What's in your Gig Bag?

[pcake]

I always though harp players just kind of "showed up" after a few beers.

Glock 23 mags, a sleeping cat, 1/2 a pack of cigarettes I thought I lost, 3 Bic lighters, a hard drive from a Thinkpad that got thrown in there by mistake, an empty check book, random screws, 3-4 dead 9v's, random 12ga shells, screwdriver tips I thought I lost and have rebought many times over, a pack of Dean Markley strings someone gave me that I'll never get around to trying, many random feet of cable, random 1/4 and speakon ends.

It's my old Chrome bag back when I lugged a 15" Macbook Pro around for work.

It gets used for shooting when I bother to do competitions, a junk bag I sweep my desk into when someone is coming over, a pause bag in the middle of projects, and mainly a bed for a cat.

a sleeping cat? how does the cat stay asleep when you're carrying the bag or, indeed, playing a show?

 

[Altitude]

That is a flight case about the size of a thick briefcase. It contains:

• An amp head, either a GK MB-Fusion or a Mesa D-800
• Zoom B3n multi-FX
• Three speakon speaker cables (one being redundant)
• Three instrument cables (one being redundant)
• An amp power cable
• Two extension cords
• Two small bags containing wrenches, flashlight, a replacement tube, etc.

A set of extra strings, an iPad, and a small battery-powered fan are in the bass gig bag.

This case in one hand, bass gig bag as a backpack, and one of my 29-pound Audiokinesis 1x12 cabinets in the other hand equals one trip in and one trip out.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

My Resmed bag makes a great gig bag.
Ingredients are:
Tascam recorder with clamps,
Wind screen,
Backup battery pack,
A/C cord,
2 Shure microphones,
Microphone Cables.
Power strip,
Spare speaker cables,
Remote control for lights,
Spare Instrument cable,
Wireless modules for my bass
Spare set of strings.
Assorted plugs
View attachment 3118687

10' cable, 25' cable, XLR cable, 2 speakons, tuner pedal, Allen wrenches, Philips, power cord, and a wide variety of picks (I only ever use one, but everytime I see a new style, I buy three sizes of them...never know til you try).

 

[dbase]

Resmed.... So I'm clearly not the only TB'r with a CPAP. lol

Incidentally, the remote for your lights is identical to the remote for my aquarium lighting.

Yes... when your 72 you get a Cpap machine for your birthday. They make good gig bags. I lost the remote for the lights and they wont work without one... so I bought 4. I keep two in the bag in case I lose one.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Hi,



Yeah, this is another one of those subjects that get brought up now and again, and again. But I just happened to have a recent picture of my gig bag so, why not? You certainly don't want to see a picture of me in shorts on stage.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

We agree with you @BassCliff we don't want to see that for sure.

Thank you for your understanding,

 

[PaulJSmith]

I've always carried a large gym-type bag with; instrument cables, speaker cables, patch cables, mic cables, three mics (57, 58, e609), miscellaneous plug adapters (1/4", RCA, etc.), tuner (electronic and reed), batteries, power extension cord, multi-outlet surge strips, instrument stands (floor and BassHanger) a small tool kit, spare strings, picks, business cards, and the BAC (big @$$ clock).

 

[Magthegrate]

Yes... when your 72 you get a Cpap machine for your birthday. They make good gig bags. I lost the remote for the lights and they wont work without one... so I bought 4. I keep two in the bag in case I lose one.

Well, I'm only 44 and I have one!

 

[MD]

Music books, bass stand, tuner, stand light, spare stand light bulb, music clips, small screw driver, spare fuses, 25' extension cord, 6' extension cord, 3-way strip, flashlight, electrical tape, wire nuts, baby powder, folding cab stand, cables, washcloth, ground lifts, earplugs, bandaids, wet-naps, extra strings, spare 9v.

 

[Lava]

• Mesa Boogie Subway D800 head (I love that I can fit it in my gig bag!)
• Pedal Train with 4 or so effects and tuner
• Extra set of bass strings (usually the last set I took off my bass, it's just for emergencies until I can pick up a new set)
• Extra Mic
• Inst Cables + 1 extra, extra patch cable, extra speakon cable, extra amp power cable, extension cord.
• Gaffers tape
• Small folding gtr stand
• Small tool kit w/adjustment tools for my basses, extra 9V
• Disposable sun reflecting blanket (had to set up early at a gig and had to leave amp exposed in the sun for a long while and lets just say it wasn't too happy about it.
• Set Lists, promo stickers, buttons
• Leatherman tool. The hardest working tool in showbiz!

* And as many BLs can attest to, sometimes it's just easier to carry extra set of gtr strings, gtr strap, and picks. Life is just easier not having to lose your mind because brilliant gtr players can't remember to bring these things. I used to get mad, now I just come prepared. Most people joke about drummers, but I find them much more reliably prepared than six stringers.

 

[Spidey2112]

I'm so far away from a gig, I still need to get a bag...*

*No wife jokes... I love her, very much.

 

[Spidey2112]

Two bulging briefcases. I really need to upgrade to something better, but I’m too cheap and lazy. Power/speaker/instrument cables. Three mics that don’t work. (Another thing that needs to be addressed.) Ancient tuner. Disintegrating chord/lyric papers from the 80’s. Rosin. Old strings that I wouldn’t have the patience to change on the fly anyway. Towels. Unused prophylactic. (My life story.) several whistles and nose flutes.
It’s the musical equivalent of a junk drawer.

Hilarious!

 

[chaosMK]

Not many accessories. In my bass case... Extra strap, Snark, microfibre cloth, one of the weird screwdrivers for my bridge saddles.

Power strip in my pedal case.

I have played at least 100 shows with less.

 

[logdrum]

My Resmed bag makes a great gig bag.
Ingredients are:
Tascam recorder with clamps,
Wind screen,
Backup battery pack,
A/C cord,
2 Shure microphones,
Microphone Cables.
Power strip,
Spare speaker cables,
Remote control for lights,
Spare Instrument cable,
Wireless modules for my bass
Spare set of strings.
Assorted plugs
View attachment 3118687

No fuses?

 

[SAlcott]

Well, at least no big harm if you forget the picks

I can always bum one from the guitar player.

 

[Ender_rpm]

a sleeping cat? how does the cat stay asleep when you're carrying the bag or, indeed, playing a show?

"This cat isn't pining, he's past on!! This is an EX Cat!!! If ye hadna stapled him to the bag, he'd be pushing up the daisies!! "
* apologies to Monty Python Co

For local gigs, I have pared it down to just what I need, and then a handful of things my bandmates are likely to need, mostly extra cables and power strips. Usually have a flashlight, multitool, a couple small screw drivers, gaffer tape, sharpie, extra set lists, a spare 1/4" cable (20ft), a spare IEC cable, a spare speaker cable, and a set of old strings just in case. I have a magnetic spice tin o extra picks in my pedal board, and I generally carry my own cab mic (Audix D4) and stand.I also carry an unopened pack of 9Vs in case my power supply dies.

 

[david barnes]

Fascinating. So your 810 is cordless? Sound just magically goes from the rack amp to the cab, no cord needed? And it doesn't even need a power cord...(or the amp doesn't) Neat-O!

For me, bass in soft case, bow and rosin in case pockets, iPad, music stand, blueturn carried separately (iPad can go in the back pocket of the bass case, but I prefer not to, as it could get cracked there, too.) Phone (for use as tuner) on belt.

you didn't read that right for some of it, I clearly did mention a power cable ..I forgot to mention that I do have a speaker cable but that stays in side the rack case hooked up to the back of my amp so I can pull it out and connect it to the cab,and I do the same with the power cable, since its hooked up into my furman the power cord I use from that.. and my instrument cable, I put in my bass case. excuse me for not being in full detail, id only been awake for a few minutes as I posted this morning, I wish I had a cordless amp, space aged stuff there huh? lol. stupid bass players lol

 

[troy mcclure]

I have 2 bags ...on for the PA and One for just bass.
Just for Bass, I carry my pedals, 1/4 cables, 2 mics , a multi- tool, batteries and pepto bismal and Imodium.

 

[somebrains]

a sleeping cat? how does the cat stay asleep when you're carrying the bag or, indeed, playing a show?

I can walk these cats on a leash a couple miles.
They're also used to sleeping on my cab when I'm playing an SVP-CL and GX5.

 

[Holdsg]

+1 on those Phitz cable bags. I have one for all my keys stuff, and one for all my PA stuff, so handy.

So, strictly my bass gig bag, is in 2 parts.
The first part: Gator mixer bag, includes
- Genzler Magellan amp head, power cord
- Korg tuner with 3" cable
- 3 speakon speaker cables
- 1 Spectraflex instrument cable
- small hand towel

The second part, is a black Lehman brothers duffel bag (from back when I was wined and dined by Wall Street)
I don't have a pic of it, but I'll try from memory:
- Shure Beta 58a mic in its case
- Set of emergency bass strings
- 4-5 mic cables and an emergency instrument cable or two
- Set of emergency guitar strings (were a freebie at some trade show)
- extra bass strap
- weed baggie full of pics & hearos
- weed baggie full of tools, allen wrenches
- multitool
- duct tape (I really should get some gaffers tape, been meaning to do that)
- emergency drum sticks
- roll of white first aid tape
- roll of green electricians tape
- wind screens and big binder clips
- music stand LED light thingy
- rechargeable LED flashlight
- lots of batteries of all shapes sizes


things I should include now I'm reading your guys:
- ibuprophen
- gaffers tape

 

[DirkP]

Much of the same except I have a zoom q8 for recording which I have a love hate relationship with (love the audio, don’t really care for the video quality)

I only have the q4 since about two years and have recorded many gigs with it. I was a bit disappointed regarding the picture quality, too. But the settings are very important. If you don't get decent results at daylight or at a bright stage, most likely the settings are wrong! It is not as sharp or bright as an iPhone 7 cam, but not much worse. The Q8 should be a bit better than my Q4.