How many of you play gigs , both small and large , with a backup guitar in case of string breakage ? Or do you change the string on stage as fast as you can?

Also, Do you play most gigs with your most prized axe , that plays like and costs almost a million bucks , or do you use your beaten up, but reliable budget guitar?

I may be playing live for the first time ever and these topics keep popping up in my head….

Any input is appreciated

I've always (when physically possible) taken more than one guitar to a gig. I mostly play Strats, so it's typically easy to have a backup that's more or less the same ... but that never mattered to me. I never hesitated to bring two completely different guitars to a gig. I've also never owned a guitar I wasn't willing to take to a gig.

In critical situations though ... I've gotten by with one guitar. For a couple of shoestring-budget tours that required flying, I took just one guitar and changed the strings before every single show (yeah, even when we had two shows in one day). For gigs at a really small venue, I'd do a similar thing - decide which guitar I'm going to use, and put fresh strings on it that day.

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Last edited: Oct 29, 2024 10:13:46

I never bring a backup guitar. Just not practical for me in most cases, as I take cabs to most shows. I also never really break strings. If I did break a string, I'd probably be at the mercy of "Hey can I borrow one of the other bands guitars?". I've never had to do it, but I've seen other bands do it...and been the one to bring up my stage to another band.

Also, I usually will take my favorite more expensive guitar to a gig...What's the point of owning it if you don't want to play it live in front of people when it matters the most?

I cannot remember the last time I broke a guitar string on stage. I mean, if you're breaking strings on a 12-54 set, you must be hitting them pretty damned hard. But I still almost always take a spare guitar along. For solid-body guitars, I generally use a double gig bag, which is no more work than bringing a single guitar. Sometimes the spare is a different type of guitar for a different sound or feel.

I generally gig with whatever guitars/amps I want to use for the gig. I'm very careful with my gear. Depends on the situation and the physical location. Locally (non-urban), things are pretty secure. Urban setting, we're more paranoid and guard our stuff like a hawk. I have a couple of good quality beaters that I can use if I really don't trust the location or for the occasional dump with a rough crowd.

Only got ripped off once, never onstage. Band van with PA and some of the guys' amps (not mine) got broken into while we were out for breakfast after a gig in '97. We caught 'em - urban out-of-towners tried to sell the stuff to friends of friends locally. Tracked 'em down, they wound up in prison, and insurance covered what we didn't get back. Playing 5-6 nights a week back then, stuff happens.

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chiba wrote:

I play 10-46 sets and while it's been a while since I broke a string, it certainly happens from time to time. I play fairly hard.

Dave mentioned a double gig bag - that's a great idea, I'm going to look into getting one of those.

My surf rig consists of a pedalboard (with my amp on it), a 1x12 speaker cabinet, 1-2 guitars, and the necessary cables (power for board, power for amp - both run to a power strip, speaker for cabinet, and a cable from the guitar to the first pedal on the board). It's pretty portable, as I prefer to only make one trip from the car. With a two-guitar gig bag, I could feel a little safer and not have to make an extra trip to the car.

If I’m playing a gig where I use a solid body, I always use a double gig bag. If I’m using a Gretsch, which is much more common, I’m not about to wrangle two hollow-bodies in hardshell cases. Where I live, during the warm months, leaving a guitar in a car will all but guarantee a destroyed guitar, so two trips is a non-starter. Once the engine is stopped, and the AC is off, I have to get my guitar to some shade, stat.

Our first post-lockdown gig was an outdoor job at the Reid Park Zoo, and it was very hot that day. We were playing under shade, so that was fine, but just the load in all but did me in. In the playing situation that are most common for me, heat is a huge factor, and that’s one reason I tend to streamline my choice of equipment. It also affects my choice of guitars; my carved top Guild has never been used for an outdoor gig. I prefer to leave the spruce top un-baked. :j

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

I always have a backup guitar onstage, unless for whatever reason we just can't fit it. It's a hassle to lug a spare but it's come in handy on at least four or five occasions. This ape is tough on strings though.

The guitars rotate around depending on how I'm feeling. Tonight's gig I'm breaking out the DiPinto Deluxe (the most expensive DiPinto I have in the fleet), with my trusty gold banana sparkle as backup.

Taking the expensive guitars out to gigs, for me, is doable when I've been there before and know the setup. I don't overthink it, they're hunks of wood and wire and are meant to be played. Most places either have someone to keep an eye on gear or a dedicated space for it, but those random times when you unload everything outside into a parking lot....

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Bango_Rilla wrote:

… but those random times when you unload everything outside into a parking lot....

Those are the dangerous ones.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.