Best practices for new guitar day - guitar arriving cold

[Poelbaum]

I am looking for advice on how to properly acclimate my new heritage H535 that is arriving tomorrow via UPS. It will have spent the last 4 days in freezing temps and will be arriving in Toronto tomorrow where it is currently -8 Celcius or for you Americans I think in the low 20s. How long must I let it sit befr opening the case? should I after a period, open the case, let in a little air, close again and wait a while longer? Any ideas for how to cope with not being able to open and play the guitar as soon as it arrives?

thanks

[Dick Seacup]

Depends on the finish. Anything nitro, I take the case out of the packaging and let it warm to the touch. Then I crack the lid open with a typical paperback book for as long as I can stand to wait. The last thing you want is to insta-relic your new guitar. If it's poly, it's probably not an issue. I do the same procedure for the case, but then take the guitar out. Never had a problem.

[blues]

Some people say 24 hours. I let it sit in the box for about an hour or two. Then I take it out and let the case sit. Like Dick said I wait till its warm to the touch. I touch the latches.

[High Flying Bird]

My guitars have arrived during warmer times so I can't snatch it out of the case fast enough. If I had to take a dump I would drag the box into the can to cut it open.

[brentrocks]

I'm very impatient.

 

i usually take them out of the box right away and let them sit for a n hour or so, crack the case a bit...never had any problems

[t0aj15]

I usually take them out of the box right away and let them sit for an hour or so, crack the case a bit...never had any problems

Ya what he ^ said, in fact my new guitar arrived a week ago today and thats exactly what I did, no problems. It actually reminds me of when I was a kid on christmas morning staring at the presents under the tree and waiting for mom & dad to wake up so we could start opening presents.

[Thundersteel]

If I had to take a dump I would drag the box into the can to cut it open.

 

I hope you at least wash your hands before playing it!

 

[CJTopes]

I just received a cold guitar last week. It had been in in route for about 2 1/2 days in 20 degree temps. I let it sit in the box for about 6 hours. Then I took it our of the box and let the case warn up for about 2 hours. When I opened the case up the axe was at room temp.

[jrfreed]

My custom 530 is enroute and due to arrive tomorrow...I KNOW I wont be able to wait long before I crack that case. But I'm shipping it to the office so I cant be tempted to play it right away.

 

I'll pull it from the box after about an hour then wait 2 hours in the case until its warm to the touch...crack it...strum it once or twice and then back to the case until 505! HAHA

[tbonesullivan]

a few hours at least. Usually I keep it in the box for a bit, then take the case out of the box, and let it sit a minimum of 4 hours. Usually I won't do anything but peek at the guitar until the next day, when it should be up to room temp.

[Poelbaum]

Thanks to all who replied. Not here yet, still looking for the big brown truck to pull up. If it doesn't arrive before my wife does, I am screwed. This one needs to appear as if I have had it for a while. Hey maybe I should open it right away, nothing says its not new like a checked up finish. JK

[Thundersteel]

I'll pull it from the box after about an hour then wait 2 hours in the case until its warm to the touch...crack it...strum it once or twice and then back to the case

 

Sound like you're going on a date!

 

 

 

 

Side note: This is my 3,000th post!

[rlinwood]

In the mid-1980s I had been out playing. Left the Guild F512 out in the back of the car during a cold Colorado winter. Brought it in later that evening. Maybe an hour later opened the case to play it. Oops.

Now my Guild has permanent finish checking. Drat.

My 2000 Heritage Millennium Limited Edition arrived off a frigid UPS truck. I opened the box, removed the case and let it sit overnight and opened it about noon the next day. Whew... patience my friend. It is so worth it.

[t0aj15]

So did Poelbaum,s wife catch him? We haven't heard anything since the 1st of the month.

[Poelbaum]

So did Poelbaum,s wife catch him? We haven't heard anything since the 1st of the month.

 

You may have missed my other posts in the 25th anni in the house thread. Its a long story but suffice it to say, I got past the wife ok. But there were issues with the guitar, including checking in a few places on the finish (this guitar was shipped back and forthe between north east and florida 3 times within a month. So I spoke with Vince on the phone, and Heritage is building me a brand new one (they also installed the wrong pup). So all in all it was a complete debacle, though the guitar is absolutely gorgeous. New one will be too. I am shipping this one back on Monday. There is a pic in the other thread.

 

P