How resilient are these guitars?

[Fretty]

Hi Everyone,

 

I just brought home a new J45 Standard. Love it, awesome guitar, but don't think I need to tell you guys that

 

I'm coming to it from the electric world, (and I usually plat Strats which you can basically toss off a cliff and have it still be playable) so I was sure to pay special attention to the care instructions on this little beauty.

 

A few of them have me a bit worried so I'm just wondering how serious it really is. Specifically, the instructions say to keep it around 20*c temperature, and not more than 20% above or below 50% humidity. I'm worried because I live in a part of Canada where the temperature varies quite wildly from day to day... From super hot days and very cold nights, to bouts of high humidity, and that sort of thing. Today, for example, is hot enough and it just rained so humidity is like 70%.

 

My question is this... how resilient are these guitars? People who are playing 30 and 40 year old guitars, surely they've spent some time in adverse conditions and made it through reasonably well... I'm not talking about putting it in the freezer, then the oven, but for example should I be worried about taking it out to play today (at 70% humidity) or will it be ok? In the winter, I need to transport it from my house to lessons or jams and stuff... will the trip from the house into the cold, then into the car, etc, ruin it?

 

The salesperson told me to treat it super well in the first year and it would last forever - but if I had any problems in the first year it would likely be a headeache for the life of the guitar... accurate???

 

I know, I probably sound paranoid, but I'm just looking for whether or not these things are a bit tougher than the instructions make them out to be, or if it will split and explode if I try to do something with it in the wrong conditions... I bought this guitar to be my main for many many years so I don't want to be freaked out about playing it :(

 

Thanks in advance for any input or experiences you can offer!

[Dotneck]

A couple issues come to mind.

 

1) Temps. Gibsons are finished with a lacquer and is can crack when the temperatures swing quickly. When going from a cold to a warm place (like from in the car to the house during the dead of winter) let the case warm up before opening it so the finish doesn't craze. Also the lacquer doesn't really get hard for many months after application. That's one reason you want to be careful during that first year.

 

2) Humidity. Your strat is a big thick chunk of wood and like you said is pretty tough. Flat-tops are made of very thin sheets of wood. Because its so think it reacts to its conditions and can be damaged relatively easily. When the wood dries out it can crack. If you look at old flat tops you'll find many that have been cracked and repaired. A crack doesn't end the life of a guitar...it can be fixed without ruining the tone of the guitar...its almost a cosmetic condition if its repaired properly.

 

also, too much humidity can cause the guitar to swell. That's why you want it to live within a range.

 

A lot of people really obsess over these issues....others play the guitar and enjoy it and pay a reasonable amount of attention to keeping their guitar maintained properly. Don't let these issues spoil the enjoyment of your guitar. I take reasonable care of my guitars but don't get anal about them. OTOH...I usually have an old laminated guitar that I use for campfire singalongs and keep my good stuff in the house....

 

Enjoy that J 45

[sorad]

Im from Canada too from the west coast tho so not as extreme climates. But I have been east and id say guitars are pretty resilient I have a j45 as well, I bought a planet waves humidifier for when i travel and I know there is going to be a drastic change. Getting an in case humidifier like the one from planet waves wouldn't be a bad idea, just my thoughts

[Murph]

My J-45 has seen temps in the 30s on many occasions. Just warm it up SLOWLY......

 

It's been in the sun for outdoor gigs, hot, dry, humid, ect.

 

Houses in the 40's/50's didn't have central heat and air, they left the windows open, used wood heat, ect.

 

I take reasonable care, but mine goes to the hunting cabin, wherever I go.... I bought it to enjoy.

[bkharmony]

I'm just looking for whether or not these things are a bit tougher than the instructions make them out to be' date=' or if it will split and explode if I try to do something with it in the wrong conditions...[/quote']

 

Follow the instructions. They're not there as a suggestion.

 

If you want an acoustic you can just kinda toss around and not care for, a Gibson (or any high-dollar guitar) is not for you. Find a nice laminate. They are less prone to temperature and humidity fluctuations. They're also much cheaper to replace.

[jgwoods]

There's lots of examples around of old Gibsons. I bet hardly any of them were cared for in the obsessive way the internet recommends today- but they look the part too- most have cracked finish, a few cracks in the woods, and the various dings and dents common to a hard life well lived.

I take mine out Summer and Winter without much worry but I do 2 things- keep the house humidified in winter so things don't get too dry, and when The guitar is warm I don't open the case in a really cold place. Opening a cold guitar in a warm place - like going from a cold car to a warm bar- I take my chances- so far no damage. Then again I don't worry much aboutt he finish so if it crazes one day so be it.

[Stubee]

My question is this... how resilient are these guitars?

IME, they are quite resilient.

 

I've owned Gibson flattops since 1972 or so. I've taken them camping, up north, down south, to the mountains, played them extensively outdoors, on several cross-country car trips, take them to gigs and jam sessions, do about everything with them. I've never had a problem except with an old LG-1 that I stored for an entire winter without any humidfier. It developed a crack or two. That was the only problem. I also broke the neck on a Hummingbird, but that was because i knocked it over & it fell. Hardly a guitar ownership issue but a shocking act of clumsiness on my part. I've owned Gibson flattops from the '30s through today's models.

 

I don't obsess about 'em at all and here's all I do:

 

1) Keep them humid enough during the heating season. I use in-case humidifiers, for the most part. Not rocket science.

2) Don't take them from a warm house to play in very cold air. I do play in a garage thing & sometimes in the winter it's only about 55F there when I start playing. Bothers my old hands but not my guitar. By very cold I mean way down there...but why would you want to play when it's that cold anyway?

3) If you take a cold guitar from storage & warm it quickly--say it just arrived on a UPS truck in the winter & you quickly open it up in your warm house--you might get some finish checking. A cosmetic flaw, really.

4) Note any changes in 'em such as a lifting bridge or lifting top. These are glued up pieces of wood and things can let go over time. Fix 'em before they get any worse.

5) Don't leave them laying out where they can get tipped over or have stuff dropped on 'em by a kid or something.

 

I have my AJ Reissue here now in a cottage where the weather varies a lot and I'm not worried about it at all. Enjoy your J-45.

[KL]

I think guitars are very resilient. I look after my guitars as much as I can, but I'm a musician and they travel with me to gigs and the studio etc. I always keep them in their cases when not in use, and keep an eye on the humidity etc, but at the end of the day they are tools to be used. I have friends who leave their guitars out in all kinds of weather and conditions and seem to get away with an awful lot.

[passthej45]

yeah, I've often wondered about the same stuff. I live in southern Louisiana. I keep my guitar in the case when inside the house, but often go out on the porch to play.....where the humidity is ususally VERY high. It's a new J45.. ....no problems so far. I also thought about the old days... Woody Guthrie and such hopping boxcars with the guitar strung to his back, folk singers at campfires.......homes without (before) A/C, climate control or artificial humidifiers, and yet those old guitars are the most coveted. So we must be ok. BTW Fretty if you live in Ontario , your J45 is probably in more danger from being eaten by BLACK FLYS about right now. My wife is from northern Ontario , I know , I've been there, I've been nearly eaten alive !

[watchunglava]

i play my guitars 6 hours a day or more . for 20 years. for an acoustic seriously best possible thing you can do is keep it in the case when not eing used with a case humidifier.

 

the rest is all about how pretty you want it to look in 10 years. i use virtuoso products and fret dr . best stuff around ..... get to playing that box it will take some time for the molecules to rearange and the only way to do that is to play and put energy into the wood.

[modoc_333]

it's true that homes used to not have climate control and players didn't worry about such things.... however, this is also the reason that there are very few examples of these old guitars without repairs or issues. just something to think about.