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Posts: 96
Joined: Aug. 27 2005
From: Finland (Living in Dublin)
Foreign guitars in cold countries.
I got this new conde from Madrid (wich i still am loving ) and brought it here to ice cold Finland. Right now it is about between 0 (32 fahrenheit) and -5 (23 fahrenheit) celsius and humibity is not high at all. In a month or 2 it might get as low as -25 C. At home inside I have this "worm" thingy (a rubber tube with holes with a sponge in it) which i put in the guitar to keep it from cracking. But my acctual question is: how risky is it taking a guitar like this outside in these conditions? I have a lesson tomorrow and i'm wondering should i just take my old guitar which could probably survive an ice age or would the conde survive?
Posts: 1770
Joined: Jul. 11 2003
From: The Netherlands
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
Hi Niklas,
Anders may know more about this, but if you drive by car, do not put it in the trunk, keep it on the seat with you. I know Paco Pena cracked his guitar in Holland by putting it in the trunk of a car.
Maybe this is a stupid idear, but you have warmth packs, filled with gell, maybe put one in the case with the strings?
- 25 C man that is cold, I remember , my army time in Germany living in a tent......brbrbrbr.
Posts: 432
Joined: Jan. 7 2005
From: Iasi, Romania
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
[offtopic] look .....just to show u how good i am ....i'll send u my home adress to send me that conde,i'll give u a cheap one that u'll not be afraid to crack I'm such a good man sometimes [/offtopic]
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
Niklas beyond the question why the hell do you live there?
Here in Madrid the changes in tempreture are extreme. Just a few days ago it was minus at night and more than 20 in the day. Here they say the rapìd changes are more of a problem than the number.
But for me my Anders stays at home and my Burguet student goes to lessons. That way when you return to your baby it will feel so much better Enjoy my friend if enjoy is possible in '25 waiting for a train
_____________________________
nigel (el raton de Watford - now Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz)
Posts: 96
Joined: Aug. 27 2005
From: Finland (Living in Dublin)
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
quote:
Niklas beyond the question why the hell do you live there?
Hahaa! I cracked up on that one! Well.. I blame my parents... I'm planning on comming over to spain to study for a year as an exchange student in a year or two. And trust me: There is no way i'm going to live in Finland the rest of my life.
Hey Sorin! That sound like a good deal. But i allready have a cheap guitar that can stand anything from the Sahara to the North Pole (and it sounds like it ). But if something happens to it i'll remember your offer
But now it is almost 1am here so ---> SLEEP! (thank god i'm still on holiday )
Posts: 432
Joined: Jan. 7 2005
From: Iasi, Romania
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
hey ...while still there,get me a signed t-shirt from kimi raikonnen....and say i hate him for losing ...my friends just wont believe he's got it,they all think Michael Schumacher is the best.
Posts: 786
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: San Francisco Bay Area
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
One thing we did was to cover (wrap) the entire guitar with a large piece of silk before placing the guitar in its case. Always keep the guitar with you. Do not allow it to go into the trunk of a car or the baggage compartment of another vehicle (bus, train, etc.).
I like the idea of not taking your good guitar out in such a climate.
When I was on tour I would sometimes be in –15 F climates have to walk from the car to the performance area and then thaw out! Be sure to wear gloves!
Some laws of protecting a guitar:
1. Never allow a guitar to be near a source of heat or cooling!
2. Attempt to avoid humidity and temperature extremes!
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
Niklas,
I know people here in Ottawa, Canada (sometimes it gets -25 to -35 here ) who own '70 Condes and other fine guitars from warm climate countries - everything is going to be just fine, you just need to take extra safety measures - follow all of advices above. I brought my handmade classical from the south of Russia to Canada 5 years ago - now it has a longitudinal crack behind the bridge :(
Posts: 96
Joined: Aug. 27 2005
From: Finland (Living in Dublin)
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
Thanks all for your help! I realy appreciate it! This is why i like this forum .
But i think i'll leavy my conde home atleast for today... I don't want to take the risk.
What would you guys think about this: If i would put a small "heating system" of some kind inside the guitar? By "heating system" i mean anything warm. Even a warmed up Big Mac . Could that help reducing the changes in tempature? Or would it just somehow even do damage to the guitar?
And sorin! About the t-shirt. I would be happy to do it! If you could buy me a ticket to Switzerland since he lives there now... Escaping the taxes of Finland .
quote:
You mean that there are Spaniards who want to live through one of your winters
There are a LOT of crazy people out there! Not just Spaniards . But yes i do find it crazy. If i had the choise between Finland (which is not too bad in the summers thow... (+20 - +30 degrees) and Spain. It would not take long for me to choose .
RE: Foreign guitars in cold countries. (in reply to Niklas)
Well...
The problem with guitars in cold places like Finland etc. is not so much the temperature, but much more the humidity. The humidity makes a guitar change in size and when this happens fast, cracs or deformations. you can have 0 degrees with 75 or more humidity one day and the next day minus 10 and 20 or even no humidity the next day. So take care. If you have more than 1 guitar, leave your beloved one at home in winter.
Another problem is that central or electric heating dries a lot. and this means that your guitar is alway to dry. This leads to deformation or even destruction!!!!!!
To everyone. Get yourself a hygrometer. It costs the same as a set or two of strings, and tell you when to worry. If it's very dry where you live, (below 35% rh) get a humidifier. It's good for you as well
Printable Version
) and brought it here to ice cold Finland. Right now it is about between 0 (32 fahrenheit) and -5 (23 fahrenheit) celsius and humibity is not high at all. In a month or 2 it might get as low as -25 C. 
) 
). 
) who own '70 Condes and other fine guitars from warm climate countries - everything is going to be just fine, you just need to take extra safety measures - follow all of advices above. 
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