored them at a friend's house for several months.

[Mickeyboro]

Don’t do it unless your case is absolutely airtight. And even then I wouldn’t risk it. Had a v bad experience storing a bass in what I thought was a dry rehearsal space,

[Geek99]

10 hours ago, DawnPatroller said:

Good morning everybody.

 

Situation is this: upcoming house move involving a new place for renovation. Intending to store most of my belongings in the garage while the work is being done. Garage is stand alone/detached but dry.

How important is maintaining temperature for storing basses? One in a hardcase, one in a gig bag, low value gear. I expect my stuff to be stashed away in there for the majority of this winter (UK based). Is the sky going to fall in if I do this?

TIA etc etc.

I left one in our loft for two years and it came down just fine

 

it was even (almost) in tune

[Geek99]

8 hours ago, nilebodgers said:

Dry is the important thing. I stored my old Yam BB for about 12 years in a completely unheated but dry warehouse without any serious issues.

Our loft froze in winter and dripped, and cooked in summer and my bass (not in hard case) came out just fine 

@DawnPatroller it was stored upright 

[Geek99]

Put some silica sachets in the case though 

[SH73]

Two years ago I stored guitars and basses in a rented storage facility for 6 months. The temperature is constant, secure CCTV etc. Cost a bit but a smaller room may he cheaper.

[binky_bass]

Slacken the strings - extreme cold may contract the strings and set a warp in the neck. 

Edited September 14, 2021 by binky_bass

[Doctor J]

The neck and truss rod will expand and contract, too. Without the tension of the strings to work against, leaving the truss rod at tension is probably not a great idea.

[Cat Burrito]

I'm assuming the thread title is a nod to Cinderella's Long Cold Winter? Just for those that picked up on the reference, allow me to ruin the song. Listen to Tom Keifer's lengthy rocking blues solo from 2 mins 30 and then just as the solo climaxes around 3 minutes 34, think of the Muppet Show

 

 

Edited September 15, 2021 by Cat Burrito

[ezbass]

I moved house last year but had to put most of my possessions into storage over the winter. Admittedly, this was a professional storage warehouse, but not one of these personal lock up affairs, this was in great big wooden crates, in ceiling high racking, doors open to the elements and not heated AFAIK. I put my basses and guitars into their gig bags and those into cardboard boxes. I took about a turn off of each tuner and had them stacked flat. 6 months later, I was reunited with them and it was like nothing had happened. I offer no specific advice, this is just what I experienced in the last year. I wonder how basses and guitars are stored by manufacturers and distributors?