playing outside in the cold nite air

Terry Kinnear · From: Erie ,Pennsylvania

played a gig at our local community county fair,from 7-10pm on thursday nite. and was just cool enough to wear a jacket . I figured ,i would be tuning all nite. but i work,in the food equipment industry.so i borrowed a heat bar ,that keeps the food hot,until the waitress,brings you the food. I placed it under the steel players seat, and it keep me warm and the steel from going in and out of tune. everybody else,was wearing jackets, it was nice and comfortable. not to hot,had to take my jacket off.most how do you guys fight off the cold nite air? just wondering.
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Terry Kinnear [ steel wondering]

Dan Galysh · From: Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA

When it gets in the 50s and below, Hot Hands packs help keep my hands warm. I dislike playing in cold weather.

Billy Tonnesen · From: R.I.P., Buena Park, California

AVOID THESE GIGS IMHO they were never worth it. My fingers would stiffen up and I spent the end of the gig strumming across the strings Alvino Rey style with my thumbpick. The whole band would end up out of tune. The last one I played was in 2006 in the Santa Ana river bottom behind the Prado Dam in Corona, Ca.on a cold April night. It was me, Sammy Masters, Carl Walden, and Monte Paul.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

My steel goes high when it gets cold, have to lower it to tune. One evening in october about 2004 it was cold. There was 2 steels on stage we played a verse, put our hands in our pockets and the other would take a verse. We were talking about that day just a couple weeks ago. It is not a good gig to play. If you had to do it. A heated bar and set of heated picks would be nice. Good Luck & Good Steelin

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

last night we played outside on the deck of a country club...golf course...in auburn, ca. it was really miserable. got down into the low 70's and i had to get more cold beer to wash down my garlic fries!

Curt Langston · Posted 11 Sep 2010 6:54 pm

Hey Chris! I lived up in Foresthill Ca. I used to do some mining on the north fork of the American river, down on Horseshoe Bend! Yeah, that was in 1980, when gold was 800.00 an ounce!

Surprised

Jack Francis · From: Queen Creek, Arizona, USA

Cold nights??? What's that?? Rolling Eyes

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Gallien-Krueger MB200 amplifier through an Alessis MicroVerb w/15'Peavey cab.
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Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

You should live in Buffalo. Why the other night, it was so cold a dog got his tongue stuck on my steel guitar leg.

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

"Sunny" Florida is no better. The heat and humidity can deaden a set of strings in a flash. I've got to the point I rarely do "outside" gigs anymore.

Ed Iarusso · From: East Haddam, CT US of A

Played outside last night. Once it gets into the low 60's or so my right hand just doesn't want to work. I always make this point to the band when they want book outside gigs this time of year. I tell them I don't want to do gigs after 5pm outdoors. Once the sun starts going down so does the temperature. Some times they listen. Hey I'm just the steel player. Heaven forbid asking one of the singers to do something they don't like to do

Dave Diehl · From: Mechanicsville, MD, USA

I was playing outside yesterday and had the opposite problem. They sat us directly in the sun and I it was pretty warm. About 15-20 minutes into the set I heard a Pop as a string makes when it breaks but knew it wasn't that. I started looking around and the E9th fretboard had expanded from the direct sunlight and poped up off my wood necks about an 1/8 inch. It went back down after it had been back inside for a while but now I know the adhesive under it is loose. Buddy Charlton once told me he was playing in the sun once and the mica on the front of the guitar bowed out from the guitar about 2 inches.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Last Sun.I played outside at the Alaska State Fair on an outdoor stage while it was misting out,Froze my butt off...It was so cold out that I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets. Laughing

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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

good one, stu!

curt...there's still gold there. a friend of mine owns property just over the hill from the coloma gold discovery site.
foresthill had some talented folk...the forest hillbillies and the stardust cowboys...and that's where i bought my $700 d10 emmons...

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Played a gig in Eureka CA one time that was outside, very hot and very humid. Set up my ZB (at the time) and went up to it maybe an hour later, and the glue on the fretboard failed and the fretboard bowed up around the 12th fret or so, and was touching the bottom of the strings. Had to go into town, get some super glue and glue it back down so I could play. I would rather not play at all than play outside under any conditions.
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Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 54 years and still counting.

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

I played an outside gig last night on Lake Grapevine. It was "on" the lake too, as it was a floating restaurant. It was still 90 degrees when I got home, and had to take a cold shower to cool down.

It was so hot and muggy that I got sick to my stomach.
Every time we did a fast song, the dancers got the whole dance area bouncing up and down, and I got seasick every time I looked at my fretboard.

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

I played at a wedding yesterday in Chickaloon Alaska right next to the Matanuska river,We started out on the front porch of a beautiful Lodge that my friend owns,The sun was Texas bright about 70 degrees just perfect weather,after the ceremony we moved into a huge tent structure that was built for the wedding,At about 9:00pm it got down to 40 degrees and we played until 11:30pm,it had to be 35 degrees when we stopped,The end plates of my guitar were almost frozen and my fingers didn't work anymore...Some one came up to me and asked if was cold?We could see our breath while we were playing,I finally told the band leader that I'm going home.BRrrrrrrrrrrr!!
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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Fooch Fischetti · From: Woodstock, NY US

After a number of cold outdoor gigs in upstate NY through the years, I noticed that I got much colder when I was playing steel than fiddle. I came to the conclusion that the bar was getting cold and acting as a heat sync drawing heat from me.

I came up with a method that has been working pretty good for me. I bring two bars and a thermos of hot water. I keep one bar in the water to get as hot as I can hold comfortably, then I dry it with a towel and switch bars. I find that the warm bar actually warms me a little. I also keep the bar in my pocket instead of leaving it on the steel to cool off when I switch to my other instrument.

If i'm caught by surprise and not prepared, I can often get a cup of hot water from someone selling hot tea to help me get through.

You might think twice before trying this method with a bar that is plated and not solid stainless steel or one with a birthstone.

Ed Iarusso · From: East Haddam, CT US of A

Fooch...that was a bar in your pocket? I thought you were just happy to see me. BTW see you in Norwalk in a few weeks
Ed

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Fooch,I've been using one of those Zirconia bars that seems to pick up heat from my hands,Maybe sitting down is part of the problem? Winking

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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

Fooch Fischetti · From: Woodstock, NY US

Ed, I guess I left myself open for that one Wink

See you in Norwalk!

Stu, I wouldn't begin to suggest how to handle the cold in Alaska, you must have it figured out by now.

Fooch

Stu Schulman · From: Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)

Fooch,next time I'm bringing an electric blanket!I wish we lived closer to each other. Winking

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Steeltronics Z-pickup,Desert Rose S-10 4+5,Desert Rose Keyless S-10 3+5... Mullen G2 S-10 3+5,Telonics 206 pickups,Telonics volume pedal.,Blanton SD -10,Emmons GS_10...Zirctone bar,Bill Groner Bar...any amp that isn't broken.Steel Seat.Com seats...Licking paint chips off of Chinese Toys since 1952.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Come on guys! 40 degrees? We played on a flatbed truck at the end of Cleveland's Winterfest. January 2 or 3. They were carving ice statues in front of the "stage!" It was about 10 degrees! I wore a parka, and fingerless gloves. Every time I exhaled, more ice developed on my mustache. I had to keep reachin' up and crackin' it off! My Kline stayed in tune. It was a miserable gig. The gig from when Hell froze over. I wish it had been 30 or 40 degrees!

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