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Road trip tomorrow with no A/C

Tristan Wright

Tristan Wright

Jan 28, 2015
51
40
Sandown, New Hampshire
#1
Going to have a long day tomorrow in the car with two vintage guitars and a couple of basses. Temperatures are supposed to be in the 80’s all day, and I’m carrying two hollowbodies, one acoustic, and one solid body. Any precautions I can take to ensure everything arrives safely? Or am I needlessly worrying?
 
#4
Tristan Wright said:
I figured it would be fine, but I’ve heard stories of finish cracks and such from guitars in hot/cold cars
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Some people are going to say this is terrible advice, but I treat my basses about the same as I do my laptop or iPod... like, I don’t fling them around, but I haven’t ever had a problem with them existing in the exact same climate as I do.
 
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#6
micguy said:
It's not the heat that messes up instruments, it's wild swings in humidity that cause damage so long as you don't go through freeze thaw a lot. If they are in the car with you (not the trunk where it can get really hot), the biggest risk to them is you'll fall asleep and crash with them in the car. Avoid that, and you'll all be fine.
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I appreciate the info! I was going to have them in the back seat, so I feel a lot better now!
 
#7
Tristan Wright said:
Going to have a long day tomorrow in the car with two vintage guitars and a couple of basses. Temperatures are supposed to be in the 80’s all day, and I’m carrying two hollowbodies, one acoustic, and one solid body. Any precautions I can take to ensure everything arrives safely? Or am I needlessly worrying?
Click to expand...

Where are you going, by the way?
 
#8
bolophonic said:
Some people are going to say this is terrible advice, but I treat my basses about the same as I do my laptop or iPod... like, I don’t fling them around, but I haven’t ever had a problem with them existing in the exact same climate as I do.
Click to expand...
I left my (solid body MIM) backup bass in a gig bag in the back of my van for a couple of years except when it came out for outdoors in extreme conditions of heat, cold, humidity or playing in a gut bucket poopie hole, and it did just fine. It went from over 100F to below freezing and did just fine. When it got used i’d set it in a stand on stage for 30~45 minutes then tune it up and we were GTG.
 
#9
What you want to avoid are FAST changes in temperature and humidity. You don't want to tale those guitars out of a 100 degree car into an air conditioned house and whip them out of the case. Wherever you're taling them, make sure they stay in the case for a while. If you don't have a case, wrap them in a blanket and take them inside so they cool slowly.
 
#16
It gets above 90 degrees in the houses around here, when ya don’t leave the AC running all day.
As said above, unless the temp and humidity change quickly, you’ll be fine.
Just don’t leave them in a hot locked car while you get out. It can get to 150 degrees quickly.
 

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