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Storing basses in a conservatory


BillyBass

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I've just had a conservatory built and shortly the flooring, decorating and electrics will all be done.  It has sound proof (to a degree) glass and I will be using it as my practice space.

 

I have installed a heater and can keep the temperature constant...ish at the moment but the heater will have a drying effect on the atmosphere inside.  Also, I imagine this will get quite hot in the summer, the glass roof is made of 'solar glass' but it will be directly in line with the setting sun, and the rooms at the back of the house can be really uncomfortable during a heatwave.

 

I would like to be able to store some basses in there but am a bit concerned about the temeperture and humidity changes could have a detrimental effect on bass necks.

 

Anyone got any advice/experience to share? 

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I had a conservatory built on our last house. We went for the top spec, high tech glass with the best thermal efficiency for keeping warmth in during winter and heat out during summer. It was very good in the winter but during summer it regularly got over 40 Celsius. 

UV damage could be an issue as well. 

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13 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

I had a conservatory built on our last house. We went for the top spec, high tech glass with the best thermal efficiency for keeping warmth in during winter and heat out during summer. It was very good in the winter but during summer it regularly got over 40 Celsius. 

UV damage could be an issue as well. 

Mine is also top spec and I'm guessing my experience will be similar to yours.  

 

Looking up UV light, it appears that UV-A light could be an issue as I believe the window and door glass isn't solar (just sound proofed).  This is fixable though.  Its the heat doing in bass necks that I am worried about and I suppose that means no storing basses there during hot periods.

 

Anyone know anything about dry heat from heaters taking moisture out of necks?  Should I get a humidifier?

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I use my conservatory as a practice space as well. I do not keep any of my basses in there. However, I was given a cheap crappy Strat copy that lives in there 4/7/365. I have been surprised by how little the temperature has affected it, it must get down to close to freezing on a bad night and stupid hot on a bright summers day but there has been little movement to note. By contrast our lead guitarist left his guitar in a car on a hot day and it was totally unplayable (but did settle back after about a week). I wouldn’t leave a bass in there on purpose but don’t think any major harm would come to one over a short period of time. Long term storage may be very different though.

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Does temperature change really affect guitars that much? There are pro musicians travelling all over the world with the same instruments for decades, going from cold cargo hold of a plane to baking hot festival tent then back to a cargo hold and off somewhere cold.

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8 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

Does temperature change really affect guitars that much? There are pro musicians travelling all over the world with the same instruments for decades, going from cold cargo hold of a plane to baking hot festival tent then back to a cargo hold and off somewhere cold.


The cargo hold bit would be for a few hours. I believe the cargo hold of a modern jet aircraft is pressurised and air conditioned, just like the passenger cabin to minimise internal stress. 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

Does temperature change really affect guitars that much? There are pro musicians travelling all over the world with the same instruments for decades, going from cold cargo hold of a plane to baking hot festival tent then back to a cargo hold and off somewhere cold.

Issues with my bass necks; NS Design EUB - truss rod needs adjusting from winter to summer. Sei custom - ludicrously thin neck needs adjusting everytime it comes out of its case. Squier Jazz - doesn't give a sh*t  and never needs adjusting.

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3 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

When I bought my conservatory, the difference in cost was about a Squier classic vibe 70's precision plus a set of strings.

Well, no contest, Squier classic vibe 70's precision plus a set of strings it is!

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Her Majesty has given me a limit of how many basses I'm allowed in the house: 5 on the rack I have in the 'music room' and one on a stand in the lounge (to be used in the conservatory).  So you can see I have to get by with just 6 basses.  Now if I could store some in the conservatory, then she would let me keep more than the 6.

 

But the general consensus of opinion seems to be that I am asking for trouble.

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Heating an otherwise unused space to keep basses comfy seems like a waste of power to me. Controlled heating won't do anything to the moisture in the air except make it relatively less saturated. So long as you were keeping it at 16° and it didn't overheat naturally it would be fine. Still a waste of power.

 

Then what do you do when it bakes in the summer?

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2 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Heating an otherwise unused space to keep basses comfy seems like a waste of power to me. Controlled heating won't do anything to the moisture in the air except make it relatively less saturated. So long as you were keeping it at 16° and it didn't overheat naturally it would be fine. Still a waste of power.

 

Then what do you do when it bakes in the summer?

It won't be an otherwise unused space.  

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8 hours ago, Boodang said:

Well, no contest, Squier classic vibe 70's precision plus a set of strings it is!

 

I went for the fancy glass then was particularly nice to Mrs XFR (she's a lucky lady) for a couple weeks and then bought an Epiphone Thunderbird vintage pro plus a set of DR DDT strings. 

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I can't think of anywhere worse to keep an instrument. I work in an industry that builds conservatories, and regardless of the steps taken to regulate temperature, the vast fluctuations are difficult to regulate in most cases. Especially this time of year when under a clear sky, it's freezing morning and night, while warm/hot at midday. Personally I'd avoid it at all costs.

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1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

Did 'Hammy' need his/her truss rod adjusting?

Yeah. Something like that.

 

insult to injury, my distraught brother (who was about 8/9 at the time) conducted a mini funeral in the back garden.

 

the next day he came to check on the plot…to find next doors cat enjoying slow baked hamster on the lawn.

 

 

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