How long?

[Urban Bassman]

So, I've just taken delivery of a new bass.  Ordered yesterday, delivered at 4:30pm this afternoon.  It has therefore spent last night in a cold warehouse and most of today in the back of an unheated truck.  

 

Since it's been quite cold, should I give 24 hours to acclimatise before opening the box, thus avoiding any thermal shock etc?  I know some guitar manufacturers recommend this.  

 

But this then got me thinking.  A gigging band will have guitars and other gear in the back of trucks getting cold and then they arrive at the next venue which would be warmer than truck, so how do the guitars and other electronic equipment "survive" these constant changes in temperature over the course of a tour....as they won't have 24 hours to acclimatise....

 

 

[Lozz196]

I’d open eagerly and enjoy my new bass. When I’ve flown for gigs the bass has been in the hold at however many feet with I’m assuming no heating, I’ve had to use the bass the same day and never any issues.

[Dan Dare]

It used to be a problem with the old hard and brittle nitrocellulose lacquers. If you opened the case in a warm room when the instrument had been cold for a while, the finish would craze. These days, everyone is using polyurethane lacquers, which have some flexibility, so it shouldn't be an issue.

[Reggaebass]

When I bought my last precision it had been in the courier’s van overnight and was really cold, I left the case open for a few hours to let it warm a bit, not sure if I needed to but it didn’t do any harm to wait for a while 

[Geek99]

Just do it 

my nitro bass crazed when left in my car ALL winter. Yours is likely to be acrylic paint, I doubt overnight would trouble it