Members darreno27 Posted December 13, 2010 Members Share Posted December 13, 2010 I've been in a 4-5 piece wedding/bar cover band for a while now, and we might finally pull an end to it. It will most likely be the last I will ever play in a 4-5 piece band. I love the guys I play with, but there are just too many hassles, drama, equipment, 2+ hour takedown and setups, etc in it and not enough pay to justify doing it weekend after weekend. (for me anyway - $100 a night, double or more for weddings - but not many weddings). I am the lead singer and also play rhythm guitar - I have played acoustic solo gigs during my college years but that's about it. If I were to start up again, I think it would be in a solo/duo acoustic show, but I'm unfamiliar with the market. What is it like being a solo acoustic musician in regards to pay, setup times, market, etc? What kind of equipment is needed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted December 13, 2010 Members Share Posted December 13, 2010 I'm kind of in your situation in that I want to enter the solo acoustic market, but as a supplement to band gigging, not to replace it. I still love to interact with other musicians onstage, even with all the other bull{censored} I have to deal with to get there. I can help a bit with the answer to equipment. You can go a couple of routes. You can get an amp like a Fender Acoustasonic Jr. which has two channels, one for a microphone and another for your guitar. That way, all you need to bring is a microphone, mic stand, acoustic/electric guitar (or acoustic guitar with an add-on pickup) and the combo amp (and of course, cords). This will work for smaller, more intimate settings like a coffeehouse or very tiny bar/restaurant where you're just sort of pushed into a corner. The Acoustasonic also has built-in effects you can use on your guitar or voice. If you're looking to perform at slightly bigger places, a powered mixer and two mains (12" woofer with horns or 15" woofer with horns) is a pretty standard setup. Some people will even have one main set up pointed to the crowd and the other speaker used as a floor monitor. I personally have a powered mixer, two 15"/horn mains, speaker stands and two small Peavey Mini Monitors. This is perfect for a solo or duo acoustic show, but insufficient for a band with drums. So, I'm ready to go with the gear. I just don't have the bookings. I'm hoping to rectify this in the very near future (early 2011). You can also go the more modern method of powered mains and a small unpowered mixer to plug into. Other items people usually use are vocal harmonizers and looper pedals. The DigiTech Vocalist Live series are great products. I have the Vocalist Live 2 and the harmonies really sound like someone else is singing along with you. I used it in a band I had in 2009 because nobody in the band could sing harmony and I was the only lead singer. I've seen people use the Boss RC-20 (double pedal) live before to great effect, although there is the DigiTech JamMan and Line 6 DL4 as well. Using these can help fill out the sound and allow you to play little fills or textures while keeping a strong rhythm going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted December 13, 2010 Moderators Share Posted December 13, 2010 2 hour teardown and set up? Good god, man, I would want to quit too... Obviously a lot depends on location, and available venues, and the competition for gigs. In the current economy, I see less and less venues ponying up money for live music, a sad but true economic indicator. Pay? Local market driven. You are going to need to find other guys who are doing this in your area and get a feel for the going rate. Set up? Your call...how much stuff do you really need for an acoustic gig? A small amp that will handle a guitar and vocal mic (or as noted above, a mixer with powered speakers), an A/E and a mic, a stand, cables, a stool.... Most solo gigs will be fairly intimate, so really, less is more. Everyone from Fender, Marshall, Acoustic, Fishman, etc. have usuable acoustic guitar amps available of varying wattage, input configurations, speaker arrays and FX, etc. Again, to me less is more...if you don't need 60 watts, don't buy it. I have been looking into a couple of potential musical configurations, mainly duos/trios, and in a place the size of L.A., with all this diversity, I am not finding many willing venues....unless I do mariachi... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted December 13, 2010 Members Share Posted December 13, 2010 I went solo and duo in addition to still doing bands (3 of them right now...yikes!) As DM said, the entire solo market is local market driven-not just the pay but the venues and what they want you to play. Some guys who post here play taverns and sports bars as duos or solos. Nobody does that here. Solos and duos here are almost exclusively restaurants, with a few small cocktail lounges as well. I assume you aren't talking about using laptops and loopers and backing tracks when you're doing an acoustic show, so your setup will be minimal. At one of my main gigs, I bring my guitar, a cord bag, a mic stand and that's it, since PA is provided. At others, I have a powered mixer w/ built in EQ and FX and a couple of small speakers on sticks. The longest it ever takes me to set up is about ten minutes. I earn varying amounts depending on the venue and the night. Weeknights at a restaurant might pay 75 dollars plus tips, which can vary from 5 bucks to 100 bucks, plus they feed me dinner. I play 7-10 pm. Other venues pay 150 for a weeknight plus tips. About every 5-6 weeks I go to one place 200 miles away that pays 200 plus dinner plus tips for two hours and I can drive home afterwards since I'm done by 9:30. Last time I went over there I made about 300 dollars for a 2 hour gig. Even subtracting the gas money, I did well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted December 13, 2010 Members Share Posted December 13, 2010 Being a solo acoustic musician is the best. I have found you can really do any material you want as long as you are confident, sound good and can pull it off. I've been working for $150-$300 a gig for at least the last 12 years and in most local markets I've seen there are plenty of gigs to be had. I've got QSC K8 speakers and a small board, plus a pedal for my guitar that has EQ, comp, etc..The speakers, cords etc, are in a Gator rolling bag and my speaker stands, mic stand, music stand (Which I put my laptop on for lyrics or notebook), and Hercules folding guitar stand, are all in an OnStage bag. I fling that bag over my shoulder, my Acoustic over the other in her gig bag and I wheel the speakers in like a suitcase. Setup takes me about 10 min max as well as teardown. Sometimes I miss the band thing but i'm putting together an original band to tour and gig with pretty soon so it's fine. These days, I'm not gigging as much as Pat but will probably have to find some work out of town a few nights a month next year. I say go for it, have fun and make a bit o cash with less hassle then the band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members darreno27 Posted December 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 13, 2010 Thanks for the replies. What I'm hearing is already validating my previous notions, and that is good. I just talked to a guy in my area who does a solo acoustic act. He says it's actually not too hard getting jobs, especially in the summer. He made a lot of business playing outside afternoon gigs at bars. Makes $100-$150 a night depending on time, location, bar etc. He plays at birthday parties, restaurants, and private parties as well. He uses a small PA and mixer with his amp/guitar....setup time is around 15 minutes. I will have to talk to a few more people but it looks like the market is ok in my area - has to be covers though, which doesn't bother me. It's not like I want to play 8x a month anyway. I just want some spare pocket change. The reason I want a switch is because the tear up/down time really. We have SOOOO much equipment and a PA that could play at some very big outdoor events, yet we still use it to play in tiny bars. We will start setting up at 6:30pm, play from 9-1, tear everything down by 3am, and depending on location I wouldn't get home until 4/5am. And that isn't counting the gas money it eats. I was making less than minimum wage when everything was said and done. I loved playing at weddings though. Venues were nice and money was good - and got home much early. So if the setup time really is only 20 minutes or so for solo acts, that is a big game changer. Not too mention I can book my own gigs when I want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MDLMUSIC Posted December 13, 2010 Members Share Posted December 13, 2010 I also do both band and solo gigs. Both can be very rewarding, both musically and financially, or they can be just plain awful. A lot depends on the venue and who you're working with. The one advantage of the solo act is that you don't have to worry about the drummer speeding up, or the bass player not knowing the changes. The big disadvantage of the solo act is that it's just you, so if you screw up, or are not feeling your best, you can't just coast along; you've got to carry the whole show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bajazz Posted December 27, 2010 Members Share Posted December 27, 2010 I've done it the other way: Solo since mid-90's and lately band. Although I tried different things every now and then, bands, choirs, teaching vocals, guitar, theatre, groutps etc.. on and of since 80's. But as a steady weekend warrior since 95. The band is much fun, shorter gigs and lots more gear and setup. We have a standard club PA: 18" subs, 15"tops, amprack, powered monitors, mixer, banner, light rig etc... We can't get any meaningful stage ready in less than 2 hours, mostly b/c of little experience in rigging and optimizing. My solo rig with suitcase w/wireless + BOSE PA L1 and a Chauvet 4Bar lightrig is ready in 10-20 minutes depending on how many stairs I have to climb. I have also been working a lot to make the solo act fun. Getting the best gear, working with DVD's from Alex Boye and Tom Jackson to put out a SHOW in stead of just playing another gig. However the band shows are more intense. Today the pay is the same (The band is very new) about $700 and upwards, in the band we split in 5 and as solo I keep all by myself. Pay is local market, and here in norway a soloact mostly get the same as a duo/trio. As a band you can make more, but it's only the national acts that really make money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nijyo Posted December 27, 2010 Members Share Posted December 27, 2010 The reason I want a switch is because the tear up/down time really. We have SOOOO much equipment and a PA that could play at some very big outdoor events, yet we still use it to play in tiny bars. We will start setting up at 6:30pm, play from 9-1, tear everything down by 3am, and depending on location I wouldn't get home until 4/5am. And that isn't counting the gas money it eats. I was making less than minimum wage when everything was said and done. I loved playing at weddings though. Venues were nice and money was good - and got home much early. Isn't it worth looking at this as a logistical problem? Why do you have so much equipment? Is it possible to conglomerate some of this equipment (due to the existing equipment being old, for example? - i'm thinking of the old par can vs LED strip situation as one possibility)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted December 28, 2010 Moderators Share Posted December 28, 2010 It sounds to me like whoever in the band owns all that gear needs to get over it...only bring what you really need at the gig. The OP said they bring a 'festival' rig to a bar gig...someone is being unrealistic. We have essentially two full PAs, some lights, two monitor rigs, plus lord knows how many amps...but why bring more than you need? Back-ups, sure, but overkill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted December 28, 2010 Members Share Posted December 28, 2010 At one bar venue last summer, I set up 1/2 my PA- 1 sub, 1 main, and the monitors. I angled them across the dance floor and away from the bar. And the owner came up to me during the first break and said "What did you do? I've never heard a band sound so good in here". Sometimes, less really is more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members darreno27 Posted January 7, 2011 Author Members Share Posted January 7, 2011 Yeah it's definitely overkill for almost every situation. We have an extensive full 24 set lightning system - 1 watt LEDs that need computer control. That sucks up a fair amount as well. Include that with the general 5 person band and a non-band friendly venue and time racks up pretty quick. Did I mention most of us are old, bruised, and slow moving? That doesn't help either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted January 7, 2011 Members Share Posted January 7, 2011 Last night I played 3 hours solo, 4 miles away, just my guitar, a mic and a mic stand, PA provided, and made 120 bucks plus dinner sitting in a chair playing songs I love. This weekend, I'll play with a 6 piece band, load my entire PA up in the trailer, drive 30 miles, set it all up, play 4 hours a night for two nights, load it all back up and unload it when I get home, for 150 bucks for the whole weekend. Hmmmm..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted January 7, 2011 Members Share Posted January 7, 2011 See, Pat, that's what roadies are for. You're supposed to pay the $150 to a roadie and go back home with nothing! Oh, and touring is the new way to make money in the music biz! No, seriously, this is why I stay solo, too. It's soooo much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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