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Leaving a bass in the trunk

#22
FIRST of all - temperatures can be bad for it. If you are talking very mild temperatures that you could stay in yourself, that may be OK. However I take mine into stores, restaurants etc, instead of leaving it. Just a big briefcase!

SECOND - if someone sees you putting it in the trunk, it becomes super ripe for theft. If you are going to do this, put the bass in the trunk BEFORE you get there! People WATCH for this kind of activity. I knew a guy that had his briefcase stolen several times because he put it in the trunk after he parked. DUH! Also - If you leave ANYTHING in the car, doesn't matter what it is, it is an invite to breaking in, and then they will check the trunk as well. I never leave a single thing - even sunglasses - visible in the car for even a few minutes. Everything goes.
 
#23
Gio S said:
SECOND - if someone sees you putting it in the trunk, it becomes super ripe for theft. If you are going to do this, put the bass in the trunk BEFORE you get there! People WATCH for this kind of activity. I knew a guy that had his briefcase stolen several times because he put it in the trunk after he parked. DUH! Also - If you leave ANYTHING in the car, doesn't matter what it is, it is an invite to breaking in, and then they will check the trunk as well. I never leave a single thing - even sunglasses - visible in the car for even a few minutes. Everything goes.
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+1, I've had my car broken into once...right behind my apartment. Window smashed. It's not a good feeling. It's a worse feeling if something gets stolen, thankfully for me, it was some change I had sitting in the coin tray, but it was visible to people walking by I guess. 15 cents of change was stolen (and technically my window). Yes, 15 cents.

Crack is a powerful thing man...:rollno:
 
#24
stop being lazy - take it in the house. i could understand if this was about your rig. or if you played URB. but come on. take it inside.

my car got stolen about a year ago and my peavey 115 combo was in the trunk...not a major loss, but still lame.

im sure being exposed to small amounts of heat and cold isnt terrible, but small doses over a long time will certainly have an effect. im not super anal about my gear but i never leave anything in the car. maybe if i had a garage i would feel different.
 
#28
Gio S said:
FIRST of all - temperatures can be bad for it.
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I left one of my basses in a garage for a few weeks before I remembered it was out there. The E string had overstretched in the heat and broke.

Also - If you leave ANYTHING in the car, doesn't matter what it is, it is an invite to breaking in, and then they will check the trunk as well. I never leave a single thing - even sunglasses - visible in the car for even a few minutes. Everything goes.
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I usually leave a scattering of papers and sometimes the cup from the last fast-food restaurant I visited. And if I do leave something out, I throw a coat over it. My car looks like crap and nobody ever messes with it.
 
#29
1. Don't Leave anything in your car you do not want to give away.

2. Big swings in temperature and humidity can permanently damage your instrument.

3. Condensation on pickup windings and other metal parts is corrosive

Besides that, it's a great idea to leave you bass in your car.
 
#30
Gio S said:
SECOND - if someone sees you putting it in the trunk, it becomes super ripe for theft. If you are going to do this, put the bass in the trunk BEFORE you get there! People WATCH for this kind of activity. I knew a guy that had his briefcase stolen several times because he put it in the trunk after he parked. DUH! Also - If you leave ANYTHING in the car, doesn't matter what it is, it is an invite to breaking in, and then they will check the trunk as well. I never leave a single thing - even sunglasses - visible in the car for even a few minutes. Everything goes.
Click to expand...

+2

A friend's wife was followed home from GC after she bought him a guitar. When she left the house and the theifs saw no one was home the broke in and cleaned him out. Apparently the cops told him that the music store stakeout is pretty common practice. I'm always nervous loading a lot of gear into my place when it's in public view, or there are a lot of people around.

-b
 
#31
My 90's American Jazz lives fulltime in the trunk of my Focus... and it is fine. I use it every day, and it has no problems. Of course the weather in So Cal is very agreeable, sometimes very hot though. I would never do that with my more precious basses. The Jazz is a rock-solid piece.

On the other hand, I did ruin the neck of a beautiful MusicMan Sterling in Ohio by leaving it outside in the winter.
 
#32
I ALWAYS carry my bass with me. Whether its from my car to the grocery store, etc, my bass is on my shoulder. Never, I repeat, NEVER leave your gear in an unsupervised car. You never know what will happen. It may look awkward at times, while you are in the store, record shop, whatever, but, you still have your axe with you.

My moto: Better safe, than sorry!
'nuff said!

Pavel jazz bass endorser
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