Low temperatures and opening that NBD.....

[InhumanResource]

I have to say it, shouldn’t matter one bit on any decent bass, period.

If your bass shatters like a frozen glass put under running hot water, the bass is the problem, not the temps. Send it back.

So if your gear is in the trailer for a few hours in freezing temps, and you get to an indoor gig, you make the client wait 24 hours?

Thought not.

This is why none of this unboxing makes sense to me. A good long drive to a gig is plenty of time to make that bass in your trunk or truck bed get rather cold. I usually give it a little time to come up to temperature before playing it, but that's for my hands and not the bass. Usually it's warm by the time we are done setting up.

We used to keep all our stuff in a private rehearsal audio that wasn't heated when people were not there. My jazz stayed there plenty of times and got warmed up for rehearsals as necessary. It's the same bass I use today and it never cracked, exploded, warped, developed dead spots or any other weirdness.

 

[Aqualung60]

As a rule, I usually let it sit for an hour or so before unpacking in cold weather and then sit for another hour or so before tuning and so far I've never had any problems.

 

[micguy]

Pretty much every weekend, I put a bass in my trunk, travel an hour or so to a gig, and when I get there, I open the case (soft case). The folks at the gog would probably not be pleased if I wanted to wait to open it.

When I get wood parts from Warmoth, and it’s cold outside, I do let ‘em warm up a couple hours before opening them.

I say a couple or a few hours. If it’s in the evening, maybe wait till morning.

 

[bassstrangler]

Nobody acclimated any of my basses before throwing them in a truck and letting them set in plus 100 degree weather in a FedEx lot for 48 hours.

I think it's a neat idea but I really don't think it's ultimately necessary. I also pick my deliveries up at a FedEx office and usually they've sat there for 6 to 8 hours before I pick them up. So I guess it's acclimating there.

 

[bebass]

...So if your gear is in the trailer for a few hours in freezing temps, and you get to an indoor gig, you make the client wait 24 hours?...

Yes, this is proper way. And the client has to furnish free beer while I wait. Just one more...my bass hasn't adjusted yet.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

This probably dates back to nitro finish days. When you relic a nitro guitar, to get the checking you put it in a freezer and then pull it out into a warm room.

 

[Maxdusty]

If temperatures have been below freezing you need to be careful.
My advice is to give it at least a week to adjust.

Joints between wood and screws will contract at different rates and put stresses in the grain.
Over the course of 24 hours you need to bring the strings up to tension gradually.
Keep a humidifier running in the room during this time
If you hear a creek in the wood while tuning, your neck is damaged. Send it back immediately.
Never ever place warm hands on the finish during this week. It will crack poly.
Go back and read the first letter in each sentence on this post.

Ah.... but can't I speed up the process by turning off my central heat inside the house, open all windows and doors to match outside conditions, then every hour turn up the heat a few degrees until it's room temperature?

I've never waited 24 hours to open the box . I'm really puzzled by the stickers I've seen on some of the boxes though and wondered if there was something more to it. Now that I think about it, that's 24 hours less time to return the bass if you don't like it?.
That being said, I have waited a couple of hours at most if the temperature is extremely cold and the box has been sitting outside for a long period. Also I wait until the bass has been allowed to sit at room temperature for quite a while to let it settle in before I do any adjustments on the truss rod if needed.

 

[BassBrass]

I literally fetched a bass out of a snowstorm.
The Parcel Service it was in was recalled due to the roads getting worse. I work in retail and know all the parcel guys and have their numbers, so I called him and told him to drop it off at a shop that's on his route. I got the car keys and
waited for the next plow to pass my house and made it there in its wake.
I took the next plow back and took it out straight away. I had to tune it up three times while playing it warm.

I love that line "I took the next plow back". I took the next plow back but that's the one that deposited 4 feet of ice and tar to the front of my driveway, too much to ram the 4 wheeler through. My only choice now was to use the bass as an axe. That's fine, finish has nothing to do with sound.

 

[Maxdusty]

I love that phrase "I took the next plow back". I took the next plow back but that's the one that deposited 4 feet of ice and tar to the front of my driveway, too much to ram the 4 wheeler through. My only choice now was to use the bass as an axe. That's fine, finish has nothing to do with sound.

No worries - Ice worn finish is all the rage these days.

 

[Jackcrow]

I’m in ND. It gets cold here. Really damn cold. I’ve never had an issue, ever. My basses have to ride to gigs in the back of my pickup, with the only protection being the tonneau cover over the pickup box. They go into a venue, and are taken out of the case within an hour.

Yeah, pretty much no way around it here in ND. I’ve never had an issue either. Won’t be much different for opening up a new bass. The only thing I would say is that if there are markings on it saying “wait 24 hours to open” or something to that effect, you may want to do that just in case there is something wrong with the bass, cold weather related or not.

 

[two fingers]

If it's in a case I take it out of the box immediately. Then I leave it alone a while.

Also, you can crack the case open and touch the body by sliding your fingers in. If it's still really cold, shut it back up and walk away for a while.

 

[FenderB]

The box my Fender came in had a sticker on it that said to let the bass normalize before opening.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

Last year at this time, during the Polar Vortex, I ordered a used MIM PBass in Sunburst. It came from frigid Minnesota to steamy FL. As a result of the radical change in temperature, there was a crack in the finish across the front of the body. Too bad, I really wanted that bass but had to decline.

 

[Dub56]

I had an issue or 'horror story' with this just a month or so ago, but with an acoustic guitar instead of a bass.

I had recently received a very nice Larrivée limited edition acoustic I ordered. It traveled across the country from warm California to me in Washington DC, where it has been much colder lately in comparison.

I didn't do anything specific with the guitar when I received it, basically just opened it up and hung it up after checking it out.

I ended up noticing a ~2 or 3 inch crack on the back of the guitar, which was not there originally. Initially we believed this was just a superficial finish crack, but I found that a powerful flashlight pushed light through the crack, so it appeared to be structural.

The guitar is on the way back, thankfully the store owner has been very accommodating and helpful. I have another similar guitar on the way to replace it, and I will be doing everything I can to avoid this issue again when it arrives next week. The owner has double-boxed the guitar with extra padding, and has advised that I first let the box acclimate to my house for a few hours, then remove the guitar (in case) from the box and let the case acclimate for a few more hours. I'm definitely going to follow these instructions, and will probably give it even longer than he asked.

Again, this was for an acoustic guitar, which is inherently more 'fragile' and susceptible to this type of damage (temperature, humidity) than a typical bass, at least IMO... I have owned tons of basses and I've never had an issue like this.

I've never done anything special while receiving an instrument, until now. This experience has opened my eyes a bit and will certainly make me a little more cautious in these types of situations moving forward.

 

[BaltBass5]

Most touring musicians do NOT have their gear in climate controlled vehicles....

 

[Member8675309]

I’d open it right away and let that be the first test of its manhood.

 

[Spidey2112]

You got me.

I had just typed out a long response about how ridiculous this was.

Then I read your last sentence.....nicely played, sir.

He had me at his username...

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Cold can crack finishes, although unlikely. But I think I’m going to avoid selling / trading basses that are shipped during the winter on TB. Too much of a factor that’s outside your control but still your responsibility as the original owner of the bass.

 

[Siggy]

Years ago I got a new USA made Epiphone acoustic guitar. It sat in the car overnight in 10 degs. I brought it in a warm house (in the '60s we kept our temp at 72 or higher). I got it out or it's case and sat in on the couch to warmup. I heard some clicking noises and when I picked it up the finish was checked on the body. A real heart breaker. Since then I let my guitars acclimate over night.
The finish was lacquer and maybe poly is stronger but I don't chance it.

 

[Lichtaffen]

I received a bass with a nitro finish from Seattle back in December. Granted it wasn’t as cold as this week in New England, there was definitely a major temperature difference. I think I waited about 15 min to open it. I’m impatient. Nothing was wrong with it.