Gig Tip: Make a “Go-Bag”

A couple weeks ago, I had three gigs over the course of the day and wound up playing at 4 separate locations before I finally lay down to sleep. Running around from gig to gig all day is stressful – always watching the clock to make the next soundcheck or downbeat.

It made me grateful that I developed my “go-bags,” as I call them. It takes the worry out of leaving for a gig by placing all the items that could be needed in your gig bag beforehand and – here’s the trick – KEEPING THEM THERE.

Here’s an example:

My Bass Gig “Go-Bag”

I play bass for several bands in San Antonio, and I often get invited to fill in or record with others. Knowing I can just pick up my bass bag and have everything I need is a comforting feeling.

It’s a basic bag, meant to get me comfortably set up onstage with my amp:

• Instrument cable
• AC Power cable
• Extension cable

I don’t use these cables for anything else. Cables are relatively inexpensive, and if you are gigging multiple times a week it is a good idea to set some aside specifically to have in your bag. For me, this is the bare minimum required to make noise at a venue. Your bare minimum may look different, depending on whether you use pedals.

A couple extra items I pack for my bass gigs are a mini guitar stand, my iPad, and a collapsible music stand – all of which fit in my very handy soft case by Guitar Research.

My Guitar Gig “Go-Bags”

I run a small pedal board in many guitar situations, but often I only need my electric guitar and my Fender Deluxe Reverb.

My pedal board go-bag is my pedal case. The Pedal Tote by Gator Cases has a fat front pocket where I keep my essentials:

• Instrument cable x2
• AC power cable
• 9V power adapter
• Extension cable

Again, these cables never leave my gig bag. They are there so I know if I have a gig, I can grab three items (guitar, pedal board, amp) and be solidly prepared.

For gigs without the board, I keep an instrument cable in my main guitar case. Ideally, I would keep at least one instrument cable and one AC power cable in each of my instrument cases, but these days I tend to gig with my Ibanez ArtStar.

Live Electronics / DJ “Go-Bag”

While a go-bag for gigs is already quite specialized in terms of contents, the uniqueness of each individual’s go-bags in the realm of electronic and club music is much deeper than that of traditional musicians. For that reason, I’ll include a go-bag for my 3-piece hybrid DJ/Live rig, which includes a laptop, Traktor S4, TR-8, and Electribe 2:

• Extension cable
• Power Strip
• AC power cable
• USB cable
• MIDI cable x2
• RCA cable
• Stereo TRS cable x4
• TRS > XLR cable x2

Some of the cables listed may not be needed, but could be in certain circumstances. Also, note that I did not include the power sources for each of the devices, because I use them at home – they don’t stay in the bag.

There are many more variables when it comes to live electronics, but if you are interested in going over electronic rigs and go-bags, let me know in the comments below!

The Ultimate “Go-Bag”

So what would the ultimate go-bag look like? A go-bag that contains everything you need for every type of gig you do – a universal go-bag – would be a nice luxury to have, as you can grab it on the way out the door and feel comfortable and prepared for anything.

We will use the three instances above to make my own ultimate go-bag, though yours will certainly differ. I will also include a handful of other items that would make the bag more complete.

• Extension cable
• Power strip
• AC power cable
• 9V power adapter
• Instrument cable x2
• MIDI cable x2
• Stereo TRS cable x3
• XLR cable x3
• TRS > XLR cable x2
• RCA cable
• Bass strings
• Guitar strings
• Portable guitar repair kit
• Mini guitar stand

That’s quite a bit of stuff, but remember this “Ultimate Go-Bag” can cover 3 types of gig situations – bass, guitar, and DJ. This is an extremely versatile go-bag that would fit in a small duffel or gym bag.

Conclusion

Setting up a go-bag is essential as a working musician. You can get as specific as you want with your contents, but typically you want to keep the luggage down – and that means packing light.

What does your go-bag look like? Is it simple like my bass bag, or is it complicated like my live electronic bag? I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

Chris Lazaga
AudioMunk