The Case For Guitar Accessories
| Posted in Guitar
When a plumber turns up at your house, opens the back of his van, and then proceeds to transfer the entire contents of it into your en-suite, don’t say anything, just go and make him a cup of strong tea.
What he’s doing is simple, he’s saving his time and your money. Who knows what nightmare he’s going to encounter. Whatever it is, he’ll be prepared, with all the tools of his trade at hand.
The same goes for the gigging muso; everyone has a story about at least one gig where someone in the band left something at home. Amp, guitar, snare drum, leads bag, it’s happened to me and it’ll happen to you. Reactions from band members vary, some will be resigned to a stoical shrug, others will turn into Keyser Soze. Musicians being pragmatic folk, with a ‘show must go-on’ spirit, will get through it and all will be well.
However, you can pre-empt these unfortunate scenarios with a simple technique; make a checklist of all the items you’re definitely going to need; guitar, amp, pedals, etc. and then the accessories; tuner, leads, picks, stands, strings, straps, batteries and a basic toolkit like the CruzTools one above. If you rely on sheet music (rare), don’t forget that either. Reminds me of the old gag which goes; ‘How do you get a guitarist to turn down?’ Answer; ‘Put some sheet music in front of him!’.
Check it all off when you load your car and arrive at the gig ready for any eventuality and be well prepared for any emergency that comes your way. You’ll save time, embarrassment and above all, that sinking feeling.
Tags: guitar accessories, guitar lead, guitar pick, guitar stand, guitar straps, guitar strings, guitar tuner