What are the necessities of gigging gear?

[mbman]

I've been using 112 and 212 cabs for years, none of them sound just like a 412. Having said that I'm still using my Genz Benz G Flex 212 cab for gigd

As a veteran of years of gigs I tend to be an overpacker. All my guitars have trems so I bring three guitars, a shitload of tools (I might have missed it but i don't think anybody mentioned a soldering iron and solder) several drop cords and an extra strap, toohpicks and wood glue along with crazy glue some cheap spare cables (for those guys who gotta borrow one) I believe in redundancy and being prepared for just about anything. Anytime something happened on a, gig if I didn't have a tool or whatever to fix a problem I had that tool or whatever for the next gig. I used to play in a house band for a comedy theater that allowed folks to bring their own beer or wine. One night someone needed a wine bottle opener and there wasn't one in the house that night. Guess who had one in their tool kit the next weekend I carry lots of spare parts too. That came about because one night while changing strings inbetween sets I lost the little string lock block from the saddle of a Floyd Rose trem. Sure I had my spare guitar but this is before I started lugging around three guitars lol. I took note of what some of the other guys might havw needed too. Saved my drummers *** when I produced a drum key for him and my bass player who needed a 10 amp fuse. Everything I carry to a gig is because at one time or another I have needed it or witnessed somebody else in need (the toothpicks and woodglue got thrown into the tool kit after I saw a friend's strap/strap button get ripped out of his bass while he was running around onstage, he kept saying "if I had a toothpick and some glue i could fix this") OK I'm done

Martin

 

[YellowJacket]

I find a 1x12 and 4x12 are basically the same volume. The big thing for me was that the 4x12s have a fullness that smaller cabs lack... however the new 27" wide cabs sound outstanding IMO and easily hold their own against a 4x12.

That said, 4x12s do look cooler... and sometimes appearances are just as important as the sound.

1 x 12s can unleash some serious punishment. With one 12 inch cone, the speaker just hits the sweet spot sooner, which makes dialing in stage volume / sound guy friendly tones easier. I found with a 4 x 12, you really need to give it some jam before the sound stopped being stuck inside the cab and actually 'came out'.

 

[Jackie]

Look for a good multi-effect, no boss gt- something..

I strongly disagree - effects on the GT units are great, though the preamps are ****.

Everything has been said already... bring as little as possible in terms of gear, and carry around as much tools (multitool helps a lot) spare things as you can manage without being over encumbered.

As for the 1x12 thing - careful with the power handling - a 100W Recto into a say 60W speaker is fine if you don't play loud but as you turn it up there could be a chance of blowing the speaker.

 

[elvis]

I would take Jackie's warning about speaker power rating a bit further.

Running a speaker near its max power rating will decrease its lifetime, and make it more likely to wear out or fail outright sooner than if you run at reasonable power.

 

[npo12354]

Look for a good multi-effect, no boss gt- something..

I strongly disagree - effects on the GT units are great, though the preamps are sh!t

Everything has been said already... bring as little as possible in terms of gear, and carry around as much tools (multitool helps a lot) spare things as you can manage without being over encumbered.

As for the 1x12 thing - careful with the power handling - a 100W Recto into a say 60W speaker is fine if you don't play loud but as you turn it up there could be a chance of blowing the speaker.

I think this is one of the things that I've been a little concerned about since my cab is 60w. Maybe it's time to sell it and use the money towards one of the Mesa 1x12's or a recto 2x12. Hopefully a 2x12 will fit in my car

 

[Jackie]

Well, that or you could get an EVM12L, which is rated at 200W and was used in older Mesa combos and I believe is still used in Thieles?

 

[Dino334]

One roadie and one guitar tech. Sometimes I carry a spare one of each :lol:

 

[Vigo1999]

it may sound silly but, along with all the tools mentioned, dont forget extra picks . . .you'll be surprised (on the bad side) when your lonely pick slips from on your hand on a dark stage and you have to finish your song (or even maybe the gig) playing with your bare fingers (on your picking hand, of course) . . .