does cold affect gear (speakers)?

[andrei]

hy guys,

i'm just wondering about this...

the place where we practice isn't heated... so temperature will drop, maybe even below freezing.
when we practice, we heat a bit, it rises slightly... then drops again.

my cab is always there.
do these temperature changes damage the speakers?
(on the long run, one winter, two... )

also, may i leave my head there?
(it's a ss, line6 spider)

thanks,

andrei.

[DeathrollJM]

that is where i would worry.

extreme temperature changes cause warping in just about everything that can absorb water. the cone of the speaker since it is made of parer if given the right amount of humidity can warp, which is possible when you change temperatures drasticlly. The tolex on your amps and cabs can start pealing off in time. unfinished hardware can and will oxidize and rust, including trem blocks, rods, screws, pup magnets and even your tuners.

The speaker's life span will be reduced if they are left in an extremely cold and dry environment, which will make the paper weak and break.

amps and electronics are usually fine in cold weather as long as their heat doesn't cause condensation becuase you know, electricity and water...yeah. i would cover all my stuff that i would leave in there, like blankets or actual amp covers over the amps and cabs, guitars in their cases with a humidifier. and if you get a room humidifier that is on all the time. Its just a matter of slowly bringing up the temperature before pulling everything out and turning on your stuff.

so regulate the humidity at all times and SLOWLY bring up the temperature before playing, and this should help

[SadButTruely]

your house creaks in the winter due to the cold, doors sometimes get jammed that swung fine all year, guitars can warp and even crack. amps can do the same. not a good idea to leave anything of value in conditions that are exposed to moisture or extremes.

[TheDevilHimself]

Your cab with speakers should be fine unless it drops a lot below zero for a long time.

The only thing that you always have to watch out for is condensed water as on fogged up windows - which happens if you heat the place up quickly etc. But if the cab is closed, even that is not really a problem, as no humidity can get inside. It happens with amps though, because they get hot, and then rust can be a problem.

EDIT
I would NOT leave the amp there. On another sidenote, I wouldn't really leave anything somewhere in Romania, haha... I heard people even steal railtracks and high voltage overland wires there.

[andrei]

thanks for sharing!

i won't move the cab, cose it's too damn big and heavy, but i'll try to carry the head every time, at least in winter.
i wouldn't leave the guitar there anyway.

there aren't any drastic temperature changes, so i'm hoping for the best.

@TheDevilHimself: funny and true: gypsies stole several meters of metal fence form an american military base that was build here and sold is as scrap metal.

thanks for your help,

andrei.