How ready are you for a gig?

[jive1]

So how ready are you guys for a gig/jam?

I have my bass in a gig-bag loaded with all my gear essentials, and it's usually by the front door. Lately, most of my gigs don't require me to bring a rig, so I just grab the bass by the door and I'm out. No prep time at all!

 

[jtkennedy9]

I have to take my rig every Thursday, along with a couple of stands, a couple of basses and my gear bag. Usually takes me about ten minutes to gear up.

 

[optikhog]

Depends on the gig. Tomorrow night's gig requires our entire PA, so it'll take over an hour to set up plus my backline rig. Did a gig two weeks ago where I only needed my bass, tuner, cable, strap and DI box. Nice and easy.

 

[ElectrAcoustic]

Always have my gear at the ready but the amount of time it takes to load depends on the amount of gear needed for the gig... at the minimum a bass, mic stand and efx rig (1 trip to car, approx 1 minute)... at the max, add amp, full PA rig & extra cables/mics, etc... (mutliple trips to car, approx 10 min)...

 

[Jazzdogg]

My gear is ready to go. What I'm working on now is fine-tuning the set-up and tear-down process to reduce the time, exertion, and number of steps it takes to complete each step.

I installed large locking casters on my main cab. After removing my main cab from the car, I stack my second cab and rack on top, cinch everything in place with a quick-release strap, roll cabs and rack case into position on stage, and lock the casters; I used a quick-release strap just in case I have to schlep my gear up or down stairs, one piece at a time.

I'm in the middle of designing a "briefcase" with demountable hinges. After unlatching, the top and bottom will separate from one another. The top will contain cord storage and a multi-outlet box, the bottom will contain a pedalboard in two-pieces; piece A will contain my "always on" components and sit on top of my rig, and piece B will house pedals I operate during gigs and sit on the deck.

I've been considering installing my wireless transmitter in a cavity in my bass to make set-up and tear-down quicker and easier, and reduce, by one, the number of cords I have to mess with.

My bandmates and I are continually looking at the way we store, haul, set-up, and tear-down our band gear to save time and reduce the likelihood of a hernia. The way we look at it, the quicker we can set up and tear down, the more we make per hour.

It's a never ending process!

 

[Passinwind]

If I get a late call I can be out the door in 5 minutes, tops, unless my van is packed with windsurfing stuff like it is today.

 

[Diggler]

I have an acoustic bass at home in case I need to brush up on something; everything stays in the trailer with the PA so I can't forget anything.

 

[need4mospd]

Depends on how lazy I was after the last gig or practice. Sometimes it's still in the car, sometimes it's scattered around the house, sometimes I just moved the cases in the house just to sit there and get moved out later.

 

[IanStephenson]

Everything lives just inside the front door. Bass, Rack, bag of "stuff" (which stays packed), and whatever cabs I need (currently just a 1x15).

At the gig, mains goes into the rack, and speaker cable goes to the cab. footswitches are pre-wired, and live in the back of the rack so they just drop to the floor. Strap, wireless and earplugs out of the bag - off we go.

Then there's the lighting rig... still working on getting that to the same level ;-)

Ian

 

[ducatiman]

i'm fortunate enough to have a music room (for both storage and practice) at rear of my house, all my stuff there. load out sliding glass door, walk across deck to van in my driveway. i'd *need* 10- 15 minutes to be loaded and gone, though i *prefer* more notice than that.

----------duc

 

[Baird6869]

I have a big bag that holds all of my cables and effects.... a 6U rack that holds my Ampeg head, BBE Sonic Maximizer, SansAmp RBI, tuner and Power Conditioner (and all cables including speaker)..... and my 2 Ampeg cabs.

I am literally set up in 1 min once my gear is on a stage. Add 1 more min to hook a DI to FOH into my Sansamp.

From my basement.... 3 quick trips.

 

[Jeb]

I have a "weekend" van. I take my bass and a gear duffle in the house and the van is garaged all week. The heavy stuff rarely gets unloaded except if I need the van for something else. I haul my personal rig, stage monitors, power amp, lighting and a powered sub most of the time. If I don't need the heavy stuff, then I'll just grab my bass and gear duffle and take the car. I may teeter' on minimalism, but I'm the most practical person I know!

 

[seanm]

Seems like everybody so far is ready to go... so I won't break the chain

I keep my gig bass in a gig bag with cables. My rig is packed up ready to go, and my gig knapsack is always packed. Give everything a quick once over and out the door it goes.

 

[bass349]

i have my main bass in a gig bag with two cables and a tuner in the pocket. ready to go.. but it has to be, because i need to leave my house with my bass literally every day of the week (teaching/rehearsals/gigging)..

i've managed to take my gig load down to a "one trip load". i use a demountable fridge moving type trolly. on that (in order) goes my quad box, head (in a hard case), and a bass stand wedged under a gig bag (speaker cables, pedals, sansamp BDDI in case i need it, spare mics, power boards/extension cables etc). My main bass is over one shoulder (in gig bag as mentioned above) and i always bring a spare in a another gig bag, which i throw over the other shoulder!

after a long gig i always make myslef unload the car and wheel all the gear back inside, where it sits ready for the next gig. mind you i take it in that night mainly cause i'm more paranoid about theft than "to be ready for the next gig"

 

[justabass]

Depends on the gig...I have house gigs Monday through Thursday so my GS112 and GK 200rcb stay strapped on a luggage dolly by the door. Tuesday and Wednesday's are at the same venue but ones night jazz so I'm bringing an upright and the other is semi acoustic so I'll grab whatever bass is still in the bag from the weekend and roll. On weekends I'll usually use the small rig on early gigs and grab the GS212 and DB750 for evenings. My gig stuff stays packed up so I never forget anything.Its bad but sometimes I leave the smaller rig in the car...

 

[Phalex]

I'm ready right now. It takes me 10 minutes to lug everything up out of the basement, grab a bass and GO!

 

[jomahu]

everything is by the door. both basses, even.

why, do i have a gig right now?

 

[Deacon_Blues]

Enough ready to to play a gig within an hour from the call, if I only need to bring my rig, no PA. If I have time for it, that is.

I don't like to take gigs on short notice though, because I like to be somewhat prepared (at least one rehearsal before the gig). A bad performance don't give a good impression of your abilities. However, you might get away with it, or you might not....

 

[mjolnir]

15 minutes. Gig bag is loaded, just need to haul the stuff to my car. It'd be five, but I'm a gimp, so I'm allowing for limp time. Us cripples can do that.

 

[JKT]

When I get home I usually have both my basses out on stands ready to play all the time. At least the Barker bass cause then I can just walk up and play it anytime.

I use a little practice rig at home so my main rig stays either in the truck or in the garage ready to go on the truck.

My extra cab stays on the truck all the time and I only pull it out for larger shows.

I have a small pedal board that I have been using all the time and it has my wireless on it too. Cords, cables, and extra stuff are kept in a Stanley tool box with built in wheels and a retractable handle.

JKT