dhanners623 Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I've been playing for years but here's a question I've never really given much thought to: Is there a temperature below which you won't play your guitar outdoors? I'm part of an arts showcase tonight in Kuwait. We're playing on the rooftop of a building. I go on at 5 p.m., and the forecast says it will be 55 degrees F (13 C) with a "feels like" temperature of 53. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 13 degrees C is certainly not too cold. We've had summer days at 13° here in Ireland 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 When about the guitars, humidity would be a more important factor, but I guess I myself wouldn't be comfortable with playing guitar at 13°C respectively 55°F for an extended period regardless of humidity. Too cold for my fingertips I think... :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 At the temperature you've mentioned, all will be fine, but there will be a definite shift to playing less detailed songs- more towards chord jamming. I'd rather be playing a beater- a fallen good guitar that has had a rough and tumble past, rather than some engineered guitar-like object meant to play (almost) in the rain. If it's that bad, we wouldn't be out there, anyhow. The biggest threat would be the campfire jam- some volatile conditions that change over the course of inches. Feel the top, and back off if necessary. Not for the cream puff guitar. Another vote here for the having more than one guitar category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 I can either take my new J-35 or my Epiphone IB'64 Texan. I don't particularly "baby" my guitars -- they are tools built to be played -- but I do take good care of them and I also don't want to needlessly subject them to adverse conditions. When I lived in Minnesota, I never had to worry about playing outside in the winter.... The forecast humidity at 5 p.m. is 40 percent. I'm supposed to play a 25-minute set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 At the temperature you've mentioned, all will be fine, but there will be a definite shift to playing less detailed songs- more towards chord jamming. I'd rather be playing a beater- a fallen good guitar that has had a rough and tumble past, rather than some engineered guitar-like object meant to play (almost) in the rain. If it's that bad, we wouldn't be out there, anyhow. The biggest threat would be the campfire jam- some volatile conditions that change over the course of inches. Feel the top, and back off if necessary. Not for the cream puff guitar. Another vote here for the having more than one guitar category. That photo is the DA's prime exhibit in a case of " Axe Murder"."The prosecution rests, Your Honor". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 That photo is the DA's prime exhibit in a case of " Axe Murder"."The prosecution rests, Your Honor". Indeed, I can almost hear the moisture being sucked out of the guitar.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 55 degrees wouldn't be an issue for me; 40 degrees would be pushing it. Truthfully, I worry more about extreme heat. In either case, in your position, I'd be inclined to play the Epi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I have played outdoor gigs (albeit with those tall propane heater dealios going) with temps as low as 45 degrees F. It's a real challenge keeping the guitars in tune, I guess that's the main thing. Amplifiers and PA heads are happy in the cold. Singing is no problem either. But guitars go out of tune really quickly. :unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I have played outdoor gigs (albeit with those tall propane heater dealios going) with temps as low as 45 degrees F. It's a real challenge keeping the guitars in tune, I guess that's the main thing. Amplifiers and PA heads are happy in the cold. Singing is no problem either. But guitars go out of tune really quickly. :unsure: True enough. It's always a problem, but less if you're performing solo😕 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted December 10, 2016 Author Share Posted December 10, 2016 Played the gig and, as usual, worried over nothing. Took the J-35. Hands got chilly but the guitar did just fine. Stayed in tune. I wouldn't want to play in weather that was much colder, though.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainpicker Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I think the famous Beatles rooftop concert was in temperatures colder than 55. No acoustic guitars present though, if memory serves. I would think it's more about your fingers being able to function than what the guitar can handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Temperature isn't as great an issue as rapid and large CHANGES in temperature. If your guitar is out in the cold, put it back in the case and leave it in the case when you bring it into a warmer environment. Don't take it out of the case and allow the instrument to warm to room temperature while inside the case. If you have frostbite or hypothermia, you don't warm yourself up rapidly, you do it slowly to avoid damage. Same with guitars. Campfires in frigid temperatures should be avoided with solid wood instruments. Take a laminate guitar instead. A warm top (facing the fire) and a cold back spells disaster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Played the gig and, as usual, worried over nothing. Took the J-35. Hands got chilly but the guitar did just fine. Stayed in tune. I wouldn't want to play in weather that was much colder, though.... Good to hear all went well☺ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 I don't play any of my good wooden guitars outside in the winter, but I have played a Rainsong I owned outside in very frigid weather. When I play farmers markets in the early spring and late fall, I bring a cheap wooden guitar if the temps are cold. ......Timely thread having to do with temperature. Last weekend, several of us were playing around a fireplace in a brewery. I was a good 15ft away, at the edge of the semi circle. There was a gal with a Yamaha who was sitting right near the fireplace. We heard a popping sound and it was the top of her guitar. It split. Never seen that happen before. Heard of it happening. It's very cold here and she had just come in. She opened her case and squeezed-in on a chair close to the heat. I'm guessing that if her guitar had been allowed to adjust to the change in temps from outside to inside before she huddled-up next to the fire that maybe her guitar would not have cracked. I figure that whatever the weather was outside, she was just too close to the fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docr Posted November 16, 2020 Share Posted November 16, 2020 Due to the Corona situation we have "extended" the open air rehearsals up to now - sunshine, not too dry, 7 to 12 degrees centigrade (location in Bavaria, Germany). My experience of the last two weekends is that the week point are the musicians, not the instruments. After about 2 hours the right hand gets so cold that holding the plectrum can be difficult and as written above you have to change to songs with a simple chord stucture. The other topic is the clothing - ski underwear can help 🙂. No problems with the guitars - we have no campfire or infrared heater, just the remaining sun which is not very powerful here in November. I have used a Gibson Dove and a Martin D28 - gave both some time for acclimatization in the case when I brought them out of the rehearsal room and back. One time some light rain started, that was the signal to pack the Gibson back and switch to a Harley Benton Acoustic. Tuning was never a problem after a first "basic" tuning when we started. As the situation with limitation of contacts exspecially in rooms seems to stay around winter time we have to work to improve our outdoor rehearsal "room" to extend the period at least until the first snow comes - playing some Christmas Blues songs 🙂 - or "Christmas Time´s A´Coming" ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.