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how long does it take you to set up your kit for a gig?


SublimeOi

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Originally posted by Ponch_A_Rella

Oh I forgot to add that my band always helps me by handing me the parts I need as I go and puts my empty cases and bags away for me while I am setting up because my drum set is so huge I always set up first to determine where the other guys stuff can go.


I dont think I have ever set up the kit entierly by myself....

 

I SURE AS HELL HAVE!!!

 

Not the other day did I have to completely unload my kit from one side of the house all the way to the back in a fairly large house, all the while our two guitarists and of of their girlfriends sat admiring one of their new guitars. I had to get the guy who drove me there to help me out. Not only that, but we were going to practie outside and it had just rained, so I had to put my kit on the rain-soaked floor. And even more, we barely practiced so the other band member decided to watch a movie. My wanted wanted me to leave my drumset at her house OUTSIDE so her boyfriend could take me home and i didn't have to wait for the guy who took me to show up. Me and a friend of mine went outside after the movie to begin tearing down until the guy who took me arrived and, alas, we were locked out of the house. So I called my friend inside and she was in bed. As we started tearing down, the dew had already started accumulating on the drums and its was only 11:30.

 

So what did I get out of this? About 30 minutes of practice, tiredness, a temper, and possible permanent damage to my beloved kit... :mad:

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Originally posted by Lil Drummer Boy



I SURE AS HELL HAVE!!!


Not the other day did I have to completely unload my kit from one side of the house all the way to the back in a fairly large house, all the while our two guitarists and of of their girlfriends sat admiring one of their new guitars. I had to get the guy who drove me there to help me out. Not only that, but we were going to practie outside and it had just rained, so I had to put my kit on the rain-soaked floor. And even more, we barely practiced so the other band member decided to watch a movie. My wanted wanted me to leave my drumset at her house OUTSIDE so her boyfriend could take me home and i didn't have to wait for the guy who took me to show up. Me and a friend of mine went outside after the movie to begin tearing down until the guy who took me arrived and, alas, we were locked out of the house. So I called my friend inside and she was in bed. As we started tearing down, the dew had already started accumulating on the drums and its was only 11:30.


So what did I get out of this? About 30 minutes of practice, tiredness, a temper, and possible permanent damage to my beloved kit...
:mad:

 

I don't have any stories that bad, but in general I can't count on my bandmates for much more than helping me haul cases. In places where we don't have a stage, I toss down my gig rug as soon as possible. I kind of think of this as "marking my territory" (hey, it's nicer than the way that MOST animals do it :) ). At least then they'll stay out of my way.

 

My biggest frustration is that our guitarists and singer have no interest beyond their own gear. All the time I'm setting up my kit, I have to continue to bark orders at them to at least get the PA set up in the right place. I know they'll never hook it up or get it running, but as long as they can get the speakers, monitors, and board in the right general locations, I feel better that the drums and PA (aka the difficult-to-relocate gear) gets where it's supposed to go.

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20-30 Minutes

 

I stick my Gibraltar rack on the stage straight away and unfold the wings, I slot the Bass drum int between the legs and mount the 12" tom straight away, I make any adjustments on the wings etc if needed. Then I stick my double pedal and snare on and mount the 13" tom and position the 16" Floor tom. I mount all the cymbals last as they are more easier to adjust than the drums

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When I was younger and just starting out, I played a huge kit. Now I play pretty much the same stuff on a 4 piece w/ 4 cyms that takes me under 5 mins to setup. When I started employing a tech, he was like "This is the easiest job in the world!!" There are more important things to do at a gig than setup/teardown...

 

BTW - Memory locks and flight trap cases are a godsend!!

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Tangman:

 

Your photo is all blurry....I imagine it's a fairly accurate example of how your kit would look if I'd been drinking hard all night and walked up on stage to ask to sit in!

 

"....'scuse me, Mister Tangman, doo yew mind if I play yer drumz?...:confused: :confused: :confused: "

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Originally posted by Lil Drummer Boy



I SURE AS HELL HAVE!!!


Not the other day did I have to completely unload my kit from one side of the house all the way to the back in a fairly large house, all the while our two guitarists and of of their girlfriends sat admiring one of their new guitars. I had to get the guy who drove me there to help me out. Not only that, but we were going to practie outside and it had just rained, so I had to put my kit on the rain-soaked floor. And even more, we barely practiced so the other band member decided to watch a movie. My wanted wanted me to leave my drumset at her house OUTSIDE so her boyfriend could take me home and i didn't have to wait for the guy who took me to show up. Me and a friend of mine went outside after the movie to begin tearing down until the guy who took me arrived and, alas, we were locked out of the house. So I called my friend inside and she was in bed. As we started tearing down, the dew had already started accumulating on the drums and its was only 11:30.


So what did I get out of this? About 30 minutes of practice, tiredness, a temper, and possible permanent damage to my beloved kit...
:mad:

 

Hehehehehe! I had a band a few years ago that had me setting up my drums (a Neil Peart-esque affair), the keyboardist's amp/mixer setup, and the PA. The guitarist would disappear as soon as he could, and the keyboardist would set up his rack, drop his keyboards onto it and then go smoke cigarettes. The vocalist would help open drum cases, but that was about it. When we got back to the house, it was typically ME unloading while everybody else never showed up.

 

I did this for 2 gigs, each time my requests for help falling on deaf ears.

 

The next show, I set my drums up and then left everything else in a pile and grabbed something to eat. The rest of the band watched me eat, then watched me sit there. Someone asked, "Are we going to get the PA set up?"

 

"Who is 'we'?"

 

"You."

 

"No, I am going to watch you guys do setup."

 

"We don't know how."

 

Wrong answer. I got to stand there barking out orders while they scrambled. It was glorious! When I got back home with the van, I unloaded my equipment and left theirs. Their equipment sat in the van in my backyard for two days. "We thought you were going to unload!"

 

It was amazing, they helped with setup after that, and they all showed up to unload gear back into the rehearsal space.

 

That was the birth of our Golden Rule: If you don't show up, your equipment won't show up. :mad:

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Originally posted by Old Steve

Tangman:


Your photo is all blurry....I imagine it's a fairly accurate example of how your kit would look if I'd been drinking hard all night and walked up on stage to ask to sit in!


"....'scuse me, Mister Tangman, doo yew mind if I play yer drumz?...
:confused:
:confused:
:confused:
"

 

 

hahaha sure mr old steve bang away! :) I dont actually have a digital camera as every penny I earn goes towards a new cymbal or seomthing, that photo was actually taken with my mobile phones camera haha so yeah apologies everyone.

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