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Topic: Lowest RoomTemperature Without Hurting Steel |
Paul King
From:
Gainesville, Texas, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 12:30 pm |
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| Winter is here and I was asked a question at church this morning. What is an acceptable room temperature for instruments without causing any damage? I sometimes leave mine at church and I know others who do the same or at other venues. The Pastor suggested 58 degrees farenheit but I would think a little warmer would be better. I need some input on what you guys and gals think is best. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Bob Cox
From:
Buckeye State
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 12:42 pm
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| What you run into is trying to keep it in tune with the constant up and down temps. 58 is ok but later 72 will cause it to have to probably be retuned so make sure it has been warm for a while . Sometimes laying your hands across the strings for a couple minutes before you tune help stabilize the tuning process |
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Peggy Green
From:
San Jose, California USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 1:28 pm
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Hi Paul Lacquer finishes crack in the extreme cold. If you have a wood body guitar you'll end up with a lot of those lacquer finish cracks.
Last edited by Peggy Green on 30 Dec 2012 3:11 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 1:31 pm
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| I once played for the closing of the Cleveland Winter Festival. Flatbed trailer, ice-sculpting right in front of us. Less that 10 degrees. No problem with the mica Kline, but I wouldn't expose a lacquer guitar to that without a long period of acclimation before and after. Had an old banjo completely check in cold weather. Inside? 58 should be no problem at all. |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 2:32 pm
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| I'm sure my music room gets down below 58 every night, but I keep the humidity pretty constant (@40-45%) and never have any problems with any of the many instruments in there, tuning or otherwise. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 3:12 pm
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I'm with those who say the only concern is lacquer finishes.
My Zum, and the push-pull before it, both mica, tolerated excursions into sub-zero temps quite well.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Doug Palmer
From:
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 3:21 pm Cold Temps
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Cold should not hurt your guitar. The key is to let it warm up slowly to room temperature.
_________________
Emmons D-10, ST-10,LD-10 III, NV-112,Fender Deluxe Reverb. Authorized wholesale dealer musicorp.com! |
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Paul King
From:
Gainesville, Texas, USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 6:11 pm
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| Thanks for the input. My steel is a formica finish so I should be ok. That being said, the owner would have a problem in a constant 58 degree setting. Me and cold just do not get along too well. |
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Billy Webb
From:
Oroville, Cal. USA
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Posted 30 Dec 2012 9:26 pm low temp, & lacquer guitar finish:
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| I played a gig in Churchill,Manitoba back in NOV. 1970, We flew in from Winnipeg at night and when we landed, with the wind chill factor it was -85 degrees. My six string was in the cargo bay, and needless to say, it done a number on the guitars finish, but didn't seam to hurt the guitars playability. BILLY WEBB. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 1 Jan 2013 2:02 pm
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| As others have alluded, it depends on the guitar. Cold weather can normally cause two problems, finish cracking and tuning instability. However, it can also cause increased degradation of the finish of metal parts, due to the moisture that builds up repeatedly when your warm hands contact cold metal. |
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