How Many Heed the Warning?

[Killing Floor]

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.
View attachment 4903854 View attachment 4903856 View attachment 4903853

That pickup "ring" is awesome!!

 

[BassBrass]

How Many Heed the Warning?

 

[Grinderman]

Here, not at all. If I were still in Chicago and it were super cold out and it's finished in lacquer, I'd wait until the outside of the shipping box no longer feels cold to touch, which certainly wouldn't take 24 hours.

 

[C Stone]

Same mentality as turn the truss rod a quarter a turn and wait for a day.

 

[Mickey666]

G/F got me an early Xmas present, Epiphone Les Paul Standard, not sure what the finish is (feels like poly) but I only waited about 5 hours and no issues whatsoever.

 

[sethlow3]

Glad that most airlines do a temperature control on cargo carrier areas keeping it at 40F or above. Assuming they dont miss the switches.

View attachment 4903568

I've always liked her stuff

 

[JimmyM]

I have yet to buy a bass with the warning on it. Living in Florida, I don't worry too much about it.

 

[Acoop]

Most instruments prefer the cold anyway. ...

 

[hieronymous]

I don't think I ever had an instrument shipped in winter - but I did have a modded early-70s Telecaster Bass that I must have brought in out of the cold too soon after a gig - the headstock finish crazed! I would say it's definitely worth letting an instrument acclimate if you can, especially if it's "vintage"

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

I have heeded the warning in extreme weather conditions. Since you live in Arizona, especially, I would always heed the warning.

For those that don't listen in "normal" temperature conditions (like me): open the box if you must (to inspect it, etc.), but do not attempt to tune it (or "set it up"). Just check for obvious imperfections.

 

[Manticore]

This is a curiosity to me. I fly with a bass in the hold of the plane frequently between radically different climates. I've never had a finish issue; although, I will admit I don't take nitro-finished fiddles with me.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I can't afford basses that need that warning lol.

 

[jnottoli]

I've seen minor damage to "green" poly - shot and delivered the same week.

Don't know if it was opening it too early or placing on a stand.

It was during winter. + you're in AZ, right?, much of which is freakishly dry.

If waiting a day is good, waiting a week is better!

 

[Mike Vee]

only if the weather was extreme

 

[Deleted member 271037]

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.
View attachment 4903879

Sure, it can happen but if you plan on using the instrument for gigs/touring you've got a huge problem if you won't open your case for 24 hours after transport.

As for summer vs winter I'm not sure how much this will matter if air travel is involved. Summer might actually be worse. I've had lots of gigs where I went on stage for a sound check in a warm climate within an hour of leaving the aiport. The bass was obviously still VERY cold but what else could I do? I've never had any serious issues with this. Sure, some of my nitro instruments have some cracks in the finish but that would've happened sooner or later anyway. Isn't that why people want nitro? For the natural "relic'ing"?

I've done quite a bit of touring over the years. My basses has been brought straight from freezing conditions in the back of a van into a warm venue or straight from the cargo hold on an airplan into a warm climate. Yes, I've experienced condensation when opening the case but what else could I do? Refuse to play the gigs???? I would be far more worred about condensation inside amps although I've never had any malfunctions caused by this either and I've done a lot of road based touring (with my own tube amps) in freezing winter conditions.

If you do a lot of touring and want a durable finish get poly. Maybe even get a cheaper instrument for touring if you're worried about ruining the finish on your dream bass. Just don't wait 24 hours before opening the case or your career will come to a very abrupt end.

But like I said, if we're talking about an expensive instrument that will be pampered and only used at home or in a controlled studio environment I would wait. Especially with acoustics as with these the damage may be structural/functional as well as cosmetic.

 

[andare]

All my instruments were built in Mexico or Indonesia and shipped in single or double cardboard boxes with no insulation then transported across continents in uninsulated vehicles.
Sounds like thermal shock galore to me.

Just yesterday I had to pick up a new Jazzmaster from a drop off point and walk 15 minutes back home in a snow storm at -8C.Poly and solid body is fine.
I would wait for an acoustic guitar with a thin finish but just for the heck of it.

 

[DukeCC]

I am currently heeding right now at the present time as we type.

(But shipping form 40°F Indiana town to 50°F Indiana town into a 70°F Indiana house--I hope the instrument is sturdy enough to withstand much worse than that. But it was raining, so I'll give you that.)

 

[bolophonic]

A lot of people like to treat their basses like they are little baby birds instead of hunks of wood.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I don't recall seeing that warning on any bass I've purchased. I also don't recall ever hearing any stories about people regretting ignoring it

and what about music stores? do they let instruments acclimate to the environment once they're off the UPS truck?

 

[jd56hawk]

My new Bass just completed the journey from Indiana to Arizona over the last several days, so I'll bide my time until tomorrow until I open my early Christmas present to myself.

I'm just curious if anyone has seen ill effects from ignoring the instructions.View attachment 4903405

Heed the warning that doesn't necessarily apply?