We've come a long way from the jolly swag man. And "bong" now means something completely different.
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Leaving your bass in a car
- Thread starter Yonni
- Start date
We've come a long way from the jolly swag man. And "bong" now means something completely different.
Interesting! I've had a bass in my FL vehicle for over 10 years, and it's as good as new! Glad I spend the big bucks ($100) a got a high end instrument......Squier...LOL.
Don't you love how people on this forum think a couple of weeks in a car will destroy a bass? It's like they think that basses are shipped in climate controlled vehicles.
Like obviously, if it's in direct sunlight without a case, it will get destroyed, but if it's no worse than being in a shipping container, it's gonna be fine.
Like obviously, if it's in direct sunlight without a case, it will get destroyed, but if it's no worse than being in a shipping container, it's gonna be fine.
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For the last few weeks the average max daytime temp in the UK has been 30+C... inside an unventilated car in an open car park you'd be lucky not to be hitting nearly 40C inside!No characteristic British drizzle in the UK right now!
I wouldn't do it with a high end bass or a bass with sentimental value. But if you have a beater and the weather isn't too extreme my thinking is if you're not concerned about it getting stolen you probably also won't care so much if it does happen to turn in to an Bow and Arrow.
Where I live the heat, temperature variation, and terribly humidity are too much to leave basses anywhere without climate control.
I think there is enough accumulated anecdotal evidence that demonstrates exposing your bass to large temperature swings on a daily basis will destroy the neck in a very short time.
Just one example: I had a gig last weekend and accidentally left my bass in my car overnight when it was 62F. I retrieved it the next evening after it had been in the enclosed vehicle all day with a high temperature of 92F (which means is was significantly hotter than that inside.
Later in my studio at 72F I found the neck was heavily bowed so I tried to adjust it in small increments. Two days later, it wouldn't adjust any further and the nut stripped off the truss rod.
Coincidence? Maybe. But I've been using that bass for 15 years and have never had to adjust the neck more than a minuscule amount in that time. The first time it ever gets subjected to a 40F temperature change, the neck gets warped out of shape and the truss rod strips out.
Just one example: I had a gig last weekend and accidentally left my bass in my car overnight when it was 62F. I retrieved it the next evening after it had been in the enclosed vehicle all day with a high temperature of 92F (which means is was significantly hotter than that inside.
Later in my studio at 72F I found the neck was heavily bowed so I tried to adjust it in small increments. Two days later, it wouldn't adjust any further and the nut stripped off the truss rod.
Coincidence? Maybe. But I've been using that bass for 15 years and have never had to adjust the neck more than a minuscule amount in that time. The first time it ever gets subjected to a 40F temperature change, the neck gets warped out of shape and the truss rod strips out.
My guitars are important to me and I would never leave them in a car. I'd constantly be thinking about it. Anything could happen.
It's a more useful anecdote if you said what kind of bass it was.
Not a huge amount of sympathy, unfortunately. Truss rod stripping is human error.
Gigging around Montana in the winter gives you an appreciation for how much swing in temperature electric guitars can take. It'd be 0 degrees in the equipment trailer and 68 at the venue. You'd usually let it sit in the case indoors about twenty of so minutes before getting it out. These things are sensitive, not fragile.
Well, you obviously are going to do it. Let us know how it turns out.
Carvin bolt on neck.
I agree that stripping the nut was my fault but the fact remains that the neck was not adjusting properly the way I'd come to expect after thousands of hours of use over many years.
But, as I said, it's very possibly a coincidence. Unfortunately, the only information that we have to answer this question comes from anecdotal data. No one is going to be experimenting with their bass collection to try to scientifically discover how much constant thermal abuse their basses can take before they are destroyed.
