Historically, how have you transported your gear?

[Baxlin]

Touched on this in another thread, how in the past (or even now?) have you transported your gear, the more unlikely the better!

For me, as posted elsewhere, my drum kit with a Frogeye Sprite.  Bass drum strapped on the back.

Also, when too young to drive, as much of the kit as I could carry on the bus..... this to rehearsal, my Dad took me to gigs (or booking as they were known in the 60s)

Edited May 28, 2018 by Baxlin

[Japhet]

19 minutes ago, Baxlin said:

Touched on this in another thread, how in the past (or even now?) have you transported your gear, the more unlikely the better!

For me, as posted elsewhere, my drum kit with a Frogeye Sprite.  Bass drum strapped on the back.

Also, when too young to drive, as much of the kit as I could carry on the bus..... this to rehearsal, my Dad took me to gigs (or booking as they were known in the 60s)

I'd find that a prohibitively slow method of moving my gear around.

[lurksalot]

When you start a post with a comment about carrying drums in a frog eye sprite , it's probably only dads bond bug that can beat it 

i have always had access to vans , boring , but historically accurate , and very convenient to boot 

[kodiakblair]

Used to lug the washing machine, commonly known as a Carlsbro Stingray, on the bus. Bass was strapped to my back. 

[chris_b]

I used to know someone who took his double bass to gigs in the back of an S1 Bentley.

[Dom in Dorset]

[Geddys nose]

In the rear control caverty of my bass.

[Angelus]

1 minute ago, Geddys nose said:

In the rear control caverty of my bass.

[BrunoBass]

Always by car. In my youth I had a succession of hatchbacks which made transporting ‘90s weight combos and the associated gear a challenge, although I gigged less frequently then. For the last twenty or so years I’ve had company cars which invariably have been hatchbacks too. Changed jobs last year, company car is an estate! For the first time ever I can lug my stuff around with relative ease.

[FinnDave]

By car, learned to drive as soon as the law allowed so I could get my music gear around.

[Lozz196]

By car or van (or taxi if staying at hotels in other countries). Never been one for this public transport lark, not through any snobbery, just laziness - carrying a load of gear on/off buses/trains/tube with a knackered back doesn`t suit me.

[NancyJohnson]

We used to gig with a band who seemed to rely wholly on public transport (granted a lit of those gigs were on shared backline and drum shell packs).

They'd just got it down to carrying the absolute bare minimum, all strapped onto various trolleys.

[Paddy515]

Bass on an FS1E to practice in 1977

[Andytre]

Friend of mine used to carry his double bass to school under his arm on his BMX bike, when he reached his destination he'd jump of back of the bike landing safely with the double bass in his hands, letting the bike just roll off wherever usually crashing into stuff! 

Edited May 28, 2018 by Andytre

[arthurhenry]

Whilst at University, I transported my 4x10 combo in a shopping trolley, usually for a distance of between one and two miles. Probably didn't do it much good. I've also had a bass in a hard case down the middle of a mini, which restricted the use of the gear stick somewhat. Other than that; cars, vans, flat bed truck, boat, train, bus and trailer.

Edited May 28, 2018 by arthurhenry

[musicbassman]

45 minutes ago, arthurhenry said:

Whilst at University, I transported my 4x10 combo in a shopping trolley, usually for a distance of between one and two miles.

Oh please, please tell us more....................................!!

[Bolo]

Bass in a hardboard case resting on the steering wheel and under one arm and a H&K basskick (I think, the blue batskin one?) balanced on the luggage rack of a knackered old bicycle. To and from practice every week.

[arthurhenry]

23 minutes ago, musicbassman said:

Oh please, please tell us more....................................!!

Well, I discovered it wouldn't fit in a friend's VW Beetle and being student accommodation, my house had the requisite shopping trolley and traffic cones, so I made use of the former whenever I needed to transport it to gigs and rehearsals on campus. It rattled a bit.

[josie]

Good topic. I use public transport. We have an irregular residency in a fun pub in south Manchester, 40 minutes walk from Mcr Piccadilly. The bass is on my back and a tiny cr@ppy amp and everything else I need in an old-lady's shopping trolley. Works fine as long as the weather holds. With a bass on your back you can't use an umbrella, because the top of the gig bag is too far over your head. I've gotten very wet a couple of times :-(

I'm about to invest in a proper trolley, which will sort out the local gigs, although getting my 400w Markbass to Southport Marina Festival in July looks interesting...

[lozkerr]

2 hours ago, josie said:

Works fine as long as the weather holds. With a bass on your back you can't use an umbrella, because the top of the gig bag is too far over your head. I've gotten very wet a couple of times :-(

Isn't getting soaked par for the course in Manchester? I used to work there so I know what it can be like.

I tried one of those plastic poncho things the other night. Looked like Quasimodo wearing a wigwam, but the bass and I both stayed dry. I did have to stretch the back before putting it on though, so that the head of the gig bag was covered. 

[Akio Dāku]

I've done a lot of car Tetris in my time... Got a full backline, drum kit and band in a old Nissan Micra before now... Back seats down, drummer and guitarist buried under everything, 2nd and 4th gears unusable because everything was so tightly wedge and the boot held vagly down with one bungee cord. I remember praying we didn't get pulled over a good few times in that band. 😂

[Twigman]

I would normally get someone else to move it.

 

I find keeping one's distance of any incriminating evidence is the best approach.