Your Other “Gig Bag”

[matt g]

How many others have an accessory bag they carry with them to jobs and rehearsals?

Many moons ago while I was in college, I carried my mouthpiece(s), lubricants, and some repair stuff all in a leather briefcase along with some method books.

I’ve never been fond of storing the mouthpiece in a gig bag. When I started playing again, I picked up this nice little tool bag to carry my stuff about with:



What’s in it:



I’ve got my mouthpieces, a tuner, some lubricants, a rawhide hammer, a compact and offset (not pictured; I forgot it in the bag) screwdriver with multiple bits, an old dishrag, and neoprene shelf liner that I use to stabilize the horn in my lap.

Wondering if other people have a bag like this they tote along as well? If so, share some pics and what your kit looks like!

[dp]

for many years I used a crown royal bag....

[TubātōTubŏtō]

I have a single strap sling style bag. When I carry a bass bone, it’s strapped to my back. With my tuba(on my back) I wear it in front of me. One bag with all my lubricants I’m likely to need at my chair, several mp’s, an iPad with all my music, and a foot pedal. That way, regardless of the group, my music bag is always my music bag, and it’s always ready.

[bort2.0]

For me, definitely no... I hate carrying extra stuff, so whatever fits in the gig bag is all that's coming along for the ride. I mean, how long am I planning to be away from home, anyway?!

[the elephant]

Same. I hate carrying stuff in my hands. It goes in the bag or it stays home.
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Except for my K&M stand, which I frequently MUST have, and which does not fit in any of my bags.

I have found that an ancient brown, Naugahyde "MIRAFONE" tool pouch fits perfectly in the smaller pouch of their blue bags, so I have one in each. In that, I keep a few small tools and my lubes. In the pouch goes my mouthpiece (singular, not plural), an extra pencil, a pen, and several neatly folded up paper towels for that occasional tuba player-type of on-stage mess.

[bloke]

no criticism here…
…none at all…

but the tuba, bag, mouthpiece, oil, and pencil (occasionally, some tunes on paper) already weigh quite enough…

… and more than occasionally, I’m toting more than one instrument, because - if I use the easiest to play instrument for a piece - I can sometimes fool people into thinking that I don’t suck.

tools: There are (probably) thousands of them in my repair shop that I stare at every day. I can’t think of the last time that I’ve needed any sort of a tool on the job… and my colleagues have learned by now that I don’t have any tools with me at any gigs. I have two or three tools in a little pouch in the room where I keep my instruments, but I’m not taking that with me anywhere. When I schlep the cimbasso to a gig (usually, one of those “additional instruments“), I’m doing really good to remember to disassemble its stand, and get its stand back in the car. I’m not good at keeping track of “accessories“. When I have out-of-town gigs, I “pack” just barely enough clothes for however many days. My goal is one trip through the stage door as well as one trip up to the motel room…

…I’m also annoyed that “wallet keys“ has become “wallet keys phone“. In my clothes closet, I have an array of key combinations whereby - when I’m driving a particular vehicle - there is going to be a key ring that has that car is key and a key to get back in my house when I get home, and nothing else. I put those car door fobs in my sock drawer. The convenience for ten seconds isn’t worth the extra blob in my pocket for an entire day.

To be a tuba player is to be a maximalist. I work hard to try to be a minimalist about being a maximalist.

[the elephant]

My valve sections are removable, and once in a blue moon one of the fasteners will work itself loose, causing a rattle. I carry the correct SINGLE Allen wrench with me for that. Also, I play on the road a lot, and occasionally I have a rotary valve screw that will work itself loose, too, so I keep a small screwdriver in the pouch for that. Also, I keep the little Miraphone Torx driver for the Minibals in the pouch, too. Just in case. I have never needed any of these drivers, until the other day, and I had finally stopped carrying the Allen key with me because I had never needed it. Then I needed it. It is cheap insurance.

So the Holton has a 3/32" Allen T, the Kurath has one, too, and the 186 has the two drivers. That's it for "tools" in my gig bags.

I get the feeling you think I am carrying a Z-60 in my gig bag. It is just a little Allen T-wrench thingy. It'll be okay, I promise.

[bloke]

My response was to the original post. I did not read any of the responses.

Everyone should do what they wish.

[the elephant]

Ah. I assumed that since I mentioned tools and you posted directly after my post and criticized commented on the carrying of tools that your unaddressed comment was to me.

My bad.

Carry on.

[bloke]

OFF TOPIC…??

Also… I might sound like (based on the strategies outlined above) one of those people who tries to race out of the hall and beat all the patrons out of the parking lot. That’s not the case either.
I always change out of my monkey suit before leaving the hall, but that’s so that I never have to clean it. If I wear it for a total of 12 concerts or so, that’s just like wearing it for one long day.
(Old people don’t sweat, playing the tuba is pretty easy - so there’s nothing to get nervous about or to strain over, so I almost never have to dry clean the tails, the shark skin, or the tux… I just wash the shirt.)

[bort2.0]

In my gig bag I have my mouthpiece, a bottle of oil, a pencil, a piece of shelf liner, and a small toothbrush/toothpaste kit.

I can NOT play my tuba without brushing first!

[bloke]

I can NOT play my tuba without brushing first!

I’m sure you suspect that I’m making this up, but I roll up some floss and stick it in my pocket on the way to a rehearsal or a gig, that is: if there must be food before the gig. Instead of a toothbrush, I’ll get by with the paper towel machines in the men’s rooms.

[barry grrr-ero]

I play outdoors a lot, so I take a ton of stuff. I use a tall (deep) bicycle rider's backpack, plus I have a round camera lens bag that I put down the throat of my tuba bell. That has the small stuff in it. Hope this helps.

[tofu]

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[Three Valves]

I carry a gimme bag I picked up at some event. It may have been a ball game or races at Laurel Park. I'll check when I get home.

Seems like one never knows when there will be enough music stands so I keep my collapsible in there, along with music folder, mouthpiece, paper towels, valve oil, water, tuner etc.

[Doc]

Mouthpiece, small bottle of lamp oil, clothes pins (for outdoor stuff), Miraphone tool bag, and music (if any required), pencil, and music reading glasses all go in the gig bag. I have a tuba stand in one hand (or shelf liner in the gig bag) and leave the other hand free to open doors, carry coffee, etc. I also want one-stop shopping so I don't forget anything. If I can load it in the gig bag, I don't understand why I would ever want or need to take an extra bag? Efficiency is your friend!

Most gigs I play require me to also play electric or upright bass (requiring amps, cords, stands, etc.), so there is a load up/load in/load out process requiring more than one trip - LESS is better. SMALLER is better. CONSOLIDATION is better.

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[prairieboy1]

Mouthpiece, small bottle of lamp oil, clothes pins (for outdoor stuff), Miraphone tool bag, and music (if any required), pencil, and music reading glasses all go in the gig bag. I have a tuba stand in one hand (or shelf liner in the gig bag) and leave the other hand free to open doors, carry coffee, etc. I also want one-stop shopping so I don't forget anything. If I can load it in the gig bag, I don't understand why I would ever want or need to take an extra bag? Efficiency is your friend!

Most gigs I play require me to also play electric or upright bass (requiring amps, cords, stands, etc.), so there is a load up/load in/load out process requiring more than one trip - LESS is better. SMALLER is better. CONSOLIDATION is better.
AMEN!!



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[tokuno]

" . . In my clothes closet, I have an array of key combinations whereby - when I’m driving a particular vehicle - there is going to be a key ring that has that car is key and a key to get back in my house when I get home, and nothing else. I put those car door fobs in my sock drawer. The convenience for ten seconds isn’t worth the extra blob in my pocket for an entire day. . . "

I agree on the car key minimalism. Mine is carkey-only (different "set" for each car, but I mostly just drive the one).
I mounted one of these in the utility room (between garage & main access door) to eliminate having to tote a housekey:
https://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us ... ushbutton/



It also meant that through all the years of 4-kids coming and going, we never had to concern ourselves with them losing or forgetting their housekey or having to create duplicates.

It's easy to temporarily change the passcode, too, so during a vacation absence my daughter's friend could swing by to tend her guinea pigs, and we just reset the passcode upon our return.

I have a couple more mounted inside the house, adjacent to security cabinets.

[bloke]

...Just remember to change the batteries in the little box.

hey...
I hope you had someone work with you and move those strap rings to where they line up for your size/height/girth/etc.

There IS a pair of places where two strap rings CAN be located which WILL work (on every tuba I've ever owned).

On my funny-looking (and heavy) little front-action Holton, one of them is actually (yeah...on the back of the bell...) about two inches IN and about six inches DOWN from the mouthpiece receiver. It looks a bit odd, there, but that's the ideal spot (for me, on that instrument)...just as an example.

You just need someone (who can remove and re-solder them nicely, and also is smart about determining the above) to help you out.

[bort2.0]

I do carry a serious blade on my person for self defense

Would love to know what you're carrying... post about it here?

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