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Is it bad to store Cabs in the cold ??

bftbassman

bftbassman

Aug 23, 2014
538
593
Yirk PA
#1
looking for an answer to help me with some gear storage. I live in PA and winter is approaching. What affect will it have on my cabs if i have to store in a non heated area ? I have played many winter gigs where we had to transport in the back of my pick up and i would have the cabs in the back and all heads and guitars inside the truck to keep from a drastic temp change. I guess i have 2 questions. Thanks for the Help !!

1) Is the cold bad for the cabs ??
2) How would the cold affect the amp heads ??
 
#3
I'm not a fan of storing gear in the cold. Many will argue that they do it without any negative consequences.

Unlike you car electronics, amps are not built for extreme conditions. Freezing is bad for electrolytic capacitors, they are wet inside.

Rapid changes in temperature is bad. Condensation is bad. When bringing gear in from the cold you have to let it acclimatize and dry out before powering it up. Same goes for taking hot gear into the cold. Thermal shock is not good. Let gear cool down to room temperature before taking it out.
 
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#5
beans-on-toast said:
I'm not a fan of storing gear in the cold. Many will argue that they do it without any negative consequences.

Unlike you car electronics, amps are not built for extreme conditions. Freezing is bad for electrolytic capacitors, they are wet inside.

Rapid changes in temperature is bad. Condensation is bad. When bringing gear in from the cold you have to let it acclimatize and dry out before powering it up. Same goes for taking hot gear into the cold. Thermal shock is not good. Let gear cool down to room temperature before taking it out.
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Thats what i thought might be bad, the temp change causing condensation, thanks !!
 
#6
I've been wrestling with this thought as well. I've been wanting to pickup a Heritage SVT 810, but there is no freaking way that I can get that in and out of my house for gigs by myself. (Too many steps.)

I thought that if it lived in the garage I could load into the back of my wagon okay. The guys can (and do) help me on the gig side.
 
#7
drummer5359 said:
I've been wrestling with this thought as well. I've been wanting to pickup a Heritage SVT 810, but there is no freaking way that I can get that in and out of my house for gigs by myself. (Too many steps.)

I thought that if it lived in the garage I could load into the back of my wagon okay. The guys can (and do) help me on the gig side.
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There are things that you can do to mitigate any damage. Covering the cabinet with a heavy tarp or blanket layers goes a long way to keep it snug. Keeping the garage door sealed with weather stripping helps. If it is super cold for a stretch, bring it in just on those days.
 
#8
drummer5359 said:
I've been wrestling with this thought as well. I've been wanting to pickup a Heritage SVT 810, but there is no freaking way that I can get that in and out of my house for gigs by myself. (Too many steps.)

I thought that if it lived in the garage I could load into the back of my wagon okay. The guys can (and do) help me on the gig side.
Click to expand...
I def would have an 8 x10 if i could but the storage, its funny i am actually totally happy with my Acoustic b200 combo, i mean the thing is so quick and responsive and loud for a combo. I think i get GAS way too much. Its like cars..more..better ..faster..lol...but i am going to finalize my permanent rig (so i say) by putting a micro on top of my combo that i can take back and forth to practice. Looking at Fender Rumble v3 200 or Carvin MB
 
#9
I also worry about the speaker surrounds getting brittle in the cold weather. I have no direct experience of failure nor do I know enough about the low temp characteristics of the foam material used in the surrounds to say that freezing temps are bad for them.

For plastic materials like foam and wire insulation, heat is worse because of off gassing and changes in chemical composition.

Low temps usually cause mixed materials to separate or flexible materials to become temporarily brittle.

Another problem is repeated temperature cycling. This can cause early failure in mechanical joints or crystaline materials like solder or integrated circuits.
 
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#10
I live in nc and coming from living in Chicago for a long time it just doesn't get really cold here. My rig pretty much stays in the garage when it's hear at home year round. Never had any issues since i started doing it. When it comes to basses its different though. I would never keep my basses in a room/band trailor that did not have climate control. Even riding to gigs in town that are 15 minutes from my house my basses go inside the car.
 
#11
Nephilymbass said:
I live in nc and coming from living in Chicago for a long time it just doesn't get really cold here. My rig pretty much stays in the garage when it's hear at home year round. Never had any issues since i started doing it. When it comes to basses its different though. I would never keep my basses in a room/band trailor that did not have climate control. Even riding to gigs in town that are 15 minutes from my house my basses go inside the car.
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Yup, my bass is well protected !! Always kept at room temp best i can, those 100 degree outside gigs freaked me out at first but my Ibby stayed intune and when i got home it was pretty close. having worked with wood alot, if the bass gets to settle in the first few years it should "set" good, but def watch the changing humidity !
 
#12
most of my playing years/decades was in the NE Ohio area ... quite often we had no choice but to leave gear in the truck or out in the garage ... I would always let things 'warm up' for a bit ... or start softly to warm things up ... my worst problems was , ... mice like to find there way into cabs and eat paper cone material ..!! and for a bit I had an aluminum necked Kramer bass that was a nightmare going thru temp extremes ...!! but like most , ... basement , house , ... slightly heated garage would probably be best/safest for all gear ... ( all instruments always went inside ...!! )
 
#13
I moved from Wyoming to Texas, and had to re-think how my gear is stored. Quite a culture change in all aspects. The best of which, is a large population of great musicians to play with. Back to subject, I do worry about heat. I put an Ibby e-acoustic in the trunk on a relatively cool, cloudy day to trade on a Crate BX-220H and Peavey 18 cab. The trunk stays cooler than the car if I have to park for even an instant. The bridge glue failed and it cost me $50 in the trade. We jam at Poppy's, the marina Grill near my home, on the outside deck. Some of my guitars sound like mud by the end of the night, and the amps seems to lose some of their drive. Humid heat, not so good. Up north, watch out for the brittle!
 
#15
missinglink44 said:
I moved from Wyoming to Texas, and had to re-think how my gear is stored. Quite a culture change in all aspects. The best of which, is a large population of great musicians to play with. Back to subject, I do worry about heat. I put an Ibby e-acoustic in the trunk on a relatively cool, cloudy day to trade on a Crate BX-220H and Peavey 18 cab. The trunk stays cooler than the car if I have to park for even an instant. The bridge glue failed and it cost me $50 in the trade. We jam at Poppy's, the marina Grill near my home, on the outside deck. Some of my guitars sound like mud by the end of the night, and the amps seems to lose some of their drive. Humid heat, not so good. Up north, watch out for the brittle!
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Yeah, the 2 extreme climates. I am def going to keep everything inside, my office now is going to be a desk and equipment, now i will never get any real work done..lol
 
#16
Kept my whole bands gear outside in the bed of my F150 all super cold winter 3 years ago. We were playing so many shows we just loaded in & out of my truck all winter & never used our practice space. I had a blanket on top of the gear under the bed cap & a rug on the bed of the truck. The winter was long & hard here in RVA. Not once did anything get wet or warp, sound weird or falter. Guitars, drums, amps & cabs stayed in great condition. I even drove our equipment back & forth to work during the week. The weight in the bed of the truck helped with snow traction.
 
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#17
Golden Rods, are a good small wattage heating rod used in gun safes, etc. The don't generate too much heat, just enough to keep a cab warm if in cold storage areas, wrapped in a movers blanket.
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#18
Well, Metal expands in Heat and contracts in the cold. So theoretically, if you leave a Hartke 215xl in sub zero temperatures overnight, you will likely end up with a 210xl by morning.

Sorry, just trolling a bit. back to the thread.:D
 
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#19
As long as the temperature of the amp doesn't get below freezing, cold isn't a big deal. Dampness.can be a bigger worry. If you've stored it cold, it's probably a good idea to let it warm to room temperature and dry to room humidity before running it.

Of course, 95 times out of 100 there will be no problem even if you take no such precautions.
 

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