The gigging 'backup' guitar

[Methos1979]

How many of you that gig regularly keep a backup guitar with you? I've always felt like I need a backup guitar, a backup amp and a plethora other backup stuff (mics, cables, batteries, capo's, picks etc.). No doubt a leftover from my Navy days. We play between 130-150 shows a year but they are very low-wear and tear shows (assisted living-type places, mostly). As I get older and older, I find myself not bothering to schlep the extra gear as I have yet to actually ever need a backup anything.

How many of you that regularly gig have a backup guitar and/or other backup items? How many of you have actually ever needed that backup after a catastrophic failure at a gig? How many have carried backups (or not) and never experienced the need? In the summer/warmer months it's not a huge deal as I can keep that spare guitar and amp in the trunk all the time. But in the winter I don't like to leave my gear in freezing cold temps for long periods of time plus there's usually a huge tub of road salt/sand mix in the trunk.

I'm also thinking of (gasp!) going down to just one guitar. It's something I said I wouldn't do while gigging but I'm finding that these days I tend to focus on just a single, preferred guitar and it always rubs me the wrong way to own expensive things I don't use. Having several thousand dollars 'hanging on the wall' doing nothing eventually leads me to selling them off anyway, usually for something new and different. I've gone down to one for brief periods in the past and found it to be quite a liberating feeling.

[rmp]

yea, same here,

extra strings, XLR and Guitar cables, sometimes I do take two guitars even a spare Applicance plug.

I can't recall a time when I had to use any of the backup stuff,

well except the guitar, If 2 are there, I'll use 2! Why not ay?

but we can all rest assured the gig we don't bring spare sets of strings, or extra cables, we shall regret it.

[Goat Mick]

I gig about the same number of shows as you and I rarely ever take a spare guitar or amp with me. I always keep my equipment maintained and take great care of it so it rarely ever breaks down. If it's a long drive to a show, I may have my Loudbox artist in my car along with my Bose L1 Pro8 but in the past 15 years I've only had one equipment failure. My Loudbox Performer went dead when I plugged it up at a weekly gig I used to play, I just drove the 15 minutes back home and picked up my Loudbox Artist and played the show. Turns out one of the ribbon connectors inside worked it's way loose after years of following me around to shows and Fishman walked me through fixing it.

While I don't take backups for my guitar or PA (most of the time), I do keep an "oh crap" bag in my car that has extra cables, microphones, direct boxes and just about everything else I would need to replace a broken component between me and the PA.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

How many of you that gig regularly keep a backup guitar with you? I've always felt like I need a backup guitar, a backup amp and a plethora other backup stuff (mics, cables, batteries, capos, picks etc.)...

While I also carry a "possibles" bag to every gig I only reserve backup guitars/amps for the heavy-duty shows (local TV, larger audiences, et al.), the one concession being one of those stompbox-size pedal amps (in my case a Hotone Mojo Attack or Britwind that fits in the backup bag - got an XLR that lets me DI to house, and I have a Randall 1x8" mini-cab I can use as a monitor); keep my gear well-maintained as a matter of course so it's only been an issue once in 60+ years, and that with a bad cable rather than instrument/amp...

[MrDB]

I always had a gear bag at every gig. Extra cables, batteries, strings etc. I never needed them but I became the go to supplier for my bandmate guitar player who could never seem to remember to bring any of those things

[datzus1]

Yup, backup cables, strings, mic and occasionally a guitar if it’s a gig for a large attentive crowd, but these days that’s rare.

I made the mistake of being in a hurry one night and just gabbing a guitar, broke a D string in the middle of the set, opened the case and discovered NO extra strings. The remaining guys played an instrumental while I got the ball end out of the guitar, inserted the break (right at the saddle), looped it twice and just had enough left to wind it once round the tuner and finished the gig playing very softly.

I learned two lessons that day: 1) I’m glad I wind at least four turns of string around the tuner and 2) ALWAYS make sure extra strings are either in the case or gig bag!

[jricc]

I used to bring an extra guitar and then got lazy...I do between 90 and 100 shows a year, and I try to keep the load light.
But I have extras of everything else.

[Medford Guitar]

I generally bring a spare guitar even if I generally don't use it at shows. I always believe if I bring one, I won't need it. The one time I didn't, yup a spare would have been useful. Superstitious I know.

No backup PA, just the EV Evolve 50 and AH ZED10FX. I do bring a bag of strings, cables, batteries etc.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I do for electric gigs because nines break so easily. (I'm a little rough on strings.)

For acoustic gigs, I often have more than one, but they're different kinds of instruments: one flattop, one roundneck reso, one squareneck reson, and one mandolin.

If it's a short gig, I usually just take one flattop. If I end up playing with five strings, so be it.

[mr. beaumont]

Rock and country gigs, where I bend strings, always a backup. I've only needed it a handful of times, but a lot better than stopping to change a string.

Jazz and solo gigs, never-- no room!

Always extra cables, batteries, strings, etc.

KNOCKING HARD ON WOOD...I've never had a catastrophic gear failure on a gig.

[rstaight]

I play 2 or 3 jams and 2 "gigs" (nursing homes) a month. I don't take extra strings but should probably start.

When a take a "backup" guitar it's usually my 12 string for particular songs. Ther have been times where I carried along 2 guitars but it was just to have a bit different sound.

I haven't had a problem when playing out in my 50+ years of playing. That's includes jams, nursing homes, county fairs, festivals and recitals.

[fazool]

I have an almost-phobic fear of gear breaking at a gig.

I bring an acoustic, acoustic 12-string and an electric.
Our lead guitar player brings 2 electrics. Between us we always have a backup guitar.


I bring lots of backup cables, a DI box, extra mic, etc. I bring an external preamp.

For a backup amp I use one of these which, frankly, are amazing

[Skarsaune]

Cables, mics, strings, yes.

I'll bring a backup guitar sometimes, if the gig is far away / high profile. I generally don't, though.

[nostatic]

I average 4-8 gigs a month, a variety of situations and what I bring as a spare/backup depends on the gig and venue.

Solo: I always have dobro and guitar, with the guitar usually acoustic (sometimes take my I-30). The reason is more because I often play 3 hours straight with no breaks, and dobro (squareneck) gives my fingertips a rest. I have extra strings for both. I always have backups for mic and cables stored in the jeep. I do not take a backup amp, as if the amp dies I can just go full acoustic. If my pedal board dies I can bypass it. If the dobro or guitar had an electronics failure, I could do the rest of the gig with the other instrument.

Bass gigs - depends on which band. With Soul Stingers which is an "acoustic" rock thing, I usually take my two short scale fretli. I have had one of those suffer a piezo soft-failure on a gig so having a backup is a thing. My real emergency backup is a Kala fretless U-bass that stays tucked in the back of the jeep. If I only take one proper bass then that is the backup. I only take one head and one cab, but the bandleader always brings his PA so I could go direct if need be.

With Steely Jam, I always take two basses, two cabinets (I use them both), and two heads (one is a backup). We always have FOH so in a pinch I could go fully direct but then I have to depend on floor monitors and with a 10-piece band, I don't always get my own.

For theater gigs, I bring a smattering of stuff as I often double, but we also have FOH.

[Mbroady]

I’ve never needed to use it, but I always have a back up Guitar. I know the day I don’t bring it, that’ll be the day I would need it.

Also have a back of the typical gear…strings, chords, batteries, capo, tuner mics, etc