Got my IYV Les Paul today. The weather has been pretty cold up here in Idaho, single digits at night, highs in the teens, low '20's. I've decided to let her sit in the box for 24 hours before opening just to be safe and let it acclimate. Anyone else do this in cold weather?
Shipped Guitars in Cold Weather
- Thread starter porkpie
- Start date
Yes. And when I opened it, I posted pics to Squier-Talk. 
Finish cracking issues and letting the wood acclimate. I've always done it. Maybe I'm being a little too careful but I have patience.
blackspider57
Squier-holic
Depends on the guitar.
In that minimal box, they ship IYVs in,
it should reach room temp in a few hours.
I got my Mustang when it was 25 below zero, and had it out of the box and was playing it in two hours. My Squier Affinity Telecaster was not so lucky and got a hairline crack.
YMMV.
blackspider57
Squier-holic
Patience is good. 24 hours pass quickly.
Syco
Squier-holic
My theory .... others may disagree ...... after it left wherever , it has gone from warm , cold , cold , cold , warm ,cold ,warm cold ...... unless you paid next day air .... then warm ,cold , warm, cold ,warm , cold , warm , cold , warm ,warm ,cold , warm . Where I live my package gets loaded at 3:30 am and doesn't get delivered until 7:00 pm and I know delivery trucks aren't climate controlled .
strat_strummer
John
I do for sure.
Whether it is true or not, I wouldn't want to open one up as soon as I got it and say, well crap, it's true.
Whether it is true or not, I wouldn't want to open one up as soon as I got it and say, well crap, it's true.
Sorry about your Tele. But that's sort of what I'm talking about, better safe than sorry.
blackspider57
Squier-holic
I sold it a week later, and the guy who bought was happy with the deal I gave him. But yes, I agree better to wait and have a happy ending.
Looking forward to your NGD post tomorrow.
Radiotech
Squier-Axpert
This is a real YMMV question.
I’ve seen way worse temp/humidity damage from guitars in a dry store in the winter than I’ve ever seen in anything shipped to my house.
I’ve seen way worse temp/humidity damage from guitars in a dry store in the winter than I’ve ever seen in anything shipped to my house.
I might do this with say a $2,000 Taylor or maybe something that was finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, but even then only out of an over abundance of caution. Otherwise, no, I’m opening it right away. Anyone who has gigged in the Midwest knows you’re often taking instruments from a cold car into a warm club, back into a cold car, and then into a warm house repeatedly. They’re not that fragile.
DougMen
Squier-Axpert
This is a lot more of an issue with acoustics with thin large slabs of wood that can crack easily if they expand too fast. As for solidbody guitars (or any guitars), it was/is a lot bigger issue if they're finished in nitro, because if warmed too quickly, the wood will expand faster than the finish, and you end up with a new guitar with severe finish checking everywhere.
duceditor
Squier-Axpert
My IYV was left sitting on the snow, out on the street, by my mailbox.
The Fed-Ex guy listed it as having been handed to the home owner, so it was there for hours as we talked to Fed-Ex about to whom it may have been 'handed.'
So when its location was finally discovered ("I think I'll check out by the mailbox, but no, they wouldn't!") I allowed it to sit in the box for a couple of hours before opening it.
Damage done? None. Neither to the guitar from its Fed-Ex mistreatment nor to me for waiting a bit.
Fed-Ex, though, lost a whole bunch of 'points' with me. Their post event response to this was almost as bad as the driver's outright lie.
The guitar? l absolutely love it!
-don
The Fed-Ex guy listed it as having been handed to the home owner, so it was there for hours as we talked to Fed-Ex about to whom it may have been 'handed.'
So when its location was finally discovered ("I think I'll check out by the mailbox, but no, they wouldn't!") I allowed it to sit in the box for a couple of hours before opening it.
Damage done? None. Neither to the guitar from its Fed-Ex mistreatment nor to me for waiting a bit.
Fed-Ex, though, lost a whole bunch of 'points' with me. Their post event response to this was almost as bad as the driver's outright lie.
The guitar? l absolutely love it!
-don
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I think I've only let one set for 24 hours...but we have milder temps here. Usually I'll let a guitar set for two to three hours in the box, then get it out to inspect it...if we are having cold temps, I may set it aside for another hour or two before tuning and the initial flog. Note that I do the same thing with guitars in our hot weather if the shipping box feels warmer than the wall in the room. No issues so far.
By the time you read all the comments, the guitar will be at room temp.
