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Conference napalm::guitar

Title:GUITARnotes - Where Every Note has Emotion
Notice:Discussion of the finer stringed instruments
Moderator:KDX200::COOPER
Created:Thu Aug 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3280
Total number of notes:61432

1757.0. "Leaving gear at the club " by DECWIN::KMCDONOUGH (Set Kids/Nosick) Fri Mar 30 1990 15:57

             
    
    When you folks play multiple night gigs at a club, do you leave all of
    your gear, except guitar, set up at the club? 
    
    I've always either hidden the small stuff like mikes, guitar cables,
    fxs, etc. or taken it home over night.
    
    The keyboard player in the band I'm in covers his gear with a sheet to
    make it look less enticing.
    
    Comments?
    
    Kevin
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1757.1Musicians = thieves (sometimes ...)ASAHI::SCARYJoke 'em if they can't take a ...Fri Mar 30 1990 16:0811
    I leave BIG stuff only ... like my Marshall 4x12 cab.  Heads go, rack
    goes, guitars go.  Hey, I figure if it's *that* easy for me to put it
    in my car, it would be easier for 3 guys to put it in their car !  If
    someone has the b*lls and the lower back strength to make a fast
    getaway with my Marshall cab, I ain't big enough to stop 'em anyway !
    My advice ... pack it up.
    
    
    				Scary
    (who takes the same stuff home after a sound check for a gig the same
    day)
1757.2TCC::COOPERMIDI-Kitty-ADA-Metaltronix rack pukeFri Mar 30 1990 16:096
I leave it, but I lock my wireless and junk like that in my rack...
(Of course if I were a thief, I'd steal the whole rack, not the wireless :)
My guitar always goes home with me.  We lock all the mics in a briefcase
too...

jc
1757.3Pack it, or lose it!SALEM::ABATELLII don't need no stinkin' BoogieFri Mar 30 1990 17:015
    
    Rule of thumb...
    
    If you want to make sure you keep it...   "pack it"!
    
1757.4VLNVAX::ALECLAIREFri Mar 30 1990 17:062
    if you build your own stuff it's less likely anybody would want to steal
    it because it would be hard to unload, but of course it's a pain
1757.5Get insuredDREGS::BLICKSTEINConliberativeFri Mar 30 1990 17:416
    I'm now insured for replacement value.
    
    Unless it's got personal value (like my guitar), I will be "leavin it"
    when we start doing those kinds of gigs.
    
    	db
1757.6Welcome To The Jungle!!!HAMER::KRONFri Mar 30 1990 17:5129
     Depending on where you're located and the relationship
    you have with the owner;rules may vary........as far as
    I'm concerned here in Long Island or NYC-
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    TAKE EVERYTHING EVERY TIME!!!!!!!
    -unless you have the money to replace it.
    Myself, I might be crazy but I've always felt
    that each piece of gear;even if it's blown off
    an assembly line 10,000 at a time has a unique
    character and even if your equipment is available
    and completely stock,you might get a replacement
    that's not exactly like the original............
    Some things are just irreplaceable (like guitars)
    I'd never in a million years leave my 8-string bass
    anywhere EVER!!!!!!!!!!
    
    fwiw
    -Bill
1757.7my $.02GLOWS::COCCOLImutanturbandwellerFri Mar 30 1990 18:047
    
    
      Only leave it if it takes **three** people to carry it.
    
    
    RC
    
1757.8DECWIN::KMCDONOUGHSet Kids/NosickFri Mar 30 1990 18:2220
    
    My band doesn't own anything that isn't easily carried by two people. 
    We bought some of our stuff because it WAS easy to carry. 
    
    I guess the other problem would be that even if we moved ALL of the
    band gear at the end of the night, what would we do with it?  Unload it
    every night?  Fat chance.  Leave it in the truck/car?  Probably worse
    than leaving it in the club.
    
    
    db, I agree that insurance is the way to go, but it would still be a
    tad inconvenient to show up at the gig to find your boogie had changed
    owners, no?
    
    
    Good thing I've only got a Peavey. 8-)
    
    Kevin
    
    
1757.9IOENG::JWILLIAMSWelcome to the Bush LeagueFri Mar 30 1990 18:235
    I leave my stuff, but I also keep an eye on it. Even if I have to go to
    the bathroom, I make sure one of the members is around to keep an eye
    on the stuff.
    
    							John.
1757.10Hey, where's my TUBA ????!!!!MARLIN::A_JOHNSONFri Mar 30 1990 19:0215
    Always check with the club owner ... sometimes they'll let you lock
    some stuff up in a closet or back room somewhere. Leave only the
    real big stuff, otherwise it's fair game. I've even had my clothes
    stolen (twice) out back rooms in clubs that were supposedly safe
    to leave stuff overnight. Use locking cases for everything.
     Also about leaving stuff in a car or truck- if it's in a car, don't
    leave it visible. Cover it with a blanket or something.  If you
    leave it in a truck, back it up against a building so they can't
    get at the door. And on the way to the gig, never leave the stuff
    in the car or truck unattended. When you stop for food Etc. some
    one should stay with the equipment.
    
     16 years of nightclub and ripoff experience ....
    
    Artie
1757.11The FLAME burns high!COOKIE::G_HOUSEGreg House - DTN 523-2722Fri Mar 30 1990 19:2518
    Anyone else out there bent about the paranoia and inconvenience that
    theives make us go through?  Everytime I read notes like this one or
    the ones on insurance or mag articles on the same topics, it makes me
    angry!  I can't believe that so many people out there have so little
    respect for someone else and someone else's property that we have to do
    stuff like this.
    
    Personally, I've never been in a band that played clubs so I haven't
    had to go through this kind of dilemma (what can I leve here without
    having it stolen).  While I look forward to playing out and such, I
    don't look forward to this part of that.
    
    Perhaps if our respective police forces put more focus on preventing
    crime instead of trying to generate revenue by sitting by the side of
    the highway with a radar gun we wouldn't have this kind of problem. 
    Where have peoples priorities gone anyway??
    
    Greg
1757.12Pack up the plantation ... and the mikes !ASAHI::SCARYJoke 'em if they can't take a ...Sat Mar 31 1990 10:558
    One trick we use a lot is to lock our "theivable" gear in the clubs
    liquor room - probably the most secure room in the place.  I agree you
    should insure your toys for the max, but I'd still rather have my gear
    than to come in one night and have to improvise through an evening (or
    more ...) because some pawn shop got a great bargain that day !
    
    
    				Scary
1757.13I pack it in.FTMUDG::HENDERSONFun with Flesh!Mon Apr 02 1990 12:1320
    
    
    
    		I usually pack everything. I'm playing through a 
    	pair of Carvin combos, two guitars, and a couple of effects
    	so packing in all in after a gig is not a problem. 
    		I agree with Dave on the insurance. I'm covered
    	if stolen from club, residence, or car/van.
    		I always fault to the side of caution when it comes
    	to protection of equipment. Everyones knows how hard it is
    	to find just the right guitar and how hard it would be to
    	replace the same. 
    
    	DonH
    
    	P.S. I never count on a clubs insurance to cover my equipment.
    
    
    
    
1757.14why chance it ??MILKWY::JACQUESMon Apr 02 1990 13:1832
    I have always packed up all of my gear at the end of each gig, regardless 
    if I'm back the next night or not. I also never left anything at our 
    practice space, even though it was locked up, or in my truck. I did this 
    for three reasons. First, I am always paranoid about theft, second I had 
    no insurance until I bought my home and purchased homeowners coverage, 
    and third because I like to have my gear handy to play whenever I have 
    time. I never left my gear in the truck during cold whether, even if the 
    truck was in my garage, because low temperatures are bad for tubes, 
    speakers, and of course guitars. 
    
    The guys in the band I was in used to bust my chops whenever they saw
    me hauling my equipment in and out...I was the only one in the band
    that did this religiously. One night we played a small club in Keene
    N.H. The owner assured us the gear would be safe, because his son and
    a friend were spending the night locked inside the bar and would keep
    an eye on it. Didn't matter to me, my gear came home with me. It turns
    out the son and his friend had a little jam session with our gear. Our
    drummer had driven a couple of nails into the stage to prevent the bass
    drum from moving. They dragged the kit up over the nails and scratched
    up the bottom of his drum. As soon as he arrived he noticed this, and
    figured they moved the set to sweep. When we started playing the first
    set, he discovered the skin on one of his roto-toms was broken, and a
    split drum stick stuck behind the stage. It was obvious what had
    happened. We approached the owner and his son, but they denied touching
    it. 
    
    Hauling equipment may be a hassle, but it would only take one incident,
    and say goodbye to your equipment. My advice is to keep your equipment
    small and portable, and get used to moving it.
    
    Mark Jacques
    
1757.15DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVIDNice computers don't go downTue Apr 03 1990 11:443
I leave everything but the guitars....and I am unsured at replacement cost.

dbii
1757.16unsured?NRPUR::DEATONTue Apr 03 1990 11:580
1757.17Ayup, been to MaineNRPUR::DEATONTue Apr 03 1990 12:008
RE < Note 1757.15 by DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVID "Nice computers don't go down" >

>I leave everything but the guitars....and I am unsured at replacement cost.

	But, hey, when you live in the sticks of Maine, most potential thiefs
probably wouldn't know what your equipment *is*, let alone how to use it!  8^)


1757.18Yeuh, yeuh, yeuh, yeuh... immm hmmmm..DNEAST::GREVE_STEVEIf all else fails, take a nap...Tue Apr 03 1990 12:2910
    
    
    
    	Dang it, Danny, you beat me to it... yeah DBII you gear is so
    "other worldly looking" that nobody round heah would know what the hell
    it was.  They'd probably try to burn wood in it!!!!
    
    Hee hee (nice job on that Tele body, dude)
    
    Steve
1757.19even upa theahMPGS::RJPELLETIERonly the lonley Wed Apr 04 1990 02:0312
    I donno 'bout that dudes. Even up theah in Maine it does happen. Last
    September I was up theah visiting the Augusta plant and staying at my
    folks in Lewiston and being to lazy to unload my gear from my van after
    the night before's Jam, it was gone in the morning. My truck was parked
    in the driveway and on the lawn right next to the house, 'bout a foot
    away. I lost big time...So, there are a few crooks (defined as major
    fucki%g As%Wholes) that know what your gear is worth. 
    
    DBii, it only takes once and it cost me lots of bucks to replace it...
    
    
    rj
1757.20Use dust covers!MCIS2::NOVELLOI&#039;ve fallen, and I can&#039;t get upFri Apr 13 1990 11:4815
    
    	I used to use a 30 foot chain and paddlock. I installed handles
    	on my keyboards and feed the chain thru it, then feed the chain
    	thru the amp handles. This worked great until I chained it to a
    	coat rack on the side of the stage on a Friday night. Well, they
    	manager decided to tear down the old stage and build a new one
    	in another location. Since he couldn't move my stuff, he just let
    	debris and plaster dust and sawdust fall all over it.........
    
    	When I came in on Saturday, I can't describe the feeling of seeing
    	my equipment under a pile of rubble. I got even with the
    	management several weeks later.......;-).
    
    	Guy
    
1757.21PELKEY::PELKEYIt&#039;s great to be a turtle!Fri Apr 13 1990 14:1920
after an 8 hour day, a few hours of lugging/setup, four sets of headbanging,
I'd love nothing more  then to case up the axes, and stuff em on the stage
on a friday night.

But with the four  guitars I use everynight tallying well over 2K, I 
usually drag em home..

Bummer, pain in the ass, but they're safe, and ready for another night.

There's only one club I trust, where we leave em,,, (name withheld,, obvious
reasons :)  ) otherwise,,,,

We lock the mics up in the board case.  We use rack mount guit F.x. so
all we have to conceal after that are the control pedals, and I usually throw
a sheet over the amp.  Not that it would stop a pro, but it does serve
as a deterient, time-taker should someone get curious.

IT does suck, but some people are just out to rob ya.

can't trust anyone.
1757.22RE: .20DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVIDNice computers don&#039;t go downSun Apr 15 1990 15:313
    So Guy how did you get even? I detect a story in the making....
    
    dbii