Custom guitar case document

Live show tips: Suck less and play your best.

These are just some tips, in no particular order of importance, to make your show the best one you’ve played yet.

1. Be on time, especially if you are the headlining band. Nothing annoys a venue owner like bands who show up late. Greet the bands who are there opening for you, and be nice. Help them get their gear on and off the stage. You never know who is going to be playing bigger shows down the road, and most guys I know really appreciate kindness like that. It just might come back around to help you out. Finally, I know this sounds basic, but I can’t even count how many times I’ve been disappointed by the attitudes of other band members (either the headliner or one of the openers). Even if you can play like Hendrix, you don’t need to be arrogant.

2. Set up as much gear as possible before you get on stage. Set up the drums and have them ready to go, carry out the pieces one by one. Guitarists, buy a Salvage Custom guitar case board for quick set ups and wicked style. At a bare minimum get a piece of wood and put some Velcro on it. this will serve as a great pedal board until you can pick up something awesome.

Organized gear saves a ton of set up time.

3. Set up your equipment and then get off the stage. Simple, but helpful to the sound technician working your show. If it’s a small stage, more than likely you’ll be in the way once you’re finished setting up. This helps to save time, which I’ve found helps to keep people in the venue for your set.

4. When you get into the venue, pull your stringed instruments out of their cases. Temperatures, humidity, even air pressure changes, can have an effect on your strings and tuning. Most guitars will detune (if only slightly) the moment you pull it out of the case. This is a good thing, let it sit in the environment that you will play in and tune before you play, and you’ll be good to go.

Having a back-up tuner that you have backstage so you can tune before you go out will save you time on stage also. Keep in mind that if the venue has bright stage lights they will warm the guitars and tuning will change. If possible allow your guitars to sit on a stand under the lights for a few minutes, this will help them equalize.

5. Don’t rehearse the day of the show unless its absolutely necessary. I’ve found that playing the day of the show can actually get you feeling overly confident, which can turn out negatively.

6. Never take an encore if you aren’t the headliner. Nothing sends the wrong message like taking an encore when you aren’t the headliner. That is the quickest way to burn bridges with venue owners and other bands.

7. Respect the other bands’ time by not playing too long. Another form of respect…this is just my opinion, but 6 songs seem to be a great set time for opening bands. If the headliner is a bigger name, I’d do 5 songs instead. It depends on your song length, how much talking you do in between songs, and how much time it takes to set up and take down your equipment. Factor everything in and make a decision.