Gear for tiny (or dodgy) venues

vasselmeyer

My band just played at a new venue which was booked by our singer. She said it was small but I didn't realise quite how small it was. The four of us ended up squeezed into a small area between the bar and the bogs. There was no space for monitors so we just had to go without. That said it was a bloody fantastic crowd and it was a great gig and we were rebooked immediately.

HOWEVER...I was really nervous about my gear. Because I didn't know about the size of the venue I took along my regular gear. A PRS DGT, my Tele as a spare and a guitar for slide. Then I had my full PT1-based board and my Egnater Rebel 30 212. At one point I seriously worried that a bunch of boozed up punters would end up falling on my board, impaling themselves on my headstock or emptying a drink into my amp, let alone grabbing my mic and joining in.

I was really worried, especially during the intervals as my gear was right next to the bogs and I couldn't relax in case my amp controls got twiddled with or someone decided to pick up my PRS or liked the look of one of my pedals.

Next time we play this venue, I'm just going to take my Tele and my very old Johnson modelling amp with its floorboard and leave my more expensive gear behind. I'll be able to enjoy the gig without worrying about it being molested and the punters won't have any idea of what I'm playing.

What do you guys do in venues where you don't trust your gear to be completely safe?

jd0272

Use sensible gear. Bolt on, so Esquire, LC15 or the Orange Rocker combo, and I barely use pedals so could strip the board to the tuner and phaser, adjust the amp vol to allow for the ramp up for solos using the guitar vol.

Im always next to the bogs.

jd0272

I'd've had that telly knocked off an all, or used as a live video feed just to be cocky.

Bassist well placed for a pint mind!

not_the_dj

I use a MIM Tele and my mini board for these type of gigs.

Titch

We play quite a few small pubs and in 16 years we've rarely had any problems apart from people/punters putting drinks on the bass bins and we do get the odd one or two that's had a good drink and thinks the gear is fair game (most drunks you can reason with and we tend to explain how expensive the kit is but some you just can't)but we have a roadie that usually sorts them, as to instruments we generally move the guitars and saxes (six grands worth of saxophones alone) to the back beside the drumkit during the break and one of us keeps an eye on everything,we're a seven piece band and often space is at a premium so you've just got to go with it.I don't change what gear I take to a venue but thankfully I've been quite lucky, the only time I've actually had a guitar knocked over was by a child at a wedding gig and fortunately it didn't do any damage.

I think we all have the same concerns those of us that play mostly pubs and it is a problem but a few simple precautions are usually all that's needed,by the same token we've had one or two tambourines go walkies by punters who think they should pick it up and bash along to the song and then wander off with it,really annoying.

Hope this helps.

thomasross20

Having somebody to watch the gear helps but how often does that happen...

Teetonetal

Mim tele, laney cub 12, soulfood and nova repeater get me through anything... without worry.

HAL9000

Is the screen behind you some sort of light show (ie part of your set-up)? Or were you getting in the way of the punters watching Sky Sports?

EricTheWeary

Aren't all venues tiny and dodgy? All the ones I've played certainly have been... I think the best bit of gigging advice I could ever give is never try to set up before the late kick off match finishes at around 7:30pm.

Cirrus

I've always taken my regular rig regardless of the venue size/ dodgyness of it. I just try to keep my guitars out of the firing line, and usually the monitors serve as a first line of defence. When the place is smaller... well, I've had a few drunks almost spilling pints on my board. With a bit of situational awareness you can see them coming, I've stood in front of my board once or twice to protect my space.

The worst moment for me was actually at a festival about 4 years ago. A kid in a wheelchair was wheeled right to the front of the stage, and I mean RIGHT TO THE FRONT, with his legs tucked under the staging, like he was about to eat dinner off the stage. He was directly in front of me and for the first three songs he was actually holding on to the jack lead sockets at the back of my pedalboard, staring at me with this insane look of rapture. I don't know what his disability was, but he knew his power at that moment, of that I am sure.

After the third song his parents came and wheeled him a bit further back, and I was able to start enjoying myself a little more.

Danny1969

I don't do that many really small pubs as generally a small pub can't sell enough beer to pay a band decent money but there's been a few times where space was so tight we have had to move in sync with each other to avoid clocking each other in the head with the headstocks 

My amps really small, I use IEM's so no monitor, iPad mixed so no desk outfront ...every little helps

57Deluxe

you could've thought latterally - put the drummer outside and just opened the window...

Jalapeno

57Deluxe said:

you could've thought latterally - put the drummer outside and just opened the window...

Excellent idea for all gigs irrespective of venue size !!!!!!

Sassafras

I'd have played an acoustic set in a place that small.

vasselmeyer

I suspect an acoustic wouldn't have cut it; that crowd wanted to party ) . We ended up with all the old staples of covers bands and they just let go. It was a really full on Friday night. I have no idea how people in their early twenties still know "You Really Got Me" when they weren't born when the Van Halen one came out, never mind the Kinks original.

I suspect that next time I'm going to go back to basics. I dragged my Johnson out (fnar fnar) and fired it up and it still sounds OK.It's not really worth anything these days and the floorboard is pretty much bulletproof so that will do me for my amp and effects. I'll take my Tele rather than the PRS and get by without a spare.

jonnyburgo

Bandit, couple of Boss Pedals and you are away.

digitalscream

I haven't played on a stage that small in ages, but when I did it was a case of put a monitor at the side and run straight into the PA with a modeller. Sound dispersal is basically zero in spaces like that (your amp is going to be projecting into the crowd's knees), so running the guitar through the PA is the only viable option from a sound perspective.

ICBM

The smallest place I've played in had only just room for a duo, both with guitars as long as both weren't horizontal at the same time, and one PA cab on a pole between the two of us, everything else had to be tucked under the tripod. I used a Zoom 9002 straight into the PA, the other guitarist was playing a DI'd acoustic, and had to move his mic stand whenever someone wanted to get past to go to the toilet .

It was ridiculous, but actually a lot of fun!

More normally I would use my Peavey Special, a couple of pedals and probably my Danelectro is I thought it was a risky gig...

lustycourtier

Thats not that small as space. Weve played smaller. The TownHall Tavern in manchester, I have to stand side on to the Drumkit, and cant take A falcon, or Firebird as it would be too big for the stage. Wah is a no no, as I cant reach around my foot enough, and we dont use monitors.

 Cracking gig

martinw

lustycourtier;754842" said:

Thats not that small as space. Weve played smaller. The TownHall Tavern in manchester, I have to stand side on to the Drumkit, and cant take A falcon, or Firebird as it would be too big for the stage. Wah is a no no, as I cant reach around my foot enough, and we dont use monitors.  Cracking gig

Good to hear, we're booked in there soon!

midlifecrisis

ive played in pubs smaller than that stage, as  a 5 piece. Some places i wont use my flying V type as the V prongs the other guitarist..