Please Cover your Equipment!!! Argggg!

I was at a job last week.....when I got there another small trio was unloading to play in another room besides the one I was performing at in the Banquet Hall.
When the keybord player takes his KB out of the car its wrapped in a White BEDSHEET and carried it inside that way under his arm!! His Speakers looked like they were thrown off the Empire State Building all scratched Yikes!!!
My point is everytng I own is covered and I take care of it so it looks like new two years later, but when I see sloppy transpotation, banged up gear, guys dragging stuff along the floor because they wont buy a Cart or Covers or whatever it just annoys me...whats your opinion?

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 02-05-2004).]

I don't play out (yet), but I do have to move my keyboard from location to location at times. I have kept the orignal box and packing. Whenever I move my keyboard, I pack it exactly as it was orignally boxed. The box is wearing out, but the keyboard is in perfect condition. Well, except for a small piece of styrofoam on the inside display. No damage, but very annoying.
Starkeeper

Starkeper get yourslf a nice cordura zippered cover...I use a nice thick "LEVYS" soft case I got from George Kaye ....its perfect, super thick, has great big utility pockets on each end, lightweight, and a pocket inside also, Black!




[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 02-05-2004).]

I'm with you Donny.

The first thing I get when I get a new instrument is the hard case for it. I bought the hard case for my Ketron XD3, had a cover made by LeCover for my MotionSound KP-200S, and bought a $400 case for my new accordion. I cart everything and CAN'T STAND the look of banged-up, scratched-up, duct-taped gear. To me it looks unprofessional and obviously causes the gear to perform poorly over time.

On a side note, I'm the same way about vehicles and most other things I own. I hate when I get in a car and it has tons of fast food bags in the back, old french fries on the floor, newspapers everywhere, CDs on the floor and their cases thrown on the back seat. To me it represents a certain style of person - usually one I have difficulty getting along with.

Tommy

I would NEVER think of transporting my gear, especially the kb without a cover ... My power amp is an old Peavey (I can't remember the model #) and when I bought it they didn't make a cover for it ... I cut the top flaps off the original shipping box, cut a slit in the bottom for the handle of the head and then got the widest black electrical tape I could find and covered the box with the tape ... Now all I do is drop the box over the head...
With the price of good gear these days, I can't imagine 'pros' especially, not taking care of it ...
Dnj .... was their performance as sloppy as the gear? ...
Starkeeper ... If you're going to keep using the kb box, you might want to think about covering it with duct tape or something similar to strengthen it, keep rain and snow off, etc. .... otherwise, once you start making some $$$ playing out , get a proper case...
t.

Donny and Tony,
Ok. will do.
Starkeeper

I'll put it this way Tony at least they kept the beat when they WER'NT taking a break!

DNJ. Yes I fully agree. I don't play out, but when I was in sales on the road I always kept my speaker samples in mint condition.
It just says so much about your professional approach when you and your gear is kept smart.

Graham UK

Man, now THAT p*sses me off (I know, better p'd off than p'd on) ... in this age of DJs and karaoke, when some of us are busting our butt to get people to hire "live music" you get guys who spend more time off the stage than on ... My sister-in-law went to an office Christmas Party at a catering hall ... the weather was really bad that night and a number of people did not show, or showed up late ... The next day when I asked my s-i-l about the party, music, etc. she said that four out of the five piece group showed up ... they were supposed to start playing at 8PM, they didn't start until 10PM, although they were set up much earlier than that ... they played a 30 minute set and took a break that had lasted 45 minutes when she left to go home ... She did say that what they played during the 1/2 hour was good, just not enough of it ....
t.

Man that bothers me also.....what could be better then playing music? I have been known to stay up on stage 3 hours straight...more often I do 40-50 min sets at dances....one hour shows are just that, a FULL ONE Hour, and dinner dances, Weddings, etc.. you have to go with the flow of he affair regarding dinner courses served, speeches, award presentations, etc you might play a half hour then break while they eat that course, then go back on after dinner two hrs straight... it depends,
each job is different during a four hr gig.....but to take exorberant breaks while people just sit there waiting to dance or listen is Robbery!!!!
Arggggg.... I hate that!!!! ....

But then again it gives me more work ..because the are not hired again

Donny, I think all of us that have been successful at entertaining for many years do it as you described. Otherwise we would be selling sporting goods at WalMart. Not that there's anything wrong with that--just not what I want to do!
I took one break during the four hours last night. Made $167. in tips too! Wish it were like that every night.
DonM

I hear ya Don.....this is an ocupation of LOVE.....making it good enough to support you & your family comfortably doesn't happen taking Breaks but instead making people very happy to have you do it over & over!!!!

After playing in a band with the same guys for 26 years in NYC, I didn't play out for 7 years when I moved to RI ... I guess I had lost my 'security blanket' ... but after finding myself often sitting down at the piano for 4 hours or so in the evening, my wife and I decided it was time for me to get out again... So now there are times when I go straight through a 4 hour gig without thinking about it .... heck, if I do it at home, why not do it when people are paying to listen?!? ....
t.

I even had some jerky musician on a break in the hallway doing another room... ask me why I was on stage so long, and that it was making it look bad for the rest of them who were hanging out in the foyer..
milking their clients with excessive breaks & bad music.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 02-05-2004).]

..... Don't compliment him by calling him a musician .. even a jerky one .....
t.

Here's one that nearly brought tears to my eyes and inches from sending my wife on the stage to slap the female keyboard player. At out local college a band was performing for an event.. This event was held outside and the temp was over 80 degrees. This woman wasn't using an expensive keyboard but it's the stupidity of her actions. She was playing a Yamaha DJX (original). That keyboard just as a simple LCD screen with no backlight. She left this keyboard out in the sun, and due to the heat and direct sun light the screen turned completely black.. The simple way to fix that would have been cover the keyboard up... However, this idiot too a ziplock bag filled it with ice, and placed this on top of the screen.. With the condensation building up on the bag from the sun, water was running all down her keyboard.. She didn't even care. It drove me nuts to see this. Hell I knew one guy who had a Roland XP-60, and his mode of transportation was to throw it in his trunk with no case or anything for protection. That keyboard was so beat up from him moving it everywhere unprotected.. Plus when he bought his XP-60 it was a $1,600 keyboard at the time. I just don't understand people.

Squeak

[This message has been edited by squeak_D (edited 02-05-2004).]

I was jamming with a guitarist the other day, and he asked me if my kb was new. Actually it's over 10 years old, but I always use a gig bag when I take it anywhere.
Another thing to note..
Take off, or unscrew any joy-stick you might have. It'll save you a lot of grief, if the case gets bumped.

Dnj: Sounds like this could have been
borrowed or rented equipment. It surely
tells you what kind of person they are:
ARJ