Members pogo97 Posted December 13, 2017 Members Share Posted December 13, 2017 I sometimes leave my piano in the back of the van if I have back-to-back gigs. My old piano put up with that like a champ and still works fine. Now I have a new piano and I'm wondering: have any of you had an equipment failure as a result of bringing a very cold instrument into a warm playing environment. I live in southern Canada and it's coming on winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 Very interesting question. I never have... but I live in Southern California. I suppose it would depend in part on how cold the piano is allowed to get, and how fast it heats up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted December 13, 2017 Author Members Share Posted December 13, 2017 It's partly the reheating and it's partly the possibility of condensation (or frost!). I know there are dangers, but there are dangers in the unloading and putting away process, too. Mostly banging it into things. I lived in central Yukon for awhile and one time, after carrying my dobro three miles to my neighbour's cabin at -30°f, I opened the case and it was immediately covered in frost. After that, I let it warm up in the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kbeaumont Posted December 13, 2017 Members Share Posted December 13, 2017 I have left my digital piano in my Jeep in the winter for overnight gigs. Its never had issues, but then I don't play it right away. I never leave a guitar in the car ever, either in the summer daytime nor winter nights. Its not good to do, but if you do you need to let the guitar sit and get to the temperature of the room. Then tune it, because in extreme changes in temperature a guitar will go wildly out of tune and again while warming up. That fact means there is a change in stress on the wood. Not good. Plastic and metal can handle a much more variability in temperature. As for electronics, cold is a good thing. Its heat that can ruin electronics. Piano actions have lubrication, this lubrication needs to warm up a bit before using it because it won't be doing its job if it has the consistency of tar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted December 13, 2017 Members Share Posted December 13, 2017 There's wood action these days as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted December 13, 2017 Moderators Share Posted December 13, 2017 I don't think there is much risk as long as the instrument is kept in a case and allowed to warm up before playing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 13, 2017 Share Posted December 13, 2017 It's partly the reheating and it's partly the possibility of condensation (or frost!). I know there are dangers, but there are dangers in the unloading and putting away process, too. Mostly banging it into things. I lived in central Yukon for awhile and one time, after carrying my dobro three miles to my neighbour's cabin at -30°f, I opened the case and it was immediately covered in frost. After that, I let it warm up in the case. If you're worried about frost, I'd use a good case, or at least wrap it in large plastic sheets and blankets - anything to help insulate it from the environment. And as others have suggested, open the case after it's been sitting in the warm room for a while, and do it like guitarists do - slowly. Crack the case after it's warmed up for an hour or so, but don't lift the lid. Then lift the lid a bit after another waiting period, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pogo97 Posted December 13, 2017 Author Members Share Posted December 13, 2017 I'm not actually worried about frost here unless I really tried to make it happen. In the serious north, though, it can get cold enough that plastics shatter like glass and diesel fuel freezes and stuff like that. Down here in Canada's deep south, I think condensation is the most likely problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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