Man thats so cold that one pluck of a string and it would shatter like a crystal glass. you wouldn't dare shiver those timbers, the whole thing would come apart and take you with it.
----Danny,

Might want to reschedule that outdoor gig.........

_________________
"C'est parti mon Kiki "

I always take precautions when possible in winter, hate the cold and always worry what it might do to my guitars.

In fact, my 78 Musicmaster has recently been a huge victim of temp change, both hot and cold. In fact I don't even take it out of the house anymore, use my Squier and SX for gigs. Three times in the last year I've gotten the '78 out of the case at a gig and one or more of the strings is dead because the neck "tweaked" out of line again. I used that thing reliably for 15+ years and now not so much, hate to not use it but I can't trust it.

We have a gig on Sat night, supposed to be around zero or so, still cold but not -43.

When I lived in MN and gigged in the winter, it was a nasty business. No matter what, the gear in the band trailer would be frozen solid when we arrived to set up. Though guitars rode in the cab of the truck, -20 gigs were still tough on them. We'd always arrive extra early so everything could thaw out before we started to play! I don't miss those days.

I'm gigging this coming Friday and Sunday. High temps are forecast to be in only the single digits...

_________________
Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

I believe that in Canada the readings are in Celsius thus....
-43 is Celsius not Farenheit...But at that temp they are just about equal numbers...
Here it is about 1 Celsius or 33.8 F....

_________________
"C'est parti mon Kiki "

Don`t let the dog out. If he licks himself his tongue will stick.

_________________

Celsius and Fahrenheit meet at -40 on the dial .
-43ºC converts to -45.4 ºF
Too cold to play at that chilly beach gig!

I had a neck split up under the fretboard, but I think it was more from repeated rapid humidity changes.

_________________
Keep on Truckin, Going full speed ahead down the highway to hades.

Humidity changes can do more harm than cold but excessive humidity can do some truly serious harm when combined with cold. I once left an acoustic guitar out in the trunk of the car overnight at -40 without damage. I knew to warm it up slowly. I brought it into the house and left it in the case for 2 days before opening the case. No damage at all. Electric guitars are much sturdier than acoustic guitars. Typically your guitar's humidity should be lower than factory recommended if you're going to expose it to extreme cold. Here in Alberta, lower than normal is normal.

_________________

Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I remember playing a gig in Pennsylvania once where we had to drive a couple hundred miles in the snow to get there. It was freezing outside but when you got in the club it was hot and packed and sweaty and humid. You walk in the door and it's an instant sauna. Luckily, that was before I picked up a guitar but I remember everyone else being very concerned. Just open up the cases and give everything a little while to breathe.

I can see it now.
----Danny,

If it's finished in lacquer, the cold can cause instant relic'ing. Lots of checking.

_________________
2002 mim Telecaster
Jimmie Vaughan Stratocaster
Mexican HSS Stratocaster
6 non-fender guitars
2 kids (not for sale)
1 wife (uh....no comment)

As a Winnipegger I feel you Nevin. We've learned to hack it, though

My daughters are in Labrador where it is -40C daily without the wind chill factored in. Today on the island the temp was 7C-a heat wave compared to Labrador.The worst thing that you can subject a guitar to is to bring it into a warm,humid
house from a freezing cold car trunk etc.,checking or even warping can happen almost immediately.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.