[Harp-L] Re: Gear Creep



Having played âroadieâ for three kids and their various bands, and now doing the same thing for a harp ensemble, I always carefully prepare what Iâm going to carry inside and what stays in the âemergencyâ container in the car.  The car âboxâ always has gaffa tape, extension leads, power strips, kettle cords, Ââ cables, XLR cables, XLR - Ââ  adaptors and may have vocal mics and stands if itâs an âunsupportedâ gig - weâve played at outside venues â on the lawn - where weâve had access to power (40â away) and that was it.

As Iâm âthe guy with the PAâ (sure beats having to have talent to get into a band!), the carry-in can be extensive, with a variety of mixers, amps, powered mixers, vocal mics, mic stands, speakers and speaker stands (and lots of cables), depending on the needs of the venue.  And I need to take a trolley to shift it all.

The âminimum gearâ these days would be my harp case (from MF) with all keys + selected spares, two bullet mics and cables and a small water bottle, and my pedal case with RP350, wall wart, âspecialâ LoZ mic, power strip, extension lead, IMT and more cables.  One small case for each hand.

But if Iâm playing the bass harp or chord harp as well as the diatonics I need another (vocal) mic and a mic stand â and I like a music stand for a fake book too.  As the two big harps wonât fit in my harp case, Iâm looking at getting a bigger case that can fit all the contents of the pedal case plus the bass and chord harps, and a vocal mic â but that will be small suitcase size.  I put the mic stands and music stands in a bag from a fold-up lawn chair that I can sling over my shoulder.

And all that is without a harp amp!  If Iâm not using the PA, I usually use an extension cab to lift the combo amp (Johnson T25R) off the ground, or need cab(s) if Iâm using one of the amp heads.  One of the heads is stereo (a â62 Playmaster Unit 2 (Aussie made) at 18W a side) so it needs two cabs.  Spare tubes and kettle cords live in the amps.  None of the amps has a line out, so if I want to mic the amp to the PA Iâll take a mic and stand (and cables â always need more cables) as well.

Murphyâs Law drives gear creep â if you take it you wonât need it, but if you donât take itâ..





This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.