Changing guitars on stage

[Woodinblack]

I have changed a couple of times between 4 and 5 string, but only during set changes anyway. I used to have a problem doing jam covers on a 5 string, as I kept dropping a string down. I seem to have got more used to it

[Chrismanbass]

I use two basses for the Bon Jovi tribute band I dep for occasionally

one for most of the stuff because it cuts through the mix nicely and sounds lovely

and then another with a deeper sound which is my "shake the floor" bass which has a more piano like B string

which i use for stuff like It's my life, Wanted DOA and Blaze of glory

both 5 strings i quite often get asked what the point of having two 5 strings on stage but they also act as backups to each other

[police squad]

if you change guitars enough, you should become quite slick. In my pub band where I play a telecaster and a Variax, I swap between them. It's done quickly and effortlessly. I use the variax purely for the acoustic sounds but because it's a variax I can use it as a backup to the telecaster. The modelled sounds are good enough to get through should I need too. It's also got normal pickups (it's a JTV-59) and they make a good noise too.

[Roger2611]

I went to see Amy MacDonald the other year, she changed guitar after every single song, either she didn't arrange the set very well if they were different tunings or she wasn't confident her guitars would stay in tune....either way...sort it out lady!

Bass played used a rather nice Jaguar throughout the set

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1434979945' post='2804348']
Yep, I get if for guitars, but most bass changes are not for major tonal differences or alternative tunings. I've seen may bands bass players swap P bass for P bass, where the tunings for the songs are the same.
[/quote]

Round-wound for flats..? Quarter-Pounders for stock USA p/ups..? '52 for '67..? Maple for rosewood..? Get going on the permutations of these, and more, and one could quite easily justify, tonally, over a dozen Ps on stage, surely..? Then there's the Ricks and the Hofners...

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='wdejong' timestamp='1434990897' post='2804487']
I intend to swap guitars when we play that one song in drop D. No idea if/how it's going to work, as it will be the first gig I'm doing it. Is there anyone who down-tunes their guitars live on stage, mid-performance?
[/quote]

I have but I have a hipshot extender so I could actually do it mid song

[Cato]

Many years ago my ex-girlfriend's dad took us to see the Eagles at the NIA in Birmingham (I think it was the European leg of the 'Hell Freezes Over' tour, but it might have been the one after that).

It was one of the worse 'name' gigs I've ever seen. A lot of it was down to the venue, the NIA isn't a great music venue anyway IMO & we were on the top on the back slope about as far from the stage as its possible be. The audience were also pretty unenthusiastic,treating even the most famous songs with mild applause rather than rapturous cheering.

But what didn't help was that every single song, every single member of the band bar the drummer switched over to a different guitar which seemed to take a good couple of minutes each time & really didn't help the band build up any sense of flow or building impetus or momentum during the gig.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Cato

[jazzyvee]

Most of the gigs I've done I only carried one guitar especially when I was abroad touring and that was really due to financial constraints on weight to avoid excess baggage charges. Occasionally I have had broken strings but I got good at changing strings before the song finished most times and then started changing strings every gig until I got Elixir coated strings which kept their tone much longer and i find them more durable lasting about 3 to 4 gigs so I started using them instead of D'addario's which I prefer tonally. The Wilkinson Tremsetter in my strat is a godsend for when strings break. I Just need to tune up the one string and the rest stay put.

There have been odd occasions when carried two when I needed an acoustic guitar for a couple of songs but that ended when I got a Parker Fly to deal with the acoustic stuff. These days If I was carrying more than one electric guitar it would be as a backup not specifically for it's tone on an individual track.
I went to see Larry Carlton in concert last week and he used one guitar for the whole set and got a great variety of tones from his 335.

[scalpy]

Many moons ago I saw the Black Crowes at Wolverhampton Civic, they swapped guitars all the time and it was a guitar geeks wet dream. I particularly remember a non reverse firebird and Marc Ford playing a P90 loaded les Paul, through 3 full matchless stacks at full tilt. Righteous!

[JapanAxe]

I gave up changing skinny-string guitars mid-set with my own band, and now only change guitars between sets if I feel like it. Typically Tele-Strat-Tele ot Tele-Strat-Strat. Even if I don't change, the other one is always there as a spare in case of string breakage or switch failure - the latter has happened twice!

[alyctes]

[quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1434976844' post='2804296']
Most bands that I've seen that change instruments do it due to alternative tunings.
[/quote]

Done this once or twice; one in EADG, one in DGCF, because I needed the open low D.

[EliasMooseblaster]

[quote name='wdejong' timestamp='1434990897' post='2804487']
I intend to swap guitars when we play that one song in drop D. No idea if/how it's going to work, as it will be the first gig I'm doing it. Is there anyone who down-tunes their guitars live on stage, mid-performance?
[/quote]

The best of both worlds is probably the [b]Korg Pitchblack Plus [/b](or possibly "Pitchback+" if Korg's marketing dept are reading this) - it serves as both a pedal tuner (which makes re-tuning between songs easier) and an A/B switch (if you think it would be easier just to have a second guitar to hand in a different tuning).

Edited June 23, 2015 by EliasMooseblaster

[AntLockyer]

I'd swap if I was allowed. there is a song that feels much easier on my modern p with rounds compared to the old clunker and I feel the bouncy pop/80s ness of it suits that guitar.

Then we do a Motown thing that I love playing with a foam mute.

There is a couple of more aggressive numbers that I like a pick with rounds.

Ultimately though I'm told to use the old P bass, the tone is preferred by all for all songs.

[cybertect]

When we are playing covers, I'll switch to a 5 string bass for the numbers our singer has dictated need to be on a different key to fit his range, but where there's no viable alternative for the bass line but to play it with a bottom B available. Otherwise I prefer to use a four string for everything else.

Usually we plan the set to group the 5 string songs all together.

[Dave_the_bass]

[quote name='wdejong' timestamp='1434990897' post='2804487']
I intend to swap guitars when we play that one song in drop D. No idea if/how it's going to work, as it will be the first gig I'm doing it. Is there anyone who down-tunes their guitars live on stage, mid-performance?
[/quote]

I used to swap for the drop D stuff, then I got myself a hipshot extender.

I now down (and up) tune mid song on one of ours let alone mid performance.

[12stringbassist]

I will change to my spare if my hands are getting sticky mid-set. Otherwise I just change to it second set.
Sometimes I take the 12 string bass out and there are only certain songs I use it for.

[leftybassman392]

Speaking of onstage tuning...

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB8UTheTR7s"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB8UTheTR7s[/url]


I think the banjo player is 11.

[lojo]

In my new 80s tribute there are so many keyboard intros for the power ballards, us guitar players could almost build a guitar between songs

[TimR]

[quote name='wdejong' timestamp='1434990897' post='2804487']
I intend to swap guitars when we play that one song in drop D. No idea if/how it's going to work, as it will be the first gig I'm doing it. Is there anyone who down-tunes their guitars live on stage, mid-performance?
[/quote]

Yes. I do.

The important thing is; it's not part of the act. The vast majority of the audience are not there to watch the bass player down tune or the lead guitarist swap guitars.

As said above, do it quickly and effortlessly with the minimum of fuss. The only people who should notice it happen are you and that gear-geek in the audience who is only there to gear spot

[LiamPodmore]

As long as you can do it quickly without causing any fuss, there's no issues. I used to do it quite regularly because of tuning/string changes and it can easily be done in a few seconds without disrupting the flow. It's not always necessary, but if it doesn't cause any issues, then i don't see why not.

Liam

[mcnach]

[quote name='wdejong' timestamp='1434990897' post='2804487']
I intend to swap guitars when we play that one song in drop D. No idea if/how it's going to work, as it will be the first gig I'm doing it. Is there anyone who down-tunes their guitars live on stage, mid-performance?
[/quote]

drop D? as in detuning the E string only to D? I would just retune, especially if it's one song. It takes seconds. I have Hipshot extenders in a couple of basses to get the drop-D at the flick of a switch too, as I used to play in a couple of bands that required constant changing

[mike257]

Drop D has always just been a quick "stomp on the tuner" change for me. I've been taking an extra bass out for sets where I need to be half a step down for certain songs, two guitar stands behind me on stage and the switch takes seconds so it doesn't hold up the flow of the set at all. It is giving me five string GAS for the first time though, would ssve making the switch at all! When I'm playing skinny strings I'll usually have a Tele and an LP, very different tonally and I'll occasionally make use of that but generally I can get through a whole gig with one or the other.