Gear vs Playing out question

[Mudfuzz]

Every pedal board I have posted was one I have used/am using for shows. I can set up and break down my rig in about 5 minutes...

[hbombgraphics]

current build will be heavy but super portable, plus i am wiring jacks and power so I can put the lid on lock it and still have everything plugged in, a few times a year I play about a week of nights where it is just easier to leave everything up this will be huge for protecting my gear.

[jrmy]

I go a few years on a few years off in terms of playing out. I like to put my "set it and forget it" really-good-at-a-particular-sound pedals on my live board, and keep my more fidgety "let's see what happens when you do THIS" pedals for home recording & experimentation.

[ChetMagongalo]

I haven't played out in years. Most of my friends who write music got their own band stuff going on. I'd love to play out/write more music but there's just never enough time I love to jam though, and I play/practice by myself all the time.
I'm really meticulous and a slow worker, so I really have to dedicate to write music/be in a band i'd want to be in

[theavondon]

My stereo rig is so loud, there's no need for it to go through the house system.

Until the sound person/owner of the place comes on stage and turns your amps down for you, which has happened to me and then caused our crowd to yell at the guy while we sat there like

I had a guy try to do that when one of my bands played a show and we knocked two lightbulbs out of the ceiling during the first 30 seconds of our set. What he didn't realize was that I was using my amp as a power amp, and had the pre on my board. He turned every single knob on my amp all the way down. Literally nothing happened.

Well, okay, we were forced to stop after our first song.

[phantasmagorovich]

I don't play out often enough. I generally dislke playing the same town or venue over and over again. It gets old pretty soon. But I can't get the bastards from my main, live-worthy band to play out of town because of children, uni and girlfriends. So we end up playing a couple of shows a year, in the radius of less than an hour drive. Last year I've played like five shows, the second one of this year is coming up.

Regarding the original question though and relating this to gear I often wonder the same thing. If I build a board I would like it to be functional and stage-worthy. That to me means that less is more. Of course it sounds more awesome if you stack the RRR into the WET reverb. But it's not necessary in a band situation. So I would not put them both on a board, I chose one and stick with that. Only one switch to hit as well. This is a necessity because I sing in most of my bands too and it would be too much to handle for me to have 19 pedals and playing and singing all to keep track of at once. I'd get lost.

Recording or fucking around at home is completely different of course.

[DarkAxel]

I play a show approximately once/twice a month. We don't own a car, so a lot of times we borrow gear, but since everything essential is my pedalboard and my guit, it's no problem

and i get to try different amps

sometimes it's a bit tricky, like when we play in different towns, but if you're playing with someone who's not a douchebag, there's no problem

btw yeah, i play a 1x12" combo which is pretty small, but it still weights about 60 pounds - i can carry it around town via bus etc, but it's pretty damn exhausting combined with the board and the guit

[Tendollarcat]

I play on average 2-3 shows a month, with the occasional tour when we can afford it. I use my own gear whenever I can but am often required to use backline amps. My board dominates my sound a lot of the time so I try not to be too reliant on amps and use a bunch of versatile dirt to get me out of trouble when I'm given a Behringer combo to use.

[DarkAxel]

exactly my thoughts

btw does a lot of clubs in USA own amps? not usual here

[Ancient Astronaught]

exactly my thoughts

btw does a lot of clubs in USA own amps? not usual here

No, usually its one band on the bill letting the rest use their amps. Alot of times its the local band or headliners depending on the venue and situation.

[DarkAxel]

oh, so it's the same as here

for example today, we're playing with complete cunts, so to my email where i politely asked whether we can borow anything they only responded "We're sorry"

so we had to bother our friends and various people are bringing in various gear and cymbal stands and whatnots

[Ancient Astronaught]

oh, so it's the same as here

for example today, we're playing with complete cunts, so to my email where i politely asked whether we can borow anything they only responded "We're sorry"

so we had to bother our friends and various people are bringing in various gear and cymbal stands and whatnots

Borrowing gear is a sensitive subject for me..... I'm going to just put it this way, if you plan on playing out professionally you must act accordingly and have the appropriate tools to do you job. If you have neither don't expect others to provide them for you upon request with a smile on their face. Sharing gear while touring with another band, prearranged sharing between friends, helping out someone who blew their amp at soundcheck or in the middle of a set, are all acceptable exceptions, otherwise don't bring a knife to a gun fight (unless your chuck norris of course).

*edit* not saying there's anything wrong with what you did, or defending the c to unts. But this is a necessary attitude to push yourself forward. People will notice if your constantly borrowing or asking to borrow gear and will purposely stop asking you to play with them to avoid the headache, I've seen it happen numerous times and honestly I'm guilty of it myself. You should always come prepared with everything YOU need, or if theres a transportation issue it should be worked out from the day that the gig is booked, whether it be arranging different transport or contacting the other bands from the get go, but never EXPECT anyone to let you borrow gear. You should strive to be the one they want to borrow gear from.

This went from me not wanting it to be a rant...... into a rant... damnit!!!!

[Deltaphoenix]

I played out about 30 times last year.
None so far this year because that band doesn't exist and I am working on something new.

[Holy Schnikes]

I don't have a chance to play out much now days but I jump at any opportunity that arises. And of course I take my favorite shit when I do.

Filled in for my buddy's band on second guitar/synth/noise during a short midwest tour last year and it was tons of fun, really made me miss playing shows, need to do it more often. Took my best shit out, Dunwich Metro and two Emperor 2x12s, LP Custom, and one huge board. Used his Moog Little Phatty for the rest. I also have a stereo rig but it's composed of 2 15W amps and set up in a simple fashion. That's more just for fun at home or at the jam spot, no experience in stereo rigs until now. They're badass but the Dunwich will always be my "live" amp cuz that thing is perfect.

[aen]

I play out a lot. And record a lot. I will admit I have way more gear than I need, but mostly it's pedals that hang around for their specific studio use.