cold guitar

[gregory347]

just took delivery from usp of a new/used collings 290. the box/case are cold, about 28-30 degrees. do i let it warm up a bit before i take it out of the case or just get down?

[guitarb]

I know you're drooling to open it....but...I would let that warm up on its own for a bit in its case

[Danny W.]

Unless you like the look of weather checking, let it warm up to room temperature before opening the case.

Danny W.

[Jef Bardsley]

I'd let it warm up to room temperature as slowly as possible.


I know, it's hard to wait....

[EADGBE]

Let it acclimate for a day or two before you open it up.

[willhutch]

i know from first-hand experience. Open it too soon and the finish will crack. You'll have long, straight cracks that run across the body.

Hey - instant distressing!

[IAE]

Gibson recommends it sit in your house for 24 hours before opening.

[musicofanatic5]

Let it acclimate for a day or two before you open it up.
This seems extreme. I just received a 1951 ES-5, shipped from frozen-solid upper Wisconsin, waylaid during in a single digit temp blizzard for two days extra days in shipment in Chicago, and arriving in the middle of New England's coldest temps this winter. I left the box unopened for about four hours, than opened the box and let the packing mat'ls warm up for an hour or so. I then removed the gtr case from the box and let it sit for another four hrs. I gradually opened the case (starting with just a crack) over the course of a hour, maybe. When I picked up the gtr it was cool, but not cold to the touch. The gtr arrived in the morning and I was playing it by supper.

If you have the circumstance or lack of interest, it certainly will not hurt the inst to leave it a "day or two", but it seems entirely unnecessary, by my experience.

[slogger]

i know from first-hand experience. Open it too soon and the finish will crack. You'll have long, straight cracks that run across the body.

Hey - instant distressing!
+1! Played an outdoor gig at a ski resort, when the sun hit my guitar the finish instantly expanded, cracked and flaked off. Let it warm up slowly! Congrats on the new guitar!

[Johnny Alien]

It seems like this was just a thread not too long ago. I know what everyone says but I live in the cold northeast and I never wait and have never had any damage to any of my instruments. Not too long ago I got a Historic Gibson Junior and waited exactly 15 minutes before opening the box and exactly 1 second before opening the case. The guitar felt cold but no cracks.

It would be much more of a concern with acoustics and I wait for them but with a solidbody guitar the only issue is the finish and those are usually not too thin and very strong. Unless it is 85 degrees in your house and 5 degrees outside you will be fine to open it. Going from 35 to 75 is not a big deal.

[Tim Plains]

Not too long ago I got a Historic Gibson Junior and waited exactly 15 minutes before opening the box and exactly 1 second before opening the case. The guitar felt cold but no cracks.
How old (or new) is the guitar? Gibson changed their nitro formula to prevent checking.

I think people are way too ginger about this. Leaving an electric in the case for a day or two is overkill. It's not like the guitar is going from sunny/warm California to -40° Wisconsin in one straight shot. It's going to sit at your local FedEx/UPS/USPS for up to a few hours before it comes to you...and it'll likely ride in the truck for a while across town.

Maybe I should let my guitars adjust to climate changes each time I take one over to a friend's house? :rotflmao

[Johnny Alien]

How old (or new) is the guitar? Gibson changed their nitro formula to prevent checking.

I think people are way too ginger about this. Leaving an electric in the case for a day or two is overkill. It's not like the guitar is going from sunny/warm California to -40° Wisconsin in one straight shot. It's going to sit at your local FedEx/UPS/USPS for up to a few hours before it comes to you...and it'll likely ride in the truck for a while across town.

Maybe I should let my guitars adjust to climate changes each time I take one over to a friend's house? :rotflmao

1998 Historic.

There is nothing wrong with being cautious but unless it's an acoustic there is no reason to wait more than a couple hours at most. Like I said I don't wait at all.

[HoboMan]

I just got a guitar delivered this week.
It was cold but I couldn't wait.

No problems so far.

[Strat87]

I recently received a CS strat and I just waited till the case was room temp, then I opened it. No problems, but it is a relic so I may have added checking lol

[jekylmeister]

This seems extreme. I just received a 1951 ES-5, shipped from frozen-solid upper Wisconsin, waylaid during in a single digit temp blizzard for two days extra days in shipment in Chicago, and arriving in the middle of New England's coldest temps this winter. I left the box unopened for about four hours, than opened the box and let the packing mat'ls warm up for an hour or so. I then removed the gtr case from the box and let it sit for another four hrs. I gradually opened the case (starting with just a crack) over the course of a hour, maybe. When I picked up the gtr it was cool, but not cold to the touch. The gtr arrived in the morning and I was playing it by supper.

If you have the circumstance or lack of interest, it certainly will not hurt the inst to leave it a "day or two", but it seems entirely unnecessary, by my experience.

That's how I did it last time I took delivery of a cold guitar and it worked out fine. Good advice.:agree