I'm afraid to bring my "A-rig" to a bar

iaresee said:
I've put my entire board in a Zip-Loc bag before! Got the idea from...I think was Larry Mitchell actually. He was doing it for his smaller Liquid Foot. I can get my whole PT-2 board in a Zip-Log bag like this: Storage Solutions: Ziploc® brand Big Bags

I just slide it in sideways and if I'm really feeling paranoid I'll seal it up. But usually I don't. Protects against beer and rain. Works awesome at outdoor gigs.
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+1

I got the idea from a post Larry did too.

I've found clear plastic tarp to work well too. Cheaper to buy a large one and cut to fit what you need.
 
Scott Peterson said:
Life is too short for a "B" rig.

As Scott Burrow posted above - insure it. I do. Far more affordable than you might imagine, covers EVERYTHING including theft, flood, fire and accidents.

Heritage Insurance Service - Insurance for fine musical instruments Insurance
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That's good advice, and I've got all my gear insured to full value. However that's not to say that the insurer would ever dream of paying out in the event of a claim. Short of transporting your gear in a tank and keeping it under armed guard 24/7, they'll likely just laugh at you. I've heard some stories like that about musical instrument insurance. So for me the jury is out as to whether it's worth it. But I won't compromise and take 'cheaper' gear to any gig. You have to be mentally prepared for possible loss or damage. If not then what you really are is a collector, not a working musician.
 
craiguitar said:
That's good advice, and I've got all my gear insured to full value. However that's not to say that the insurer would ever dream of paying out in the event of a claim. Short of transporting your gear in a tank and keeping it under armed guard 24/7, they'll likely just laugh at you. I've heard some stories like that about musical instrument insurance. So for me the jury is out as to whether it's worth it. But I won't compromise and take 'cheaper' gear to any gig. You have to be mentally prepared for possible loss or damage. If not then what you really are is a collector, not a working musician.
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Not so with Heritage. I've insured all my gear with them since the mid 90's; have had one claim in that time. They handled it quickly, professionally and I had a check overnighted to me once damage was verified on my guitar by a luthier and supplied pics of the damage (humidity issue, cracked top, finish destroyed on an acoustic).

I never recommend anything I don't believe in; and I know Heritage is a good company with a good track history. I've read horror stories about other insurers; you will not find any about Heritage.
 
I play my "A" rig a few nights a week in clubs/ bars....never had any problems. Beer got close to the mfc a couple of times but that's it. I can't imagine having it and not using it.
 
Scott Peterson said:
Not so with Heritage. I've insured all my gear with them since the mid 90's; have had one claim in that time. They handled it quickly, professionally and I had a check overnighted to me once damage was verified on my guitar by a luthier and supplied pics of the damage (humidity issue, cracked top, finish destroyed on an acoustic).

I never recommend anything I don't believe in; and I know Heritage is a good company with a good track history. I've read horror stories about other insurers; you will not find any about Heritage.
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Well to be fair I haven't heard many such scare stories from outside the UK, but here they will generally take your premium and if you make a claim, then it's complete pot luck if you catch them on a good day and they pay out. I hope I never have to make a claim.......
 
I totally feel you op. This year after playing to over 300 punks (mostly crusts and anarchists) I was nearly scared to death for them completely destroying my Axe FX and my other gear.

The gig was outdoors in a tunnel, under a bridge, with dim lights and it was raining. People were piss drunk, fighting, dancing, pushing each other towards the band. There were no stage to perform so crowd was just around us. It was a complete chaos. I've never been in that kind of a situation as a musician. I mean, I really like it when the crowd goes nuts but... We were the last band to perform and I was already seriously thinking to decline for perform just because I was so scared for the sake of my rig.

Luckily no harm was done to my rig. We even ran out of electricity TWICE and I was pretty sure that was the end of my Axe FX. I stood in front of it for the whole gig and did the best I could do to keep it safe. I had to keep an eye on the crowd like a hawk. It wasn't any fun. After that gig I've seriously started to think if I should get an emergency rig just for these kind of cases.

I'm sure I wouldn't mind it so much if it was a 300€ tube amp that I was playing. I really love my sound when it comes to Axe FX but... I bet those guys won't even notice any difference :)
 
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craiguitar said:
I'm guessing what Neal has done there with the shrink wrap is make all his gear rain-proof. But that also makes it beer (or in my case, Cider) proof too. Great idea. Perhaps FAS could offer a pre-sized clear plastic re-useable cover like that for the MFC. Then it could be used or removed depending on the gig/venue.
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Most gigs I play now have real stages.. at least 3 feet off the dance floor, tho' in the past I've played everywhere from the front-porch of a double-wide, to airport hangars to the flat floors of your typical hotel ballroom. My Axe is cased and sits off to my left or right (or behind) out of harms way.. The MFC is on the floor near the wedges, and if I expect a rowdy crowd (or rain), both will be covered with plastic bags. They're CHEAP, and can be found in black and clear. I put the black trash bags over the wedges.. and the clear one over the MFC (helps being able to see the MFC :) ).

This helped greatly when I did a gig downtown Ft. Worth (Sundance Sq.) in 2011. No rain forecast, but completely overcast. 3 songs in, the heavens opened - cloudburst!!! 15 mins of HEAVY rain... We were playing under a canopy but the rain still came in from sides and front. Monitors, MFC, etc. all good. There were pools of standing water on the stage when all was done.

I threw all the PA/mic cables into the back of my truck, put towels on the floor in the back room when I got home, turned up the ceiling fan and heat, and spread them out to dry. Not a drop of water damage to the Axe, MFC or wedges.
 
barhrecords said:
The entire wedge? Or did you leave an opening on the grill side?
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The entire wedge (12"). I'ts the grille side I want protected :)

I've never tried with "contractor" bags (much thicker, stronger), but standard bags do not impede sound at all. I've also covered 12 and 15" (single) mains before... the 2x15's are a bit long, but take 2 bags. 1st on bottom (secured via tape), 2nd over top, taped over top of 1st so water runs off.

Never tried to cover subs..
 
craiguitar said:
Well to be fair I haven't heard many such scare stories from outside the UK, but here they will generally take your premium and if you make a claim, then it's complete pot luck if you catch them on a good day and they pay out. I hope I never have to make a claim.......
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Heritage is a little different. Instead of telling you what they do cover, they give you a complete list of everything they DON'T cover. Basically, everything is covered except nuclear meltdown, war, being seized by the government, and being stolen from an unlocked and unattended vehicle (if there are signs of forced entry, it's covered). There are a few more, but it's like super mega-rare scenarios. They don't cover the cargo hold of an airplane, but you can pay for that on a trip by trip basis ($50 each way for my acoustic). Not your average insurance company.
 
Sidivan said:
Heritage is a little different. Instead of telling you what they do cover, they give you a complete list of everything they DON'T cover. Basically, everything is covered except nuclear meltdown, war, being seized by the government, and being stolen from an unlocked and unattended vehicle (if there are signs of forced entry, it's covered). There are a few more, but it's like super mega-rare scenarios. They don't cover the cargo hold of an airplane, but you can pay for that on a trip by trip basis ($50 each way for my acoustic). Not your average insurance company.
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Yeah we don't have that here. I'll have to make do with the crappy non-safe type of insurance.
 
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