Don’t Forget These Must-Have Live Performance Solutions
When you're packing up on gig day to head to your show, these are the items that you really want to have on hand. They're also some of the easiest things to forget or simply ignore. These are tried-and-true solutions that have gotten No Fear Gear guitarists through gigs that didn't go quite as expected—ignore these at your own peril!
What's the Best Multi-Tool for a Band On Stage?
From loose tuning pegs to drum lugs to battery compartments, everyone in the band has gear that can be fixed with a multi-tool.
MusicNomad The Octopus is the best multi-tool we rely on for all manner of stage duties because it has a 1/4-inch drum key in addition to everything a guitarist or bassist needs for maintenance. Like most things in this article, it fits easily in your gig bag or case and will be useful much more than you expect.
Make a quality multi-tool like The Octopus part of your gig equipment and you'll be glad you did.
What is Gaffer Tape, Anyway?
Gaffer tape is the professional solution for taping things down on stage: it won't leave a residue like most other tapes, and it's very strong.
Just keep a basic roll like Pro Tapes Pro Gaff in an equipment case or even the back of an open-backed combo amplifier. It's incredibly useful to have around, from taping down a wobbly mic stand to salvaging a broken bass drum head in a pinch (not pretty, but it can work).
Gaffer tape is something every sound engineer should have on hand, but they're also focused on taping down cables and managing the sound system. Get your own personal roll of gaffer tape and you'll never need to ask them for it.
Why You Need a Visible Gig Timer
Whether you're booked to play for 30 minutes or 2 hours, that time slot is a business arrangement, not a suggestion. If you've been gigging a while you know how important it is to time out your set, and you also probably know it's easy to lose track on stage: short delays turn into minutes added onto your set. Go long too many times, and you may not be welcome to play there again.
The solution is to use the Walrus Audio Canvas Tuner with built-in gig timer—seriously, why don't all tuner pedals have this? Between guitars and bass, it's likely your band has two to three tuner pedals on stage at every gig.
Make one of them the Walrus Audio Canvas Tuner, learn to use the gig timer feature, and you'll always know exactly how much time you have left to play because it looks really lame to check your phone between songs.
What's the Best Power Block for a Gigging Band?
Pretty much every venue you'll ever play will have enough power outlets for everybody. The only question is how accessible they actually are, and whether your own power cables reach them.
Take the power into your hands: get a personal power block or two and remember to load them up on gig day.
The best power block for the money that we've found is the ART PDS8u 8-Outlet Surge Protector. It has a long 20-foot power cord, and the outlets are widely spaced to accommodate block power supplies that normally cover adjacent outlets on other power blocks. It also has handy USB outlets.
You probably won't need it at most gigs, but the next time you go to plug in and someone's power cables are coming up short, you'll be very glad you have one.
Here's the Easy Way to Bring a Back-Up Amplifier
Is it actually practical to bring a back-up guitar or bass amplifier? After all, you're in big trouble if your amp fails right before your gig.
You don't need a duplicate of your normal rig—you just need a very reliable solution that will get you through the gig when you most need it.
In all of our gigging experience, the Tech 21 SansAmp Para Driver DI V2 remains the best solution for "my amp just died and the show must go on." It's an active preamp with cabinet simulation that delivers amp-like tone and response direct to the soundboard. Plug in your pedalboard, dial in the SansAmp like you would a real amp, and you're good to go.
There are a lot of ways to go direct with your guitar, but the compact SansAmp remains the most rugged and compact all-in-one solution.
Your bass player needs a backup rig too. The Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI V2 offers the same amp-in-a-box format optimized for bass. If there's a more compact, rugged, and reliable way to send amp-quality bass tone direct to a sound system, we haven't found it.
What's the Best Guitar Stand for Gigging Players?
Once your gear is on stage and you've done a line check, you need a stable stand to put your guitar or bass on.
We think the Hercules Stands GS200B EZ Pack Guitar Stand is the best stand for gigging players simply because its wedge shape fits easily into the front pocket of any gig bag. Typical tube-metal guitar stands don't. The GS200B is rugged, stable, and suited for guitar or bass.
If you play sitting down, however, the Gator Frameworks GFW-GTRSTOOL is your best solution. It's a comfortable stool with a built-in guitar stand, making it easy to keep your guitar at the ready without taking up more stage space.
If you're already bringing a stool to your gigs, bring the Gator Guitar Stool and eliminate the need for a separate guitar stand.
Why You'll Want to Wear These Earplugs
The volume on stage with most bands can easily exceed 90 decibels, at which point hearing damage can occur with just a couple of hours of exposure.
Earplugs are the best way for musicians to protect their hearing on stage, but most don't wear them due to the muffled, unnatural sound. That's because they don't know about flat-response earplugs.
Put the Etymotic Research ETY-Plugs in your ears and it's like turning down the volume of the whole world by 15–20 decibels (depending on how snugly you wear them).
Guitarists at No Fear Gear have relied on these earplugs to protect their hearing during gigs, and we recommend them for everyone in the band—especially drummers.
The sound is clear and intelligible, with no loss of high frequencies. You hear everything you need to hear, just at a non-damaging level.
What's the Best Way to Mark Important Settings on Gear?
The knobs and switches on your pedals and amps will get bumped around at some point. It's important to mark important settings for easy recall when you're dialing in your stage sound.
The best way to make notes on your gear is with a high-visibility Pig Hog StageTrix Settings Saver Marker. You can easily see whatever you mark on a dark stage, and it also rubs off easily with a wipe of a rag or finger.
The StageTrix Settings Saver Marker is great for drummers too, allowing them to mark positions on their stands for faster setup. It's also great for making set lists if you play on a really dark stage.
There's a Better Way to Get Your Gear to the Stage
You'll make fewer trips, save your back, and look more professional with a quality gear cart like the Rock N Roller R2RT Micro.
Rock N Roller makes a lot of different cart options, and for most gigging bands we're impressed with the versatility of the Micro cart. It has different configurations to suit whatever you're hauling, and the big, rugged wheels handle stairs and back alleys with ease.
Loading out at 2 AM may never be fun, but it's so much easier with a Rock N Roller cart.
Gig Smarter, Perform Better
In our experience, the best way to ensure a great performance (besides practicing) is to remove as much friction as possible during gig day.
Keep a gig backpack ready with all the non-musical things you'll need, and you'll be ready when things don't go quite as planned. A small kit with a good multi-tool, some gaffer tape, earplugs, and a spare power block has literally gotten us through problems on stage that could have ended the performance.
Invest in the gear we've highlighted above, and you'll never want to gig without it.
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- Introduction
- What's the Best Multi-Tool for a Band On Stage?
- What is Gaffer Tape, Anyway?
- Why You Need a Visible Gig Timer
- What's the Best Power Block for a Gigging Band?
- Here's the Easy Way to Bring a Back-Up Amplifier
- What's the Best Guitar Stand for Gigging Players?
- Why You'll Want to Wear These Earplugs
- What's the Best Way to Mark Important Settings on Gear?
- There's a Better Way to Get Your Gear to the Stage
- Gig Smarter, Perform Better
