How cold is too cold to play outside?

[ChrisE]

I was just sitting outside enjoying a nice cool (55 degrees) fall evening and strumming my HD-28 and I started thinking about all the posts I see of people getting a NGD and leaving it in the box or case for 24 hours to "acclimatize" before they open it and wondered if playing outside in 55 degrees will damage my guitar in any way. My guess is no, since I've done it plenty of times before and nothing has ever happened.

I've played gigs outdoors when its 90 degrees and I've played gigs when its 50 degrees and didn't notice any problems.

What about you? What's the coldest temperature you've ever played in and did it damage your guitar at all?

[1Charlie]

I think you are fine at temps above freezing.

Weather checking occurs most often when there are abrupt temperature swings, especially cold to warm.

If I were playing outside in cold weather, I would try to slowly acclimate the guitar to the cold by barely cracking the case open for a while before removing it. Likewise, never open a cold case in a warm room until the case (and the guitar inside) warms up.

[Wade Hampton]

A lot depends on what you’re acclimated to. Living in Alaska as I do, I’ve played outdoors in some fairly cold temperatures. For me it’s comfortable down to about 50 degrees F., but I have to be warmly dressed any colder than that. I’ve also played at colder temperatures than that, but usually not too long.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Mr Bill]

I've never worried about temps with my D-28, but if things are too cold I find the fingers get a little wonky while trying to work the frets!

[AHill]

I think you're fine. It's the rapid transitions between temps that are dangerous. My day job is as a reliability engineer. Gradual transitions from lo to hi or vice versa don't seem to affect reliability as much as rapid ones, where stresses build up faster than the device can react. That's why old filament light bulbs break when you turn them on - most rapid transition from lo to hi temp.

[Glennwillow]

I used to do a lot of live playing for money and I have done quite a few outdoor gigs, some colder than 50°F. My guitar never suffered, but my fingers did. In my experience, I was the limitation for playing in cold weather, not my guitar.

Best of luck!

- Glenn

[Steve DeRosa]

If I need anything heavier than a standard-weight long-sleeve dress/sport shirt to be comfortable - and this includes some indoor gigs I've done (one pastor I worked for insisted on leaving the sanctuary thermostat at 60 degrees year-round - by his own admission, to keep people awake during his [interminable] sermons ) - I'm going to either crank long-and-loud or I'm outta there, period...

[The Bard Rocks]

I believe the rate of change in temperature has more to do with damage/no damage issues than the extremes. I have played in very cold temperatures for short periods but when it reaches the mid 50's and there's no campfire, it is getting time to head indoors.

[steve s]

For what it's worth, I could point out that in the absence of bulk, liquid water there is nothing special about 32-degrees F. That is, any effect of going from 33 to 32, or 32 to 31, is pretty much the same as going from 34 to 33: it's just another one-degree drop. I'm thinking, of course, of effects on the guitar, not your fingers or other body parts.

Steve

[AndrewG]

Too cold? When your fingers can't hold a pick is about as cold as I got, but that was with an electric Blues band, outdoors at night, in December. Not fun!

[Mr. Jelly]

If you have to ask it's to cold.

[rokdog49]

Anything less than 60 degrees Farenheit ain't happenin'.

[Ed-in-Ohio]

I've played outdoor gigs when the temperature was in the upper 30s F (~4C). Low temperature will affect the fingers long before it will affect the guitar.

When playing in these conditions, I think having a good, well insulated case is the key to protecting the guitar. Such a case allows for a drawn out acclimating period when moving the guitar between cool/cold and warm/hot environments.

By the way, since I play a decent number of outdoor gigs throughout the year (in both cold and hot/humid conditions), I recently acquired a carbon fiber guitar (that I really like) that will be my "questionable climatic conditions" instrument of choice moving forward.

By the way, it is now 15F (-9C) here, a record low for the date.

[Robert M]

I remember hearing that Doc Watson would not play if it was 40 or below.
But I think that the cold would effect me before it would hurt the guitar.

[guitargabor]

We have a regular farmers market gig from June until October(st Paul area MN).

Not that concerned with our guitars and we don't play in the winter.

It depends on whether I'm able to chord.I have found that below 55 degrees F,it's a challenge to play properly.

As far as the instruments and amps are concerned,above freezing temps are safe.