Anyone fearless enough to take their solid woods camping etc?

[ManyMartinMan]

I have done so for over 40 years. I've never had a problem. Wood is natural why not take it into nature - where it began. That's the PERFECT place for a Voyage Air in a backpack.

[seannx]

That’s why I bought my carbon fiber RainSong. No worries if I bring it when I go to Tucson for the Gem Show, or stay at my girlfriend’s place in Nevada City. It's "impervious to temperature and humidity." My solid wood guitars stay at home. I used to travel with my all solid wood Voyage-Air VAD-2, but It was too much of a PITA monitoring humidity and using one of the Planet Wave sound hole sponge humidifiers. I like to minimize what can go wrong when traveling. It’s a really nice guitar, but I prefer 00 and OM size ones now, so may sell it.

[Jim in TC]

I am reminded of the time, long ago now, that a buddy and I brought our guitars down to the beach on Lake Michigan for an evening of music and fun, both D-18's. Not sure exactly how it happened, though alcohol was probably involved, but the next morning we went to get our guitars out for a little reprise and couldn't find his (!). Down to the beach, and there it was, case open with a heavy dew. He plays semi-professionally (meaning, he gets paid gigs and has a day job) with that D-18 to this day, often at outdoor festivals and other "challenging" environments. Beat up and looking hard used but still sounds great.

[Goodallboy]

The fact that my guitar could withstand a particular treatment, does not translate for me, into then subjecting my instrument to that situation. I don’t call it a “fear” of “taking it camping”, or leaving it on the beach overnight, but rather an act of care and respect for not doing those things.

I think anyone should do anything to their own instruments that pleases them. We won’t agree, but what I think about what one does with their guitar is irrelevant.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

The fact that my guitar could withstand a particular treatment, does not translate for me, into then subjecting my instrument to that situation. I don’t call it a “fear” of “taking it camping”, or leaving it on the beach overnight, but rather an act of care and respect for not doing those things.

I think anyone should do anything to their own instruments that pleases them. We won’t agree, but what I think about what one does with their guitar is irrelevant.

Well said.
My opinion is the way guitars are treated by by their owners is subjective and rightfully so.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to subject one of my guitars to a bad environment. On the other hand, I don’t treat any of them like they are pieces of rare fragile porcelain that need to be cared for and nourished.
That’s for others.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by d.loseth

…Does anyone here not worry about the elements as much as the majority seems to when it comes to their guitars, especially the solid wood ones?

Hi d.l…

Guitars respond to elements in days/weeks not minutes/hours.

Mine have all gone outside quite a bit.

[hat]

Sure have! I recently picked up a Harmony western Special that I X braced for just such a use. It sounds great, and is already beat up. Plus, the 40 Y.O. wood should be stabilized by now.

[zmf]

Depends on what you mean by camping. To me, a camping guitar is one that's out of the case/gig bag laying in the dirt or propped against a tree. I don't mind if it gets scratched and dented. That's my 50 year old Aria.

I wish I had a really beat up more expensive guitar that I could do the same with -- like a battle scarred D-18. But unfortunately they're in good shape.

[roylor4]

Well, this is the one place where a simple question like this can create a maelstrom of varying comments.

Some people here keep all their guitars in cases with humidifiers all the time unless they are playing them. Others have whole house or 'guitar room" humidifiers. Then there are people like me that keep all their guitars on stands 24/7 and have no humidifiers and don't worry about it. Then again, I don't own high-end stuff.

I have found that all-solid guitars do tend to go out of tune in outdoor situations of high heat/high humidity situations more often than lam B&S.

[L20A]

My 1981 Martin D-35 has gone with me on many camping trips over the years.
Some times for 2 weeks at a time.

The guitar has always held up to the trips until recently.
I have notices a couple of places where the binding is starting to pull away from the body of the guitar.

Would this have happened if I never took the guitar out of the house?
I have no idea but I would do it all again without hesitation.

Now the case was another story.
It was replaced a few years ago.

[bufflehead]

I've switched to HPL, a Little Martin LXK2, which I purchased for kayak camping. I've got a dry bag that will hold the guitar inside its gig bag. I strap it to the rear hatch of my yak.

Sounds good on a beach once you get used to the 20" scale.

[Jecox]

When we go to bluegrass festivals my wife takes her bass and I take a guitar. We camp in our trailer, if that counts as camping. I use a case humidifier and the only thing I worry about is the temperature. If we are camped in the sun, it can easily get above 100 degrees in the trailer. I worry that is hot enough to soften the glue.

[gr81dorn]

Roy Rogers and Gene Autry took their 45 series Martins with no case, slung over their shoulder with some twine into gun-fights in the foothills and mountains and then down to the river bank and then into the desert...right? Thinking about dropping 5 figures on one and see if that was just movie magic or they're made to handle that. I assume abalone is some sort of stabilizing agent? ;-)

[tippy5]

I have enjoyed camp guitar plays for years.
It's not the destination it is the getting there that can do damage.

A lightly built guitar locked in a car while you have lunch by the lake can ruin it.

AS stated... just have a Seagull or a Yammy when you are travelling in a car this summer.

Cars can become ovens, even in the trunk.

[Woolbury]

My '46 Gibson goes camping w me all summer. Doesn't show the dings, sounds its best around a campfire. I'd die if something happened to it, but we all gotta go sometime

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