SO glad I own a CF guitar right now!

[Methos1979]

Here in New Hampshire (and most of New England) we are in the middle of a 7-day heatwave with temps up around 100 plus mega-humidity. So of course we had an outdoor gig yesterday! It was so very nice to have my custom Emerald X20 and not have to worry about that aspect of things. I worried more about my amp and pedals!

There was a guy at a table up front that knew enough about acoustic guitars to say, "That guitar is beautiful! Aren't you afraid to have it out in this heat and humidity?" It was fun to smile and say, "Nope! Carbon fiber. Impervious to this weather. Unlike me." I was joking during the gig saying that I was thinking of changing our duo name from 'NO1U Know' to 'Sweats Like A Pig'...

[kramster]

And we are so glad..so glad.. so glad..you have CF in your like too!!..

Only 101 here... but only 7% humidity

[Maryc-k]

There have been instances in extreme heat that CF instruments have melted. Rainsong had some guitars melt when stored in car trunks on hot days. So, I'd still be careful. If there are wooden parts (fretboard, bridge, etc.) on the guitar (I am not familiar with Emerald) you still need to be conscious of their environment.

I have a carbon fiber fiddle, which has a wooden soundpost and bridge. I still need to be careful in hot and humid weather, etc. Some of the carbon fiber mandolins I have seen have wooden fretboards, so while these instruments are impervious to most climate issues, there still needs to be a bit of care taken to insure their safety.

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by Maryc-k

There have been instances in extreme heat that CF instruments have melted. Rainsong had some guitars melt when stored in car trunks on hot days. So, I'd still be careful. If there are wooden parts (fretboard, bridge, etc.) on the guitar (I am not familiar with Emerald) you still need to be conscious of their environment.

No wooden bits on either Emerald or (Modern) Rainsongs. I wouldn't leave one in the trunk in Phoenix though.

[GuitarDoc]

One word...air conditioning. .
I can relate to the gig though. Had one on those. Only time I felt I needed to scrub down the neck of my martin when I arrived home.
I thought it was the glue that was affected by the heat?

[acwild]

I understand that CF guitars are more impervious to climate changes than wood but do the temp changes still affect tuning?

[mot]

Originally Posted by acwild

I understand that CF guitars are more impervious to climate changes than wood but do the temp changes still affect tuning?

For me the answer is yes, but not much. Changes in my X20 are liminal and I have to really listen to ever notice, but I sometimes actually have to turn a tuner on my Lucky13 if the temperature changes were extreme or affected only part of the guitar.

[jdinco]

Me too...but only a cent or two. At the most. Rarely.

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by Maryc-k

There have been instances in extreme heat that CF instruments have melted. Rainsong had some guitars melt when stored in car trunks on hot days. So, I'd still be careful.

These days, you would really have to do some research to find epoxy not good to 125C. RainSong has been around a long time, but I doubt their current product is going to melt in the same car that the ceiling lining, also glued, stayed attached.

[acwild]

Thanks! I can’t wait for my guitar to come in. Less down time tuning will be a blessing.

Nylon strings are subject to temperature change--but I do a lot less tunning with CF instruments.

[JimCA]

Originally Posted by acwild

I understand that CF guitars are more impervious to climate changes than wood but do the temp changes still affect tuning?

I believe it's the steel strings that are the weak link here.

[Methos1979]

I notice no tuning issues in extreme heat over any other temperature. CF guitars are very stable that way. Even with regard to temperature swings. If the temps in my house change 10 degrees in either direction, the Martin will be way off. The Emerald just a little at most.

Also, as stated, no wood in Emerald CF guitars. The guitar performed flawlessly - unlike the person playing it! But as I sweated up a storm playing I was happy that I did not have a single distracting concern about the guitar.

The only down side to the heat at the gig was that my fingertips softened much quicker and by the end of our two-hour set they were killing me. I'm glad we only played the one set! It was supposed to be just a 1.5 hour set but we were having so much fun we just kept playing.

[acwild]

My Martin is so sensitive that I had to get a winter saddle and one for summer. Sounds great but it requires a lot of adjusting with temp changes, more so than my other guitars.
My band is slated to to a five hour summer gig so I fully expect the strings to give in to some stretching, even with some break-in time ahead. I’m truly hoping that a CF guitar will help make this endurance run a bit easier. :-)

[SprintBob]

Originally Posted by Maryc-k

There have been instances in extreme heat that CF instruments have melted. Rainsong had some guitars melt when stored in car trunks on hot days. So, I'd still be careful. If there are wooden parts (fretboard, bridge, etc.) on the guitar (I am not familiar with Emerald) you still need to be conscious of their environment.

I have a carbon fiber fiddle, which has a wooden soundpost and bridge. I still need to be careful in hot and humid weather, etc. Some of the carbon fiber mandolins I have seen have wooden fretboards, so while these instruments are impervious to most climate issues, there still needs to be a bit of care taken to insure their safety.

I’ve had my Rainsong P-12 for four years and it travels with me and has spent a lot of time in a hot car without any ill effects at all. Carbon fiber cannot “melt”, the only thing that could happen would be if the epoxy resin used in the construction degraded but most epoxies will continue to “post” cure. I own two sailboats with black carbon fiber masts that are out in hot summer sun. The surface of the masts can get too hot to keep your hand on (about 140F) but there is no degradation of either. I’ve owned and maintained masts like these for over 15 years with no issues.