Advice needed: Touring during the Winter months

[MesaGod666]

This one goes out to all the road warriors out there. It looks like my band is going to keep gigging throughout the wintertime so it looks like my gear may experience some exposure to freezing temperatures. We'll be traveling throughout MN, ND, SD, IA, MO, WI, and IL mainly.

How do I keep my gear from being damaged while on the road during the cold months?
I'll be bringing my rack on the road, but am thinking about bringing only my Mark V head. If I bring the rack, what do I need to do to make sure I don't blow it up?

Please let me know what your experiences are and how to successfully do this without damaging gear (guitars/amps).

 

[screamingdaisy]

1) Road cases. So long as they're not shoddy boxes with big gaps they will allow the air inside the box to cool and heat up slower than if you were to just drag the amp inside/outside unprotected.

2) Don't move an amp with hot tubes outside.

 

[MrMarkIII]

Do not leave a guitar in a truck out in freezing temps under any circumstances. Unless you let it warm back up very slowly, like all day, the finish will expand at a different rate than the underlying wood, and you will get "checking", very fine spider web cracks running through the finish.
To say nothing of massive tuning problems of cold instruments in warm rooms.
As for electronics, the big deal is condensation, moisture forming on cold surfaces exposed to temps less cold than the surface in question. Doesn't take much. Rust never sleeps, even inside road cases.
The big problem is getting to the gig late, and having to unload and set up in a hurry. You need hours, not minutes, to properly acclimate your gear.
The drums won't stay in tune, either.
Good luck, and remember Murphy's Law.

 

[zodiac272]

If you have a U-haul truck, it might not take much energy to keep the temp above freezing. Maybe a few lights turned on or a ceramic heater or two with a gentle heat could keep the cargo area about 50 F or so. For survival in your car, if you are stuck overnight in freezing weather, one candle will keep the interior cabin of a medium sized car at about 50 F. I have never tried any of these things though.

scott

 

[YellowJacket]

Do not leave a guitar in a truck out in freezing temps under any circumstances. Unless you let it warm back up very slowly, like all day, the finish will expand at a different rate than the underlying wood, and you will get "checking", very fine spider web cracks running through the finish.
To say nothing of massive tuning problems of cold instruments in warm rooms.
As for electronics, the big deal is condensation, moisture forming on cold surfaces exposed to temps less cold than the surface in question. Doesn't take much. Rust never sleeps, even inside road cases.
The big problem is getting to the gig late, and having to unload and set up in a hurry. You need hours, not minutes, to properly acclimate your gear.
The drums won't stay in tune, either.
Good luck, and remember Murphy's Law.

Great advice! I remember doing a show once in -30 weather. We got there seriously early and left the gear in cases for a good 30min before opening any of it. Living in Canada, I have had my fair share of shuttling gear around in the snow and I never had any problems. Truthfully, we never went terribly far in that weather. As long as the weather stays above zero (american), it shouldn't be that bad but it is when it gets colder, things get dicey.

 

[MesaENGR412]

We went on tour in Feb. in MN, ND, SD, IA and KS. We went clear up to Minot, ND and it was -21 degrees outside when we were loading out. Just pack warm for yourself and try to keep the moisture from condensation wiped down around your electronics when you bring them inside to the heat. Our gear was fine inside our trailer, never had any tube or electrical issues. Guitars were fine as well, no neck warp or anything. Make sure you wipe down the strings though, the condensation can make them corrode faster.

I had never seen snow piled up to the roofs of single story houses before until we got to North Dakota....that was intense. Another thing...MAKE SURE you have GOOD tread on your back tires of whatever you are driving. Our van's back tires were on the way out, and we had difficulty maneuvering from a stand still in some of the deeper snow (Got stuck in a driveway of a friend's house we were staying at on the first night of tour and to get us out involved a "skid steer" (Bobcat), ice picks, and taking the trailer off while loaded to get the van turned around and then spinning and re-hitching the trailer on the van).

-AJH

 

[boogieman60]

I use a small ceramic heater in the van or truck and have had good success with that. I live in northern NH and it can get cold up here. So if I have an overniter I Just plug in that little heater set it on top of a good firm surface, set it on MED. And everything stays warm. Including Me when I get in the van.