If I move to Chicago or New York, will my guitars suffer?

[Okieactor]

Hey All,

I have a tele I made and painted with Nitro from ReRanch 3 years ago. I used to live in New York, before I had any decent guitars. I now have the tele and my LP studio.

I live in Austin now. If I were to move to Chicago or New York, could I expect paint checking? Problems with my guitar necks flexing more often or flexing in an unpredictable way between seasons? Does the temperature fluctuate enough to affect the longevity of instruments? I don't plan to leave my guitars out in snow, but you sometimes have to ride the subway, or your landlord keeps it too hot or too cold during certain months, right? (It gets really hot in New York in summer, believe it or not. And then really cold in winter.)

Is this something to worry about? Or am I just being ridiculous? Thanks. I think maybe it's just me trying to talk myself out of considering another move. But just thought I'd ask. Anybody moved up north and had continued trouble with instruments that were basically ok before? Or is it just the amount of time for the instrument to flex a bit, get a new setup, and you're good to go?

[hemingway]

They might be lonely and disorientated at first - but they'll soon make friends.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[tweeddeluxe]

You're just being ridiculous

[allen st. john]

It's funny you should mention that.
I heard they were going to start a symphony orchestra here in New York, but with all this crazy temperature fluctuation, they figured that the cellos would check, the necks of the basses would flex unconrollably, and those poor priceless Strads would start bulging like John Hurt's abdomen in Alien...

Assuming you're planning on living indoors, yes, you're just being ridiculous.

[oramac7891]

I would worry more about you suffering than them,

All kidding aside. They should be fine

[jazztele]

Your guitars will be living outdoors?

[TRexF16]

Hold on now folks and let's talk about the root problem here.

You live in Austin? And you might move to a big crappy Northern city?

Come on Man!

Best of luck regardless, take a strool down 6th street for me once before you leave.
Rex

[horsespatoot]

yes

[ghost]

I live in Albany; the instruments change with the temperature fluctuations but the only thing it affects is tuning and if it were HUGE temp. changes constantly inside your house maybe intonation.

For instance I'm supposed to have my piano tuned after summer starts and after winter starts, once the temp. stabilizes.

[dsutton24]

With all the things that could go wrong living in Chicago, you're worried about your guitars?

[Okieactor]

With all the things that could go wrong living in Chicago, you're worried about your guitars?

I've lived through a pretty solid earthquake (Chino Hills, 2007? 2008?); almost getting my toes frozen in Queens one time when the snow was really deep and a tree fell across the N/W tracks and I was stranded; almost getting mugged in Brooklyn; an apartment fire that left me and my friends homeless/couch surfing for a time; that brown-out in 2003; a crappy apartment complex in Atlanta that was prone to drive-by; losing my job in NYC unexpectedly; a crystal addict-junky roommate; almost getting into a confrontation with Suge Knight on Sunset; having a giant guy chase me through a parking garage (again, on Sunset); and every bullsh*t day job you could imagine. And some stuff I don't think it's appropriate to write about here too.

But unintended neck warpage or nitro checking will not stand, man.

In all seriousness, Austin has been very...comfortable. I'm not a pro musician, I'm a hobby guitar player. I'm an actor first. And NYC and Chicago both have much better theatre, in terms of the caliber (Austin has plenty of quantity). So sometimes I wonder if I should move again. My long-term goal is to teach at the university level (BFA 2002, MFA 2006), and continue acting myself as well. I guess the issue of weather and temperature changes affecting my guitars shouldn't even be a consideration.

[kromanomo]

The only guitar related concern you should have in a northern city is the very dry air during the winter. I live in Brooklyn and most apartments have heat that can really dry out the air. Make sure you have a humidifier in your acoustics.

[Vizcaster]

Guitars will be fine but your playing will suffer.

[fezz parka]

They'll be able to get good pizza.

[bradpdx]

Originally Posted by fezz parka

They'll be able to get good pizza.

+1

I don't see how the weather in NYC or Chicago could be considered "worse" than the heat in Texas. But then my family moved out of Austin in 1961 to NYC and we never looked back!

I have fussed a bit over heat/cold/humidity with my Martins, but confess that I don't worry at all about my Fenders. The more the finish cracks on my old nitro 52RI, the better it looks.

[Silverface]

Make sure you have a humidifier in your acoustics.

Actually, make sure you have a room...or whole house...humidifier wherever the guitars will be stored. Temperature changes aren't a problem unlss you do something stupid, like leave something outside overnight. Assuming you have a heating system, temperature is the least of your worrries.

Humidity is the big problem.

Room heaters, central heating (and, BTW, air conditioning) and fireplaces suck the moisture out of the air very quickly. ALL acoustic, sem-acoustic or vintage instruments should have in-case humidifiers and they should be checked often. If you store guitars out of their cases on stands/hangers whole room humidifiers are a must. When you run heat check them every few days - no longer than weekly - and re-soak the sponge or tube used by the paticular brand when it dries out (hopefully *before* it dries out!).

When I travel to cold zones with instruments I keep small humidifiers even in electric cases. Showing up to a gig, opening the case and finding a severe case of fret sprout is NOT enjoyable.

Also take care of your hands. Some people are more susceptible than others, but I'm very sensitive to dry conditions - a couple nights of the fireplace going even near the beach where it's 50% relative humidity outside can cause splits in my fingertips. Liquid bandage only works to a point, and skin splits can hurt like hell. Especially when you first arrive and hit the initial cold spell, moisturize your hands like crazy (hourly is not a bad idea). Different product work for different people, but I find inexpensive Corn Husker's lotion to be the best at preventing skin damage.

[backporch guy]

They might get mugged!

[PinewoodRo]

Silverface - 50% humidity? I dream of days like that so it's dry enough to spray laquer

I took my Strat from London to LA, stayed for 18 months and then returned with no problems at all. Frets were fine (rosewood board). The finish is poly so I can't say if it would affect nitro.

[JCSouthpawtele]

I live 100 miles east of Chicago,in the South Bend, Indiana area. My guitars generally are OK though the seasons. Slight setup adjustments in spring and fall. Humidity and temp changes. Nothing different than playing an outdoor gig in the fall as night sets in. Tuning issues as temp changes.

[LTadrian]

I live in chicago and my guitars are fine.

Then again my house stays between 60-80 degrees average the whole year.

Unless you are going to leave the guitar in a storage room where the temperatures drop a lot then I would not worry at all.