I've gotten to the point that I try to haul everything - guitar(s), amp, & gig bag in one haul from the vehicle to the stage. It's tricky, but can be done using the right equipment & cases. I always try to park as close as possible (getting to the gig a bit earlier helps), and I never leave my instrument(s) in the car when I'm not there as well.
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Anti theft measures for gigs
- Thread starter Fret Mumbly
- Start date
There is a long standing joke about.....leaving an accordion visible on the back seat. Problem is, the windows get broken and all of a sudden you have a half dozen damn accordions in there!!
All good ideas... if I can, I bring a friend or girlfriend with me to watch gear as I load or unload.
I've never done anything particular but trying to be generally awake and attentive. Never had anything stolen at a gig. Only when there was a burglary at the rehearsal studio.
Once our guitarist forgot his expensive vintage guitar standing against the wall beside the door to his home, out in the street in old town, Stockholm, beside one of the most vivid taverns. At the soundcheck he remembered it. We went back at an illegal speed with just about no hope at all. But there it was, standing to the wall as he left it two hours earlier.
Once our guitarist forgot his expensive vintage guitar standing against the wall beside the door to his home, out in the street in old town, Stockholm, beside one of the most vivid taverns. At the soundcheck he remembered it. We went back at an illegal speed with just about no hope at all. But there it was, standing to the wall as he left it two hours earlier.
You're right, imagine a cuffed grand piano ...Well, it may not work with every instrument
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My concern is about leaving things at home during the day and loading / unloading the vehicle. At the house I never load / unload in sight of anyone. I pull into the garage and close the door before loading / unloading. None of the neighbors seem to be aware that I have anything special in the van. As for home security, in addition to ADT I have a Swann video system. Only $599. I'm about to add an off-grid solar panel so I don't have to worry about someone cutting the power. (BTW, this stuff gets you a discount on your home insurance.)
Had a limited edition Trace Elliot 5 string bass and Hartke combo in the back seat of my car in an open church parking lot while practicing for a wedding. Came out and found the glass broken and gear gone. Never left my stuff after that!
Whoever wrote that joke has no idea how much an accordion costs.
I have a very old school deterrent that I’ve used for years, which is to cover any gear that I leave in the car (hatchback) with a large piece of matte black cloth. Obviously it’s not a very high tech measure, but in most cases, combined with darker than normal window tinting, it does make it difficult to see that there is anything of value in there.
I never leave gear in my vehicle.
Load in and out for me involves one dolly loaded with
100% of my gear...one trip to and from vehicle is all it takes.
Eyes on all gear at all times.
Load in and out for me involves one dolly loaded with
100% of my gear...one trip to and from vehicle is all it takes.
Eyes on all gear at all times.
When I lived in NYC years ago, I kept my gear well hidden in my 1989 “NYC Specialized City Custom” Honda Civic sedan POS. actually great reliable car but at 270,000 miles! a semi truck “customized” it by bashing in the rear end. I got the $3k insurance payout but kept the car without doing the repair. Replaced the smashed taillight assembly myself for $129, which seemed like a lot but a small price to return to street legal.
The rear trunk could still be locked and unlocked but I’d really have to pry it open with some force and I worried that one day it just would not open or close. So I taped the lid shut with packing and duct tape around the perimeter to keep rain and snow out. The old civics had a fold down rear seat that opened “unlocked” using a key at center of the seats by the rear window. So I loaded my bass and combo amp, necessities bag, etc., or trombone or sousaphone through the back seat into the trunk. Of course, the rest of the car empty except for Wendy’s fast food yellow napkins.
The ultimate in urban camouflage. I highly recommend the City Custom package for your next NYC car.
The car “voluntarily retired” at 286,000 miles. Happily, I was not running late to a gig.
The rear trunk could still be locked and unlocked but I’d really have to pry it open with some force and I worried that one day it just would not open or close. So I taped the lid shut with packing and duct tape around the perimeter to keep rain and snow out. The old civics had a fold down rear seat that opened “unlocked” using a key at center of the seats by the rear window. So I loaded my bass and combo amp, necessities bag, etc., or trombone or sousaphone through the back seat into the trunk. Of course, the rest of the car empty except for Wendy’s fast food yellow napkins.
The ultimate in urban camouflage. I highly recommend the City Custom package for your next NYC car.
The car “voluntarily retired” at 286,000 miles. Happily, I was not running late to a gig.
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In addition to music, I have had cameras and scuba equipment. The biggest deterrent in many cases is not to advertise "really expensive stuff here" in flashing neon lights. All the fancy camera cases are might as well have "steal me" written on them. Likewise decals on the auto advertising "scuba diver with expensive gear".
My bass case is something I bought second hand back in the '70s and kept with me through my first and then second bass (yea, only two!!!). It's a decent hard-shell case, but the handle was broken so the store gave it to me for a huge discount. I put a nylon tie (from a Canadian winter parka) through the two rings and have used that ever since. It's secure, but it sure looks like crap. Plus the case was intact but looked pretty beat up when I got it. Seems no matter where I take it, I get zero interest in my bass until it comes out of the case. Which is how I like it.
Sadly, my primary "non bass" guitar is an Ovation 12-string. Those cases scream "Ovation" from miles away. So that one never leaves my hand unless I'm driving or playing. (I don't take both - different gigs, different guitar).
My bass case is something I bought second hand back in the '70s and kept with me through my first and then second bass (yea, only two!!!). It's a decent hard-shell case, but the handle was broken so the store gave it to me for a huge discount. I put a nylon tie (from a Canadian winter parka) through the two rings and have used that ever since. It's secure, but it sure looks like crap. Plus the case was intact but looked pretty beat up when I got it. Seems no matter where I take it, I get zero interest in my bass until it comes out of the case. Which is how I like it.
Sadly, my primary "non bass" guitar is an Ovation 12-string. Those cases scream "Ovation" from miles away. So that one never leaves my hand unless I'm driving or playing. (I don't take both - different gigs, different guitar).
Bass is last in, first out. We play in a lot of dive bars, complete with the requisite junky population. If you’ve spent any time at all around that tasty segment of the population, you know that instruments are like the gold standard for them - light enough for their emaciated arms to carry, easy, quick cash at a pawn shop and very little questions about provenance. I’m the only one in the band who doesn’t smoke weed, so I hang out with the gear during everyone else’s smoke breaks. We’ve had a Parker Fly and an Ipad stolen when someone wasn’t looking (and the Ipad was especially messed up because it had to have been an employee during our load-out), so I’m extra paranoid.
My V-4B is heavy enough to deter any undernourished junky paws from wandering off with it, but once they start working in packs all bets are off. I also don’t bring my treasured ‘68 Tele bass out anymore - that one would literally be irreplaceable if it got stolen.
As far as I’m concerned, the people who steal from musicians have a special place in hell waiting for them. Most of the guys I know (myself included) are probably poorer than the scum who steal our stuff to begin with, AND we’re out there trying to provide a good time for everyone!
My V-4B is heavy enough to deter any undernourished junky paws from wandering off with it, but once they start working in packs all bets are off. I also don’t bring my treasured ‘68 Tele bass out anymore - that one would literally be irreplaceable if it got stolen.
As far as I’m concerned, the people who steal from musicians have a special place in hell waiting for them. Most of the guys I know (myself included) are probably poorer than the scum who steal our stuff to begin with, AND we’re out there trying to provide a good time for everyone!
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I'm in an effort to obtain musical equipment insurance just in case. I have numerous high quality instruments, 24 channel board, power amps, mics, effects, lights, etc. and it would be a really big hit to lose everything that it has taken me years to obtain. We rarely leave equipment overnight in nightclubs, etc. as we are primarily a party band (weddings, corporate events. etc) but I do leave the PA equipment, etc at our drummer's house where we rehearse. Does anyone have any information on reasonably priced insurance (the "professional use" is what worries the insurers) for about $25-30K worth of coverage?
Snapper
Having instrument and gear insurance with Anderson Musical Instrument Group is highly recommended
Not when owning vintage gear, except they pay the exorbitant vintage market or HeadlessUSA pricing ...
In the case of trailers, I've learned to NEVER put your band name on it, nor just leave it plain. Get a stick on sign for each side of the trailer that simply puts off would be thieves. "Sewer Drainage" or something of the sort. Avoid a name that would indicate that there would be expensive tools in there as well.
I'll bet a venue would love to have the "Sewer Drainage" trailer parked outside their establishment on a Friday night.
all very good practices/tips for sure!
i would recommend getting your gear down to the bare minimum and packing/transporting it the same way each gig, even to just avoid forgetting something. I tend to play gigs with several bands on them so one addison all thing I do is label each piece of my gear in the event that someone shows up with the same or similar and mistakenly reaches for mine (aka the airport baggage syndrome) an identifier goes on everything each cord , pedal, gigbag or case, head cab, power strip. everything! everything's accounted for and hopefully if someone grabs something at a gig i'll see my label as it "walks" by. nothing is full proof
i would recommend getting your gear down to the bare minimum and packing/transporting it the same way each gig, even to just avoid forgetting something. I tend to play gigs with several bands on them so one addison all thing I do is label each piece of my gear in the event that someone shows up with the same or similar and mistakenly reaches for mine (aka the airport baggage syndrome) an identifier goes on everything each cord , pedal, gigbag or case, head cab, power strip. everything! everything's accounted for and hopefully if someone grabs something at a gig i'll see my label as it "walks" by. nothing is full proof
