Guitars shipped in winter, do you let them acclimate?

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Matt300ZXT

Matt300ZXT

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I've got that USA Washburn coming in tomorrow that's been in colder weather in Memphis and on into Chattanooga later this evening. How long do you guys let then warm up in your house before putting new strings on and introducing tension back into the neck? That is, assuming UPS hasn't destroyed the guitar.
 
They say like 24 hours but I never fuck with that shit. It's not going to make a huge difference in those similar temps. Bands used to leave their guitars in freezing cold and steaming hot vans. Also, you say "introducing tension back in the neck". I never ship guitars with the strings not in tension.
 
I have one out for delivery right now and I will take it out of the box and I usually let it sit for at least 12 hours which is going to kill me because I'm excited about this one but I figure better be safe than sorry I usually do unbuckle the case but I don't open it up whether that helps or not I don't know
 
Let it acclimate. Even if for paint reasons only let it stay in the case or packaging for half a day at least. Nothing to lose.
 
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I haven't ever had an issue opening and inspecting upon arrival, but I do wait for them to acclimate before attempting any setup/string changes.
 
It will definitely affect the setup Whie I don't think it's hurts the guitar, I wouldn't do any setups or pass judgement on the guitar for at least 48 hours.
 
I usually open new guitars and lift the case slightly open for an hour or so. That's it. Never had any issues
 
Brand new Suhr Standard arrived years back. It was cold out. I opened the case and watched before my eyes the entire top and hardware condensate. It happened immediately and then I heard the cracks. If you do it once you will never do it again. Had to send it to Suhr for a full refin
 
I'll usually cut open the shipping box and leave it for a bit, pulling out some of the packing if it's really tight. Then I'll come back to it and open it. Recently received a full nitro LPC when it was really cold and this worked out fine.

The truss rod did need adjusting over the next day or so.
 
I've never had an issue, i will unbox it and take a look for any shipping "damage" and then let it sit for a couple of hours before I do anything with it.
 
kmanick said:
I've never had an issue, i will unbox it and take a look for any shipping "damage" and then let it sit for a couple of hours before I do anything with it.
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At least for me, the delivery driver is long gone by the time I'm even aware the guitar is delivered (they don't knock anymore), so there's no rush to check. But when I'm super paranoid (like when I received an LP shipped only in a case wrapped in a blanket), I do start taking pictures as I open it up.
 
glip22 said:
Brand new Suhr Standard arrived years back. It was cold out. I opened the case and watched before my eyes the entire top and hardware condensate. It happened immediately and then I heard the cracks. If you do it once you will never do it again. Had to send it to Suhr for a full refin
Click to expand...

I knew someone else to whom this happened.

At a minimum, I figure it doesn't hurt to let it acclimate first. I'll bring it inside and allow enough time to adjust. I'll even leave it in the box to ensure it happens more gradually. The rate of temperature change is a bigger deal than the degree of change.
 
I don't wait 24 hours but had a Les Paul land last month and put the box into my humidified music room. After a couple hours I took the second box out of the first and cut open the tape. Let that sit for a couple hours and then let just the case sit for a couple hours. After that I was in the heaven as the smell of fresh nitro permeated the air! No cracking or truss rod adjustments needed.
 
i watched a nitro finished guitar check (cheque!?!) before my eyes once, like 15 years ago. it was only around the pickup rings but it pissed me off. so i'll vote for nitro yes, poly no.
 

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