Tubes and cold weather

Here's the deal, my band is playing a little party gig this weekend and we'll be playing outside at night. Problem is, it's supposed to be in the low 40's/30's. I don't think it's gonna get that low until we're through playing, but I'm still a little worried about my tubes. Will they be fine as long as I give them time to get good and warm before playing, and give them plenty of time to cool off before loading the amp up? I do this anyway, but I just want to know if I should be worried about the cold or not. I know that doesn't seem cold to most of ya'll, but remember I live in the deep humid south where that's cold to us.

I think you will be fine, just don't get em wet !!!
After all they generate their own heat and as long as you give em the normal amount of time to get up to temperature / col off before applying the old HT I cant imagine any real trouble !

HT?

That's what I thought, but wanted to make sure. Thanks dude! Now to keep the fingers and strings warm...

[font=trebuchet ms]Gloves with the fingers cut off work well for fretting hands, and light work gloves with those little rubber freckles on them make it easier to hang onto your pick, but they're a real drag on the back of the guitar neck, so you need one glove each from two different pairs.

A bigger issue is the thermal effects on your instruments. Guitars do not like fast temperature changes. Sudden temperature change (we call it 'thermal shock' in my business) can ruin the finish and even cause structural damage to the neck and body! :eek:

If there's a [u]secure[/u] place to put them, leave them with the cases wedged open about 1/4 inch to allow them to match the ambient temperature. Be sure to tune up about half an hour before you play, and then check them again just before you go on. When you finish your set, put them back in the cases with the covers latched. You can then bring them inside, but don't open them up for at least an hour.

Obviously, a trem-equipped axe is not a good choice for an outdoor gig in cold weather.[/font]

HT = High Tension (high voltage) current.

We'll be getting there fairly early and the temp will probably be in the low 60 then, so it will be a gradual decline in temp., so no sudded shock. Plus I don't play trem guitars, so no problem there. I think my hands will be fine once we get started. This gig is going to be more like practicing infront of a bunch of people, so it's not technically a gig. But, I'm still treating it like it's a paying gig.....alway's wanna be my best

Originally Posted by: Dr_simonHT = High Tension (high voltage) current.

oh...ok....gotcha

yeah,you just need to watch out for condensation...the temps you listed shouldnt give you any problems though(it varys with humidity).

Its actually worse for SS amps.Any condensation can easily wreck a circuit board.

Everything turned out ok :cool:

Glad to hear.Having your equipment on your mind can drag your playing down(in my experiences).