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Topic: What's worse: Extreme heat or extreme cold? |
Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 2:07 pm |
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Playing steel guitar in extreme heat is no fun, but at least the hands still work. Playing steel guitar in extreme cold is almost impossible for me. I can put on multiple coats, etc., but the hands just won't cooperate. I've experienced both within the last month here in Northern California.
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It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 2:50 pm
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| Cold...........by far! |
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Jerry Jones
From:
Franklin, Tenn.
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 3:57 pm
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Played a gig last November and the guitar player had to quit.... could not feel his fingers. I was fine for the most part but next year it will be long johns and a hand warmer in each pocket of my down vest.
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Jerry Jones |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 5:43 pm
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Heat easily wins this one.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Kevin Fix
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 7:58 pm
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| Play county fairs and festivals. Always outdoors. I am from Michigan and summer has it's bad days. Played in November with CarHarts on!!! |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 7:59 pm
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I would much rather be too hot than too cold.
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Lee, from South Texas - Down On The Rio Grande
There are only two options as I see it.
Either I'm right, or there is a sinister conspiracy to conceal the fact that I'm right.
Williams Keyless S-10, BMI S-10, Evans FET-500LV, Fender Steel King, 2 Roland Cube 80XL's,
Sarno FreeLoader, Goodrich Passive Volume Pedals, Vintage ACE Pack-A-Seat |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 9:27 pm
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I played an outside gig yesterday and it was very hot and humid. Had to wipe the strings down after every tune and my picks kept slipping around. I lost my thumb pick twice.but, we mad it through OK.
However, I'd rather do that than play in the cold. The cold and me don't get along that well, if at all. Can't feel your fingers, your joints stiffen up and it's just miserable with no respite. Ah... the outside gig conundrum! |
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Tim Herman
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 9:55 pm
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Last year on the 4th of July I had to play an outdoor gig in the afternoon heat of Sacramento. My steel sat in the full sun for about an hour. I sat down to play and tried to pick up my bar, but it was too hot to hold onto. It took a lot of ice water to cool it down. Now I use a car windshield deflector/screen thingie to wrap around the steel, securing it with a bungee cord, until just before I have to play.
_________________
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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Tim Herman
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 2 Jul 2018 9:59 pm
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| I played a rodeo in August up here in Alberta where we had to quit the afternoon part of the show because our amps thermaled out from heat. That night at the dance, it snowed... |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 3 Jul 2018 12:16 am
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| I don't even like too much A/C. even in my twenties, my fingers would stiffen up and my voice would not cooperate if it was below 75 or 80. I used to make the clubs turn the A/C down if it was too high - and a band member from NYC hated me for it haha. |
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Richard Sinkler
From:
aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana
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Posted 3 Jul 2018 6:34 am
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| Bobby Nelson wrote: |
| I don't even like too much A/C. even in my twenties, my fingers would stiffen up and my voice would not cooperate if it was below 75 or 80. I used to make the clubs turn the A/C down if it was too high - and a band member from NYC hated me for it haha. |
I had a 5 night a week sit-down gig here in the central valley (Modesto) in the 80's. It gets into the 90's to 100's here during the summer. This club had a huge air conditioner in the ceiling. It blew on me on stage. Every night, even if it was 100 degrees, I would have to wear a jacket. Did that gig for maybe 6 months or so, the left and went on the road where it was usually warmer. 🎶 🚜 🎶
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, NV400, NV112 . Playing for 54 years and still counting. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 3 Jul 2018 7:57 am
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| Paul Sutherland wrote: |
| I sat down to play and tried to pick up my bar, but it was too hot to hold onto. It took a lot of ice water to cool it down. |
Back in the day when winter was really winter (1970s & 1980s), and I lived in the Twin Cities, I hauled my gear in the open pickup bed of my Chevy LUV 4x4. I had to run my bar under the hot water tap in the men's room for several minutes before I could hold on to it. |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 3 Jul 2018 2:50 pm
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Cold - hands down!!!
I finally handed in my notice at the Medora Musical after a run from 2002 - 2017.
The gig is at a large amphitheatre and, although we'd play in a sort of band shell, there was little protection from the elements. I learned to dread early rehearsals on the stage in late-May because, in that neck of the woods (western ND), it can still be pretty chilly.
Sure, it topped 100 degrees during the 100-night run of the show but I can deal with that. When my body core got cold, though, nothing would help. I'd get to my room and stand in a hot shower to recover.
I made a 'note to self': 'Roger - hand in your notice!'
This year my friend Junior Mercer has taken over the steel chair. I haven't heard yet how he's coping!
PS: This sounds a bit harsh - overall I enjoyed the gig, and the friends I made, very much. It was just time for a change.
_________________
Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Last edited by Roger Rettig on 4 Jul 2018 6:21 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jon Jaffe
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 3 Jul 2018 4:06 pm
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Cold is awful. I can put an iced towel around my neck and get by. And it is hot in Austin in the summer. But when it gets below 60º my hands freeze. The heater and some Bourbon help a little.
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Joe Goldmark
From:
San Francisco, CA 94131
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Posted 3 Jul 2018 5:14 pm
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| Yeah I hate the cold, and most outdoor gigs in general. Heat is OK, but the steel needs protection from the sun. Not only will the guitar go flat, but if you have any wax on your volume pedal string, it will melt! Not sure if guys do that anymore, but it was to stop slippage. If you get an outdoor gig ask them for a canopy. You might need to move with the sun also. |
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John Lacey
From:
Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada
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Posted 4 Jul 2018 5:52 am
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| Being from Alberta like Tim Herman I’ve played in all kinds of conditions all over Canada. Really not too many that were ideal. Stampede usually sucks, one year I played in a tent that averaged 8-10 degrees C. for the whole 10 days and although the players were stellar, the cold messed everything up. Summer of ‘92. |
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Fred Treece
From:
California, USA
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Posted 4 Jul 2018 9:39 am
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Cold bites big time. I have had to turn my back to the audience to wipe the snot from my nose during a solo. Core temperature drops, shivering, and dealing with not just uncomfortably cold hands but it is unhealthy to play when the blood is not fully circulating into the fingers.
I am not crazy about heat either, but I’ll survive with a hat, sunscreen, towels for the gear, and a gallon thermos of ice water.
Roger, I was wondering how you were doing with that gig. Looked pretty sweet on paper, but ND weather is about as predictable as the price of gas next month. |
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Roger Rettig
From:
Naples, FL
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Posted 4 Jul 2018 10:23 am
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Fred:
I did it in 2002, then from 2006 until 2017 continually. For me it entailed a 2,400-mile drive each way. That sounds a bit grim but I used to look forward to the trip and the chance to visit friends en-route in Nashville, St Louis and Independence, MO (you know who you are!)
It's a 16-week contract, the money's pretty good and there are opportunities for other 'casual' gigs for the Foundation. I liked to do those as it provided some variety from the main show which, naturally, we had to play as per the book every night.
They provide housing and three meals a day. The food is tolerable - if you like Golden Corral you'd be in seventh heaven; I prefer more international cuisine so, in that regard, it's a long four months for me.
In recent years they've relaxed the schedule a tiny bit; it used to be 100 straight nights but now there's one night off per month. That can be a morale-booster. The weather, as you say, can be strange. We'd occasionally have a show cancelled because of dangerous storms in the area but, as you'd still have to be there for sound-check, it never really felt like a free night. It can be cold until mid-June, too hot through July, then it can get chilly at night in late-August. (I recall the 2002 costume lady warning me that we weren't allowed any 'tees' under our dress-shirts. By the second cold night I'd emerge looking like the Michelin Man!)
Dust is an issue. It permeates everything and your favourite steel guitar needs to be well covered up.
The show itself is the same format each year - a healthy dose of historical references (usually involving Teddy Roosevelt), gospel music and lots of patriotism. The songs may change year to year but the essential ingredients don't.
The terrain, the first few times you see it, is spectacular but, after a while, the dust and aridity would get me down. I used to even look forward to reaching Missouri on my way home just to see some greenery!
All in all, a terrific gig and it became my way-of-life for a third of each year. I was ready to stop, though, once I'd figured out that, while I couldn't retire exactly, I could afford to cut back a bit.
All said and done? I'll miss Medora and some of the lovely people that have become friends over the years.
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Roger Rettig - Emmons D10s, Quilter TT-12, B-bender Teles and old Martins.
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Fred Justice
From:
Mesa, Arizona
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Posted 4 Jul 2018 10:52 am
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Many years, no decades ago a fella told me when its cold and your playing out in it, wear tight fitting surgical gloves. Just barely cut the end out where your pick go.
Bygolly it worked like a champ, keeps your body heat in your fingers. 
_________________
Email: azpedalman@gmail.com
Phone: 480-235-8797 |
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Dave Manion
From:
Boise, Idaho, USA
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Posted 5 Jul 2018 9:06 am
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| Good tip Fred! |
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Neil Lang
From:
Albert Lea, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2018 7:23 am
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Minnesota.....Heat, mosquitoes, cold, humidity, rain, snow....outdoor gig....no thank you! Last time I did an outdoor gig was in the mid 70's. It was outside on a flatbed trailer, I saw the dew drops hanging from all 20 strings.
No more. 
Spur of the moment on a 70-75 deg. sunny day with no wind or mosquitoes......maybe! 
You can never count on our weather here, so... I don't.
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Sho-Bud Steel Guitars, 3 Super Pro's, 1 Super Pro II (Rose) & 1 Finger Tip
Fender Guitars & Basses
Peavey Amps & Sound Equipment |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2018 7:29 am
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Minnesota, the land of ten thousand lakes and a few walleyes! 
Erv |
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Fred Justice
From:
Mesa, Arizona
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Posted 6 Jul 2018 7:35 am
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Erv, isn't the Mosquito the state bird for Minnesota?
_________________
Email: azpedalman@gmail.com
Phone: 480-235-8797 |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 6 Jul 2018 7:42 am
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Given the choice of playing music in Antarctica or playing music in the summer heat of, say Texas, I'd pick Antarctica .
I've played in Antarctica. Was fun. Can't imagine trying to do 100 degree heat in Texas!
http://adam.antarcticanz.govt.nz/nodes/view/27531
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.
Last edited by Brooks Montgomery on 6 Jul 2018 7:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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