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Leaving the bass in the car

#41
J.Nuno said:
One day every week I have to take my bass to work, so that in the end of the day I can take it to my lesson. The thing is, at work the car is parked outside and I was wondering if leaving the bass there all day could harm the bass.
Right it has been raining a lot, but when sunny days come, should I take it inside with me?

Note: The bass is in a bass bag (not hard case) and is on the trunk of the car. Cold days: 8-17 ºC , Hot days: 25-30 ºC.
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NEVER leave an instrument in a car. It sucks, and it's inconvenient, but always take it with you.

In the cold or hot your trunk is like an oven/ freezer, finish could crack, wood and metal expand and contract at different rates and are affected at different rates, fret spout can happen.

But Most importantly, an instrument is a very visible easy sell, desirable target. It takes next to nothing to pop a trunk open. Any thief that sees you putting any guitar shaped case into a trunk will be tempted as soon as you walk away from your car.

I can't begin to tell you how many times, when working in a music store, a person would come back to the store after browsing, buying to tell me he'd been robbed. They never realized that the thieves would watch who puts what into a trunk, guitars and purses were huge, wait for the person to walk away. It took them less then 10 seconds to pop the trunk, take whatever it is out and walk away..
 
#42
I'd never leave a bass or guitar in my trunk unless the sky was overcast and the average temp in the 60s. Even then I'd prefer to bring it in with me and often do leaving it propped up in my cube at work.My cousin loaned a PRS to a friend in the summer (Texas summer that is) and the guy left it in his trunk one day; it took weeks and some tweaking from a luthier to get the neck straightened out again.
 
#45
Quando eu tenho alguma aula ou gig próximo do meu local de trabalho, trago meu baixo no carro, que fica estacionado na garagem guardada também, mas não deixo ele dentro do carro.

Mesmo se for por uma ou duas horas de baixo do sol, prefiro não arriscar! :D
 
#47
Heat and cold do not make basses happy. But I would be more concerned about safety. In the trunk is good, since the bass can't be seen by thieves. Inside may be only a little less risky, in some work places. Since I can have my bass secure in my office, I bring it in when i have it with me. However, I did spend 4 years with my bass in our equipment truck, and the only problem was a bit of neck bow that had to be compensated for on a regular basis. YMMV.
 
#48
I have a strick policy that I do not leave anything in the car that I don't want someone to steal unless the vehicle is in my eyesight. I.E. I want a chipoltle Burrito bowl and I can see my vehicle while ingest hundreds of needless calories.

I'm that weird guy you see walking through the store or a restaurant when I just came from a gig. I'd rather be inconvenienced that stolen from.
 
#53
The only instrument I ever leave in my car all day is my Steinberger, which is a stunningly solid hunk of graphite composite. Any other axe comes indoors with me. Outside air tempratures aren't necessarily predictive of how hot it can get inside a vehicle, and even if the risk of outright damage is low to nil, I waste less time retuning if the instrument has been kept near room temperature all day.
 
#57
Environmental concerns aside, keeping valuables in a car at any regular (read: predictable) place you frequent will eventually get your stuff stolen.
Not probably, it is a certainty.

Someone will see you storing the gear in the trunk and wait until it's an opportune time to liberate you from your seemingly unwanted possessions.

You might get away with it once or twice, but it's too much of a risk to do at all in my opinion unless you're parking in an indoor garage at a police station!
 
#59
gordon5377 said:
Besides, having your bass in the office is a conversation starter for the new accounting intern, who happens to be female and kinda cute. :D
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Here's a true story to use if you want to razz a co-worker you're on good terms with.

"Oooh, a guitar. You gonna serenade me?"

<thoughtful pause>

"Y'know what? I'll play a song that every man should play for you. It's called I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow."

And the fact that we're on such good terms is why I'm still alive enough to tell the tale. ;)
 

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