Playing Outside - Freezing Cold

bern

Member
Hello,

I am playing outside tomorrow and it is gonna be cold (about -2°C that is 29°F).

There are 2 hours between Soundcheck and Showtime. Is it better the leave the AXE III on all the time (to avoid condensed water) or switch it off?

thanks
Bern
 
I would switch off any gear and turn it on when using it, myself. That's a cold environment to play with, especially for the fingers, didnt' they provide any heaters?
 
My experience:

Played in a place called Little Bear in the mountains. Even for Colorado, we had a huge snowstorm the same day and we expected very little audience. We were right. 8 people in the place. The owners of the venue (in their wisdom) decided it wasn't worth heating the place. It was minus something outside, and somewhere in the low 20's in the bar. I had a Standard in those days, and I just left it on for those 4 hours...no problems.

Funny thing is, we all had a great time with those folks. And I learned that I can play guitar with 1/2 finger gloves.

I wouldn't worry about it. Leave it running.

Edit: Oh yeah. BRING EXTRA STRINGS. I broke 3 in that cold.
 
I would think the Axe would generate some heat (why else would there be a fan). I say leave it on. Perhaps drape something over the display (wonders if that might be the most at risk part) or maybe put a cardboard box over during the wait period, creating a tent like environment.

It doesn't take much cold to make your fingers get clumsy in a hurry. Good luck!
 
As with any electronic gear, it is best to turn them on and leave them on for the duration, because heat builds up in the unit, and when it is turned off, cold air rushes in, causing condensation. It could short if it's turned back on too soon. For that reason, I turn my AXE on at the beginning of the gig and turn it off at the end.
 
I played outdoors on NYE 2010 and it was 05°F. I believe I was still on the Ultra back then, but it performed fine with ZERO issues. I spent a few days trying acclimate my guitars to the temps, but not enough time allowing then to readjust to inside temps; lots of finish cracks resulted. Give your guitars ample time to get used to colder and then warmer temps. My Fractal was flawless... my fingers in 05°F temps, were not.:confused:
 
Did an outdoor gig once with temps in the 20s. Lawd have mercy! Never again. Of course 2 short slots would probably be doable.
 
Yuck. Outdoor gigs in freezing weather are a no-win situation. Not only will your fingers get too cold to play, but your guitar will quickly get just as cold. To get an idea of what that's going to be like, pick up a three-foot-long icicle, wrap your left hand around it, and go through the motions of playing it for a three-minute song.
 
That seems cruel and unusual...at least some heaters should be provided near the stage. And if the musicians are uncomfortable, what about the audience? Even bundled up I sure wouldn't want to stand around too long watching a band! :grimacing:
 
Hey. I survived :). I bought gloves at a DIY Market and cut off the fingertips to hold my pick and it worked. I could even do palm mutes!

AXE III worked fine but it was not possible to use the tuner on the FC12 because the display was getting so slow (I assume because of the low temperature). I used a clip tuner I had with me.  .jpg
 
Hey. I survived :). I bought gloves at a DIY Market and cut off the fingertips to hold my pick and it worked. I could even do palm mutes!

AXE III worked fine but it was not possible to use the tuner on the FC12 because the display was getting so slow (I assume because of the low temperature). I used a clip tuner I had with me. View attachment 61619
Hey, I'm glad you made it out alive. :)

How long did you have to play?
 
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