If you're reading this, you probably live in a cold place or winter is upon you. Either way, there are a handful of specific things you can do to protect your gear—wood and vacuum tubes in particular —from the extreme temperatures. We'll consider anything below 40°F (4.5°C) "extreme" for now. Readers north of the 40°N latitude line, feel free to laugh.
It's important to remember that cold in itself doesn't do damage—it's the change in temperatures when moving gear in and out of the cold that is the real threat. With that in mind, here are some tips to prevent trips to the repair shop.
If nothing else, remember these three tips when dealing with temperature swings:
- Detune your strings two whole steps if your instrument is going to spend more than five minutes in the cold.
- Leave any instrument containing metal and wood in its case for ten minutes after bringing it in from the cold. Let the metal and wood expand slowly.
- Never turn on a tube amp right away after bringing it in from the cold. Glass (your vacuum tubes) will crack if brought from freezing to glowing warm temps in a short amount of time. Let the amp sit for ten or more minutes.
On the Move in Cold Weather
If you're traveling for gig or band practice, you're gear is likely going to spend timeWhen moving an instrument from warm to cold (or vice versa) always give the instrument ample time to acclimate to the new temperature before opening your case. Also make sure to stuff your case or gig bag with additional insulation to lessen exposure.
When traveling by air, never check your instrument, since airplane cargo areas are normally very cold. Most airlines will allow you to carry on.
Shipped Instruments
In particular, if an instrument has been shipped in cold weather, always allow at least 24-48 hours before opening the case. Exposing the instrument to sudden change can cause the finish to check and the body to warp.
For sellers who are shipping out, try to delay sending an instrument to or from locations that are experiencing extreme cold or heat. For buyers, please be patient this time of year.
Storing Gear at Home
Generally speaking, dry environments are the enemy of tone woods. Dry conditions will cause wood to shrink which can make your instrument prone to cracking.
When not playing, we recommend keeping guitars and other instruments in their cases, ideally with an in-case humidifier to ward off any dry air. When storing outside a case, be sure to keep them away from furnace vents, drafty windows and exterior doors. Dedicated guitar humidifiers are a great solution, but a general humidifier for the whole room will work as well.
Lastly, don't overlook string tension, which should remain normal for any instrument that's used regularly. For instrument stored beyond 2-3 months, we suggest loosing tension around 2 steps down (from E to C, A to F and so on, for instance).