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Do you Need a Backup Guitar or Amp for the Gig?

I mostly take one guitar, and one amp to any normal gig. Occasionally if I am in the mood to switch guitars I will bring an extra guitar, just for fun.

I will also bring a backup guitar if we are doing a private event because it looks good on stage, and if I did happen to break a string I could easily switch, but for a regular club gig, I wouldn’t even consider this. Over the years as my picking technique became more refined, I stopped breaking strings, so for me to break a string something has to be really wrong, like a burr in the saddle, or a faulty string.

As for bringing an extra amp, I only bring a backup amp if I just modified or built an amp. If I am playing a brand new guitar amp, a vintage guitar amp that I just bought, or some amp that I just repaired, then I will usually bring a small backup amp, but those are the only situations where I even consider loading an extra amp into the car.

Over thousands of gigs there have only been a few times where I needed a backup, so I believe if you have good gear then the risk of not taking a backup is minimal.

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The Importance of Practicing at Stage Volume

I spend most of my guitar practice time sitting around with the archtop or an unplugged electric guitar, but before I play a gig I always try to plug in and turn up.

Any practice is good practice, but the guitar reacts differently to your playing when you are plugged in vs unplugged and it’s important to practice with your amp before you get to the stage.

When you get on stage and turn up full volume, the guitar can feel almost out of control if you haven’t been practicing the same way you play on stage.

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What are Musician Hours?

For most of my life as a musician I’ve been up late. My dad is a musician as well and when I was a kid I would stay up late and wait for him to get home from the gig.

As I got older I usually had gigs at least a couple of nights every week and I would often get home between 2-4am. I do like having a “day time”, but for some reason, I always end up staying up late.

If I have to get up early for something I will usually plan ahead for a few days and slowly adjust my schedule so that I don’t end up on no sleep.

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What to Expect at Jam Night or an Open Mic

Let’s talk about what to expect at a local jam night. I’ve been hosting jam nights in the Dallas / Fort Worth area on and off for 15 years and there are some things everyone should know before they show up at a jam.

Each jam session is different, and the best thing to do is show up without planning to jam if it’s a new place that you haven’t been to. See how it works and talk to the other musicians so that you know what to do.

Be prepared and bring your instrument, but please don’t bring your pedal board or amp 🙂

In this video, I go over everything you need to know, so check it out and then find a jam night.