Weather effect on setup?

[crispygoat]

I had my bass professional setup last week before leaving town in order to visit my parents up north (I brought my bass). Back home, the temperature was around 0 C (32 F). When I got here, the weather was about - 40 C (-40 F). I didn't have much time to play the bass when I got here, but I got it out of the case this morning and noticed fret buzz. The temperature here changes from - 40 C a day, to 0 C the next day... can this really effect my bass that much? it is a newly bought Fender American Precision.

[C.Linton]

I have a Squier VM P bought new in October last year, the etup was pretty much perfect right out of the box. Three months later, beause of sitting in a very cold apartment (Heating issues) It now will need a full setup, the neck relief has gotten way out of line. All because of the teperature in the apartment. I'm going to have to wait until the weather around here gets a little more temperate before I set it up. Temperature and humidity is always a concern with any instrument made primarily out of wood..

[jaywa]

Originally Posted by crispygoat

The temperature here changes from - 40 C a day, to 0 C the next day... can this really effect my bass that much?

Yes. The price we pay for living in a "four season" climate (translation - arctic cold in the winter, tropical heat in the summer).

I pretty much plan and budget for two set-ups a year on my Ibanez BTB.. one in late spring, and one in late fall. OTOH my 78 P-Bass seems to handle climate swings much better and that I can get by doing once a year. And as C.Linton said, it's not just temp that affects wooden instruments, but humidity... and we swing plenty wide on that spectrum where I live as well.

But hey it could be worse... my worship leader moved here from Sacramento a few years ago and his first winter up here not one but BOTH of his acoustic guitars cracked their tops. And they were both high-dollar guitars, too.

[NortyFiner]

Short answer, yes. Temperature and humidity can and do affect setups, particularly as regards neck relief. And the weather varies plenty where I live in southeast VA. Temp was in the 70's this past weekend, but was below freezing last night; in the summer, the humidity sometimes gets so high that you literally can see it. Fortunately, I can do my own setups to deal with the weather changes.