8 Tips To Help You Minimise Music Gear Theft

8 Tips To Avoid Music Gear Theft
Oct 20, 2015 by David Brewster


For a musician, climbing a stage and performing for a crowd is the ultimate reward for hours of practice. It’s an experience that will sharpen your abilities and confidence as a musician. But while there’s much to learn on the way to the top, one experience you’ll want to avoid is getting ripped off.

Your actions, equipment and environment, as well as the crowd and musicians you’re working with, are just a few of the things you’ll need to monitor onstage and off to prevent getting ripped off. Let’s face it, any gig you play is likely to be loud and dark, there’s talent to check out and you may be drinking. In short, you’ve got to watch out for yourself, because a preoccupied musician is no match for a focused and motivated thief.

First, you are at your most vulnerable during load-in and load-out. In addition to the challenge of securing gear in two separate places, you need keep your eyes open so you don’t get jumped or duped into turning your back on your gear, even for a moment.

To help you avoid the heartbreak of losing your gear and having to come up with the scratch to replace it, Reverb offers some simple guidelines to follow:

Never run late for load-in/soundcheck
Never rush yourself and don't let anyone else rush you
Never take shortcuts when tearing down
Never leave your vehicle unlocked
Never leave your equipment unattended during load-in or load-out
Never leave a mess; stack cases, gear and amps neatly and out of the way
Never depend on someone else to watch your gear
Never get distracted before your gear is secured
Always keeping your keys in the same pocket is a ridiculously simple and effective thing you can do to speed and simplify the process of opening and securing your gear.

These guidelines may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many musicians routinely ignore or forget to follow these important suggestions. Realize that the most important factor in preventing instrument or gear theft is you.

Many years ago we had kit knocked off by the other band on the night, my Fender VI including case was lifted by the guitarist who left a crappy Japanese axe in it's place, his parents were horrified that I might turn up at 2am wanting it back.

On the other occasion we were sharing the stage at Chequers with a very well known heavy rock band who tried to lift half our drummers hanging toms and cymbals.

Sadly it's not always the rag tag that are the bad guys.

On a totally different note, one night we were backing a floorshow at the local RSL and a female singer got makeup on my white shirt that was in the change room backstage ( was in more sh1t than speed gordon trying to explain that one :D )

Tip No.9
It shows that you should employ those upstanding citizens who wear black t-shirts, have long grey pony-tails and enormous bunches of keys to move your kit about the place.

Oh wait, "Hey Mal, where did those Concert W's and the new amp rack come from?"

:cool:

nice article KB, it is easy to get your gear knocked off.
@ DK did you get your Fender VI back ? Can you name the well known rock band that tried to knock off half the drum kit ?

A mate of mine used to leave his dog in the back of his panel van and no one came close to his axe and amp when he gigged or rehearsed

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

nice article KB, it is easy to get your gear knocked off.
@ DK did you get your Fender VI back ? Can you name the well known rock band that tried to knock off half the drum kit ?

A mate of mine used to leave his dog in the back of his panel van and no one came close to his axe and amp when he gigged or rehearsed

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G'day Wok, yeah I got the VI back he claimed he'd picked the case up by mistake but it was in amongst the rest of our gear that included a couple of double stacks and a rather large drum kit ( think Nigel Ollsen size kit ) his case was much smaller / lighter and a different colour so the excuse didn't wash, we swapped the guitars back to rightful owners and I suggested that any further occurance wouldn't be good for his health.

As for the rock band, no I'm not naming them they were a Sabbath style 4 piece and their second album is still highly sought after world wide and at least one of them went on to success way beyond the local scene. Rabz may have crossed paths with them in the way back daze.

Just edited to change only album to second album ( they did four )

ok the main thing Dave is you got your VI back. Do you still own it or has it been sold ?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

ok the main thing Dave is you got your VI back. Do you still own it or has it been sold ?

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Sadly I traded it for a Tele Custom back in about 1974 ( I'll forgive myself one day I guess )

bummer, so you still got the custom tele ?

I'm keen to build a baritone axe next scratch build

No the custom is long gone, I swapped it for a 59 tele also long gone it was just an old guitar in 1976

no worries cheers DK, sure you have had a heap of different axes in your collection.
When I look back I wish I kept my very first axe I learnt on would have great sentimental value

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wokkaboy

no worries cheers DK, sure you have had a heap of different axes in your collection.

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Swapped it for the white Shergold in the front row here, no chance of my first surviving it was a nylon string acoustic that my young brother broke over my head because being incredibly juvenile back then I may or may not have f4rted on him

nice collection DK. Wow thats a funny story about your younger bro smashing your first acoustic over your head for f@rting on him. On the bright side if it was a mahogany LP you would have suffered brain injuries !

For me, all I will be using on the road is a couple of basses and a small pedalboard, no amp required whatsoever (thanks to the amazing wonder of a DI!), so keeping it within my sight at all times is pretty simple.

How did you get on with your DI was info I sent ok.What DIi you currently using Kels

Hey KB, for my last gig I went through the house DI for simplicity, but I am about to drop a few hundred bucks on a very small (but essential!) pedalboard with this puppy on the end http://www.basscentre.com.au/collect...di-floor-pedal
Yeah the info did help for my current DI (which is just a simple active DI, nothing too special here), cheers KB!

Hey Kels do you do a lot of slap bass,cause the Eden for slap players is stunning.
Others that if you talk to Guy at the Bass centre to give a try too depending on style of bass you play. The Tech21 Sansamp VT Bass and VT Bass Deluxe both stunning. My current Bass Di and pre amp is SansAmp Bass Driver Programmable. Always thinking of our fat-stringed brethren, we had to make a 3-channel, programmable, rig-in-a-box for bassists who can’t get enough of a great thing. Like the TRI-A.C. for guitar, you get three hot tones right at your toetips. The all-analog circuitry features the same controls as its single channel predecessor: Drive, Bass, Treble, Presence, Blend and Level. Digital only in its programmability, you just tweak the knobs until you find a tone, double-tap on a footswitch, and it’s saved in that channel. It’s that simple. Three of your faves -- to go! Good luck have fun

* Sorry ref formatting text couldn't get it to sit properly on my phone *

Yeah KB I'd love a Sansamp but the budget does not allow, so the Eden will have to do for now...

Hey Kels , get something that you love the sound of. If it gives the tones you love ,that's all that matters

Well to be honest, the Eden does get me pretty close to what I want which for me is kinda inbetween Mark Hoppus and Mike Dirnt's tones, I like to cut the bass a small bit, boost 2-2.2khz a little and boost the treble to about 2o'clock and with the compressor it really tightens it all up, so for now it will really get me close to what I want!

Kels go for it put something me demos up with the he new rig
Good luck