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Do you take nice pedals to dive venues?

jumblemind

jumblemind

I also answer to Bryan
Aug 27, 2011
2,981
1,293
Knoxville
#1
Thinking about all of the sessions I've spent cleaning beer and puke off of my homemade pedal board and Boss stomp boxes, I'm wondering what I'm going to do with the nice PTNano with quality boutique pedals I've been assembling for myself. I have no problem hitting the wedding circuit and some of the nicer venues with stages, but what about those rough places? The dive bars and the sorority parties? (where honestly 90% of the beer and puke comes from, way more than frat parties even)

I've been sort of keeping the old beater board with a pared down setup of stuff that I'm not too precious with (though I kind of want to keep everything simple and just own a few pedals). Anyone do something similar? Do you just leave stuff at home? Do you have lower end versions of your boutique sounds? Or maybe you have some sort of custom plexi glass puke-guard?
 
#3
<knocks on wood>

So far I've never had to clean anyone's puke out of my pedalboard from any shows we've played. In fact, the worst damage to my gear has come courtesy of my overly excited frontman snapping off my input jack in my amp while flinging himself around stage, or that time that my head fell off my cab because we were shaking the hell out of a poorly reinforced stage.

Pedals have gig wear, but so far nothing beyond that...
 
#4
I say bring em anywhere. I've spent so much money on my board that I feel I'm going to use them. No matter what. I don't really have the luxury of buying "substandard" pedals just to take to a dive bar on a different board. I do understand where you're coming from though. I just try to be careful. And, although I've never really thought about it, plastic wrap sounds like it may be a decent idea. The only thing that I feel would be hurt is the resale value of some of my pedals. But quite honestly, I probably won't ever sell my pedals. Who knows. I say, if you got em, use em. It's rock n roll. Ain't nothin supposed to be nice n neat. That's just my opinion though. I still try to take care of my pedals regardless. I may feel differently though if I had the money to spend on all kinds of pedals.
 
#5
I've been mulling over the same question myself. My next gig is at a venue where, the last time I played there, a mosher stepped on one of my cables with so much force that it was effectively converted into a 90-degree cable. I'm deciding whether to bite the bullet and bring my nice new PT Mini loaded w/ Iron Ether, Fuzzrocious, etc., or whether I'll pull out the old ME-50B multi instead for damage control.
 
#6
My pedal board is now probably worth more than some of my basses (how did this happen? I never used to use ANY pedals). :-) I built a low-profile board to keep the things off the floor because of past beer spillage. I usually tuck them behind my stage monitor to keep them out of stomping range by dancers, etc. So I take them everywhere.

We've played some dive bars in the past year, but I have not had to worry about flying beer, puke or mosh-stomping: just accidental spills and stray feet. Perhaps you could use that stretch wrap for shipping pallets. Best of luck.

--Steve

EDIT: I found a snap on my phone of how I hide my pedal board. I've never had anyone come close to stepping on it when it's tucked behind the stage monitor.
 

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#8
Stev187 said:
My pedal board is now probably worth more than some of my basses (how did this happen? I never used to use ANY pedals). :-)
Click to expand...

I hear you. I just got ONE pedal in the mail today that's worth more than most of my basses.

I do the tuck-behind-the-monitor trick whenever I can, but it's not always an option...one bar we played on Friday has ceiling-mounted monitors and a stage that people routinely use as a drink stand. Not to mention those gigs where people feel like it's perfectly acceptable to take a group of your friends up on stage to start screaming karaoke into the mic.

Might try out the plastic trick, even on the beater board.
 
#10
Once a month or so, we play a notoriously rowdy bar.One time a fight broke out right in front of me and spilled onto the stage and the perps knocked over my mike stand and shattered the capsule of my Sennheiser 935,the owner paid for it, but it still sucked. I would like to remove it from our schedule but they pay well. Anyway I put my board in back of me when we play there. Any loser that gets that far is gettin a swift kick in the privates!
 
#11
I used to be the bouncer in one of those rough places...I would put a stool right by the stage, just out of the line of the speakers. people know I would pull their drinks if they set them on the stage. if they tried to get on the stage, I would help them down.

after a while all the local bands knew me. it is cool to have a musician working in the bar to help with sound check. Then the bands knew that I would watch out for them, and even help with setup and tear down. I actually got more work because of it. When a band needed a sub, they all knew me.
That bar never had a problem filling live music spots. The bar owner got to the point where he would have me book the bands.

the only piece of equipment that was ever damaged was when we had an after hours party, and the bar owner got on a drum kit. it was miced and somehow he blew a speaker. he paid for a new that was on stage the following night
 
#13
If my pedals become stained with beer and puke then its obvious that I'm playing in the wrong venues and need to re evaluate my criteria for accepting a gig booking!

My pedals go with me anywhere I need them...but so far they are pukeless.
 
#14
jumblemind said:
I do the tuck-behind-the-monitor trick whenever I can, but it's not always an option...one bar we played on Friday has ceiling-mounted monitors and a stage that people routinely use as a drink stand.
Click to expand...

LOL. Here's an idea: watch local CL postings for a beat up/non-working floor monitor. Pull the drivers and bring it to the gigs as a "dummy" cabinet; in addition to protecting your pedals, it will allow you to carve out some personal space on stage with all that nonsense going on. Heck, you could use the box to haul cables and stuff!

http://www.gregsproaudio.com/collections/pro-audio/products/empty-floor-monitor-for-12-speaker

Just an idea. I don't usually have space issues, but I think having a black box between me and the masses would make me feel better in the situations you describe.

--Steve
 
#16
Firstly, this is what insurance is for!

Secondly, I always want to sound my best. I've paid good money for my gear so I'm going to make sure I use it. There's a similar thread is the bass column where someone is looking to by a beater bass because he doesn't want to take his new expensive bass out if the house. Why buy it if you're not going to gig it?

These things, basses, effects and amps are tools of your trade. Damage through use (or misuse) is a risk you take when you take them out of the house. Insure it, gig it and enjoy it.
 
#17
ga_edwards said:
Firstly, this is what insurance is for!

Secondly, I always want to sound my best. I've paid good money for my gear so I'm going to make sure I use it. There's a similar thread is the bass column where someone is looking to by a beater bass because he doesn't want to take his new expensive bass out if the house. Why buy it if you're not going to gig it?

These things, basses, effects and amps are tools of your trade. Damage through use (or misuse) is a risk you take when you take them out of the house. Insure it, gig it and enjoy it.
Click to expand...

+1!!
 
#19
seeing as i'm the sort of bass player who uses 'always-on' pedals (compressor/b7k/thumpinator) i just rest it on the top of my rack enclosure, which is on top of my cab. for the past year of gigging i haven't ever touched my pedal board to tweak settings! i've found the tone that i love and just play. i think on this sub-forum i'm in the minority, so this probably won't work for most people.

moral of the story, unless you're pedal dancin' during songs, there's no reason for it to be on the ground! you could probably even get away with clicking a pedal on by hand in between songs if you use pedals that way, i have been messing around this past month with a chorus pedal when i practice at home...
 
#20
ga_edwards said:
These things, basses, effects and amps are tools of your trade. Damage through use (or misuse) is a risk you take when you take them out of the house. Insure it, gig it and enjoy it.
Click to expand...

I kind of get that, but I'm not talking all-or-nothing here. I'm not wanting to take certain gear to certain gigs. If I'm in a venue with a duct taped sound system of smoke-tarred mains and beer-soaked monitors in a room that was designed for anything but acoustics, the bass is going to sound essentially one way whether I'm all geared to the nines or sporting a Squier straight into a Peavey TNT. I think especially when it comes to boutique pedals, they sound great at home or in a studio, but the nuance is lost in most live situations. Juan Aldrete even says as much in that video someone posted in another thread, and he's usually playing better venues than I'm talking about.

Add to that, often in these situations I find myself trying to manage a list of issues just to get through the night, and life is easier if I don't have to be precious with my gear. Nicer gigs warrant the gear, but I totally get the desire to leave certain items at home for the dive jobs, most especially gear as personal as a bass. I'll also admit that my band is noisy in these places, and there's just not a lot my rigs can do other than get the low end around the guitars and drums and out into the room.
 

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