Musicians seem to all suffer from the same problem at some point in their life: GAS. GAS, or Gear Acquisition Syndrome, is a problem for musicians while they are developing their sound and style in particular. Guitarists, myself included, seem to be more prone to this “horrible disease.” Besides the drain on your wallet, buying more and more gear also causes you to have more things to deal with when it comes to a live setup. If you play once a month, then filling your car with equipment and taking two hours to setup and break down your gear may not seem so bad. When you start playing on a regular basis though, dealing with so much gear can get old quick. So what ways can musicians maximize their live setup while at the same time keeping it organized and simplified?
Decide Your “Necessities” First
The easiest way to start organizing your rig is to first decide what you really need, and what you think you “need.” I’ve been through all this myself, adding more and more pedals and links to the signal chain only to cut back later. “Why do I need this pedal when I only use it for one song” is a question I’ve asked myself a few times. Determining what particular pieces of your rig are essential to creating the sound you want is what you need to clarify. For an electric guitarist, the first obvious needs are the amp/cabinet and any pedals necessary in creating your most commonly used tones and sounds. A drummer can look at which drums and cymbals they can cut out without losing their core pieces such as the snare, kick, hi-hat, and a crash or ride cymbal. Stripping your rig down to the bare essentials is the first step in getting your setup organized better. Obviously the main obstacle in doing this is the GAS effect of “of course I NEED that piece!” “Yes I need 10 toms on my kit!” “No I need all three amps to play my gigs.” The list of excuses goes on and on, but breaking out of this mentality and getting down to barebones is the best way to start.
Simplify What You Actually Need
Now that you’ve come to grips with what you “need” versus actually need, it’s time to consider the most effective but simple way to use it all. Are there some things you can pack together to cut down on trips in and out of a venue? Can you find a more compact version of something that is easier to carry? Simple things like this can make a big difference, such as switching to a compact multi-guitar stand rather than individual stands or getting a cymbal bag/case to carry all of them together.
What I Have Done
My own personal experience doing this led me to a pedalboard that I plug up the power and plug two cables into. I have an amp head, which with its digital aspects allows me to save sound presets, and two cabinets that I alternate between depending on venue size. I use a primary electric guitar with an acoustic pickup in the bridge and coil taps so I get a variety of sound options and keep a second guitar ready only for use when a string breaks. Going against the “simplify” element, I added my own higher quality guitar cabinet mic rather than rely on a venue to provide the typical Shure SM-57. While this is one more piece to deal with, I chose to go that route to guarantee more consistency with my sound, which in turn simplifies my soundcheck. So my setup isn’t too simple but I have a better guarantee of my sound being consistent.