What's in your Gig Bag?

[dbsfgyd1]

many people (including me) seem to carry an extra set of strings....I know one friend who broke bass string 20 odd years ago, I never have and never really heard of it

....anybody else actually break a string.... I guess some guys who dig in really hard might ....better safe than sorry

....just curious

Many, but that happened back in the 70s gigging 5-6 nights a week with most gigs of the 4 hours variety. Snapped them off about 2 inches inside the bridge, right about where the bridge pickup was. I broke so many on my EB3, I had to change them every other night to prevent it.

When I switched to my Rickenbacker 4001, it was every 4 nights. When I stopped touring and gigs were less in number, I stopped breaking them, getting about 50-75 hours of play before needing to change them. But to this day I always have fresh strings when gigging or for studio work.

Frankly, I don't understand guys that never change their strings, but if they like them like that, who am I to judge. I just think basses sing better with fresh strings.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Seems a lot of people call their utility bag a gig bag- what do you guys call the bag you keep your bass in then?

True, there are soft cases for instruments that are called "gig bags". I suppose we're making a bit of a distinction.

In my bass case I carry my bass and the bare essentials; bass, strap, Audix OM-5 mic, 15' and 3' instrument cables, Boss tuner, Snark (clip-on) tuner, a pair of sunglasses, and a set of spare strings.

In my earlier post I mentioned what I carry in my "gig bag", which is actually a earlier post.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Kukulkan61]

 

[bound'n'blocked]

My bag is a large Craftsman tool bag.

In it I have:
A couple of mic cables
SM-58 mic and a cheapy backup
DI box
2-3 instrument cables
speaker cables x2 (one for each cab)
backup power cable for my MB500
power strip + a tri-tap extension cord
MB500 head and Sansamp BDDI with wall wart
Extra wall wart
little baggy with various connectors, wire cutters, etc.
Super glue (for my baby soft finger tips!)
two fold up guitar stands

And ever since the guitar players head blew a tube at a gig one time:
My MB200 head, a RAT distortion pedal, and my Aphex Big Bottom aural exciter pedal with associated pedals/power. If he has his effect pedal, he can power a cabinet with it, and if he has his combo, it will serve as a power amp for it too. Can never be too prepared.

BnB

 

[pablomago]

A bunch of instrument cables
Business Cards
Talcum Powder
Power supplies
Mic cables
Mic clips
A Microphone (Auxdix OM-6)
Instrument stand
Music stand
Another Cable
Binder with song lyrics
A Towel
Clothes Pins
Screwdriver
Broken Glow-in-the-Dark Skull bracelet from a Halloween gig
1/8" to RCA cable for the break music
Prayer Flags
Small Jolly Roger Flag
Extension cord (10" grounded)
Power Strip
Rubber Door Stop (For tilting back the amplifier)
1/8" to 1/8" cable

 

[micguy]

I have 2 bags:

Bag 1 is for ampless gigs: I have 2 of every cable including:

1) A combo guitar cable/in ear cable (so I only have one tail)
2) A stereo 1/4 inch cable - runs from the house in ear monitor mixer to my monitor mixer
3) 3 foot 1/4 inch cable - goes from my pedalboard to my in ear monitor mixer (so I hear myself off my pedalboard, bypassing whatever FOH does to my signal
4) short pedalboard power cable (powers my in ear mixer from my pedalboard)

I also carry:
Spare guitar strap
In ear monitor mixer
spares for the cables on my pedalboard
bifocals (yes, I'm old)
main and backup in ear buds
short (3 foot) and long (20 foot) IEC power cords for my pedalboard
Tools to change strings or do a setup on my bass (I have a more complete tool kit in the car)

For gigs with an amp, I have a smaller gig bag, which includes:
2 guitar cables
2 speaker cables
tuner (I don't use a pedalboard for those gigs)
reading glasses (this gig we read music on our stands, so the glasses are different)

In my bass's soft case, I carry spare strings and the strap I use with that bass

 

[rtslinger]

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

You'd need to make more room on the floor for all the stuff in my gig bag its a rolling carry on

Dbase if you recall I got a backpack for Xmas and it was to be my gig bag but my daughter took it to Europe and she loved it and I never got it back

 

[Smoothmove]

Tuner
Nail clippers
Allen wrenches
Battery
Microfiber cloth

 

[Kevin Teed]

Pop-tarts. Brown sugar / cinnamon, unfrosted to be exact.

All the rest is just fluff.

 

[sudsmcduff]

As I'm the 'sound engineer' as well, I have a separate gig bag for bass only gigs and rehearsals , and a big ass box with a furniture dolly for the pa gear.

 

[Craig the Rev]

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

I'm just jealous of anyone who can take just one bag...

 

[bassdude51]

 

[PeteOlig]

Tuner, wireless rig, two mics, two mic cables, 15' power cable, power strip, extra mic clips, 2 lo-hiZ adapters, extra 20' guitar cable, side cutters, screw drivers.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I carry my basses in hard cases, bass and a strap only in each.

But I have the proverbial backpack with all the odds and ends for my amp/bass setup. Extra set of strings (old ones but would do in a pinch), extra batteries for wireless, my personal mic and backup, can coozie, the small case that I have my wireless and tuner mounted in, and instrument cables.

I own half of the PA and the sound board so there are various bags for those cables.

 

[ghostinthemach]

Drums sticks?????

Half the contents of a good gig bag get used (at a gig) by someone else in the band.

 

[Bill G.]

In my bass gig bag, I carry two basses, extra strings, picks, strap, clip-on tuner, and several tools for setups.

In my other bag, which is so heavy that it's nicknamed Jimmy Hoffa, I have several instrument cables, mic cables, 3 mics, my pedal tuner, my wireless unit, my harmonica holder, a DI, 2 power strips, an extension cord, an extension cord for the extension cord, electrical tape, small tools like screwdrivers, a couple of adapters for cables, a wall wart for my Baggs Venue (used for fiddle), earplugs, a wrist brace if needed, a bin of extra AA batteries for my wireless, sometimes a couple of 9V batteries for my tuner and my SR5, and an accordion strap (don't ask!).

 

[T_Bone_TL]

my other bag, which is so heavy that it's nicknamed Jimmy Hoffa...and an accordion strap (don't ask!).

Part of the reason Jimmy Hoffa is so heavy is that the strap is attached to a full size accordion...?

 

[OldBassman]

I used to think I had everything covered with the ton of crap I carry in my gig bag. That is, until the night at a gig I had a tuning machine break. fortunately I had a back up bass.

 

[edencab]

I used to think I had everything covered with the ton of crap I carry in my gig bag. That is, until the night at a gig I had a tuning machine break. fortunately I had a back up bass.

did it take long to swap out the tuner peg?

 

[edencab]

Half the contents of a good gig bag get used (at a gig) by someone else in the band.

it would never occur to me in a million years to carry spare drumsticks......obviously YMMV