1,000,001th time... How long to wait?

[jdogric12]

So now I'm curious, has anyone here actually opened a case too quick after shipping between different climates and suffered a finish crack? There is lots of speculation but I can't recall any specific examples.

[sloop_john_b]

So now I'm curious, has anyone here actually opened a case too quick after shipping between different climates and suffered a finish crack? There is lots of speculation but I can't recall any specific examples.

Happened to me with a brand new Rick, four years ago this month.

[sloop_john_b]

Okay, i apparently don't have a photo of the damage anymore, but right where the heel and the body met there were cracks. Guitar came straight from Mike Parks, and I was so excited to get it that I just HAD to open it ASAP. Who knew about thermal shock? Not me, anyway.

Here's a photo of the two of us on that day - I promise I was WAY more thrilled than I looked!

[Scastles]

A number of years ago I sold a Gibson Hummingbird to a guy in Chicago. It was winter and UPS left it on his porch. The buyer opened it immediately when he got home, and the result wasn't pretty. A seven or eight inch finish crack appeared on the top of the body.

[firstbassman]

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
A logic check here.
Did either of you see the crack occur after you opened the case?
Or was the crack already there when you opened it?

[Scastles]

I saw the crack through photos. The buyer asked me to file a complaint through UPS since a complaint can only be filed by the sender. The guitar was packed well, in its case, surrounded by foam and I knew it wasn't cracked when I shipped it. The buyer claimed it was cracked when he opened the case. I couldn't imagine what could have caused it. At the time I only knew that UPS had left the guitar on his porch in near freezing weather. How many hours it sat outside is unknown, but the buyer opened it as soon as he got home. It wasn't until much later I found out that dramatic climate changes could affect an instrument. Now, I can't say for positive this was the cause, but I certainly can't think of another logical explaination. UPS denied the claim, BTW.

[firstbassman]

OK, let’s work through this step by step.

You ship a guitar in perfect condition. Well, perfect in the sense that there were no cracks in the finish.

Receiver of the guitar says it was sitting on his porch, in cold weather (“near freezing”) for some time. Let’s say it was below freezing. Doesn’t matter. Let’s say it was on the porch for days. Again, doesn’t matter.

Receiver opens the case, in his cozy warm house, as soon as he arrives home and sees a crack in the finish.

What does that tell you?

That the crack was there before he opened the case and has nothing to do with the supposed effect of “rapid temperature change” caused by not waiting to open a cold case in a warm house.

Why did the crack happen? I have no idea. But junior high school science class leads me to believe that plastic and cardboard have no insulating properties. And I suspect that finish cracking probably has more to do with exposure to extreme cold than to opening “before its time” when it arrives at your home.

[randyz]

Slightly off-topic, but I had a somewhat similar experience. I bought a Gretsch Rancher acoustic on eBay. It was very well-packed in a hardshell case that was bubble-wrapped inside a cardboard box. The case didn't permit any motion, the box didn't have any signs of damage, the weather was mild, and headstock was broken off when I unpacked it. The only thing holding it together was the TRC. The seller insisted that he shipped a guitar in mint condition and refused to refund my PayPal BIN payment. He also wouldn't file a claim with the shipper (USPS) because he claimed that was my responsibility (WRONG). After going through the PayPal settlement dispute process, I got my payment (minus return shipping) refunded. I always slightly detune guitars before I ship, and I've never had anything go wrong with anything I've shipped.

[scotty]

Sorry if i appear silly when i ask. Is there any pictures i can see of temperature shock i didn't know of this until i joined this forum.Is this common for people receiving guitars in cold climates? I understand if the case is cold and opened in a warm house this causes damage to the guitar.Im curious about this topic.
Does this appear right in front of your eyes as soon as the case is opened or does it take sometime to happen?

[randyz]

With respect to temperature and guitar finishes, I think it's best to avoid any exposure to extremely cold temperatures. Your finish may survive if the temperature change (up or down) is slow enough. I like to think that keeping guitars in their cases helps to slow down any environmental changes. It probably also provides temporary protection when leaving the house in cold weather.

[Scastles]

Why did the crack happen? I have no idea. But junior high school science class leads me to believe that plastic and cardboard have no insulating properties. And I suspect that finish cracking probably has more to do with exposure to extreme cold than to opening “before its time” when it arrives at your home.

So, in other words, there is no definitive answer. However,if a guitar comes to you in cold weather, why open it immediately, and take the chance it could cause harm? Why not wait 24 hours? There is the chance the finish crack was caused by the cold. I wasn't there though, so I can't say. I didn't open it. Also, I only pointed out the foam inside the shipping box as protection for the item from the shippers, not as a wool coat.

[tennis_nick]

While Carboard and plasitc may not have the best thermal insulation properties, the case is stuffed with foam and soft material (vevlet maybe?)

Anyone who's taken a guitar out of it's case immediately after a long cold journey (I took my casino out of it's case mere minutes after it got off of a 2 hour plane ride!) will note the obvious. The guitar is cold.

Now, imagine in your nice warm home, you take the case in, the guitar is still cold at this point, you open it up and all at once all that hot air hits the guitar in all it's frozen glory.

The rest is simply knowing that wood will expand and contract faster than the finish. the result : The wood expands faster (due too the quick rise in temperature) the finish also expands (not fast enough to keep up with the wood) and bam, finish crack.

[wj350]

So now I'm curious, has anyone here actually opened a case too quick after shipping between different climates and suffered a finish crack? There is lots of speculation but I can't recall any specific examples.

The very first new "high dollar" guitar I ever bought was a Fender Am. Vin. '62 Reissue Jazzmaster. I was SO excited when it arrived. It arrived in winter up in NVA/DC, I was so excited, it had been sitting on the doorstep all afternoon before I got home. I opened the box, opened the case, and just stared in awe at my new beauty...then I started to look around at case candy, etc., and noticed the little red tag on the case handle saying I should allow it to acclimatize before opening....

Bottom line, no issues.

But now that I'm aware of the potential issues, I'd probably wait a prudent amount of time before opening--cheap insurance, right?

[dustymurphy]

About six or seven years ago, I had a friend who was living with us, and he had bought an Epiphone Dove from Musician's Friend in November. He got it, and opened it, and we looked at it, it looked great. And then when we were looking at the back, we actually heard a slight crackle sound, almost like clicking the edge of a pick on the body, and looked, and there was a finish crack the entire width of the body just under the bridge. It was the first I'd ever heard of temperature damage. So it does happen, and ever since then I've made the effort to either be home or have somebody at home when a guitar's coming. I've noticed with other packages this winter though that they're incredibly cold when they get here as if they were left in the truck overnight. So I would wait 24 hours even if I was home to sign for it. As hard as it is to wait longer, I'd almost rather see my 660 come in a couple of months rather than this year's cold Kansas winter just so I know it's alright.

[ken_j]

A friend had to open a guitar case at customs when returning from a gig in Canada. He knew better but what could he do? He watched the cracks develop on his Gibson 335 when the case was opened.