Stuff You Keep In Your Gig Bag - Bit Of Fun

jollyboy

jollyboy

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I'm currently waiting in for a new washing machine to be delivered and I'm a bit bored. I should actually be doing some home DIY (yay Easter :rolleyes:) but I've decided I've earned a tea break. So...

I was thinking about stuff I keep in my gig bag accessory pocket. There's lots of the stuff you'd expect like spare strings, a couple of string winders, lemon oil etc., but there's also one or two more exotic items. These include:

A pair of toenail scissors - I really like these for trimming strings (fyi i keep a pair exclusively for this purpose - they don't double up as actual toenail scissors :p)

An orthopaedic gel ball - basically an upmarket stress ball that I bought cos I was having trouble with barre chords and wanted to improve my finger strength. It has helped loads.

A 1.5" 'sawn off' paint brush - I use this for sweeping my fretboard clean. Super handy for quickly getting rid of dust and bits of crud.

Anyone else got anything weird and wonderful in their case/bag?
 
adding to your list above:

1. Tuner
2. extra batts for tuner
3. small reversible phillips/slotted screwdriver
4. set of small hemostats/forceps
5. small roll of electrical tape (always NEED this)
6. credit-card sized fresnel magnifying lens
7. small pack of mints (handy for starting conversations with strangers by offering them a mint)
 
Tuner and some calling cards.
 
I haven't really taken an instrument out of the house for a while. But when I do, I typically have the following:

1. Extra strings
2. A dust cloth
3. A winder
4. A set of bottlenose pliers with built in wire cutters
5. A small tuner
6. A chord dictionary

And then, depending on if it's one of my instruments with a pickup, a wire for a sound system. Nowadays, the tuner has been replaced by my cell phone. But I do keep a small set of tuning pipes on hand for emergency.
 
i guess I'm trusting my strings not to break! Oh well....

I carry STRUM stickers and STRUM buttons to give out to newcomers to
our weekly song circle at the Kona Kitchen Restaurant in Seattle.

Oh, and a stuffed bright red fish to hang on the front of my music stand :)

And I'll start carrying extra strings as well :)

keep uke'in',

PS great selection of 'things' :)
 
Because I play a lot of different instruments (guitar, mandolin, bass, ukulele, banjo), I keep a separate bag that goes with me regardless of what I'm playing. It includes:

1. Various picks
2. Polishing cloths
3. A variety of chord books
4. A variety of straps
5. Capos
6. Tuners
7. Cables, for when I'm playing electric
8. My bass direct box, for when I'm plugging into the PA
9. A half-finished bottle of water, from the last time I played
 
No pockets in my hard cases, so I keep a separate pouch of stuff I might need that includes: spare strings (in 7 years of playing I've broken a string only ONCE!), spare batteries for tuners, metronome, pencil/eraser/sharpener, nail clippers, nail file, thumbpicks, metal clips that I use to keep paper pages clipped to my music stand if there's a breeze, cable to connect metronome or iPhone to an amp. In my binder with my music, I keep the Sakuma chord book and some blank tab paper.
 
My uke doeant have a gig bag. Might have to rectify that! But my guitar does and in its pocket there is a spare set of D'Adarrios, a glass slide, a luminous string winder, a stereo jack lead, a feedback buster and a single electric guitar string. Funny thing is I have no electric guitar or amp!
 
Uh oh, you just opened a can with me. I have some very specialized items in my custom made gig bag for my bass ukes. I use an old lady shopping cart to tote around my amp and gig bag, and realized I could also use it as a music stand, bass hanger, amp stand, so I made holders from Orca violin hangers and microphone arms. The plastic tube and small wrench are to tighten the output jack that so often comes lose. I also record songs during rehearsal and post them on my site so everyone can practice at home.

Gig bag contents all.jpg
 
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Holy jumping "McGiver" you people are prepared for musical Armageddon. I leave the house with a uke and a tuner.......if I haven't put the tuner in another case. I thought the uke was a simple minimalistic type of instrument.

You know....grab it, go to the beach, sit down, get jiggy, apparently I am wrong

Edit......I don't own a gig bag, just hardcases for every uke. I need to buy a gig bag with big old pockets then I can load it up
 
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Only used my uke outside my house once, for a hiking/camping weekend.
But even just for keeping in my home, I keep things in the pocket.
I keep my tuner there, so I remember where I put it. I keep my uke in the gig bag on top of a cupboard.
I also keep some spare strings, in case I should bring it somewhere, forget them, and suddenly break a string. I never needed them, and so I didn't consider putting a clipper in there. Good idea :)
 
Here's everything in my gig bag (picture links included of all the music-related things):
1. Tuner
2. A tuning fork
3. Aquila Nygluts and Worth Clears
4. Egg shaker
5. Capo
6. Writable pen and notepad
7. Non-writable pen-spinning pen (Waterfall mod)
8. Altoids
9. Condoms
10. Tide stain remover stick
11. DayQuil
 
Kohanmike wins. And words cannot express how happy I am that CasanovaGuy carries condoms. :) The pocket of my gig bag usually contains:

Android tablet
Egg shaker
Kazoo (I can't be the only one, admit it)
Pencil wrapped with about 3 feet of duct tape (be prepared)
A handful of Ricola lozenges
Kleenex
My cell phone
Keys
Swiss Army Knife on the keychain (with screwdriver for tuners)
$20 cash for wine and chocolate
One small rubber chicken (don't ask)

I've never busted a string yet, although I keep spare steel strings with my dulcimers.

I often wedge a can of Diet Vernors under the velcro flap that was designed to keep the backpack straps in place. My tuner is clipped to the uke headstock, and under the uke body is one or two stapled printouts of my Leon Redbone song collection, which I give to other uke players and replenish as needed. In certain kinds of weather, there's a hoodie tucked under the uke neck. Thus provisioned, I'm good all day and on past midnight. Beyond 24 hours, I need to add a toothbrush.

Sometimes I think I need a sticker for my purse that says "My other purse is an ukulele case."
 
SOMEbody is assuming 'ukulele = girls. Haha. Poor guy.

All you really need is to make sure your strings and pickup are in shape: tuner, spare strings, and a spare battery. Everything else is luxury. ...And a nail file in case you rip one off while unloading the PA.
 
" Non-writable pen-spinning pen (Waterfall mod)"
I give up...what is this? :)
 
I have a capo that I rarely use and a cloth to wipe down the instrument. I think there may be some vendor stickers in there as well.

I do have a gardening bag that is my "jam" bag - I take music copies that i will hand out, various hand percussion, my song book, amp cable, amp cord, extension amp cord, stuff to clean my instrument (rags, a little soft brush), tuner, batteries, and usually at least one Pepsi.
 
These are great! And I'm with you Snargle, inquiring minds need to know!

I only have a polishing cloth and a nail file. Sometimes my water syringe for my oasis is in there, but usually it's on my desk. (tuner is clipped on headstock, so it's not in the pouch)
 
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