Bass in the DEEP FREEZE

IanAllison · #1 12-14-2008, 10:12 PM

So guys . . . I'm in a bit of a pickle. Would you give me a little advice?

I am touring with a pianist in the midwest. Currently, due to the apocalyptic blizzard, all highways and interstates are closed and the entire production is STUCK in the Fargo Dome (Fargo, ND). HOWEVER, the semi that carries the gear (which includes my carved upright in a flight case) is 20 miles away - also stuck. It's -15 degrees at the moment and will get up to around -5 degrees tomorrow.

So the Fargo Dome show was cancelled, but we're planning on making the 530 mile drive to Rapid City, SD, for tomorrow evenings gig.

My question is:

Once the bass comes off the truck in the flight case - from subzero temps into room temps - I will only have about 3 hours before I need to play it.

What should I do? I know that I should let it acclimate in the case but is 3 hours enough time? Should I rent a bass in Rapid City?

This predicament is stressing me out. Big time. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

Warmly,

Frozen Bass

Fetusyolk · #2 12-14-2008, 10:16 PM

cry. I'd be horrified of what might happen.

best of luck to you, i don't know but i'm sure youll get some great advice. Best wishes

newbold · #3 12-14-2008, 10:16 PM

Is your bass a significant collectors' item?

Zombbg4 · #4 12-14-2008, 10:32 PM

Can you get a loaner?

IanAllison · #5 12-14-2008, 10:45 PM

All done crying - moving onto options here!

The bass isn't a collectors item. But it sounds great and I love it dearly. I'm sure I'll have to repair it in some fashion, but that's an expectation I live with as a touring bassist.

So - in your opinion, how much time should the bass have to acclimate from -15 to 70 (room temperature)? I'll only have 2 - 4 hours.

Maybe I should get a loaner - that's a great idea - I'll check on that.

Has anyone had experience of this kind?

DeepCalls2Deep · #6 12-14-2008, 10:52 PM

Stumbling in from the eb forums (please don't hate me!) but this would probably be a universal issue for any musician...

My advice is to try to find a loaner or rent one, simply because you have no clue the shape your bass will be in after being in such a harsh climate. Not to mention if you try to force the acclimation process, it could get ugly.

just in my opinion.

TroyK · #7 12-14-2008, 11:05 PM

We've had a freakish rash of lost EBGers stumbling in here and giving good advice. A sign of the apocalypse?

Let us know how it turns out. We all wish you the best.

DeepCalls2Deep · #8 12-14-2008, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TroyK

We've had a freakish rash of lost EBGers stumbling in here and giving good advice. A sign of the apocalypse?

Let us know how it turns out. We all wish you the best.

well I wouldn't say I was "lost" per say, I just happened to see the thread on the homepage

But yes, armageddon is at hand!

well, maybe not... I personally feel a bass player of any sort is a brother in arms so to speak, and if I could help, I will...

svenbass · #9 12-14-2008, 11:12 PM

Oh man, I hope things work out for the best - I hesitate to take my bass out in that type of weather, even for local gigs.

I'd probably have a backup lined up, and call a luthier for advice in the morning.

Keep us posted!

Jake deVilliers · #10 12-15-2008, 12:05 AM

That's a pretty rapid rise in temperature but with any luck , the humidity will still be low.

In my experience its the rapid growth of the wood from rapid hydration, rather than the rise in temperature, that's responsible for damage. Usually its the thick finish that cracks, not the wood.

If you can give the bass a couple of hours in the bag maybe, (not the case) then take it out and warm it all the way up, you should be alright. Good luck!

LouisF · #11 12-15-2008, 12:11 AM

I had a slightly similar experience like this when I was touring with my one man show in upstate NY. I think Jake is right - the humidity is more of an issue than the actual temp... so...

Check out the stage... with lights etc and probably some sort of HVAC heating it'll probably be much drier than the truck. Maybe keep a dreaded
dampit nearby.

Give it as much time as possible to acclimate.

Louis

bejoyous · #12 12-15-2008, 07:39 AM

Well, I've heard DrRod keeps his bass in the car in Thunder Bay instead of dragging it upstairs to his apartment.

There'll probably be a few cracks, but it won't be a catastrophe. It might cost you a few dollars, though. Many basses have survived several wars, floods, smoke filled rooms and have been carried around in the back of horse drawn wagons down dirt roads, etc. One of my old basses was delivered to the luthier in a garbage bag full of splintered pieces before it was re-assembled and it sounded great after it was repaired. (I wonder where it is now??)

I've found a bass always sounds better after it has been repaired. When caused by temperature or humidity, cracks usually appear where the wood is weak or where there was stress. The repair strengthens that spot or removes the stress.

I have a crack in my bottom bout. It was repaired with a cleat at each end and hide glue in the rest of it. The cleats are still there but the crack has reopened. Now I leave it open and it acts a a pressure relief spot for the whole instrument. The size of the crack varies with the season.

When you get the bass out of the truck, leave it in the bag for the three hours while it warms up. That'll slow the temperature transition and hopefully prevent condensation on the finish.

Jsn · #13 12-15-2008, 07:46 AM

The trick will be to bring it up to temperature in an ambient rather than isolated fashion. The cold itself is less of a problem than you might imagine. Cargo bays in planes are often unheated, and it can get dang cold in there.

If you can, prepare a "cold room" for arrival..i.e., open a window in a room so it gets close to the outside conditions in temp and humidity. Rush the bass in there, case and all, then gradually close the window over the course of about a half hour. Keep the HVAC as low as possible. After about an hour, take the bass from the case. Spend the rest of the time ramping up the room conditions, as slowly as possible.

Three hours should be plenty of time. The key is to warm up the bass's context, not just the bass itself. It's avoiding the "shock" of a strong differential between temperatures that makes a big difference.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

billyfalconer · #14 12-15-2008, 01:18 PM

Whatever you do, loosen the strings asap to let the body shift around for a bit. Not so loose that you drop the sound post, though.

paganjack · #15 12-15-2008, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

In my experience its the rapid growth of the wood from rapid hydration, rather than the rise in temperature, that's responsible for damage. Usually its the thick finish that cracks, not the wood.

+1.

i would expect that the humidity change could be more problematic as well. Wood will change to some degree with temperature, but the change from 5% humidity outside (it's gonna be LOW with the temperatures around here right now) to whatever the room you'll be in is pretty big. I would say try and alleviate the change by providing an intermediary room as someone else suggested. Loosening the strings might not be a bad idea either if you don't mind retuning again before the show. the instrument is going to expand some with the massive temperature/humidity increase, so removing some of the tension off the neck would probably help.

hope it works out OK for you. I've had some nasty problems with my cello from the weather in the midwest. the bass should hold up a little better, but be as gentle as you can be.

Martin Sheridan · #16 12-15-2008, 01:46 PM

My last shop was in Iowa. I converted my garage into my workshop. Iowa is hot and humid in the summer and extremely cold and dry in the winter. I had a wood stove in the shop, and in the winter the first month I used electric heaters to keep the temperature so it wouldn't get too cold.
After seeing, gasping, and paying the first electric bill on those space heaters I shut them off.

There were times I was on the road for more than a week in both summer and winter with no AC in the shop in the summer and no heat in the winter. Believe it not, I never had a problem with a single one of my instruments. I have also left my instruments in my van in all kinds of weather, very cold and hot. I always worried more about them because of the heat and accompanying humidity than the cold.

I'd still try to take the bass somewhere, like the concert hall basement, where the temperature should be moderate if it's not heated, take it there first and then into the room where you're playing.

Let us know how it turns out. I agree wtih Jake that I'd be more concerned about the lack of humidity than the temperature.

**Jeremy Allen** · #17 12-15-2008, 05:08 PM

Just to buck the trend, my prediction is that the bass will be completely fine.
I think the airline comment is important to note: when we fly, the bass in the flightcase is in an unheated cargo bay (AFAIK) and the temperature at thirty thousand feet is something like -30 F. You should be glad you've got it in a flightcase, I would think!

jjmartone · #18 12-15-2008, 05:31 PM

This reminds me of when I was a little kid and I used to keep those siamese fighting fish as pets. Anyway, you never pour the fish directly into the tank, you keep it in the little baggie and let the water in the baggie acclimate to the water in the tank. Of course this is a much more serious situation than imploding fish. I don't have any advice but Good luck!

**Damon Rondeau** · #19 12-15-2008, 05:53 PM

In Winnipeg today it's about -40 C factoring in the windchill. That's not too uncommon for this time of year.

I doubt you'll have any trouble at all with your bass. Your flight-case might have some problems. Seriously, if it has any plastic moving parts -- such as some kinds of clasps and hinges -- they can become very brittle at these temps.

BPeder · #20 12-15-2008, 06:51 PM

might be kind of a slow way to get a response to what seems to be sort of an emergency situation. Call your luthier. Or call one of the "big three", Gary at Upton, Arnold at New Standard or Ken Smith. I bet they would be happy to give you advice.

The paperwork that came with my Upton Hybrid gave a simple rule of thumb. If the climate would be unhealthy for a child, it's unhealthy for a stringed instrument... Does your bass really have to ride in the cold truck?

Best of luck to you friend, I bombed back and forth across I-94 for many years in all seasons and I know only too well what you're up against. I had a bottle of red wine freeze solid in our old GMC tour coach one winter. It was weather like that that indirectly took the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. I'm sure it won't come to that for you but be careful all the same.