"Telecasters" and car heat

[schoolie]

I want to bring my G&L tribute with me on our vacation. It's in an SKB hard case, but it has to travel in the car trunk for a couple of days of driving in So California. I know this isn't a good idea with acoustics, but do you think the neck will warp? Any tips on minimizing the risk?

Thanks!

[Old Cane]

That's a tuff one. Can you leave it somewhere? Can it ride in the back seat with A/C while you drive? But maybe going down the road in the trunk may be better than parked for hours in the trunk. I'm just guessing. It's really not a good idea but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and take a chance.

[Chris Leger]

Many years ago, during a stretch of hot summer weather, I left my prized black LP in the trunk of my car, which was parked in the sun and left there after gig that preceded a "lost week-end."

When I remembered to retrieve it some days later, the clear lacquer top coat had gone from clear to a rather deep yellow. I was mortified - I had ruined my beautiful guitar.

Of course, nowadays Gibson (and everyone else) will charge you extra to give you an imitiation of this effect. And the guitar still plays beautifully, and looks as good as ever. Maybe even better, to you relic (?!?) guys.

Relax.

[Joisey]

Huh? I wouldn't think twice about traveling around with my guitar. I would not leave it in the car. Where I am it is.

[schoolie]

Thank you for the advice! I can't stand the thought of playing the air guitar for two weeks:)

[fakeocaster]

Why not bring a squier?

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by schoolie

Any tips on minimizing the risk?

Avoid situations where the guitar will be subjected to rapid changes in temperature. In other words, don't bring it from a hot car trunk to a chilly air-conditioned room and immediately take it out of the case. Let it sit an hour or two to adjust to the difference. I really don't think you'll have any neck issues, and as long as you're not too brutal with it, modern finishes should be fine.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by fakeocaster

Why not bring a squier?

The Tribute and the Squier aren't all that different $$, and may very well originate from the same plant.

Usually I use the 'recirc' function in a car, to save energy. But depending on how your car ventilation is set up, you may be able to pump more air conditioned air into the trunk by leaving the recirc function off as you drive in the heat of the day. With the recirc off, the cabin will be pressurized more, and the exit venting is generally through the trunk.

Try to rearrange your activities so the car is not unoccupied in the sun between 12 and 3 P M. It isn't so much catastrophic and obvious guitar destruction as a subtle loss of spark and spank; at least that's what I take from my misdeeds of guitars in hot cars 30 and 20 years ago.

[rangercaster]

I remember once reading that one should never under any circumstances put a guitar in the trunk of a car. Accidents happen. Taxicab rear-ends car with vintage Martin in the trunk? Mine get a seat and a seat belt and leave the car when i do.

[RodeoTex]

My Tele Affinity neck turns to rubber just driving across town but so far it has always come back into place after the temp stabalizes.
I sure wouldn't do that with my main player.

[schoolie]

If I ruin this guitar, then I can convince my wife that I need to build a new tele

[stevieboy]

I can't say there is no possible harm, but I do know that when I'm going to have to leave a guitar in my trunk on a hot socal day, which happens fairly often due my work and play situation, I always pack a tele. I've yet to have an issue.

Not because the teles are expendable, rather because they are the toughest guitars made!

[Cross Roads]

Wax will melt off the neck pup.
Doesn't hurt the sound.

[Wardpike]

Extreme heat and humidity WILL cause neck warpage and possible issues with the finish.

[JOHNNY FOWLER]

put the wife in the trunk easy to see i an.t married

[spauldingrules]

Take off the neck and keep it up with you, if space is an issue. Body can go in trunk or car. Problem solved.

[Slow Reflexes]

The temperature in your trunk is a lot more stable than you give it credit for, especially if it's full. It's the cabin where you get the sudden and dramatic changes. You park for 15 minutes in the sun and it'll go from 75 to 110; you get back in and crank the A/C and it'll drop back down again.

Trunk full of clothes with a guitar in the middle of the pile is gonna stay about the same temp the whole time. 'Specially if you have a white car.

[giogolf]

I think most of you are being over causious... A guitar is meant to be played... Just throw it in the trunk and take it out when you stop overnight. How do you think people on tour do it? When I toured the east coast, in a van, the only temperature controlled environment was the beer cooler at night. Just bring it and have fun

[franchelB]

If I was in that situation, I'd loosen the strings and maybe...the neck bolt...just a tad.

[Cross Roads]

Think about the temp change in the cargo hold of a plane?
Or what that guitar may have went though during it's transportation from the factory to your home?