Uke's in Car's

U

uke_rob

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 5, 2011
Messages
94
Reaction score
0
Location
London, England
I need my Uke after work tomorrow, so to save going home then back on myself to where I need to go, I was just going to pack the Uke in the car. However I don't know if this will potentially ruin it in anyway.

Most things are best kept out of direct sunlight and I get that. I have a carry case for the Uke, although it's black so will soak up the heat. I can keep it in the boot (Trunk) but then it'll get hot in there.

I might well be worrying about nothing here, but I just don't want it ruined . Has anyone suffered from a damaged Uke this way? Or any tips.

Thanks
 
Solid wood or laminate? I used to have a laminate Ohana that I left in the car for long periods pretty often, with no ill effects. I don't do that with my Kamakas though - if I need my uke after work, I bring it to my office with me and stash it under my desk.
 
janeray1940 said:
Solid wood or laminate? I used to have a laminate Ohana that I left in the car for long periods pretty often, with no ill effects. I don't do that with my Kamakas though - if I need my uke after work, I bring it to my office with me and stash it under my desk.
Click to expand...

Yeah, bring it inside.

Best advice that I tell customers is to treat your instrument like a baby or a puppy. So no leaving it locked in the trunk ;)
 
Generally speaking, it would not be a good idea to put it in the trunk if it is going to get hot in there. There have been lots of ukes damaged in this way, I know because I have reglued a lot bridges.

Brad
 
I live in north central Texas and have even stopped my porch concert series because the heat affecting my mainland. It's too hot here.
 
Whenever I need to take an instrument with me during a work day, I always take it into the office – generally, only bad things can happen when left in the car (theft, the negative effects of heat or cold, etc.) The up-side is that when I carry it in, it always leads to good, fun discussions. And I don't have to worry about it during the day.
 
Take it in to work with you. Your ukulele thanks you!
 
Never leave a uke in the car!! Bring your uke inside at work. You never know...people might want you to play and then you will have an official gig! Getting paid to play the uke!!
 
A uke is not quite like a live animal as it doesn't need to breath. Insulation is the key. Think about it this way. You can keep a six pack of beer cold all day in a cooler that's in the trunk of your car. You don't want your uke to get too hot or be subject to wildly fluctuating temperature extremes, but there are ways to regulate temperature even in the trunk of your car. I've left my uke in the care while it's in a case just wrapped in blanket for a couple hours in the hot sun. When I opened the case up the uke was still just about the same temp as when I left it although the case was starting to feel a tad warm. I'm sure a well insulated ice chest or an envelope made of insulation would have fared better.
 
Thanks people for the sound advice.

Janeray - Laminate one. It's a Mahalo .

Moonlight - I see your point of view. In the future I might consider something along those lines.

I could bring it into work I guess. I work in a factory. One things for sure is I wouldn't be confident enough to pull out the Uke and play to a crowd ;) Maybe I will put the uke in a bag and smuggle it in and hope no one ask's what I'm hiding. I just don't fancy leaving it on the back seat soaking up the sunshine or in the boot/trunk. Thankfully theft wouldn't be an issue, I hope!
 
Regardess of what it is, If I want t protect it from sunlight coming into the car, I place it in the rear floor well and cover it with my silver foil windshield reflector if I can't take it with me for a while. Plus, no one can see what' under the reflector.
 
If you have a safe place to keep it at work by all means take it in with you. I know that isn't always the case. If there isn't a safe place inside to keep it, a laminated uke like a Mahalo will be fine if you take reasonable care to keep it out of direct sunlight and, as someone mentioned, wrap it up a bit. Unless, of course, you work in the middle of a desert or something. :)

John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

diasuke
car/garage/outside Uke
Replies
16
Views
1K
chris667
chris667
C
  • Poll
uke vs car price
Replies
16
Views
790
Graham Greenbag
G
hendulele
Car uke: Outdoor, Enya, or (shudder) Waterman?
2 3
Replies
58
Views
7K
GF1
GF1
Q
A better plastic uke for my car? :^)
2 3
Replies
53
Views
5K
Arcy
Arcy
D
Car uke sugestions
2
Replies
23
Views
2K
delmar500
D
Top Bottom