A bass player’s gig bag is his trusty side kick. It’s their war chest heading into battle. When you’re at a gig there is almost no telling what kind of curveball could be thrown your way. And your only tools are going to be what you’ve got in the gig bag, so you have to keep it well stocked.
It’s funny, something as simple as a little 9-volt battery is the difference between having your rig work perfectly, kicking out the sound you’ve crafted just so, and that MXR M87 Compressor being just a nice looking paper weight for the set list.
And even if you’re super responsible in keeping up with having charged batteries in your equipment, chances are your guitarist probably isn’t as diligent. Have a spare pack of these guys and save yourself from frantically searching for a convenience store that is still open at whatever.
Trust us, this one is a staple of a well stocked gig bag.
What items do you stock your gig bag with? Let us know in the comments!
Spare cables, seperate tuner, batteries, wire cutters, set of strings, allen wrenches (for bridge adjustments), a drum key (for forgetful drummers), screwdriver for any covers.
I’m with Ritchie. All the above plus an extra strap.
After almost half a century, I’ve got it down to bare essentials. A spare cable,batteries(for both my bass and tuner), aspirin,ear plugs(which I hate, but are sometimes necessary),and a Cruz tool. The Cruze tool eliminated three other small tools and I really like that, but do you think that it would be allowed on an airplane flight? By the way, in all my years playing(for a living), I have never broken a bass string, so I stopped carrying a spare set years ago. I would be interested in hearing about anyone who did.
Broke an E string on a gig. Couldn’t believe it. Strings were Fender tapered, very thin at bridge. Don’t know how it happened but best guess is it was outdoors on a nice day, I was excited and was really digging in.
Broke an A string ONCE, using DM SR2000 Will Lee taper wounds. Very awkward, middle of a set.
Congrats on your new instrument.I’m dnmeairg of a vintage Gibson J-45, one day.Greatest vintage Martin I know of is the one I saw years ago. Marty Stuart has a pre-war D-45, first owned by Hank Williams Sr., who passed it to Hank Jr., who later traded it to Johnny Cash. Cash had a nameplate with CASH tastefully inlaid on it, as well. Sure, celebrity ownership adds nothing the sound, but it certainly would drive the re-sale value way up on what’s already a Holy Grail guitar
Hi this 12V drill is a professional piece of kit it is so nice to work with this drill that at times it is betetr than a partner you would never lend it to anyone. The build quality is second to none & the ease in which it copes with anything is amazing. You can feel the quality as soon as you pick it up & use it. Well recomended you will never get a betetr 12V drill. AEG are brilliant. Thank you very much
Batteries? Absolutely.
Strings? The airline broke my strings while IN the case (thank God for the extra but unintentional protection strings on a bass guitar offer) so now I carry a spare bass. It’s easier and faster and way hipper than backpedalling the set’s fragile vibe.
Tools? I have several of those $10 plastic extrusion toolcases with various screwdrivers, long nose pliers, etc, at least one in the gig bag and one always in the car.
Spares? Spare strap, spare music stand, spare mic stand, spare mic. The black plumbing style stuff live in the the trunk/boot of the car. Packet of toothpicks to plug and thread a loosening strap button screw and for the final beauty treatment after the tough steak at some venues.
Greeting? All the best from sunny Sydney.
Ear plugs, extra strings cut to size, 9 volt batteries, spare instrument and speaker cables, gaffers tape, flash light, extra extra strap, extension cord, power strip, tools, tuner w/bypass for switching basses when DI’ed, passive DI, extra mic and cable.
No, I’ve never broken a string in 48 years of playing, a lot of it heavy rock, too.
Buy quality 9 volt batteries too. Cheap ones are a false economy. I always buy Duracell Ultras now the much better imo M3’s are no longer available.