Acclimating a guitar to temperatures in your house

[MojoTooth]

so lately I have been reading more about keeping your guitars humidified properly (thanks to CJD-Player and his info) and I found several articles saying you should always acclimate a guitar to your homes temperatures once it is delivered to avoid damage. It said never just open the box and take the guitar out immediately.

Can anyone share more info about this and what the proper time frame is for properly acclimating a guitar to your house after it is delivered? Is there any proper method for doing so? I have always heard to do this with electric guitars especially in the cold months because of potential damage to the electronics but have never heard that much about doing so with acoustics.

Any info will be appreciated as I have always just opened the box tuned up and go to playing, like I did when I got me D25m.

Thanks in advance

 

[chazmo]

Mojo, the biggest factor is temperature. Humidity is a critical long-term issue for the health of your guitar, but in terms of unpacking a guitar we're talking about temperature. You can essentially shock the finish on a guitar and cause it to crack by exposing a cold guitar to warm air or vice versa. That's called cold-checking. This phenomenon is particularly bad with nitrocellulose lacquer finishes that are properly cured and dry, even in a newly-built guitar.

The reality is that anything more than, say, a 25 degree temperature shift should be avoided. If you're facing that, the best thing to do is leave the guitar in the box for a few hours, then pull the case out of the box and let it set more hours, and then finally when the case latches are room-temperature to the touch you should be OK. In winter, in New England, where we're talking about more than 50 degree difference outside vs. in, I usually wait at least 6 hours for each step. Sometimes more. Better to err on the side of caution. A 24-hour adjustment period is probably safest and you should avoid the problems.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Also see here!

 

[MojoTooth]

Thanks for the info fellas, i forgot about the search function being my friend!

I figure in a place like Eastern North Carolina where during the summer it is 87-93 and the temp in my house is usually 77 then a few hours would suffice since it will be less than a 20 degree difference. I will keep that in mind when I get a guitar delivered in the future.

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

North Carolina! And here I thought it was cool that you were from Peru! :?

 

[devellis]

I wouldn't worry much about the difference between an indoor temp in the low 70's and an outdoor temp in the high eighties. That difference shouldn't stress a guitar much. The greatest vulnerability to temperature change is finish checking which typically happens with a change from quite cold to warm temps. Winter is when the gentle transition is most important. Still, I'd avoid too much heat exposure regardless of temperature changes. Prolonged exposure to temps above 90 worries me.

 

[Qvart]

The biggest concern seems to be very cold outside to warm inside, especially for nitro finish. I gave a guitar a few hours to warm up - I don't remember exactly, maybe 3 or 4 hours - back in December. It was cold, but not bitterly so. I thought it was enough time. Nope! I got to see the spectacle of a little bit of finish checking turn into a lot of finish checking right before my eyes.

So basically, overdo the wait and err on the side of caution.

As for other temperature scenarios and acoustic guitars, I couldn't tell you. I'd say if you think there's much difference in temperature and you think there's a chance of the guitar getting a good shock from it, go ahead and let it acclimate. It won't do any harm and it may prevent some unforeseen consequences.

 

[MojoTooth]

North Carolina! And here I thought it was cool that you were from Peru! :?

hahha, nah I live in Peru part of the year, I have dual citizenship as I lived there full time from 06-08 and recently returned to North Carolina. I typically spend 5-6 months in Peru each year working. Wish it was more feasible to be there full time but I am still working on that.

 

[MojoTooth]

Thanks for all the info everyone!

 

[West R Lee]

A couple of things about finish checking. As for cold weather and bringing a guitar into a warm house, they say, and it makes perfect sense, that wood and lacquer expand at different rates and that's what actually causes finish cracks......or one of the things that causes them. I've also learned from Hans that there were sometimes practices used in finishing a guitar during manufacture that can make a guitar more susceptible to checking.

West