Reminder: Always bring your #2

[Buell]

If strings are breaking on stage, or anywhere else, one of three things is happening-

1. Bad right hand technique/playing too hard.

2. Something is wrong with the guitar and it needs fixed.

3. The strings are too old and fatigued to be on stage with.

Number one can contribute greatly to number three.

I change my strings every gig. Every single one. Sometimes that means five times a week. So be it. It’s a business expense.

I’m also insanely anal about maintaining my instruments and keeping them in top fighting shape. They may get beat up and look worn, but functionally they are 110% at all times.

Between fresh strings and constant maintenance, I have not broken a string in almost twenty years. Even though number one is definitely an issue for me when I get caught up in the moment. I stopped carrying a backup guitar probably ten years ago, because I never used it. Not once. I always carry a tool kit, including soldering stuff, but I even go on tour with just one instrument.

It was due to old strings. I figured I could get one more practice out of them and I darn near did. I should mention that I have NEVER broken a string at a gig (shoot, I said that out loud).

 

[Cyberi4n]

Broken one string once in 35 years of gigging. And that was 2011 I think. Last band I was in simply wasn’t feasible to bring two guitars out. And so I always put on fresh strings before each show. I also carried with me

Fresh strings
Fresh wireless batteries
Tool kit
Torch
Fresh patch leads
Fresh power cable
Spare guitar strap
Spare network cable (for the floorboard I used)
Spare speaker cable
Spare DI box in case the venue didn’t have one
Spare picks

Always best to be prep’d right?

 

[Guitarteach]

No.. too easy a problem to avoid.

I always have a backup guitar on stage or nearby.. and spare strings. I have at least two workable rigs with me.

 

[Ricky D.]

A side-benefit for me to carrying just one guitar to a gig, is to hear how music played, maybe not associated with the guitar I bring, comes out sounding...( clunky sentence, I know)
It's fun!

It always seemed to me that as long as I got the tone in the right neighborhood and got the hooks in right, it just didn’t matter what guitar I played. Maybe a shoegazer in front of the stage might think I should have some particular guitar or effect, but so what? A crowded room and people going off, lots of energy coming back at us. That’s what they were there for, and that’s what I was there for.

 

[Peegoo]

I've never been a pick dropper. I walk out with a pick and I'm good for the show.

Last time I played onstage (March), for whatever reason, I stuck a pick in the strings behind the nut, which I never do. Good thing I did, because when I started the 2nd tune, my pick went PING and it was gone in the darkness. WHAT? YAY! I have an extra! So I grabbed it and missed only two beats. WHEW.

It was then that I began to panic: WTF do I do if this one goes AWOL? Holy anxiety, Batman! But luckily it stayed in place for the rest of the gig.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

It always seemed to me that as long as I got the tone in the right neighborhood and got the hooks in right, it just didn’t matter what guitar I played. Maybe a shoegazer in front of the stage might think I should have some particular guitar or effect, but so what? A crowded room and people going off, lots of energy coming back at us. That’s what they were there for, and that’s what I was there for.

Play well, sing well, be entertaining. That's the priority.

My 'attitude' about guitar choice ( just 1 for me at a gig) came from a weekly ( Monday!) gig our band had for years in early 2000's, in Alexandria, VA.

Because there was a 'noise issue' from live music at the bar ( ONE home resident nearby, complaining to cops), I HAD to play my acoustic guitar. I did not mind ( to keep the gig), but it was silly as we were still plugged in, we were rocking out, and I would deliberately crank my Martin to overdrive PA ( we had bass, drums, keys, 2 singers)
So I'm playing Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Stones, Cream, on a Martin. I don't think it was any quieter- they ALL have Volume knobs and amps!

And now today, I may play Bluegrass, folk tunes with a Strat or SG, "Hey Joe" on a 000 acoustic...

It really doesn't matter, just give me a guitar!

 

[MickM]

Most of my guitars have at least a spare set of strings in the case but if I'm going anywhere outside the house to play I have a bag with strings, dykes, peg winder, spare cord, small tool kit etc. My stuff is usually good to go but you never know when something is gonna' go where it ain't supposed to go. If I take an amp I'll throw a few spare tubes in the back.

I just don't like to be that guy asking "anybody got a spare .010?" or "my cable's shot, can I borrow one"? Being prepared means I don't have to be that guy.

 

[johnny k]

Happened to me not long ago. The band took a break and i had changed my string in a short time, tuned up, and was ready to go before the other guitar player had finished his smoke.

 

[String Tree]

This weekend, we had our final rehearsal before our 1st gig in a couple of years. We ran thru the set and were working thru it again and just killing it. All of a sudden, bwam, broke a string on my number 1. My number 2 was in a case at my house and no 2nd set of strings. Practice over.

I'm thinking something or someone was trying to tell me something. Like, "hey dingdong, don't forget your number 2 guitar!". At least it was rehearsal and not at the gig!

It also got me wondering if anyone has had anything like that happen AT the gig?

It did.
But after that, I always brought two Guitars.
BEST Insurance Policy for a Performer.

 

[NoTeleBob]

A spare set of strings is a gimme, although I confess to not doing it more than once.

But these days, even if you don't have a second guitar (is that anyone around here? LOL) you could pick up a Squier for $100 as a "just in case". If you spend a little time in setup, it can be a nice player too, and perhaps not just a backup.

Same for the amp. For Under $100 you can have a 25W+ Fender or other SS amp that will at least finish a gig if someone needs it. Or get something like a Rumble amp, that covers guitars and bass if needed.

Sometimes it's a tiny thing, like a dirty jack, that stops you cold. In the panic and time frame of an important practice or gig, you don't want to be scrambling. Have a plan.

 

[Jakedog]

I've never been a pick dropper. I walk out with a pick and I'm good for the show.

Last time I played onstage (March), for whatever reason, I stuck a pick in the strings behind the nut, which I never do. Good thing I did, because when I started the 2nd tune, my pick went PING and it was gone in the darkness. WHAT? YAY! I have an extra! So I grabbed it and missed only two beats. WHEW.

It was then that I began to panic: WTF do I do if this one goes AWOL? Holy anxiety, Batman! But luckily it stayed in place for the rest of the gig.

I almost never drop them, and I never lose them. I stick a half dozen in my right front jeans pocket, and use them until they wear out. I bought 36 Jazz XL picks four years ago. I’m still using them. For acoustic I use the dark green 1.5 mm Gator Grips. I bought a dozen of those in 2019. Still using them.

On the rare occasion I drop one, there’s plenty more where he came from. I just reach in my pocket.

 

[Old Deaf Roadie]

Part of me wants to embark on a tirade about rookie moves and not being prepared. The other part of me knows that when it comes to being in that situation, there are those who have and those who will and that one of those guys is me. These are the lessons that you won’t forget that teach us not to question what we bring along to a gig.

 

[chris m.]

I almost never drop them, and I never lose them. I stick a half dozen in my right front jeans pocket, and use them until they wear out. I bought 36 Jazz XL picks four years ago. I’m still using them. For acoustic I use the dark green 1.5 mm Gator Grips. I bought a dozen of those in 2019. Still using them.

On the rare occasion I drop one, there’s plenty more where he came from. I just reach in my pocket.

I mostly lose them in the wash, but there's a little coin/pick catcher in my washing machine where I can find shiny coins and nicely cleaned guitar picks.

 

[RCinMempho]

I have an eyeglasses case that sits on a tray on my mic stand. Open it up and there's a capo, a nail file, picks, and few business cards. Always packed and ready to go.

 

[mindlobster]

I love to bring backup stuff. Not only is it a let down for other musicians, and the audience, it'd also be hugely frustrating to go through the travel, soundcheck, setup, and then not be able to get the payoff.

 

[Edgar Allan Presley]

I almost never drop them, and I never lose them. I stick a half dozen in my right front jeans pocket, and use them until they wear out. I bought 36 Jazz XL picks four years ago. I’m still using them. For acoustic I use the dark green 1.5 mm Gator Grips. I bought a dozen of those in 2019. Still using them.

On the rare occasion I drop one, there’s plenty more where he came from. I just reach in my pocket.

This is me. Capo and slide in my left back pocket, extra picks in my right front pocket.

I don't bring a lot of tools or anything because if a problem can't be fixed with gaffer tape, I'm probably not going to try it on stage in front of everyone. I'll just make do.

I'd rather something go wrong and have to adapt than look like one of those amateurs who show up to a regular bar gig with a giant mission control pedalboard, a rack of guitars, etc., like they're pretending to be The Edge. That is more embarrassing than having to play a 5-string guitar straight into the board because a string broke and a tube died. I could handle that fine.

 

[Orpheum]

Good luck changing a string on a dark stage with dodgy eyesight.

Very practical desk lights exist...
Moreover I never break a string (the guitar setting is very important against this inconvenience).

 

[2HBStrat]

This weekend, we had our final rehearsal before our 1st gig in a couple of years. We ran thru the set and were working thru it again and just killing it. All of a sudden, bwam, broke a string on my number 1. My number 2 was in a case at my house and no 2nd set of strings. Practice over.

I'm thinking something or someone was trying to tell me something. Like, "hey dingdong, don't forget your number 2 guitar!". At least it was rehearsal and not at the gig!

It also got me wondering if anyone has had anything like that happen AT the gig?

Rehearsals and gigs are two different things. Always have an extra set of strings at rehearsals. Always have a backup guitar at gigs.

 

[TC6969]

Two is One and One is none!

When I show up at a gig, not only do I have two of everything, but if the venue suddenly changed from a deck job to a 1,000 seat hall, I'm still covered.

Everything from two amps to the fuses for them, I'm covered!

 

[Ron R]

This weekend, we had our final rehearsal before our 1st gig in a couple of years. We ran thru the set and were working thru it again and just killing it. All of a sudden, bwam, broke a string on my number 1. My number 2 was in a case at my house and no 2nd set of strings. Practice over.

I'm thinking something or someone was trying to tell me something. Like, "hey dingdong, don't forget your number 2 guitar!". At least it was rehearsal and not at the gig!

It also got me wondering if anyone has had anything like that happen AT the gig?

In addition to always having a backup guitar at gigs, I've always got a set of strings in the case/gig bag for each guitar.