Do You Store/Leave Your Equipment at Your Band Rehearsal

[BbAltered]

Do you leave your musical equipment at your band's rehearsal space?

 

We rehearsal at the private home of the band leader. The space is out in the country and secure. I do not leave my equipment in the rehearsal space because I don't want to have to drive to that location to get my stuff should I ever need my equipment outside of the band's rehearsals - I play around with various other bands and friends.

 

I'm thinking I may want to leave a cheap amp/speaker combo at the rehearsal room because I am sick of monitoring thru the PA and having the bass player decide how much keys I get to hear. This would be an expendable piece of gear I would not need for other activities.

 

In a previous life, I played in a band and the digital piano would come home with me after gigs, but the organ and leslie would go in the sound guy's van and stay in his garage between shows. Perhaps surprisingly, the organ and leslie never appeared worse while in the sound guy's care.

[DJkeys]

I always try to have a spare keyboard setup for rehearsal, stand, amp, mixer, mic, pedal board, etc. so I can just bring my instruments back and forth. I have three setups, rehearsal, studio, and live. I just plug my keys into the studio or rehearsal setup, and load all my live gear into the car when I have a gig.

 

-dj

[GRollins]

Oddly enough, I've had more trouble with band members than external miscreants over the years. Enough so that I always--always--pack up everything and take it home after practice. Everything. (Cold feeling when a band breaks up and suddenly your gear's locked in a room for which you have no key and the guy's not answering his phone. Plus miscellaneous pilferage like extension cords and guitar stands...)

 

Fringe benefit: If miscreants break in, they may steal or otherwise molest other peoples' gear, but they won't get mine. I've also got everything where I can lay hands on it if I want to work on music at home.

 

It's up to you.

 

Grey

[stoken6]

I used to - our singer had access to an unused room at his employer's offices where we could leave kit.

 

These days we hire rehearsal rooms, so "no gear left behind!"

 

Cheers, Mike

[bfields]

I trust my band mates with my gear. But I get tired of the setup/teardown--even if it's just 10-15 minutes, it gets multiplied by four (tear down at home, setup there, tear down there afterwards, set up back at home). Add it to the driving, and it's a lot of tedium for one rehearsal.

 

I don't need to bring amplification, so it's just keyboards, stand, pedals, etc.

 

I want to be able to play between rehearsals, and I'd really rather not buy two of everything. Maybe I should just get a second stand--that'd shave off a few minutes.

[Stokely]

No. We don't practice much (having been together 8 years and everyone is super busy) but I have the opposite problem as described--we DON'T use the PA so I can't use my in-ears, so I can't hear nearly as well at practices as I do at gigs. I can control my own mix if we do use our PA mixer. Fortunately we keep the volume low but it's still less than ideal.

 

I don't bring my full two-keyboard rig, just one keyboard to keep it simple. I use one of my x stands, no submixer, just a few cables in a bag and off I go. They have extra PA tops that I use as an "amp". Our practices are to get through the song structures, work on vocal harmonies (sometimes we have a vocal only practice) and not so much to polish the sound. None of us are super-structured on patches and sounds and getting it "like the record", mainly we shoot for feel and tightness and making sure we have the energy and confidence there.

[allan_evett]

It depends on the circumstances. For a Jimmy Buffett tribute / yacht rock cover band I'm with, nothing's left behind. But that's because we rehearse once or twice a year, mostly to prep new material and refresh intros and endings. We all bring scaled-down rigs to rehearsal.

I've done the same with another cover band, though it appears I won't be on that gig much longer. The drummer and female lead singer have been checking out a male lead singer to augment their sound - and he covers keys. Good thing the bassist is also on the Buffett tribute / cover gig; we've been friends for a several years, and at least he's kept me clued-in on the situation

 

As a result I've been rehearsing with a cover act that was busy, pre-pandemic, and now has work coming in again. That one's needed a lot of home woodshedding and rehearsals, as there's a large handful of concert-rock songs with busy, signature keys parts. So while my two keyboards come home every time, I leave a stand, powered cabinet and cabling/DI. Saves time on setup and strike, as we're all pretty busy outside the band and rehearsal time's at a premium.

[drawback]

We used to rehearse at a commercial space with sound-proof studios for each band. The cost was very affordable â worked out to $10 each â and the space provided a PA, drums & a bass amp. I just brought my NS73 and a stand. In and out in 10-15 minutes.

[Delaware Dave]

Nope. I only bring one keyboard, a couple of pedals and plug into the PA for practice. so trekking the equipment is a piece of cake. 5 minute setup.

[Docbop]

Interest how my answer depends on what I'm playing. Being I spent most my life playing guitar or bass. When play guitar answer was no I'd bring my gear home. It was either all I had so needed it to practice, or later on too valuable to risk, plus small enough to move easily. I never played stacks of anything I always was into small amps. As play player brought gear home so I could practice most the time. Bass amps were usually bigger so if rehearsing again the next day then easier to leave it. Later playing bass I had a small practice amp at home so was more willing to leave the bigger amp at rehearsal or gigs.

 

Being I only recently after retiring have I started playing keys I can't imagine hauls heavy expensive gear all over. I would definitely invest in a lighter keyboard and amp I can easily move or if I left it and it was stolen sad but my good stuff is safe. That last bit is kind of the way bass player and some guitar players in L.A. are going having cheaper gear for auditions, rehearsals, and sometimes gigging because theft is getting bad. Plus cheap gear these day really isn't that bad playing/sounding anymore.

[AnotherScott]

What, if anything, I leave behind depends in part on how soon the next rehearsal is. But it's been quite a few years since I've had regular rehearsals for anything, and even longer since they weren't at my place.

[Mr. Nightime]

We rehearse at our singer/percussionist's house. She has an enclosed carport that she has insulated, and works well for a rehearsal space

 

I bring 1 keyboard, and plug directly into the K10.

 

Quick Set up, quick tear down.

 

Like others, I want my gear where I can get to it at all times, so I don't leave it anywhere

[wineandkeyz]

I've only been in a couple of bands that had a dedicated rehearsal space, but I've never been one to leave my gear there; just too much risk. Plus, as others have mentioned, I often play in different bands, so I need access to my gear.

 

My main band these days is scattered from hell to breakfast across NC, so getting together for rehearsals is problematic. As a result, we only "rehearse" at soundchecks.. If we need to learn something new, we all do our homework and then put the pieces together at the venue. If it works, the song goes into the show that night; if not, we try again later. I should note that this band plays 2-3 weekends a month or more, so rehearsals aren't a big need anyway.

[MAJUSCULE]

Only in secure spaces where I'll be back within 24-48 hours and know I won't need anything that I leave behind.

 

Gonna change this by having a better rehearsal space at my new place than my bandmates have.

 

Besides, if I load my rig, it's almost the same regardless of if it's a rehearsal or a gig. Rarely is that the case for a drummer/bassist/guitarist if there is an amp or kit backlined for rehearsal. They will be coming to me very soon!

[Delaware Dave]

I've only been in a couple of bands that had a dedicated rehearsal space

 

When I started my band Dyin Breed in 2003 we practiced in my basement. I have a full PA, drums, bass rig, keys, guitar amps, everything for practice. One of the guitar players brought over a crate half stack and Crate Head, and later a Peavey Butcher Head. 18 years later it is still sitting in my basement; hadnt been used for years. I started a blues jam during COVID and started using it. I'm not sure he remembers it is even in my basement its been so long. About 5 years ago I told him he needs to come get his stuff; he said I'll be over next weekend. Still waiting....

[eric]

My main band rehearses weekly in our bass player's basement, where we leave a nearly full band setup in place, with an IEM solution that mirrors our live shows. I have a permanent keyboard stand almost like my gig stand there, with all the pedals, cables, spare Vent, and when we are not gigging too much (like the past year), I typically leave one of my NS3 there on the stand. When we have gigs (starting back this weekend), I take the NS3 for the gig or as backup (I usually carry two).

 

There's a drum set, all the microphones, and some amplifiers for those that use them. The guitar players usually bring their axes to and from the space, but they are also always buying and selling, so I lose track of guitars.

 

It is so nice and convenient to have the space all set up and walk in to rehearse, or at maximum bring one keyboard into it with the stand and all the necessary bits already in place.

[Adan]

I haven't read much of the current Roland KC amp thread, but surely this would be one of the 1,001 uses.

 

The specific answer is always very situational, but on a theoretical level this boils down to being a time-money continuum question. When I was younger I couldn't afford redundant gear but I had time and energy to haul it all around. Now time and energy are on the wane, so it's worth it to me in some situations to leave an amp and a stand at a rehearsal spot. Maybe a keyboard too, but the usual problem this creates is that I want changes to my setups to carry over between home practice and band rehearsals.

[Ken Beaumont]

I keep my SP6 setup at the practice room at our drummers house. Its locked when not in use so all I have to do is show up, take the dust cover off and turn it on. After many years of hauling keys and PA equipment this is perfect.

[EricBarker]

I haven't been in a situation where leaving gear was an option. HOWEVER, I do keep a lot of extraneous gear in the trunk of my car. Practice Amp, keyboard stand, music stand, and backup cables permanently live there. I have duplicates of those things in my home studio, so I don't have to schlep them in every time, just the keyboards and single gig back. These days i'm gigging with 3 boards, so that's still quite a lot, but it helps!

[Bob L]

I do exactly the same thing for rehearsal. Just bring one keyboard, x-stand, cables. For gigs two keyboards, my own mixer, etc. etc. For rehearsal I forgo the perfect sound for some tunes so I can get in and out quick!

[Morrissey]

For very low key rehearsals, I'll bring a child-size X stand and an old keyboard amp that doubles as a stool. Ergonomics aren't ideal but the schlep factor is optimized.

 

Oh, and to answer OP, I rarely leave equipment at rehearsal sites for reasons mentioned by others. One nuance I'll emphasize -- I'm especially hesitant to leave keyboards because I think among the typical bar band instruments, keys are particularly attractive to people messing with them. Everybody thinks they can play a little piano and many folks don't hesitate to start pressing buttons and keys.

[EricBarker]

I haven't been as concerned about leaving things at gigs for a day or so (I often setup early in the day and come back later). But I typically play in situations where the staff know us well, and there's a pretty high stage, so no one would dare go touch shit. If they ever did, I KNOW the staff would tackle them in a heartbeat!

[cphollis]

I own the rehearsal place, so yes. Others leave gear as well, except for really nice guitars. I probably have more issues with people leaving their musical junk in my storage room.

[Josh Paxton]

For a while I had a board that I left in a band's rehearsal space. Then I showed up for rehearsal one day and it didn't power up â just completely dead. I took it to a shop, and they opened it up and told me someone had spilled a Coke in it and it was basically unsalvageable. That was the day I stopped leaving any gear in any rehearsal spaces.

[zxcvbnm098]

The last band I was in with a similar situation was when I was using a Nord Electro and Kurz SP-7.

 

I had a pair of Invisible stands for rehearsal and live, so I left the one setup in the rehearsal space with pedals, AC cables and sound cables hanging on the stand and cables plugged into the small practice PA. So I would literally just bring in both boards, unzip from the soft cases and plug in all the accoutrement and was ready to go in 5 minutes. Same for tear down. The stand and set of cables stayed there, plugged in.

 

I kept the other Invisible stand in the back of my wagon, along with a duffle bag with another set of pedals, AC and sound cables. I used an AER acoustic guitar amp for live sound, which stayed in the garage until gigs. So I was really just moving the two very light keyboards between rehearsal, gigs, and my home office. The key for me was having multiple sets of cables etc. and a couple of stands. These were stable situations, but even if not and I somehow got locked out of the rehearsal space the loss would be minimal.

[jazzpiano88]

I think an unclaimed MKS20 and Akai MX73 exist somewhere in downtown Des Moines since 1995.

It was one of those deals where I had to leave town for a real job and didn't have time to gather them or make arrangements.

 

I think there is also an unclaimed personal bowling ball from the university lanes and a drafting table stored in the attic of a long torn down boarding house.

 

Never had anything stolen except for the disturbing reoccurring dreams where my truck is left unlocked and only the cables are left.

[EscapeRocks]

Yeah we do.

 

It's the huge music room of my drummer's house.

 

We all leave our practice rigs there, so we just show up, turn on the gear, and jam.

[Tom Williams]

Normally I take it home; this evening I left it at the rehearsal hall because I don't expect to have time to play at home before we reconvene. (Good news: we're getting ready for an actual gig!)

[CowboyNQ]

Yes.

 

One of my bands has a private rehearsal space which it hires out to another of my bands.

 

Not having to set up and tear down gear is bliss.

 

The room is well secured with deadlocks and motion sensors and all my gear is insured.

[The Real MC]

Every theft I have heard about, the stuff that was stolen were things that one person could easily carry. I never leave anything light and valuable for one person to steal IE mics, guitars, amp heads, lightweight keyboards. I'll leave expendable gear like inexpensive compact mixer and cheap keyboard monitor that I'm not going to cry over if stolen. No one is going to steal big heavy gear like a Hammond console.

 

It really is convenient to leave a rehearsal rig separate from the gigging rig. Minimizes set up and tear down at rehearsal. Time is money.

 

I play Hammond with a band, so I keep a rehearsal Leslie there with another Leslie for gigging. I gig the clonewheel, and keep a console tonewheel in the rehearsal room. Try and steal a Hammond/Leslie.

 

The other band uses my Kurzweil MIDIBoard. Big and heavy, not worried about leaving it there. I leave my gigging racks there, they are also big/heavy and the rack items are bolted with security screws.

 

The boards common to those two bands are my Andromeda and clonewheel. I never leave them at rehearsal room. Too valuable.

 

Best deterrent to theft is out of sight out of mind. If windows, make sure thieves can't peek inside. If your band uses a trailer to carry equipment, then don't park it at the rehearsal space. And don't plaster the trailer with gear bumper stickers (they scream STEAL ME). Minimize guests, rehearsal space should not be a party room.