I don't get it either, and that's why I posted this thread. I'm not a professional musician, so I have no personal experience to draw from, but I expect that touring musicians deal with weather variations on a regular basis. I can't imagine that they have the luxury of treating their instruments with such care...
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How Many Heed the Warning?
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I don't get it either, and that's why I posted this thread. I'm not a professional musician, so I have no personal experience to draw from, but I expect that touring musicians deal with weather variations on a regular basis. I can't imagine that they have the luxury of treating their instruments with such care...
For a rare or very high end expensive bass, I can agree that extra caution is warranted. 24 hours seems excessive but whatever.
However, not so for a gigging bass. Some of them go through hell (almost literally) and some people pay extra to buy a bass that has been made to look like it went through hell.
"Gawd, that bass looks like you've been on the road forever. How long?
Actually, I haven't left my basement."
However, not so for a gigging bass. Some of them go through hell (almost literally) and some people pay extra to buy a bass that has been made to look like it went through hell.
"Gawd, that bass looks like you've been on the road forever. How long?
Actually, I haven't left my basement."
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Yep, I first drove an extended cab pickup truck then later a van, up from north Alabama to the Maryville/Gatlinburg area in eastern Tennessee, with a Highway One J in a HSC and a hot rodded MIM standard J in a gig bag, in all kinds of weather for a couple years. Depending on where we played, one or the other would be used. The MIM was older and more stable so I used it when it was cold and we were outside. Set it on stage in a stand for a half hour or so, tune it and it was good to go. I always checked action and intonation when I changed strings but the MIM rarely needed anything, but it had a Babicz bridge on it so it stayed locked in position even when strings were removed. The Highway one was newer and not quite as settled but it only needed an occasional tweak to keep it right.
In winter it would get down into the 20's and in summer it would hit the 90's so there was always a temp change when I pulled a bass out of a heated or AC environment into an opposite ambient temp, with as much as 40~50 deg difference. Depending on that spread, 15~30 minutes was all I needed to get them acclimated and I never had any significant action issues due to short term temp fluctuations.
Time it gets to me, it has already acclimatised. Coldest it gets where I live might be 0C in the dead of winter May hit 40C at the height of Summer, however, The weather in the days leading up to those temps is likely to have gradually got there and the extremes from day to day are usually only a few degrees different min-max.
devnulljp
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D
It will depend on the instrument. If it's a really expensive acoustic guitar for home/studio use I would wait.
If it's an instrument you intend to use for gigs/touring, ask yourself the following question:
Do you wait 24 hours before opening the case after transporting your instrument to a gig?
If it's an instrument you intend to use for gigs/touring, ask yourself the following question:
Do you wait 24 hours before opening the case after transporting your instrument to a gig?
Never seen those instructions because I don't live anywhere so inhospitable. It got as low as 15C during the night a couple of days ago and I had to get out a blanket. Brrrrrrr!
No, I don't. I've seen people say they show up to a gig extra early to allow their instrument to acclimate. What?
Don't worry about it. By the time you read all these posts 24 hours will have passed.
It's a generic "better safe than sorry" sticker they put on everything even though it's really just nitro finishes you need to worry about. No harm in doing it but it's cheaper to just put that sticker on every box than it is to train staff on what boxes actually need it.
if you're worried about it, give it the extra time. It won't hurt anything.
if you're worried about it, give it the extra time. It won't hurt anything.
This. She's right, like always. IF it were some fabulous acoustic instrument and/or a lacquered instrument, yeah.
Your regular slab axe shot with poly, nah, at least not for me.
Nitro on poly, like the "nitro" fender player series guitars. Their acoustics are still pure nitro finish.
Nitro on poly, by the way, will also crack with extreme changes in temperature.
Given that a few of the instruments I get come from overseas, and have been though the caressing care of the Customs Officials... I presume the warning has very much 'not been heeded' by the time the instrument got to me. The parcels tend to get 'gently' opened, inspected, on their way within a few hours, often. So I don't tend to worry about it either.
No explosive decompressions so far...
No explosive decompressions so far...
In '69 or '70 my guitar buddy brought in his Gibson ES335 from the trunk of his dads car. It was -20F out. He almost started crying as we watched the finish crack.
I bought this bass brand new, didn't wait and when I opened the case it burst into flames!
Bass plays and sounds great though. My house burned down but it was worth it.
Bass plays and sounds great though. My house burned down but it was worth it.
Summer, NO.
Winter, yeah, I'll wait.
If it's cold and you open in a warm environment there will be condensation in seconds. If the finish is porous and/or the wood is not sufficiently cured (comes from a giant conglomerate, for example, and there's another thread about how they need to manufacture more quickly…just saying) then the moisture trapped near the surface of the wood can fog under the finish.
Especially common with thin nitro.
I have seen it happen when I worked at an instrument company. It took about 5 seconds to ruin a custom Hamer. Glad it wasn't me lol.
If it's cold, wait. If it's warm or not too extreme I wouldn't worry about it.
But the warning is accurate and in some cases this time of year you can wreck the finish.
Winter, yeah, I'll wait.
If it's cold and you open in a warm environment there will be condensation in seconds. If the finish is porous and/or the wood is not sufficiently cured (comes from a giant conglomerate, for example, and there's another thread about how they need to manufacture more quickly…just saying) then the moisture trapped near the surface of the wood can fog under the finish.
Especially common with thin nitro.
I have seen it happen when I worked at an instrument company. It took about 5 seconds to ruin a custom Hamer. Glad it wasn't me lol.
If it's cold, wait. If it's warm or not too extreme I wouldn't worry about it.
But the warning is accurate and in some cases this time of year you can wreck the finish.
