Gear adventures on the gig

[kingsleyd]

So I had a rather severe lesson in what it means to be a gigging professional last week...

...had gotten the "A-team" bassist and drummer from the legendary weekly jazz jam at the club in Portsmouth for my Monday night gig. I've played with them plenty of times, but never as a simple trio, doing my own tunes. So it's definitely a Bigger Than Usual gig situation to begin with.

In the few days before the gig, both of my usual gig amps (I use 2 amps on trio gigs) go down, and I can't get either of 'em fixed in time.

So I get set up with alternate amps (nice amps, it's not like I'm borrowing a Crate or anything) on the gig, and when I fire things up, my delay isn't working. If you've heard my music, you know there are a number of tunes where it's all about the delay. And of course I don't have a spare delay in the toolkit. Uh-oh!!! So OK, we're going to have to approach some things a little differently, fine, I've still got the two amps...

...oops, I forgot, the two amps I brought HATE EACH OTHER. Doesn't matter that I can flip the phase on one of 'em, there's nothing I can do, they just sound horrible as a pair.

(this is all occurring to me while in the middle of the first song, btw :messedup)

So I cut one out of the loop, leaving me with effectively a guitar, cord, amp, plus a little reverb setup. I feel very very naked up there.

At the end of it all, I got through the gig just fine, and the guys said they'd be happy to gig with me again any time I asked. Not only that, my friends & family loved it.

So there ya go. Lessons learned:
1. bring a spare delay
2. one amp is plenty
3. good guitars help a lot
4. a good band is the best thing of all
5. what don't kill ya makes ya stronger

[buddaman71]

Back in about 94 or so, I had a last minute hi-profile sub gig for a big (1000+) seat club.
I always carry a kit with tools, strings, fuses, etc. and have always been a very prepared person. Unfortunately, as the band sound guy/helper was pushing my Rivera S120 head (awesome amp I stupidly sold...) up the ramp on a cart, he hit a bump and the head fell about 8' off the dock onto the concrete.

No big deal, the amp was built like a brick, BUT it shattered all the power tubes! I had forgotten to throw a set in my kit and was absolutely screwed. I was 2 hours from home and had no time to get a replacement. Luckily, the club sound guy knew the owner of the local guitar shop, and he was gracious to go back up to his store at 9pm to loan me a used Peavey Classic 50 head and matching 410 cab (actually sounded GREAT live) as he was out of EL34s at the time. I offered to give him $50 rent, but he declined and said, "No problem. It happens to all of us at one time or another. I'll just come pick up the rig Monday morning."

Saved my butt and really did me a solid. I carry a Line 6 Flextone III XL with the floorboard in my trailer for backup now or take my RP1000 floor modeler. Never needed them since, but I KNOW the minute I leave them at home, I'll have a catastrophe...

[rwe333]

Right on... The best gigs are often the ones you learn the most from... Getting out of our comfort zone can lead to some true revelations, huh? Glad the gig went well & thanks for the report, KD.

[fetishfrog]

Good lessons learned and glad the gig went well in spite of.

Years ago I had a similar experience. It sounds to me like you handled it with more grace than I did at the time, but afterward, I made a promise to myself to practice in such a way that I'd never be tied to a piece of gear in a way that would ruin the gig. I started rehearsing with different guitars, borrowed amps (when I could), direct to the PA, no pedal board, etc, just to make sure that no matter what happened, I could make the show happen. That approach has served me well.

[shallbe]

I had a gig where I left my pedalboard at home---everything, and I was gigging a 1 channel amp. Did I say the gig was out of town? I had spare everything else but no pedals. Big gig and wide variety of music. I decided to not mention it to the band and not make a big deal of it.

Fortunately, the amp had reverb and tremelo. I turned up the amp and rode my guitar volume control for gain and solos. Anytime I needed something "extra", I kicked on the trem, and varied the speed all night for different tunes.

Thankfully, I had my desert island guitar---never had a bad gig with it even in terrible conditions outdoors, so I had that as a security blanket.

It went much better than I anticipated. Afterward, the drummer/leader said, "You used a lot more tremelo tonight than usual, but it was cool." That was all he noticed, meaning I had pulled it off.

[FrankieSixxxgun]

A while back I found a cold solder joint in my heater runs the hard way... mid set. Luckily my rig is wireless, so I was able to jump behind the amp, take the back panel off, and jiggle it back to life a few times mid song. Pretty weak to have to do on stage, but I made it through the gig and people though I was just goofing off by walking behind my stack! :D

[loudboy]

So there ya go. Lessons learned:
1. bring a spare delay
2. one amp is plenty
3. good guitars help a lot
4. a good band is the best thing of all
5. what don't kill ya makes ya stronger

I'd switch 4 with 1.

[Phoebe]

As a "gigging professional" I learned after about the 3rd gig that it's mandatory to have 100% spares for anything that can't be fixed on the fly. This ain't no lesson to me!

[Captain Midnite]

Never let anyone else touch your gear.

[Joe Gamble]

I've had my Deluxe Reverb go down working as a trio. With no spare and no options- gig over. That's fun!

I had a Bogner Shiva die mid-gig. The band kept playing while I burned a few more fuses trying to fix the problem. Finally I ran to the soundman and asked for a DI to which I ran a tube screamer and delay for the rest of the gig. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!

Although we wouldn't necessarily choose it, gigs where crappy things happen wind up being fun and exhilarating when you find a way to bring it off.

[UnderTheGroove]

I was playing a gig for a fairly inexperienced female singer/songwriter a few years ago. This was a high profile gig for her and we were playing to a packed club. The lineup was drums, bass and two guitars. In the middle of the set she had a song that was just vocal and me on guitar with the bass playing some whole notes in the chorus so the drummer and other guitar player left the stage. We got to the second verse and I wonder why the sound guy is turning my volume down in the mix. I quickly realize that it isn't the sound guy and that my amp is losing volume and within a few measures is totally quiet. Luckily we had just gotten to the chorus and the bass player jumped in as the singer looked at me with a deer-in-headlights expression. I was worried that she would bail out on the song, but she held it together and kept going with the bass player.

I quickly checked my cables and pedalboard to see if something had come loose, but nothing seemed to be wrong. I asked the other guitar player if he was in standard tuning, grabbed his guitar and was back in the song by the middle of the bridge.

As we finished the song, the other guitar player was inspecting my rig to see if he could figure out the problem. After the song was over I turned my amp off and back on and had my volume again. I was able to make it through the rest of the set with no problems. I took it to an amp tech the next day and it turned out to be a tube that had worked itself loose.

[Structo]

Never played professionally but have had a few gaffs.

At one gig, one of the musicians kids was walking across the stage. I don't know why he was there but he was.
As he walked by my guitar he tripped on the cable and my guitar did a face plant.
The floor was tiled concrete!
Luckily it was a Strat and all that happened is I had to re-tune it.

The next day I ordered a much more sturdy stand.

Other times I have forgotten patch cables and stuff like that. Gear isn't much good if you can't connect it to each other.

At one point all I would bring was my POD XTL and go straight into the board.
Well at one show for some reason, I had a ground loop or something and all I got was a bad buzz when it was connected. So no amp, no effects.....
I borrowed a guys Fender Deluxe and pulled it off, albeit a bit more mellow than I had intended.
Never did figure out that buzz, never happened again.

[The Golden Boy]

So I cut one out of the loop, leaving me with effectively a guitar, cord, amp, plus a little reverb setup. I feel very very naked up there.

At the end of it all, I got through the gig just fine, and the guys said they'd be happy to gig with me again any time I asked. Not only that, my friends & family loved it.



I think the big lesson you learned is that people showed up to see you and your crew play. Not to listen to the amps or the delay.

[musicofanatic5]

"...a guitar, cord, amp, plus a little reverb setup..."

Covers it for many!

You should know there a coupla fairly well-gear-endowed TGP members right across the bridge, quite likely sitting at home on any given Mon night.

I am thinking of hiring some "friends and family" so I have someone at my gigs!

(ahem) I hafta say you had AN a-team rhythm section, but perhaps not THE a-team rhythm section in town! (ha!)

[kingsleyd]

"...a guitar, cord, amp, plus a little reverb setup..."

Covers it for many!

True dat, and covers it for me for about 80% of my tunes, but for the other 20%, I like my delay. :)


You should know there a coupla fairly well-gear-endowed TGP members right across the bridge, quite likely sitting at home on any given Mon night.

Yeah, I post my gigs in the gig section, although I think I forgot this particular time. It's the Press Room, though, so it's listed in all the local rags. And I use my real name here on TGP which oughta be recognizable.

I am thinking of hiring some "friends and family" so I have someone at my gigs!

Who are ya? :)

(ahem) I hafta say you had AN a-team rhythm section, but perhaps not THE a-team rhythm section in town! (ha!)

I sorta jokingly refer to them as that. There are plenty of A-caliber players around town, for sure. The guys who I usually play with certainly don't suck. Of course it depends on what one is looking for, as well, doesn't it?

Anyway, let's leave it at, I'm generally the worst player in my own band. Which is how it should be.