Cold weather shipping

[siddigger]

Hi everyone, my first day and first post. Starting the new year right! Anyway I'm a beginning guitar player and have been looking at Seagull Acoustics on ebay. I live in Minnesota and it gets quite cold. Has anyone had any bad experiences shipping to a winter area or should I wait till spring? Have a great New Year!

[daklander]

Shouldn't be a problem at all, as far as the cold goes, except on your end. I'd be more concerned with the shipper packing the guitar correctly.

For the cold, once the package is delivered, I would bring it into the house and let it slowly acclimate several days, then open the packaging and, presuming the guitar was shipped in a case, allow another couple of days more, then open it up and wipe the instrument down with a soft cloth. At that time you should be ready to go. Also, I'd allow a couple of days for any excess moisture that may build up in the case padding and material to dissipate before closing the guitar back up in it.

If, however, the package is damaged you must open it for inspection to be sure there is no freight damage. Do that in the garage or some other place where the temperature is similar to outside and then if all is well, close it back up and start the above steps. If it's damaged, start your claim.

[guitarist21]

Hey siddigger, welcome to the forum! Seagull acoustic guitars are a great value and are excellent for beginners who want an instrument that will mature as they do.

 

The usual process when buying a guitar in the winter is to allow it to "warm up" before opening. When you get your guitar (try to insist that it ships in a hardshell case if you must buy on eBay), the case will most likely feel cool to the touch. Most folks let it sit for about 24 hours, letting it sit a little longer won't hurt.

 

Ellen

[OldGuitarPlayer]

Welcome to the forum and I'd have to agree with everything daklander and guitarist21 posted.

 

Also...don't forget that Seagulls are built in Canada in the province of Quebec and it gets pretty darn cold there in the winter time too! I should know as I live there.

 

Go ahead and order it. Seagulls are great guitars.

[Samilyn]

Hi. Welcome to HCAG.

 

Ditto the above posts, especially since you live in such a cold climate. I recently received a "cold" git that was not shipped in a hard case, only a gig back inside a box, surrounded by styro peanuts inside yet another box.

 

It's a lot warmer here in Louisiana than where you're at. In spite of that, I let my new git warm up for around 8 hours after bringing it in the house from the FedEx truck. Temp in the FedEx truck cargo area was probably about 45-50 degrees and temp in my house was about 75.

 

Just be patient and let your new git acclimate slowly. No matter how bad you want to open that box and see your new baby, don't be in a hurry and all will be well.

 

Seagull is a fine guitar. Go ahead and order it. It'll certainly make a long, cold winter much more enjoyable.

[Freeman Keller]

First, a great big welcome to HCAG.

 

Second - everyone has said the right thing - be very patient letting it warm up. Last year there were some horror stories of people opening cold shipping boxes only to watch the finish on their brand new gits turn all milky colored. Let the whole thing warm for a day, then take the case out of the box and let it warm for another day (I know, the waiting will be agony!)

 

Third - after you have patiently let your 'gull aclimatize, you need to report back, with a picture. That will be a great guitar for you - and we hope to see you back here.