If you’re a musician who travels regularly for gigs, you’ll want to do everything that’s needed to keep your equipment safe. The instruments that you and any band members use are delicate and should be handled with the utmost care while transporting them so that you’ll be able to get more use out of them for a longer time. Here are some helpful tips for transporting musical equipment for cross-country gigs.
By taking some extra precautions when packing your gear for transport, you may save your instruments from sustaining major or minor damages that could negatively affect your upcoming gig. When packing wooden instruments, it’s best to put a humidifier in each case to prevent the wood from cracking. Strings on stringed instruments should be detuned prior to leaving so that they don’t snap while on the road. Empty spaces inside music cases can be filled with socks or other pieces of clothing or padding so that instruments won’t shift and get damaged.
If you plan to drive to gigs instead of fly, you should have a vehicle that’s able to fit all your instruments easily. Trying to cram all your gear into a vehicle that doesn’t have adequate space could result in damage to your instruments. Buying an RV or a trailer that can be hauled from Kitsap RV or another dealer in your area may prove to be a smart investment for transporting your gear.
If you’re driving to various gigs and need to make stops at lodging facilities along the way to spend the night, it’s advisable to unload all your musical equipment from your vehicle each night if possible. You’ll run a greater risk of having your gear stolen if it’s left inside the vehicle overnight. If you have to leave gear inside your vehicle, you’ll want to make sure that it’s kept out of sight so that no one will be tempted to try to break into the vehicle to steal it.
Certain gigs may not require you to bring your own instruments, which can help keep them from getting damaged. A particular venue that you’re scheduled to play at may have house gear that you can use, and this can be especially beneficial if you need large instruments and other equipment for your shows and want to avoid the hassle of transporting these items yourself. It may also be possible to rent equipment from a dealer in the area in which you’ll be playing.
You’ll be able to stress less about your instruments getting damaged if you do everything that’s needed to prepare properly when traveling to each cross-country gig. Keeping your instruments safe will be good for your budget as well as your fans.