Unboxing in cold weather

[Hutton]

I am getting a bass delivered to me today. It is a 2004 American Jazz with polyurethane finish. I have read conflicting viewpoints as to the necessity of not opening the box for 24 hours after delivery to let the bass acclimatise to the temperature change. I believe it is more relevant not to unbox if the finish is nitrocellulose but not so vital if the finish is polyurethane. Any thoughts on this folks?

[LeftyJ]

1 minute ago, Hutton said:

I believe it is more relevant not to unbox if the finish is nitrocellulose but not so vital if the finish is polyurethane. 

 

Or Rickenbacker's quirky 2-component finishes 

It's always good to give the package a little rest, especially if it's packed well (because the isolation (and a case or gigbag) will slow acclimatisation down) but I wouldn't know if there's a rule of thumb to this for poly finishes.

[BassAdder60]

In the U.K. .. rip box open the moment courier has dropped it off !

 

Never had any issue with any guitar or bass or amp for that matter 

[ead]

1 minute ago, BassAdder60 said:

In the U.K. .. rip box open the moment courier has dropped it off !

 

Never had any issue with any guitar or bass or amp for that matter 

 

Me neither.

[Woodinblack]

How do you wait to open something you have just received? Thats madness.

 

I suppose it makes sense if it is packed in a totally atmospherically and thermally sealed packing method, rather than a hard case or gig bag and a cardboard box, it has been sent from the antartic and you are in the desert, but otherwise, I would say no.

[Jono Bolton]

I had two basses delivered about a month apart recently. Both times the boxes were freezing cold but there was zero chance I was waiting 24 hours to open them. Both were whipped out of their packaging as quickly as I could and even though they were both cold to the touch and took a while to come up to a normal temperature, neither of them had any issues with the finish

[Jono Bolton]

Nitro could crack with a sudden change in temperature but people pay extra for that sort of thing. Poly is the norm these days because it's a far more durable finish than nitro

[Cato]

Never heard of this

 

I had a Gretsch delivered to me in near zero temperatures in either November or December of last year which was actually left outside in full view on the doorstep outside because the local DPD driver often arrives anything up to an hour before the given timeslot and I wasn't home.

 

No I wasn't happy.

 

But I took it straight into my house and unboxed it where it will have gone from 0° to 20°C in about 3 minutes with no issues.

Edited February 9, 2024 by Cato

[Lfalex v1.1]

What if your equipment gets cold in transit to a gig?

 

You can't not open the case when you need the instrument?

Unless you have a spare...

[Geek99]

Just do it 

[Lozz196]

34 minutes ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

What if your equipment gets cold in transit to a gig?

 

You can't not open the case when you need the instrument?

Unless you have a spare...

Which might be in a case itself, aaarrggghh!

[BlueMoon]

@Hutton it’s your bass, so do what you like.

 

Personally I’d give it a short period (say 3-4 hours) to acclimatise, but impatience and curiosity would likely push that time to a minimum. I’ve never had any issues when I’ve unboxed directly a bass delivered in winter, either with poly or nitro.

[Hutton]

1 hour ago, Lfalex v1.1 said:

What if your equipment gets cold in transit to a gig?

 

You can't not open the case when you need the instrument?

Unless you have a spare...

You make a very good point my friend.👍

[asingardenof]

I think this advice tends to be given out a lot by US retailers as there is often not just a change in temperature between delivery truck and home but also humidity where people are more likely to have air-conditioned homes. In such conditions it makes more sense to leave an instrument in the box to acclimatise, even though most people I see generally ignore it. It's just retailers trying to cover themselves in the unlikely event there is a problem so they can point at the customer and say "hah, we told you not to open the box" and refuse any warranty repairs. 

[walshy]

Which absolute psychos wait to open a new present! I meet my courier at the door with scissors and a Stanley knife 🤣 ( in a non agressive way of course )

[Lfalex v1.1]

@asingardenof probably has it right.

It's to cover vendors and merchants in the US shipping from Anchorage to Miami or other extremes of climate (especially humidity) 

[ezbass]

Certainly the case for acoustic instruments, although 24 hours seems excessive. Leave it for an hour if you're concerned at all, then rip away.

[Skinnyman]

I might do this for, say, a valve amp where there’s a small possibility of thermal shock or condensation on electrical components. Maybe an hour or so at room temperature to acclimatise. 
 

Not for an instrument though, not in the UK.

[Woodinblack]

55 minutes ago, Skinnyman said:

I might do this for, say, a valve amp where there’s a small possibility of thermal shock 

 

Thermal shock? When you turn a valve amp on the valves are operating at least 120 degrees above room temperature, wherever you are getting it delivered from you are not going to get anything like that temperature variation. 

[Burns-bass]

I have had a scratch plate snap when it came in from a cold delivery van to a warm house, so I’ve always waited some time for the guitar to acclimatise. Possibly pointless but that was a real shame. 

[Maude]

On 09/02/2024 at 12:22, Lfalex v1.1 said:

What if your equipment gets cold in transit to a gig?

 

You can't not open the case when you need the instrument?

Unless you have a spare...

I've got my bass out at a gig a few times and it's started to condensate due to the warm humid pub. Just let it sit on the stand until it's warmed up and the condensation has dried. 

[bubinga5]

If it was delivered from Siberia to Florida then maybe.  But otherwise no.

[MrCrane]

On 09/02/2024 at 14:45, walshy said:

I meet my courier at the door with scissors and a Stanley knife 

And now we know why delivery drivers run away without knocking. 🙂

[JoeEvans]

3 hours ago, Maude said:

I've got my bass out at a gig a few times and it's started to condensate due to the warm humid pub. Just let it sit on the stand until it's warmed up and the condensation has dried. 

Ah ok - I was wondering what the point of acclimatising was, but I get it now, if the bass was packed somewhere very dry and

it comes into high humidity while it's cold, it will get condensation all over. So leave it to warm up first, then open it at room temperature.

[Maude]

17 minutes ago, JoeEvans said:

Ah ok - I was wondering what the point of acclimatising was, but I get it now, if the bass was packed somewhere very dry and

it comes into high humidity while it's cold, it will get condensation all over. So leave it to warm up first, then open it at room temperature.

I think the concerns are more with the finish cracking with the expansion and contraction of wood with extremes of temperature. 

My post was just saying that my basses have handled enough of a temperature change to cause condensation on the bass without any ill effects.