Summer car travel

markrhofman · #1 08-14-2012, 11:05 AM

I travel a 5 state territory in the southeast and love to bring my beloved J45 with me to play open mics. I travel with it in the backseat with the AC blasting so no worries there. My concern is that I often have to park for a few hours while making sales calls in the heat. I've tried travel guitars and recently brought along my Yamaha 700S but I really want to bring the J45 without damaging it in the heat. Anyone have a similar experience or advice? Would a flight case offer enough protection?

Dru Edwards · #2 08-14-2012, 03:39 PM

Hey Mark - no case is going to help if you leave your guitar in your car in 100+ degree heat for a few hours. Personally, I wouldn't expose my guitars to this type of environment, especially numerous times. Definitely not a J-45.

One option is a carbon fiber guitar.

wa3jpg · #3 08-14-2012, 03:50 PM

Hey Mark -

I've used a Thermal case cover (aluminum foil outer cover, about an inch of insulation, covers my hardshell case inside it) in some similar situations and the guitar does OK. After a few hours (I think I checked humidity and temp and found about 2 hours in sun - with some windows cracked in the car, btw) - I would be quite worried though. I have no problem with the thermal cover / case for an hour in the car in the sun (everything normal inside) - but then it begins to feel the heat. Only so much it can take. Be careful.

Clark

DesertTwang · #4 08-14-2012, 05:53 PM

Any case would only offer some protection for as long as it takes for the temperature inside the case to equalize with the temperature outside the case. My guess is that after an hour at the most the temperature inside the case is the same as outside, but again, I'm just guessing. Also note that aluminum layers help protect against heat radiation - e.g. sun rays streaming through the windows - but not against heat convection, i.e. hot air inside the car giving off its heat to the case through direct contact, which is the scenario you should be more concerned about.

markrhofman · #5 08-14-2012, 06:04 PM

Yeah I figured as much. I had an CA guitar but, with my infinite wisdom, sold it. Guess I need to take another look at carbon fiber. Looks like Rainsong has a 12 fret short scale now - that might work....Thanks for the help!

Misty44 · #6 08-14-2012, 06:05 PM

Please don't leave anything "beloved" in a parked car in the heat for "a few hours," especially the J-45. Heat like that will do all sorts of damage, especially to braces and bridges. Unless you have a special refrigerated case with its own generator, don't risk it.

Can you not bring the guitar in when you make your calls?

JohnRII · #7 08-14-2012, 06:30 PM

I travel the Carolinas and over the years have resigned myself to NOT taking my best guitars on the road. I used to worry about damage from the heat or cold or getting stolen while making sales calls so I purchased an inexpensive 'beater guitar'. That's what I travel and practice with in the hotel rooms at night. While I'd be bummed if something happened, it wouldn't be nearly as bad as if it were one of my other guitars. And I can look forward to playing my 'good' guitars once I get home from the road. Hope this helps.

Hotspur · #8 08-14-2012, 06:34 PM

The best advice I can give you is reflective window coverings.

In my experience, one of those in your windshield can make a really big difference. Maybe another for the back window, and leave the sunroof cracked open.

I would do some tests before I took it on the road, but in my experience window reflectors actually do make a pretty substantial difference.

00Buck · #9 08-14-2012, 06:42 PM

I haven't tried this with any of my good guitars, but I have done it with a GS-mini and a Larrivee OO-03. I use a Taylor gig bag and cover it with a couple of wool blankets that I keep in the car. Leave the windows cracked a little and a reflective sun screen on the windshield. Park in the shade when you can and make sure the sun isn't shining on the covered guitar. After a couple of hours the guitar is still cool. I've sweated a little from time to time, but so far so good. It also works for the extra can of cold coke.

I haven't done this, but you could also put a remote temperature sensor in the gig bag. This would help if you parked within the transmitter's effective distance.

lmacmil · #10 08-14-2012, 08:37 PM

Bring the Yamaha. Other than the other performers (and maybe not even some of them), know one will know the difference.

Mr Fixit eh · #11 08-14-2012, 09:25 PM

Good excuse to buy a carbon fiber guitar

Steve

OleGibby58 · #12 08-14-2012, 09:34 PM

I don't think I'd leave any guitar I cared about in the back--or any other--seat regardless of the weather because I don't want it stolen. Matters not whether it's a $100 beater or your favorite vintage axe; thieves don't care.

So I put my guitar in the trunk where it's not obvious. Agree with others here: don't let your guitar get too hot. If you are making shorter stops I think you'll find that anything kept in a typical car trunk does not get near as hot as something in the interior when parked in the sun due to the lack of the 'greenhouse effect'.

Best option to me would be an inexpensive guitar kept in the trunk.

chomper76 · #13 08-14-2012, 09:44 PM

How many people have had issues with guitars being shipped in the summer? When I was younger, I worked at UPS loading delivery trucks. There was no A/C in the building and temperatures could easily be 120 degrees in the middle of the night. Those same guitars could spend all day in the unairconditioned tin can of a delivery truck.

chomper76 · #14 08-14-2012, 09:46 PM

Another thing is those guitars would be shipped to local guitar shops in the same heat conditions for up to several days as having one shipped to a home.

Capt-Dave · #15 08-15-2012, 07:12 AM

Any chance you could ask for a late checkout and leave your guitar in the hotel room, or maybe drop the guitar off with a receptionist at the front desk in the lobby before your meetings?

I tend to agree with the rest here, leaving a guitar in a hot car is never a good idea.

I would even go as far as to ask if a carbon fiber guitar could be left in the heat? I have a little Martin (no carbon but it is a laminate) and after spending much time in the air onboard non-pressurized aircraft it exsperanced bridge issues. The glue let go and the bridge needed to be remounted. It can get quite warm onboard some aircraft below 10,000 feet and I'm sure that was the issue. I would think this could happen to any guitar even a CF.

Just a few thoughts here...