gigging guitars

[leew3]

if it's a three set duo gig I take a 6 string and a 12 string (and a mandolin and harmonicas, but that wasn't the question) For short gigs like at an Assisted Living facility I only take the 12 string. However, for an out of town short gig I take a spare guitar 'just in case'. Short answer: usually 2.

[Guitars44me]

“ I've only had one string break during a gig in 50 years. You could just as likely have a cord, preamp, amp, mic, etc. fail. Do you bring backups for all of those too?”

When I am doing an amplified gig I do bring backups for every single thing in the signal path. But most of it just sits in a daypack unless needed. Which used to be rare. But when ya need it, ya need it!

Now I BARELY do any amped gigs anymore. But the phone could ring tomorrow…. Haha

It really doesn’t take me long to change a string, even on stage. The key is to relax. And do NOT drop the pin!
Remember, the crowd is on your side! And they all know a broken string is a possibility. Just part of live music!

I always tell a funny story while changing a string.
Leo Kottke is funny enough I always enjoy his broken string raps.

Music is supposed to be FUN! Enjoy the ride

Paul

[Groberts]

I bring two guitars to some of my gigs; one acoustic and one electric.But for some venues in my mostly rotation, I may opt to bring just one acoustic.

At times I've taken up to 4 guitars just so I can get a feel for how they sound in at gig volume in certain venues. I always feel like I need to gig test my guitars to make a final determination. Now that I've gigged most of my guitars in multiple venues, I have all the info I need to decide which one gets the nod.

Lately, I'm gigging an Emerald X30 as my main 'acoustic'. Collings I-30LC w/Throbak P90's is my chosen electric. These two guitars cover a lot of sonic terrain for my solo shows.

[Jeffreykip]

I bring two: one in open D, and another in standard, unless I’m feeling lazy or the space is cramped and I just bring the one and retune during the break. I don’t go between them frequently, so retuning is ok, I just think it kills my strings faster. And, if I’m being entirely honest, I like the spectacle of another guitar there on a stand. Keeps me company and decorates the stage.

[poopsidoo]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Typically one. I'm usually doing folk/americana/country/old time, in which case it doesn't really matter which guitar/pickup I bring. They all sound good. Or, I'm playing bluegrass on my dreadnought.

Gotta love that folk/Americana/country/old time!!

[mike o]

Just posted on another thread.

We use a six and 12 at every show. Usually mixed in every set. I would say 1/3 of our song selection any night are 12. There are ways to change the sonic palette simply by how you play a 12 or 6 for that matter. One way is not strumming through all the strings on all songs


In addition. I play in several alternative tunings at every show. Just quickly change tuning on the guitar in hand. I’m sure I can retune quicker than anyone swapping a guitar out for a different tuning. I can see where this might be different for say a slide player where the guitar will have a different set up for slide.

[Methos1979]

I almost always bring two but one of them is a carbon fiber guitar that just stays in the trunk of the car 'just in case'. I have yet to actually ever need it. It's one of those things where I could just as easily forgo it but I figure if I ever break a string or have some sort of catastrophic pickup failure then I can just grab the backup not lose much time other than retrieving and (this time of year at least) letting it warm up a bit.

[Brent Nelson]

Two. Love this Beard for my main gigger. And then I also tote a second (often an Eastman or Alvarez MW) for alternate tunings. FB_IMG_1697662299749.jpgFB_IMG_1697662297000.jpg

[eyesore]

Originally Posted by Brent Nelson

Two. Love this Beard for my main gigger. And then I also tote a second (often an Eastman or Alvarez MW) as a second for alternate tunings. Attachment 100825Attachment 100824

That little case with Brent on it almost looks like something you can store your gear in and use it to sit on too!

[Brent Nelson]

I use it for exactly that! Good call. I believe it was a Mayfair or Overstock score. Pretty cheap.20231125_220007.jpg20231125_220015.jpg

[Stirlander]

In the past for solo gigs, I only take one, but lately I've been taking an extra. I always have an extra pack of strings and backups of all my cables, extra batteries, etc.

If its a band gig, I've taken as many as one acoustic, two electrics, and a bass just depends on what's going on.

[Gordon Currie]

Maybe I have a tolerance for risk, but I've never taken an extra guitar to a gig so I would have a spare in case of calamity. Strings, picks, and cables, yes.

There was a few years in the late Seventies where I would bring a 6 string AND a 12 string to gigs.

I only perform in standard tuning, so that eliminates the need for a pre-tuned alternate.

[Charlie Bernstein]

It depends on the venue and how long I'll be playing.

For three-hour acoustic pub gigs where there's enough room, it's full-monty time: a flattop, a squareneck reso, a roundneck reso, a mandolin, and blues harps. For a tiny stage or cramped corner, I pare it down to fit. For a one-hour acoustic show, I just take one guitar.

I never use effects when I play acoustic. I want people to hear my glorious instruments.

[SGFletch]

I used to take 2. I've since set my gigging guitars up to be as bulletproof as I can make them. I have locking tuners and emg pickups on my main gigging electrics. So string changes are a snap if needed - and the solderless connections are generally an easy fix if something electrical goes down.

I put locking tuners on my #1 acoustic for gigs, just in case, for a quick string change.

So, these days, it's generally just one. I recently bought a used Rickenbacker and it's a little finicky, so I take a backup if I want to play that. I need to do a little work on it.

I just don't like having a lot of stuff, although gigging sometimes necessitates it. I always dream of the ultimate fast set up/tear down rig...but never quite get there. ha.

[erniecaster]

Hi,

for an acoustic gig I bring usually two guitars, one to play, one as a backup.

Electric gigs are a little different. I bring a humbucker guitar and a Tele and I will play them both.

cu

erniecaster