On a hanger? In the case? Where do you store your 'ukulele when not playing it?

Preacher

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I read somewhere that putting your uke on a hanger is a good idea so it's easily accessible and you'll be inclined to play it more often. This sounds logical to me and I'm thinking of getting some sort of wall hanger thingy to do that with.

But I'm concerned that because I live in an area that has very cold, very dry weather for a good chunk of months, that could be detrimental to my uke. (And my house is pretty drafty on certain days when the wind is blowing from a certain direction.) So, should I keep the instrument stored away in the case at all times, or is it OK to let it be out in the open? Our air IS really dry here in the winter.
 
Best place for an uke IMO is in it's case. For the environmental reasons that you noted and for safety ones as well. Having said that, I have several wall hangers that I don't care about and they never get played. My better ukes are in their cases.
 
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I can definitely attest to the fact that keeping them out and on hangers results in more playing. But when I lived in Wisconsin my hands would get so dry in the winter that my knuckles would bleed. That can't be good for a uke. May you can keep the Kamaka in a case but buy yourself a Kiwaya KS-1 to keep out and about. I almost wish I lived in a dry climate so i could justify buying one myself.
 
Best place for an uke IMO is in it's case. For the environmental reasons that you noted and for safety ones as well. Having said that, I have several wall hangers that I don't are about and they never get played. My better ukes are in their cases.
Yup, You dont have to worry about nicks, dust, grease and grime, temperture and humidity...if it's a premimum or custom ukes...
but if it's just a banger uke, leave um out....for reasons you stated... :)
 
You live in Wisconsin? You should really leave your ukuleles in cases with humidifiers. At least from September to June. I don't worry too much when the humidity is high, but in the winter? Too dry, I think.
 
I live in Los Angeles, and I have six ukes that I was keeping in gig bags with little humidifiers that I had to refill often. Then I was on the forum here and saw a cabinet someone made to store their ukes with a humidifier system. I thought about it for a while and felt that hanging them would work better for me, get them out of the way and eliminate the need for many cases.

So I cleared a bookshelf and hung the ukes, then I found a couple of trays for water and placed them on the shelf under the ukes, got a hygrometer that I hung behind them. When the weather dries out, I refill the trays more often, but not anywhere near I had to with the little ones in the cases. If it gets a little too humid, I put a cover over the trays. So far I've kept the humidity between 35 to 55%. If it ever gets out of that range, I plan on putting glass doors on the shelf.

Uke shelf 2.jpg
 
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I have dogs, and once, had big dogs, so my guitars were kept cased. A hundred and fifteen pounds of excited German Shepherd Dog thundering to the window after the s-q-u-i-r-r-e-l, (couldn't even say that word aloud, and after a while, she learned how to spell it) precludes instruments laying about or on a stand. Kept the habit with my ukes, even though the dogs are smaller, there are still grandchildren.

Safe in the case, which is why they make them, hey?

Fine to showcase them like kohanmike does, or if you don't have critters or kids, prop them up here or there, but is there anybody here who really feels like playing but doesn't because, you know, it's just too much trouble to flip a couple latches and uncase your uke? Not to be snarky, but seriously ...?

Steve
 
I have a wall hanger, but the only time it gets used is when I go to the bathroom, or otherwise have to put my uke down during a playing session. Other than that, in the case it goes. As someone else on the thread said, that's what they're made for.
 
I have all of them hanging on the wall. I think I play them more because it's easy to grab one. Don't have low humidity problems in Florida.
 
My ukes are solid wood (except 2) and they remain in their cases for humidification purposes. The other 2 are composite materials and they typically sit out on stands where I can grab them up any time I feel the urge.
 
Evidently, all over the damned place :confused:
 
It would be nice to have a cabinet built or converted to store them in. That way you can keep it humidified, and they will be out of the way and protected. There was a thread here recently where others posted pics of their cabinets. I thought it was a great idea, now that I have a few ukes.
 
I live in Memphis, where our year-round average relative humidity is well over 60%--but running the air conditioner or furnace means the air inside my home is usually much drier. So my two solid wood ukes live in their cases with humidifiers when they aren't being played. The cedar-topped laminate koa sits in a Kala Stand-Out on top of a cabinet my cat can't reach; the plastic Makala Dolphin hangs from a wall hook.

Doesn't matter where the ukes are; I'm motivated enough to want to play whether I can see them or not. :)
 
I would definitely keep that Kamaka in a humidified case with an oasis humidifier!

I keep my Martins in cases, the C1K humidified and since the style 0 has been in Arizona for a long time and not humidified I don't humidify it, but keep it in a case. My laminates hang on the wall for easy access and decoration...
IMG_1577.jpg
 
Not to be snarky, but seriously ...?

Seriously! If it's in the case, it's also on the shelf to keep it away from my small children. It's more than flipping a few latches. On a hanger up high, it would be way more accessible and still out of the reach of the kids.
 
Kohanmike, I love the idea of putting glass doors on those shelves. That could control humidity as well as add extra protection. I have been thinking of doing something like that ever since I saw this photo of yours around the forums! Here in the Northeastern US, humidification is a big issue. Leaving instruments out on stands or lying around is always an invitation to disaster! You've resolved the problem in quite an ingenious way.

For those who hang ukes on a wall, be sure it's an interior wall if there are extreme temperature swings between inside and outside.

I live in Los Angeles, and I have six ukes that I was keeping in gig bags with little humidifiers that I had to refill often. Then I was on the forum here and saw a cabinet someone made to store their ukes with a humidifier system. I thought about it for a while and felt that hanging them would work better for me, get them out of the way and eliminate the need for many cases.

So I cleared a bookshelf and hung the ukes, then I found a couple of trays for water and placed them on the shelf under the ukes, got a hygrometer that I hung behind them. When the weather dries out, I refill the trays more often, but not anywhere near I had to with the little ones in the cases. If it gets a little too humid, I put a cover over the trays. So far I've kept the humidity between 35 to 55%. If it ever gets out of that range, I plan on putting glass doors on the shelf.


Uke shelf 2.jpg
 
I've made and sold quite a few of these. I always suggest placing a humidifier inside the case. One customer had the great idea of adding a small cushion under the body to keep them from swinging. I can hang the upper part on the wall by itself or place it on the lower one. this gives you somewhere to put your empty case.
 

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