Heat Stress? What about cold?

[n0ukf]

I read the article on Heat Stress and it got me thinking. I live in far northern Minnesota and heat isn't quite the problem here that it is in southern states. Has anyone looked into the detrimental effects that extreme cold might have on instruments? If I'm storing a guitar or other stringed instrument out where it'll get much below freezing (it can get below -40 here), I loosen the strings in case the cold might shrink and break them (or the neck). Is this a reasonable practice or what?

[William F.Eden]

There is one thing for sure if your guitar has any Abalone inlay around it You don't want any suden chang it temperature.

[Charlie Hoffman]

All of the comments about cold and finish checking are correct, but the biggest problem you face (I work in Minneapolis and I know) is low humidity. Checks in the finish are unsightly but not structural, but cracked tops or severly dried out wood can be very damaging. I have a little essay on the subject on my web site, here: http://www.hoffmanguitars.com/Humidity%20and%20your%20Guitar.htm.

[Dave]

My first post here... a follow-up question. Would keeping guitars at a a constant cool (not extreme cold) temp put them at risk?

I have my guitars (half a dozen Guild dreads from '71-'92) in a small basement room in my home. During the winter, the room temp hovers around 60F (perhaps as low as 58F during a real cool spell when outside temps fall to <10F). The temp is pretty stable... with <5F variation during the day. I have reasoned that constant cool temp is less likely to be damaging, so don't use any space heaters to try and warm the room (I worry about uneven or rapid heating). The guitars are on stands, or hung securely on the wall, ready to play (I do play them at that temp). I do use a small humidifier to keep the room at 40~45% RH. Should I be concerned about temps in this range?

Thanks, Dave