Interesting Topic

[Casper]

Hey Gang,
We were playing an outdoor gig this past weekend and it was a bit chilly. My guitars tend to go sharp in cool weather (because of metal strings contracting?)
My trumpet and sax guys told me they go flat in cool weather. I also understand pianos go flat in cool weather? is the guitar the only thing to go sharp?? Moreover, since the body and neck are "sealed" does this prohibit or enhance tuning problems in hot or cold? I wonder at which temperature extremes these effects happen to a musical instrument....Hmmmmmmm.:confused:
Any comments from the Andy gallery?

Shaun

[tom]

temperature is not really the issue as much as relative humidity. the guitar will go sharp if there's more water in the air, the neck will back bow. it will go flat if the weather gets drier, the neck will front bow. the finish will slow down the moisture loss or addition, but it will not stop it. there is a common misconception that modern finishes do not "breathe". they do allow water vapor to pass through just like laquer.
cold air does not hold a s much water as warm air, so normally guitars go flat in cold weather, but since you were outside i suspect you were more vulneable to water in the air.

[Casper]

Ok. Thanks Tom, I thought it was expansion/contraction things, now it makes sense (and yes we were in front of a pool and behind a lake, so that explains it...

[Scott Peterson]

What Tom said. :D

[bruce]

I have another therory since I've tuned/played guitars in an outdoor situation and had similar results as casper

When I was outside tuning guitars, the temp was normal say about 75. then the sun started going down 10 minutes later and the wind started coming off of the bay...quite a bit colder in a matter of minutes. Anyhow, my quess is that the temp dropped 10 degrees in a matter of minutes and all of the guitars were much sharper when I checked them minutes later. Necks were not bowed any different. I've had similar results but opposite affect when tuning in the shade, then stepping out into the sun...strings went flat.

On the other side of that... when guitar-teching for someone I had a bunch of guitars in a studio were the A/C was pumping...All guitars were in tune but when the artist began playing, things went flat. Strings warmed up.

Another senario is try running your finger under the A string like you are stretching it..but do it a few times so the string gets warm... now tune it to read "0"....now wait 30 seconds and check the tuning again...should be about 2-8 cents sharp now that has cooled depending on how hot the string got.

My point is that I believe sudden changes in temp will affect the strings for sure...cold=sharp, warm=flat... Not neccessarily the wood. Don't know if that is what you experienced at the lake.

Benny...You've done this a million times with a horn section...chime in!

[Casper]

thanks for your thoughts brother Bruce! There is also a theory about letting the guitars adjust. I always take my guitars out first at a gig and they usually have an hour or so to sit on the stand and adjust to the environment indoor or outdoor. I( think this goes along way to overall stability.
I think the wood factor like Tom said plays a major part, but Bruce's experience nearly mirrors my own. Now granted, I don't use a Fieten tuner, but the tuner on my processor is fairly accurate and it is noticably sharp in cool weather.
Good discussion!
Shaun

[Suriel Zayas]

when i track in the studio acoustic or electric, i make it a point to get in a bit earlier and place the guitars in the tracking room. i'll tune them and check them for tuning every couple of minutes. this allows the guitar to settle in and get acclamated to the atmospheric conditions of the room.

this might sound anal, but it works. the same applies to drummers in the studio and tuning their drum heads.

peace.

[Benny]

I agree with Tom that relative humidity plays the larger role in how guitars react to environmental changes. Years of being on the road found me in temps ranging from 28F (-18C) to 110F (43C), and humidity from 0 - 100%. If the humidity was anywhere near consistent, I found myself doing a lot less tuning, and truss rod adjusting. So a hot Arizona day would be a lot like a snowbound day in Park City to a guitar, the biggest difference being the change when the guitar warmed up after being played in the colder environment. But wind - machine created, or natural - lights, and heaters do change the equation enough to keep you guessing. The wooden materials soften faster than the metal strings, which keep applying most of their tension, thus pulling the guitar tuning flat.

Suriel pointed out my mode; let the guitar acclimate an hour or more to whatever environment it will be used in, and check your tuning as you play.