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@mike257
If your Guitarist leaves, give us a shout!
Now I have a Volvo V50, which is loads smaller and I miss the room the Mondeo had.
As with most things band related - whether it's the style of music you decide to play, commitment to rehearsals midweek, how often you are prepared to gig, what you wear onstage, who gets what fee etc etc - as long as everybody is up front about how they feel and it is all agreed amicably from the off - and you stick to what you agree - then there's no right or wrong in terms of whether you should or should not HAVE to be able to drive.
That said, if you ARE reliant on someone else to pick you up, you do need to be respectful of that and not take the kinds of liberties that others have mentioned above - and then there's the fact that you may wish to bung a few extra quid to the driver as a thankyou so he can get a few beers on his night off or whatever.
Being one of two drivers in a four-piece band that gigs pretty much across the country, I am very conscious of the fact that it's muggins here who has to drive back for 2 hours in the early hours of the morning whilst the bassist snoozes in the passenger seat, so..just a bit of thoughtfulness goes a long way in terms of being ready for the off as soon as possible rather than nursing another pint and chatting to some drunk hanger-on when we could be halfway to the services and my next cup of coffee....:D Thankfully our bassist is a considerate chap, so we don't get any of that nonsense, but I can imagine it severely trying the patience if it did happen.
I'm another one who never drinks at gigs (these days ... though that was far from the case years ago). My luxury has always been the odd Christmas gig when I book myself a cab and can have a few jars after I come off stage (at venues where they have a flexible attitude to 'time').
When I was a teen and had no car/license I used to leave my gigging amp with the bass player who had a van ... and pay him petrol money and 'humping cash' out of my gig earnings to cart my amp with his. I used to sling my Tele on my back and take public transport there ... and hope I got lucky with a bed for the night (or a lift from a punter if I lucked out!)
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Thanks again, Lads.
I think the overall consensus is
a) Your own vehicle gives you greater independance
b) All bands are different and have different arrangements, so it's a case of seeing what's out there if you can't afford to run your own vehicle
c) Use tact and generosity if you are provided with transport.
Common sense I suppose, but it's good to get a gauge of "feeling" amongst you.
@octatonic
Depending on what transport I may obtain and how securely the gear would be packed, would you always recommend road cases for an expensive tube amp head and cab?
I have hard cases for the guitars, but only a soft case for pedalboard and nothing for amp and head.
Cab- not really. They are usually pretty indestructible. Head- it is up to the individual. You absolutely will get it knocked about. If you're keeping it forever and want it roadwork then no. I like my amps to stay minty if I can manage it.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com