Got one? Bring two!!

One of the easiest ways for any gigging guitarist to help prevent any gig from an un-necessary crash and burn is to have adequate backups for all their gear. The hardest person to be in a band with is the player with one guitar, one amp, and one cable because any technical difficulty requires them to stop the entire bands’ performance while they tend to their broken string, bad cable, or whatever is the issue at the moment. I personally have been on many a job that probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been the one with a couple extra cables, outlet strips, extension cords, and some duct tape. Now, some of these things might not be an issue if the only places you are playing are informal jams in the backyard, where stopping the music for a few minutes might not be a big deal. If, however, you are playing clubs, corporate gigs, weddings, and other more professional events, stopping the band can be a VERY big deal and could possibly result in you never getting that particular gig again. I am a total freak about backing up my gear and may very well carry too much, but no gig is ever going to go down in flames because I didn’t have a key piece of gear. Here is a breakdown of what I feel is needed to prevent that from happening:

Two guitars, minimum. More if you need electric and acoustic or non-standard tunings.
Two amps, two heads for one speaker cabinet
Three instrument cables
Basic tool kit, for small repairs.
Outlet strip/surge protector
50-100 feet of electrical extension cord.
Stage/duct tape
Extra strings, picks, batteries, capos, tuners, tubes, and other small items that might seem disposable until you need them and they aren’t there.
A good, organized gig bag to carry all the small stuff and keep it tidy so you can get to it quickly in an emergency.
A solid four-wheel dolly/cart to roll everything around (Less necessary for club gigs, vital for the jobbing/wedding circuit, where your load-in door may be hundreds of yards from where you actually play).
Players can, of course, add to or customize this list to suit their own requirements, but, to me, this is the minimum I can get by with and still travel pretty lightly. Giggers have to learn to think around corners and anticipate what might go wrong and plan for it. Imagine having your big gig opening for a national or one of those high-paying corporate parties go south because your amp died at sound check and there was no spare. I don’t know about you, but that is the sort of thing that gives me nightmares. The best way to get through any gig (and get a good night’s sleep) is to make sure you have two of any gear item that, the lack of which, will prevent you from playing. Anyway, that’s all for this month. Watch this space for more tips, tricks, and info for the gigging guitarist.

- Mike O'Cull