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what should I have when starting to gig?
- Thread starter rks
- Start date
Do you know what kind of venues you'll be playing? Does your band have it's own sound equipment?
I'm in a small acoustic group but we're plugged in. We don't play very big places so our PA is adequate for everyone and I play through my 200w combo.
Without knowing your expected situation, it's hard to make any recommendations.
I'm in a small acoustic group but we're plugged in. We don't play very big places so our PA is adequate for everyone and I play through my 200w combo.
Without knowing your expected situation, it's hard to make any recommendations.
We don't have a pa system only amps. I'm starting with bars, restaurants and small venues wich I believe is enough power. But if I need to play in a bigger venues?
Assuming you have a decent amp, i.e. not a practice amp of less than 100w, you should be just fine.
How big is your amp? Does it have a direct out?
How big is your amp? Does it have a direct out?
s0c9
Supporting Member
To cover your bases you need an amp that puts out enough to keep up with the unamped drumkit, plus a DI or mic.
Well, a bass, obviously.
A backup bass is a good idea. You probably won't need it, but TB has a bunch of stories that go, "I never brought a backup to a gig for thirty years, until this one time..." If not, then at least a spare set of strings.
Strap, tuner, cable...
And for an amp, I'd say anything with at least 200 watts and either a 15" speaker or 2 10" speakers should do the trick for a bar band. Some say minimum 400 watts and a 4x10, but I've never found that necessary.
The band is going to need a PA if anyone is going to sing. Depending on where you are, some venues already have one, but my bands have almost always had to bring our own. So your band should price out what you want and decide how you're going to pay for it - group ownership and everyone chips in, or each member buys a component, or one person buys the whole thing (and possibly gets an extra cut of any gig pay). You'll need mics, a mixer, power amps (separate, built into the mixer, or built into powered speakers), and main and monitor speakers, plus all the cables for everything. If instruments are going to run through the PA, you'll want a subwoofer for bass and the kick drum, and either a DI or a mic for your cab unless you have an amp with a built-in DI.
Also - again more of a band issue than an individual one for you - a banner is a good idea to have. It sucks to have people leave the show loving your band but not knowing what you were called so they never show up at future shows.
A backup bass is a good idea. You probably won't need it, but TB has a bunch of stories that go, "I never brought a backup to a gig for thirty years, until this one time..." If not, then at least a spare set of strings.
Strap, tuner, cable...
And for an amp, I'd say anything with at least 200 watts and either a 15" speaker or 2 10" speakers should do the trick for a bar band. Some say minimum 400 watts and a 4x10, but I've never found that necessary.
The band is going to need a PA if anyone is going to sing. Depending on where you are, some venues already have one, but my bands have almost always had to bring our own. So your band should price out what you want and decide how you're going to pay for it - group ownership and everyone chips in, or each member buys a component, or one person buys the whole thing (and possibly gets an extra cut of any gig pay). You'll need mics, a mixer, power amps (separate, built into the mixer, or built into powered speakers), and main and monitor speakers, plus all the cables for everything. If instruments are going to run through the PA, you'll want a subwoofer for bass and the kick drum, and either a DI or a mic for your cab unless you have an amp with a built-in DI.
Also - again more of a band issue than an individual one for you - a banner is a good idea to have. It sucks to have people leave the show loving your band but not knowing what you were called so they never show up at future shows.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I started gigging with a Squier P bass and a Fender Bassman 150 combo amp.Played at a few small bars,did a 5k after party,a birthday party or two,few real small as in 20 seat restaurants with it and it was more than enough.Didn't need a pa for a long time.Even when we did get a pa it was just a small 400 watt setup at first.That was mainly for vocals though honestly cause up until then my singer just ran his mike into a small practice guitar amp.It worked.We started playing at bigger place and now I've got a 800 watt pa and it does the job.
You don't need half as much as what ppl say you need.I found that out.Long as you have a decent bass,100 plus watt amp,straps,cords and a tuner you should be good just starting out.
You don't need half as much as what ppl say you need.I found that out.Long as you have a decent bass,100 plus watt amp,straps,cords and a tuner you should be good just starting out.
When you get into playing bigger venues, you'll probably be relying on the PA to get your sound out into the space more than your own rig. The PA can do a better job of striking a balance among the instruments and vocals (and perhaps the only partially mic'ed drums) than everyone in the band noodling with their own volumes right there on stage.
In these bigger settings, your rig will become more your on-stage monitor than the primary low-end sender. It's okay to have a DI to send your signal to a PA, but you still need to hear yourself. Even at a smaller show, if you only have a DI and no amp, you're relying on something there to let you hear your own sound like a floor (wedge) monitor. I've personally never done this.
I think our pal Downunderwonder made a good call above - you need "enough" to be able to hang with those drums. This is typically easy for the guitar players as long as they have a 20 or 30 watt amp, but getting the bass out there demands a bit more than that. A few hundred watts should work fine, but you also need enough speaker area, too. A single really good 12" may sound wonderful for recording, but I'd want at least a pair of those for a gig. Just an example...
I've been happy in recent years using a pair of 2x10 cabs - I can use just one for a smaller setting or practice, but both run together quite well for me at a bigger show. Plus, it's easier to cart these around than the old 110 lb. 4x10 cab - I just need to make one more trip to the car when loading in/out. You might get a bundle of sound from something as straightforward as a 1x15 cab, too. Oodles of options out there...
Oh... what are you using now for practice, etc.?
In these bigger settings, your rig will become more your on-stage monitor than the primary low-end sender. It's okay to have a DI to send your signal to a PA, but you still need to hear yourself. Even at a smaller show, if you only have a DI and no amp, you're relying on something there to let you hear your own sound like a floor (wedge) monitor. I've personally never done this.
I think our pal Downunderwonder made a good call above - you need "enough" to be able to hang with those drums. This is typically easy for the guitar players as long as they have a 20 or 30 watt amp, but getting the bass out there demands a bit more than that. A few hundred watts should work fine, but you also need enough speaker area, too. A single really good 12" may sound wonderful for recording, but I'd want at least a pair of those for a gig. Just an example...
I've been happy in recent years using a pair of 2x10 cabs - I can use just one for a smaller setting or practice, but both run together quite well for me at a bigger show. Plus, it's easier to cart these around than the old 110 lb. 4x10 cab - I just need to make one more trip to the car when loading in/out. You might get a bundle of sound from something as straightforward as a 1x15 cab, too. Oodles of options out there...
Oh... what are you using now for practice, etc.?
1) Two basses, one for backup.
2) Two heads, one for backup. (You can get by with one, but make sure it's in good shape.)
3) Cabs.
4) High quality, very stable guitar stand.
5) 2" wide gaffer tape to tape down cables and power cords. (Duct tape leaves goo, gaffer tape is more expensive but does not.)
6) Spare: cables, strings, tools, electrical tape, AC extension cords, batteries for any pedals which are not AC powered.
Now think about what your goofball band members will forget, and bring that. Most common is AC extensions and power strips.
2) Two heads, one for backup. (You can get by with one, but make sure it's in good shape.)
3) Cabs.
4) High quality, very stable guitar stand.
5) 2" wide gaffer tape to tape down cables and power cords. (Duct tape leaves goo, gaffer tape is more expensive but does not.)
6) Spare: cables, strings, tools, electrical tape, AC extension cords, batteries for any pedals which are not AC powered.
Now think about what your goofball band members will forget, and bring that. Most common is AC extensions and power strips.
500w & 410
Join a and that already has PA. You play bass, you'll find a band.
Also bring:
2 sets of guitar strings
spare strap
drum key
drum sticks
Tuner
You can’t really rely on drummers or guitarist to have any sort of responsibility for their own gear.
Join a and that already has PA. You play bass, you'll find a band.
Also bring:
2 sets of guitar strings
spare strap
drum key
drum sticks
Tuner
You can’t really rely on drummers or guitarist to have any sort of responsibility for their own gear.
It's really going to depend on the type of gig and venue.
That said, there's the obvious stuff, bass, amp, cab, DI. Most people can figure that out but here's a few things I found to be either handy or required.
-Earplugs Required if you're not using IEMs or if you're not the only band on the bill.
-tuner (required!)
-guitar stand
-spare instrument and power cables
-spare strap and maybe some extra strap lock hardware.
-Flashlight
-spare batteries, AA and 9V. Not only for yourself but I've bailed out my singer who forgot spares when his mic died during sound check.
-multi-tool
-spare strings (the only thing on this list I've never actually needed at a gig but still have)
That said, there's the obvious stuff, bass, amp, cab, DI. Most people can figure that out but here's a few things I found to be either handy or required.
-Earplugs Required if you're not using IEMs or if you're not the only band on the bill.
-tuner (required!)
-guitar stand
-spare instrument and power cables
-spare strap and maybe some extra strap lock hardware.
-Flashlight
-spare batteries, AA and 9V. Not only for yourself but I've bailed out my singer who forgot spares when his mic died during sound check.
-multi-tool
-spare strings (the only thing on this list I've never actually needed at a gig but still have)
At least 100watts is necessary, adjust upward depending on how loud the other members tend to get.
I've used a 100w combo (DI'd through our PA) and it gets the job done with very little headroom to spare, I have a 200w head that is just fine when running at 160w (due to speaker impedance), and a 350w head that is way more than I'll ever need.
If you have no PA available, you'll need at least 300w and one or two good cabs of your choice that can handle the volume.
As you'll note in posts above, always bring spares even if they're not something you'll use (batteries, guitar strings, etc.)
The other guys will forget stuff and it is the bass player's job to be the boy scout and come prepared. (only slightly joking)
I've used a 100w combo (DI'd through our PA) and it gets the job done with very little headroom to spare, I have a 200w head that is just fine when running at 160w (due to speaker impedance), and a 350w head that is way more than I'll ever need.
If you have no PA available, you'll need at least 300w and one or two good cabs of your choice that can handle the volume.
As you'll note in posts above, always bring spares even if they're not something you'll use (batteries, guitar strings, etc.)
The other guys will forget stuff and it is the bass player's job to be the boy scout and come prepared. (only slightly joking)
This cracked me up, but is actually true!
Another thing that's invaluable is a simple bottle of water, especially when it's hot inside.
Numerous times have I stood on stage with a dry mouth, and not a sip too drink until the end of the set....of course, beer doesn't count.
And bring a towel, while you're at it.
Oh, and don't forget to print out setlists, and just hope that your singer follows it to the letter!
Ok - bass and amp have been discussed, and depending on the types of gigs, PA has been discussed.
prepare yourself first - eventually you will find exactly what you need, and still not have something at some point.
Tape, a leatherman or multi tool, at least some kind of tools......some strings batteries, extra everything you use cables, and electrical cords/power strips. I pack a bag with only extra stuff like that and leave it in my vehicle. It includes a flashlight, and single par can with a clamp.
your role in the band may dictate what you carry - I am the band leader/PA guy. I carry A LOT of extra - because I want the show to go on. you should have at least everything you use, including your mic, xlr cables if you need to tie into the PA (It is so much more professional) your tuner, a stand (if you use one) and power cables/strip if needed. Don't be a PITA borrowing venues, or sound guys stuff - be self reliant, and have your own back up. Stuff happens, but at least try to be prepared.
That said, I did sound for a national touring act, one guy had lost his bag with his accessories (left at gig before - was being shipped to next gig). I had extra strap, cables, DI, tuner, and helped him out - show went on. That isn't the norm.
prepare yourself first - eventually you will find exactly what you need, and still not have something at some point.
Tape, a leatherman or multi tool, at least some kind of tools......some strings batteries, extra everything you use cables, and electrical cords/power strips. I pack a bag with only extra stuff like that and leave it in my vehicle. It includes a flashlight, and single par can with a clamp.
your role in the band may dictate what you carry - I am the band leader/PA guy. I carry A LOT of extra - because I want the show to go on. you should have at least everything you use, including your mic, xlr cables if you need to tie into the PA (It is so much more professional) your tuner, a stand (if you use one) and power cables/strip if needed. Don't be a PITA borrowing venues, or sound guys stuff - be self reliant, and have your own back up. Stuff happens, but at least try to be prepared.
That said, I did sound for a national touring act, one guy had lost his bag with his accessories (left at gig before - was being shipped to next gig). I had extra strap, cables, DI, tuner, and helped him out - show went on. That isn't the norm.
To keep it simple, go for something like an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500. Excellent drive feature on-board to give you some decent grind. The power amp is powerful and the DI pristine.
