Shipping a steel guitar in this heat?

Tom Campbell · Post by **Tom Campbell** » 14 Jul 2023 11:21 am

Is there a risk in shipping a lacquer steel guitar in this heat? I'm wondering if the heat in a semi-trailer, etc. would be great enough to soften or craze the finish?

Justin Shaw · Post by **Justin Shaw** » 14 Jul 2023 7:11 pm

I think it would be hard to say definitively, because it depends on lots and lots of factors. However in my experience guitars are much tougher than expected. My personal rule is to do all due diligence with regards to packing and labeling and then hope for the best. So far so good. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of damage of the type you're describing. However I am from Canada so what do I know about heat damage haha.

Bobby D. Jones · Post by **Bobby D. Jones** » 14 Jul 2023 7:40 pm

I would suggest if you have to ship a steel in hot weather, For repair or for delivery to a buyer. Pack the guitar well insulated from heat as well as bumps.

Ship the guitar on Monday morning. Hopefully it would be delivered by Friday evening. If the guitar sat in a dark Brown or Black trailer, In a terminal yard all weekend, Heat could build up and damage the guitar.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 15 Jul 2023 6:03 am

Just yesterday I received a brand-new Jetglo (black) Rickenbacker 660, shipped inside its molded factory case, packed inside its factory shipping carton. It spent about a week in and out of UPS trailers and stepvans during its travels between the eastern Great Lakes and the Rocky Mountains -- a record-setting, brutally hot week indeed. When I opened the carton, the molded black plastic case inside it was hot to the touch, so I feared for the worst. I allowed it to acclimate indoors for a while. Upon opening the case, the instrument was warm, but totally unscathed. As a general rule, pedal steels are exponentially more robust than Rickenbacker electric guitars. In my opinion, the heat is of far less concern during shipping than damage caused by dropping, mishandling, or negligence.

John Hyland · Post by **John Hyland** » 15 Jul 2023 10:01 am

Jack Hanson wrote:Just yesterday I received a brand-new Jetglo (black) Rickenbacker 660, shipped inside its molded factory case, packed inside its factory shipping carton. It spent about a week in and out of UPS trailers and stepvans during its travels between the eastern Great Lakes and the Rocky Mountains -- a record-setting, brutally hot week indeed. When I opened the carton, the molded black plastic case inside it was hot to the touch, so I feared for the worst. I allowed it to acclimate indoors for a while. Upon opening the case, the instrument was warm, but totally unscathed. As a general rule, pedal steels are exponentially more robust than Rickenbacker electric guitars. In my opinion, the heat is of far less concern during shipping than damage caused by dropping, mishandling, or negligence.

I think the OP is worried about a lacquer finish which i don’t flink a new guitar would have.