My bass sits in a trailer. in the cold.

akaTRENT · #1 02-04-2009, 08:18 AM

Ok Question answered. sorta. not really. please close thread thanks!

stflbn · #2 02-04-2009, 08:20 AM

In the 80's I had multiple Peavey and Ibanez basses that would sit in a school bus outside all winter in below zero weather, and summer in +100 degree weather with no problems. Drive to gigs, load in, open cases, rock...

Not something I'd want to do with vintage instruments, but I feel MANY people over-estimate the durability of most production instruments finishes, or over-worry about these thick durable finishes.

.

akaTRENT · #3 02-04-2009, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stflbn

In the 80's I had multiple Peavey and Ibanez basses that would sit in a school bus outside all winter in below zero weather, and summer in +100 degree weather with no problems. Drive to gigs, load in, open cases, rock...

Not something I'd want to do with vintage instruments, but I feel MANY people over-estimate the durability of most production instruments finishes, or over-worry about these thick durable finishes.

.

My basses almost look vintage the way i rock... ahaha

EBBassMan · #4 02-04-2009, 08:23 AM

Leave it in the case for a while when you get into the club so it warms up more slowly. Other than that you should be fine. AFAIK the cold really affects nitrocellulose finishes much more so than anything else.

akaTRENT · #5 02-04-2009, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBBassMan

Leave it in the case for a while when you get into the club so it warms up more slowly. Other than that you should be fine. AFAIK the cold really affects nitrocellulose finishes much more so than anything else.

Just for the record. I dont care about the finish at all. My basses get used. haha ill post some battle scars.

And thats exactly what i do. I Keep them in hardshell cases. No gig bags.
Should i loosen up the strings a bit though?

andymcclure · #6 02-04-2009, 08:28 AM

Is there a reason you can't simply take the bass out of the trailer? Even if the PA and whatnot stays loaded, I'd pull my bass out and take it home, into the hotel, whatever. If the entire rest of my rig got damaged, stolen, frozen, whatever, that would suck, but it's all production electronics that could be replaced. My basses are each a unique piece of wood (with my own carefully placed scratches and chips) that can never be duplicated.

Up here in MN, we see temps well below zero on a regular basis, and I would never leave my bass out in that. At around 40° though, I tend to stop worrying about the temp so much.

runmikeyrun · #7 02-04-2009, 08:31 AM

I agree with above- 40 and above no big deal, until you get to days where it's 95 and 95% humidity. It's a pain but the extra minute it takes you to bring it in the house is peace of mind.

jaywa · #8 02-04-2009, 08:31 AM

It's your choice whether you care about the finish cracking or not, and as another poster said, sometimes that is out of your control anyway. My 78 P-Bass that I have owned since new has the crappy CBS-era finish so it is all checked and crazed despite my best efforts to take care of it and one major refurb a few years ago.

The bigger issue with the extreme temp changes is playability. Especially the neck relief.

Glad to hear you are using the hardshell cases vs. gig bags, though.

JFace · #9 02-04-2009, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBBassMan

Leave it in the case for a while when you get into the club so it warms up more slowly. Other than that you should be fine. AFAIK the cold really affects nitrocellulose finishes much more so than anything else.

This is probably the best thing you can do in your situation. The biggest issues you might face are rapid changes in neck relief, and condensation forming on the electronics. A steady rate of temperature change would help prevent these.

akaTRENT · #10 02-04-2009, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andymcclure

Is there a reason you can't simply take the bass out of the trailer? Even if the PA and whatnot stays loaded, I'd pull my bass out and take it home, into the hotel, whatever. If the entire rest of my rig got damaged, stolen, frozen, whatever, that would suck, but it's all production electronics that could be replaced. My basses are each a unique piece of wood (with my own carefully placed scratches and chips) that can never be duplicated.

Up here in MN, we see temps well below zero on a regular basis, and I would never leave my bass out in that. At around 40° though, I tend to stop worrying about the temp so much.

See i would love to do that but sometimes well be on the road for a few days in a row

lousybassplayer · #11 02-04-2009, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFace

This is probably the best thing you can do in your situation. The biggest issues you might face are rapid changes in neck relief, and condensation forming on the electronics. A steady rate of temperature change would help prevent these.

+1 on the condensation thing. If you aren't worried about the finish being pretty, thats the only thing I'd be concerned about. Humidity changes are the much larger factor IMO. For temps, its just like guns, let em warm up slowly and wipe off any condensation that you might find.

markkoelsch · #12 02-04-2009, 09:12 AM

If you are gigging that much, and taking your basses from cold to warm and back again, you will need to do setups more frequently. I would strongly suggest learning to do it yourself that way if something needs tweaking during/after a sound check you can do it. The biggest culprits being a change in neck relief, which leads to buzzing/action isues.

JackANSI · #13 02-04-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stflbn

In the 80's I had multiple Peavey and Ibanez basses that would sit in a school bus outside all winter in below zero weather, and summer in +100 degree weather with no problems. Drive to gigs, load in, open cases, rock...

Not something I'd want to do with vintage instruments, but I feel MANY people over-estimate the durability of most production instruments finishes, or over-worry about these thick durable finishes.

+1 I leave my BBN5 in the trunk most fo the time, have for the last 7 years. Cold, hot, everything in between. Not a problem with it at all. Its a great instrument, but its no where near top-of-the-line. It handles it just fine.

I have noticed though my bass with the kahler doesn't stay in tune until its up to the room's temp. Thats the springs' fault though.

andymcclure · #14 02-04-2009, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akaTRENT

See i would love to do that but sometimes well be on the road for a few days in a row

Personally, I take the attitude that if I don't have to sleep in the trailer at 20°, then neither does my bass. If I DO have to sleep in the trailer at 20°, well, I might have to re-negotiate the deal.

62bass · #15 02-04-2009, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akaTRENT

See i would love to do that but sometimes well be on the road for a few days in a row

I used to be on the road for a few months in a row. That went on for 15 years. I always brought my bass into the hotel room with me. The backup basses would be loaded in the equipment truck in flight cases and often stayed in there overnight. But I always had a bass that stayed in tune and needed minimal set ups.

xgator4u · #16 02-04-2009, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andymcclure

Personally, I take the attitude that if I don't have to sleep in the trailer at 20°, then neither does my bass. If I DO have to sleep in the trailer at 20°, well, I might have to re-negotiate the deal.

YUP, and I thought I was the only one that felt that way, if you treat your equipment well, your equipment will treat you well.

akaTRENT · #17 02-04-2009, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xgator4u

YUP, and I thought I was the only one that felt that way, if you treat your equipment well, your equipment will treat you well.

i treat my stuff as well as i can. sometimes you cant take the stuff out of the van.

perfektspace6 · #18 02-04-2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andymcclure

Is there a reason you can't simply take the bass out of the trailer? Even if the PA and whatnot stays loaded, I'd pull my bass out and take it home, into the hotel, whatever. If the entire rest of my rig got damaged, stolen, frozen, whatever, that would suck, but it's all production electronics that could be replaced. My basses are each a unique piece of wood (with my own carefully placed scratches and chips) that can never be duplicated.

+1

I may load my gear into my car in cold temps in less than hospitable areas but I typically leave my basses in the club in the safest place I can keep an eye on. That being said, I have traveled long distances with my basses (hard cases) in a trailer in either very hot, humid weather or frigid temps and haven't really noticed anything.

southshoreconor · #19 02-04-2009, 11:06 PM

i actually just brought my 78 p bass out of my band's trailer a couple hours ago. been noodling around on it since. its been in there since friday. usually when we're on the road, we try to bring our guitars into where we're staying, but sometimes we forget, its not the end of the world but not something we like to make a habit of.

Dogbertday · #20 02-04-2009, 11:11 PM

Sleep with it under or in your or next to your bed. Certain instruments I don't really worry about and if you don't care about the finish and it's a solid bass I wouldn't worry about leaving it out. I've left my stuff in VERY cold weather before and it just takes a bit to get used to the new temp.

IMO if you're asking instead of sleeping with it under the covers you should be fine