Title says it all really. I hear people saying not to let your guitar warm up and cool down too much, or get too humid...but does a few degrees(Celsius) matter?

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"reach for the sky and aim for the moon, for if you miss you will end up among the stars"

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Ideally, every guitar and Bass would be subjected to a constant temperature and humidity, but that isn't practical for most people.

Guitars and Basses travel near and far- in cars, trucks, planes. They are bought and kept in houses in hot climates, humid climates, cold climates, dry climates, and everything in between. Minimize its exposure to extremes and treat it with care.

What potential damage could leaving a guitar in a hot vehicle in say 100 degree outside temperature, with the guitar in it's hardshell case. Drying and cracking of the wood or is it possible for a neck to warp? Since this is a common occurance with traveling I just wonder what the realistic danger is.

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personally I have never hand any issues with warping and cracking leaving my guitars in a hot car. there were a few times while playing the guitar still hot to the touch the action felt off... but it settled back after a few hours. I think the plastic and pickup potting would be affected more.


I imagine if you took your guitar out of a freezer and tossed it into a hot car there could be problems.

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The realistic danger is obvious. Frequent & Grate Temperature/Humidity Change is destructive to (All Things Wood) Guitars are extremely vulnerable to the effects of such change. Hot+Humid= Expansion Cold+Dry= Shrinkage. Frequent Change= Cracking and Warping. Its Really prity simple. If your guitar is kept in a hard Shel case with a Humidity equaliser of some kind, chances are the humidity wont be an issue. unfortunately for the guitar, you have to take it out sometime, so under normal conditions, change is inevitable and not to much of a problem. outside overnight/left in the car on a hot summer day, (NOT GOOD). The detrimental effects of great & frequent temperature or humidity change are inescapable. Play your heart out and take good care of your guitar.
----Danny,

IMO,

excess humidity, enemy no. 1.
next, heat.
next, cold.
last, excessive dryness.

I hate bringing an axe to the beach. Things get wobbly.
Must buy ukulele.

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FIGHT!

Just keep in mind a statement from an old German gunsmith about wood stocks and accuracy - "Until the wood is burned, it remains alive".

The same holds true for guitars.

You should see my LP Junior. It's a spider web of very fine finish cracks from some one transporting it in the trunk of their car from my home to university in sub-zero temperatures and taking it into their warm house defore delivering it to me. I was devastated at the time but it is character now, 35 years later.

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Donnmac

'09 American Deluxe Strat Sunburst Rosewood
'63 Les Paul Jr SG body
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