I've got a small dilemma that maybe someone here could help out with. I'm leaving for a long road trip tonight, but before that I have a show. Thing is, I'd really need to have everything packed and ready to go before the show - lots of musical gear, and it's about -10C out there. If I pack it before, it'll be sitting in the trunk for four or five hours.

Would this be taking a huge risk with the stuff?

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I don't think 4 or 5 hours will kill anything. People play shows throughout the winter and keep their gear stored in unheated trailers on tour.

Not that I say this means cold has NO effect and I know this will sound absurd and I don't recommend it to anyone, but I once left my cheap as shit pa/amp head outside over a winter because I was going to throw it out. I ended up trying it out after it sitting under snow and ice and a few huge rain storms and it still worked! Haha

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I'm sure it will be fine. The guitars will most likely go out of tune but, like Exhumed said, bands tour in the dead of winter all the time and don't have heated trailers. Throw some wool blankets or something over everything, too.

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Well, thanks for the reassurances! Turned out I didn't have any bloody choice about leaving it in the car for a few hours, but it seems like everything is still doing what it's supposed to.

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I'm probably way too late posting this, but perhaps it will be useful information to anyone else who reads this sub-forum.

If your guitar/bass has been out in the cold for a long time, leave it IN THE CASE for at least 15 minutes after bringing it into the venue you're playing at, or after bringing it home or whatever. It can be very hard on an instrument to be in extreme cold one moment, then be brought out into a warm room moments later. Years ago, one of my fathers guitarists drove for two hours to a gig in -50 ºC (-58 ºF) and when he got to the venue they were playing at, he took his strat right out of the case and started tuning up. Luckily it was only the neck that warped and had to be replaced.

The best thing to do is bring your case(s) into the venue, set it down on the stage or wherever, open the latches, and prop the lid up with something like a cigarette pack or a lighter or whatever, just to open it slightly, about an inch or so. That way the indoor temperature will get in slowly and the instrument won't be exposed to the warmth suddenly. It should be okay after about 10-15 minutes.

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That's some good advice, thanks for that one. As it turned out I lucked out on this particular occasion; the temperature was hardly a degree below freezing for most of the day so nothing horrible happened this time around.

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No problem man. I'd hate to see anyone make the same mistake and end up with a warped neck or cracked body or something.

Same thing goes for tube amps. If the head has been out in the cold for a while, bring it inside but don't turn it on for at least 20 minutes. The tubes will be cold, and if you turn the amp on they will warm up too fast and you'll probably end up with spider web cracks. Same thing when you leave the venue. Turn your amp off and let them cool for a while (maybe 15 minutes) before bringing the head out into the cold. Just load all the other shit first and leave the head until the last moment.

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I'll be having the same dilemma for I'm having a long drive this weekend too. I'll try the same tips here.

These new bots are fucking clever lol.

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