How Many Guitars Do You Take On A Gig?

[bitzerguy]

Three these days, 660/12, 350V63, 620/6. These 3 pretty much cover every type of guitar sound I need out there.

Occasionaly I might bring a Godin LGXT or Exit 22, if one of the Rics is getting serviced, and at least twice a year I drag out a '69 LP Goldtop for excersize.

[antipodean]

I'd like to take the whole herd, but the back isn't what it used to be, so I limit myself to two utilitarian instruments:

Guitars:
2 of Strat, Tele, LP, Bacchus LP Special, 660/12TP, depending on set. The LP and Special rock out. The Fenders for blues and pop. The Ric for jangle (often in unusual contexts).

Basses:
In the old days, my 4000 and P-bass.

Now - Mosrite Mk 1 or Jerry Jones U2 or Maton fretless and Fender Japan J-Bass. For short sets, just the Mosrite or JJ. The Rics stay safe at home where they don't get knocked over or suffer from "spillage".

If I'm switching, then either the Strat or LP Special & Mosrite or JJ.

[jdogric12]

If you asked me this a year ago, the answer would have been one Rick 12 string, one Rick 6 string, and my Epi LP Special II with some sick mods ("I've been working on this machine since high school")

Now days, one: 730L/12 FG.

[jch]

When i was gigging regularly, i would use My Rick 360/12V64 and my 1965 Gretsch 6120.

[paologregorio]

I'd like to have one of those trolley type multi guitar stands that are used at RIC. I'd build a cover that latched over the top, stick about ten guitars in it, roll it out at every gig, and switch guitars every other song.

[beefandbones]

Interesting thread! Apparently, I'm the odd man out. I'm in two bands, and I play guitar in one and bass in the other. I just bring one good instrument, usually a Rickenbacker, with all the backups I might possibly need, like strings, picks, batteries for the pedals, etc. I've only broken a string once, toward the end of the set, and I just worked around it for the last three songs. My bandmates didn't even notice, which says something - either about my playing, or about my bandmates! But I have to say, if I wanted, say, a 12-string sound during the set, I wouldn't hesitate to bring one.

The music community around here is pretty supportive, and if you've really got a disaster on your hands, you can usually borrow gear from one of the other bands. Once, the bassist for another band had his tube-heavy SVT chump out on him. I could tell he was having trouble, so I asked if he wanted to borrow my amp - he said yes, and the swap was done in a flash. Most bands around here can't afford to bring two SVT's to a gig, you know? I've been to many many gigs, and I'm not sure I've ever met a drummer that brought a spare snare. There are just so many things that could go wrong at a gig, and you just can't cover all your bases all of the time. I've found that making thoughtful preparation for a gig is about the best I can do. And bringing a great sounding well made guitar like a Rickenbacker is the key.

[jimk]

I'd like to have one of those trolley type multi guitar stands that are used at RIC. I'd build a cover that latched over the top, stick about ten guitars in it, roll it out at every gig, and switch guitars every other song.

In the mid '80s I played in a band where I was switching instruments about every other song during a 45 minute set. I found myself switching from banjo to fiddle, back to banjo, then guitar; get the picture? Boy I'm telling you, to schlap just those three instruments around was a real pain in the oasch.

So when I left that group, I was immediately recruited to join another band. And would it be all right if I only played banjo? What a relief! I only had to concern myself with one instrument. Great! And 20 years later, I'm still playing in the same band. I regard it as a real privilege even a luxury to be asked to play only one instrument in a band.

JimK

[sharkboy]

I have been known to bring a lot of guitars, but my body has requested that I tone that down. One gig, I brought 2 teles, a strat, a 370/6, 360/12, a Sitar guitar, a Kramer Sustainer and a couple of Taylor acoustics (12 and 6, I think.) Other people were playing them for "the jam" period of the ordeal. That was around the time of my epiphany where I realized that when I played any other electric 6-string, I was just sure I would sound better with my 370/6.

Now for an electric gig (haven't had any in over a year) I bring my 660/6, my 660/12 and my 650C. A couple of years ago, I brought this set to a gig and only played the 660/12 the whole night (it stayed in tune better than anybody else's guitars, hee hee.)

Most of the time I just bring my Taylor 614CEL to acoustic gigs, but I have been known to also bring the 655C and/or the National Reso Rocket.

I try to manage (mangle) the set list when using different guitars to make sure I'm not switching guitars all the time, and to do longer sets with guitars that hold tuning better. In this way, we get more songs in from between-song confoozion.

[Asia]

Probably way too many, but I'm paranoid. I'm also a show-off. Go figure.

An acoustic (that's about at the end of his rope, the poor thing...), my 330, my Ibanez Artcore Hollowbody, a Fender Strat and a Les Paul.

[fenderslash]

Always two. And they're usually pretty much identical, just so I can swap guitars in a flash mid set (or sometimes mid song) when a string breaks without having to worry about amp settings. At the moment it's two Teles, but when I was using my Ricks full time it was my Desert Gold 330 as my main guitar, backed up by my Jetglo 330.

I'm not really into the "different guitars for different songs" thing. I find I can get enough variation during the gig with the pickup switch and the guitar's and amp's knobs.

[doctorwho]

... I'm not really into the "different guitars for different songs" thing. I find I can get enough variation during the gig with the pickup switch and the guitar's and amp's knobs.

I'm with you on that, Carl.

Although the band I'm in doesn't play out often, when we do, I take two guitars: my 370/12RM FG and my 460 BG.

[harquahalas]

2 electrics-620 FG with HBs and 360 FG. Maybe my Zager Dreadbought if I want the acoustic sound.

[steambyrd]

I take my 660/6, my 360/12, a strat, and a tele. My partner plays guitar or bass, and our backing parts, drums, etc. are all on a laptop we bring. We play primarily classic 60's and 70's rock, so the guitar sound is important to us.

[goofyfoot]

Two - an electric and an acoustic.

Same here --- 1 electric + 1 acoustic/electric. Uuuhh-errr, I have been known to bring along two amps, though. What's up with that, huh? Late....Goofyfoot.

[BlueAngel]

Interesting thread! Apparently, I'm the odd man out. I'm in two bands, and I play guitar in one and bass in the other. I just bring one good instrument, usually a Rickenbacker, with all the backups I might possibly need, like strings, picks, batteries for the pedals, etc. I've only broken a string once, toward the end of the set, and I just worked around it for the last three songs. My bandmates didn't even notice, which says something - either about my playing, or about my bandmates! But I have to say, if I wanted, say, a 12-string sound during the set, I wouldn't hesitate to bring one.

The music community around here is pretty supportive, and if you've really got a disaster on your hands, you can usually borrow gear from one of the other bands. Once, the bassist for another band had his tube-heavy SVT chump out on him. I could tell he was having trouble, so I asked if he wanted to borrow my amp - he said yes, and the swap was done in a flash. Most bands around here can't afford to bring two SVT's to a gig, you know? I've been to many many gigs, and I'm not sure I've ever met a drummer that brought a spare snare. There are just so many things that could go wrong at a gig, and you just can't cover all your bases all of the time. I've found that making thoughtful preparation for a gig is about the best I can do. And bringing a great sounding well made guitar like a Rickenbacker is the key.

You're not the only one - I never take more than one instrument, one amp and a pedalboard to gigs, even when I'm playing guitar. I don't even own more than one bass. With the right tools and a few carefully-chosen spares - strings, tubes, fuses, any cables I would need to make 'unusual' connections, and sometimes one single pedal that can be used into any available amplification system in an emergency (usually my Mesa V-Twin), I can cover any normal failure. I can change a string in under a minute, and an amp tube in not much longer. Anything really drastic happening - like dropping my guitar and breaking the neck! - would probably gain so much sympathy from one of the other bands that I'd be able to borrow something. I would always offer the same if the situation was reversed too.

I really don't want to have the guitar shop that many musicians take to gigs these days - as well as being a lot to carry and keep safe (which actually increases the risk of something bad happening, really), I think it looks pretentious and is mostly unnecessary, unless the instruments are really different, eg 6 and 12 strings or electric and acoustic. There's so much you can do with a few simple pedals and knowing how to use your guitar and amp fully that you really don't need that many guitars to get a wide range of sounds... I can always get all the electric sounds I need with one guitar - which is not always the same one, I just choose based on the type of gig. You really don't see many other musicians apart from guitarists carrying more than a couple of instruments at most either. (OK, modern keyboard players can cheat because they have so many different sounds!)