Sgt. Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Seems to me electric guitars get locked away in cases and only taken out at dark grubby clubs at night and never see the light of day. I personally think she needs a bit of sunshine ... but ... I wonder if direct sunlight would either damage the nitro finish or heat would melt the wax in potted pu's. what's the consensus on electric guitars and the outside. I love to take my Ibanez AG86 outside and wouldn't hesitate to take an acoustic on an outting, but hazards of heat have at one point caused the glue of a piece of rosewood on the tailpiece to separate (I just took it back to the dealer and he reglued it and it hasn't happened since). I like the wood to get a little exposure to sunlight, just like it that way. I like playing outside, but even that electric guitars can be a bit of a challenge, noise wise and electrical requirements ... you have to be 'on the grid'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Good topic, my guitar rarely sees sunlight. I've played a few outdoor festival type gigs over the years but besides that my guitar stays in the case and is played indoors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Sunlight will bleach the fret board, and the dyes (not the dyes as much nowadays but still). Heat will increase the probability of checking and melt wax in pups. With 2013 RIs using hide glue I would really shy away from heat too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I've been playing indoors and out since 1971, and I've never experienced nor do I know of anyone that has experienced guitar problems due to playing outside. I'm sure you could stretch the definition of playing outside to include circumstances that would wreck a guitar. But for ordinary purposes, playing outside is just fine, hot or cold, sunny or cloudy. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 There's several people on MLP who claim to have faded their bursts (deliberately, mind) by exposing them to bright, outdoor sunlight. They almost all note that the fretboard faded very fast. Some have managed to "un-pot" their pups (not deliberately, mind) in the process. I have seen guitars that have had neck movement due to heat (hide glue). I have, many times in my life, advised customers against certain online activity, telling them the possible consequences, only to be told, "I've been doing it for x years and that hasn't happened yet". I have also, many times, subsequently ended up negotiating with Google to get them reinstated in search indexes later. I have never died, but I bet I do. The world has never ended, but I bet it does. The point is, the fact that something hasn't happened, to you, yet, is no indication of what might happen, to you, or someone else, in the future. I feel it necessary, this being internet land, to say I'm not arguing, just disagreeing in a friendly manor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I'll see your disagreeing in a friendly manner, and continue it! Sure, you can fade a guitar by putting it in the sun. It happen(ed)(s) in stores, because the guitar hangs in the sun by the window for...you tell me how long. Sure, you could have a guitar in the sun and maybe have some hide glue changes. But how long was that guitar in the sun? I would say this only because there was a time, not very long ago, when hide glue was all that was used on guitars, and we still played outside. I said it in my post, sure, you can make anything fit the definition of playing outside. But from myself who is very much experienced at playing outside, and all of the other people I know that are the same, for the purposes of ordinary conversation regarding the very ordinary ways that people use guitars, that is, for maybe 4 or 5 forty minute sets down there at the beach in Atlantic City in the summer on a Friday afternoon not even two hundred feet from the ocean(so we can throw high humidity AND salt air into the equation) on an uncovered flatbed, the damage it could conceivably do to yer guitar is not worth discussion, therefore, not worth worry. Like your basement, the humidity levels in your house, and the temperature, if you are comfortable playing your guitar in the sun, your guitar is comfortable being played in the sun. If it is hot enough out there to cause you or a big portion of your audience trouble, and you stay at it a long time, I suppose you could damage your guitar. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NHTom Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 when I used to crew and guitar tech, we never had any trouble.......I will back that up with the fact that common sense comes into play! for example......black guitar on a stand in mega hot blazing sun for hours and hours.....bad idea........I've seen it, mentioned it to the band, got laughed at, then laughed when they couldn't get it back in tune when the sun went down. we would take preventative measures......after set up and waiting for the show, we would drape a white towel over them to help with fade and reflect a bit of heat. If it was going to be hours before the show, I would put them in the shade in their cases and then just pull them out before the show and double check tuning, etc. Rain was another issue...i would use giant trash bags and leave them in their cases protected until I absolutely needed them. I will stress that it has been my experience ( and I only claim mine) that with common sense, no real harm will do.......I would also mention that these are "working guitars".....there will always be a little fade and dings due to the nature of their life. As stated accurately above, if its too much for you to handle, then it is too muc for your guitar. NHTom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanH Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 when I used to crew and guitar tech, we never had any trouble.......I will back that up with the fact that common sense comes into play! for example......black guitar on a stand in mega hot blazing sun for hours and hours.....bad idea........I've seen it, mentioned it to the band, got laughed at, then laughed when they couldn't get it back in tune when the sun went down. we would take preventative measures......after set up and waiting for the show, we would drape a white towel over them to help with fade and reflect a bit of heat. If it was going to be hours before the show, I would put them in the shade in their cases and then just pull them out before the show and double check tuning, etc. Rain was another issue...i would use giant trash bags and leave them in their cases protected until I absolutely needed them. I will stress that it has been my experience ( and I only claim mine) that with common sense, no real harm will do.......I would also mention that these are "working guitars".....there will always be a little fade and dings due to the nature of their life. As stated accurately above, if its too much for you to handle, then it is too muc for your guitar. NHTom Great posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SouthpawKen Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 They always receive direct Sunlight as reflected off the Moon when I start playing at night and Moonlight streams through the window and it seems to add a touch of Ambiance to the mix. Sometimes they catch the first rays of Sunlight at dawn as this happened about a month ago while I was playing my Amber LP Standard. WOW! It just seemed to glow, very nice indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparguy Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 when I used to crew and guitar tech, we never had any trouble.......I will back that up with the fact that common sense comes into play! for example......black guitar on a stand in mega hot blazing sun for hours and hours.....bad idea........I've seen it, mentioned it to the band, got laughed at, then laughed when they couldn't get it back in tune when the sun went down. we would take preventative measures......after set up and waiting for the show, we would drape a white towel over them to help with fade and reflect a bit of heat. If it was going to be hours before the show, I would put them in the shade in their cases and then just pull them out before the show and double check tuning, etc. Rain was another issue...i would use giant trash bags and leave them in their cases protected until I absolutely needed them. I will stress that it has been my experience ( and I only claim mine) that with common sense, no real harm will do.......I would also mention that these are "working guitars".....there will always be a little fade and dings due to the nature of their life. As stated accurately above, if its too much for you to handle, then it is too muc for your guitar. NHTom Amen!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarzan13 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 My rule of thumb... Never leave a guitar somewhere that you would not leave an infant or a pet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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