I’m a self-proclaimed gear nut, but to be clear, practically everything I’ve reviewed here is within the context of gigging or recording with it. It could be with a band or more likely than not, especially with modulation pedals, it would be used on my solo acoustic gigs. You might think that because of this my rig must be HUGE. But actually, it’s not all that big. I just have the freedom to switch things out – I hate to say it, but it’s true – depending on my mood. 🙂
But this particular article revolves around my work as a solo acoustic musician. No, I’m not a busker, though I’ve done that from time to time in my younger days. These are paid gigs at a contracted rate and I’ve been doing them for almost 40 years. In that time, I’ve learned some very valuable lessons; some more obvious than others. I’ll share them here.
Always bring spares.
This is probably the most obvious one of the lot. But frankly, it’s the most important item. This particular list is geared towards solo acoustic gigs, but you could easily apply it to playing in a band.
- 2 extra microphone cords
- 2 extra 1/4″ cords
- 1 extra amp/PA power cord.
- A backup mic, if you have one. It’s not critical, but I’ve had mics fail in the past.
- Extra picks (I use Wengen picks, and I have a few in my guitar case).
- A passive DI (I use a Radial Engineering Para DI – the green one). Just in case you can plug into a DJ’s system. Hey! No amp to lug!
- Spare batteries: 9V, tuner batteries
- Extra capo
- Strings – I usually have 3 or 4 extra sets. I rarely break strings but they have niggling way of breaking at the most inopportune times, don’t they?
- A 50- to a 100-foot extension cord. Never assume you’ll be placed by a plug.
One trip load-in/load-out
Especially if you’re doing gigs in a big city, being able to lug your gear in one trip is absolutely critical. I’ve done several gigs at various hotels in San Francisco, and I learned early on that I had to have a system that was modular and portable enough to do it all in one trip.
A good, durable gig bag that can hold your cords and other accessories is great, but I prefer using a backpack to haul accessories because I can stuff my Nano board, power conditioner and guitar stand in the bag. I’ve also opted – even though it is a little heavy – to just lug my hard case. I can then lash my microphone stand to it.
Circling back to a big city gig, one thing that I started to do was park my car at BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), then take that into the City. Then I’d order a Lyft or Uber to get me to the hotel if the hotel isn’t in a place to where I can easily walk. I’ve only done that when I could plug into a DJ’s system, but when I get my new PA (I’ve decided on the JBL Eon One), I can easily take that. My Fishman SA220, though lightweight, is a bit too bulky lug on city streets.
PA
I think it’s the generally accepted norm that a line array offers the best portability for solo artists. I caught onto the trend many years ago when I got my Fishman SA220 SoloAmp. This has served me well and works great. And though it’s only 25 lbs., it’s a little bulky. So I’ve been searching for a new one as of late and have set my sights on the JBL Eon One.
To me, the Eon One offers the best balance between sound quality/PA features and portability. Weighing in at 40 lbs. it’s a bit heavier than my SA220, but the riser arms and speaker array slip into a storage compartment in the rear of the sub-woofer which makes it MUCH more compact! I’ve evaluated several other systems, and all the others have a separate bag for the arms and array. With the Eon One, I can put the risers into the unit, set it on my little hand cart and easily lug it around.
Yes, there are others I’ve evaluated that have a little better sound, like the EV Evolve 50. But they tend to be much more expensive and they’re not nearly as portable. Using the example of lugging gear in a big city, portability is a key factor. And frankly, the smaller the size, the better.
Pedals
I wasn’t going to include this section because what someone uses is purely subjective. For me, I use four pedals: Chorus, Analog Delay, Reverb and a Looper. It’s pretty minimal simply because keeping it minimal goes with the “one trip load-out/in” concept. I mount these on a Nano board that straps onto my guitar case.
Vocal Processor/Harmonizer
This has been an absolutely essential part of my acoustic rig for years. I got my first one about 20 years ago and have had one ever since. Even if you don’t use the harmony features, having some light condensing helps tremendously as your vocal output from the PA will be much thicker than if you didn’t have it. Having harmonies is awesome. Plain and simple. It adds another dimension to my performance.
In any case, I highly recommend evaluating and getting one of these. The best ones on the market, at least in my opinion, are the ones from TC Helicon. I currently use the Harmony G XT, but there’s a whole line of great TC Helicon units that’ll fit your needs. At a minimum, you should get a condenser. It makes a HUGE difference in your vocal sound.
Looper(?)
I mentioned above that I have a looper on my pedal board. Actually, I kind of fibbed a little on that one. After about 10 years of use, my handy-dandy, trusty BOSS RC-2 LoopStation finally went the way of the Dodo bird last summer at a gig. So I haven’t been gigging with one lately. But I’m actively searching for one and even considering an all-in-one unit like the TC Helicon VoiceLive Play Acoustic or the BOSS VE-8 Acoustic Singer that has vocal and guitar processing along with looping.
In any case, for many years, I was skeptical – perhaps even afraid – about using a looper pedal. But once I got the hang of it, it became a valuable part of my rig. Like using a harmonizer, a looper opens up tons of possibilities in a performance.
I’ve never been one to even want to do sophisticated looping, maybe just a couple of layers and certainly no more than three. But luckily there are lot of options on the market if you really want to get into it. But no matter which direction you take, even doing some simple looping so you can play solos over a backing track is pretty awesome.
Tablet
In the old days before tablets, I used to lug around a heavy bag full of binders and music books. Now I just use a tablet; specifically, a Microsoft Surface Pro. It has become an invaluable tool for having most of my music in one place.
When I’m playing in a band, I never use a tablet. I know all my songs for all the sets. But when I’m playing solo, I rarely, if ever, use a setlist. The reason is that the music I play depends on my read of the crowd. Sometimes, the crowd is mellow, and I’ll match that mood. Or if I’m playing to a more hipster type crowd, I may primarily do reggae and folk-punk stuff. I actually have most of the songs memorized, but sometimes I need to scroll through my app (I’ll talk about that next) and get ideas on what to do.
Plus, inevitably, and especially when I play restaurant gigs, people will approach me and ask if I know a song. Sometimes, I don’t have it in my app. But all it takes is an Internet connection and I can look up a chart in seconds, and load it into my app.
And as far as apps are concerned, I’ve been an avid user SongBook for iOS and now for Windows Tablets. I know there are others out there and SongBook’s biggest competition seems to be OnSong on Android and iOS. But to me, the beauty of SongBook is its simplicity. Don’t get me wrong; it has some very nice features. SongBook was one of the first apps of its kind and the developers have learned a thing or two about what’s usable and what’s not.
As far as a specific tablet is concerned, up until recently, I used my old iPad 2. But ever since I got a Microsoft Surface Pro, I have retired my iPad completely. The reason for this is that I can do all my song preparation – writing or importing – all on my Surface Pro. Technically, I could do that on my iPad, but there’s really nothing that beats a full-blown computer. That it doubles as a tablet is an absolute panacea for a bit of a Swiss Army Knife computing platform.
Business Cards
This probably goes without saying, but having a set of business cards is critical because it opens the door to other gigs. For example, I mentioned in the past that I played at a restaurant. In fact, I was in my 18th year playing there when the restaurant closed. I got so many gigs from that one gig just by having business cards on the piano. I got tons of weddings, parties and corporate events, and even church work. So have plenty on hand. I created some cards on VistaPrint and just order more every couple of years.
Other Stuff
Besides gear, there are some important things I’ve learned from doing this for over 30 years that I’ll share below.
- Have a thick skin. Unless you’re doing a show where you’re the main attraction, chances are that you are going to be background entertainment. But take it from me, though people may not seem to be paying attention, they’re actually listening. As I advised a friend who got into solo performing, just do your thing and do it well. Imagine that you’re performing to a captive audience. It will make a difference.
- Make eye contact. Despite being in the background, scan the room regularly. It pulls people in and makes their experience much more enjoyable, which leads me to the next point…
- Remember this: You are not there for you. Most of the complaints I’ve heard from fellow solo artists have centered around people not paying attention. Yes, you have to have a thick skin as I mentioned above, but to help develop that thick skin, you have to keep in mind that you’re there essentially at the behest of the person or company that hired you, and more importantly, you’re there to provide good vibes to the attendees.
- Especially for corporate events and restaurants, get the terms down in writing. In all the years, I’ve been performing, I’ve never been screwed over by a client. But I have heard about performers getting stiffed for their work when clients claim they didn’t agree to a certain rate or other terms. For those reasons, I have a “contract” of sorts that I send out to make sure everything’s clear and above board.
Own Your Performance
I originally made this an item in the list above, but it really deserves its own section. I’ve been gigging regularly for almost 40 years. But it wasn’t until I decided to take the risk to completely own the performance of the music I played that I made huge jump in the number of gigs I’d get a year.
What do I mean by owning the performance? Simply put, it means being myself and not trying to cop a facsimile of the original artist’s performance of a song. I do a lot of covers from the Beatles, Eagles, Elton John, JT, and even show tunes and a bit of opera. For years, I’d try to sing and play similar to the original recordings. It served me well, but once I started making the songs my own and trusting my own emotions, it changed everything and I started getting a lot more gigs.
Authenticity is important.
great and timeless advice, thanks! (especially the last point).
Cheers
Andrew