In a hurry? Here’s a summary

For a quick rundown, this is our list of equipment. You might be able to work with a more streamlined setup, for example, guitarists and bassists might go for a combo amp, with an included cabinet, and not require pedals, or just go for an amp head with a DI output.

Singers may be expected to bring a PA system and mixer if the band runs its own sound – but there will also be times when this isn’t necessary, it all depends on the venue and setup. Similarly, keyboardists may not need separate sound modules, sequencers, or effects pedals – they might just need their keyboard and cables!

Protect your gear

So, you have your gear, now you need to protect it. Music equipment is expensive, often quite large, and sometimes fragile or at least easily damaged in some way. It’s worth investing in some rugged, high-quality bags and cases that will shield your instruments and gear from knocks and bumps on the road.

We recommend anything by Gator or BAM – these brands are renowned for their durable road-worthy cases that offer the utmost protection for anything from live gear to orchestral instruments.

Band equipment checklist: Singer

Microphone

Does a vocalist really need their own microphone when gigging? Well, it depends on your preferences and the venue. Venues will typically have vocal mics available for their performers, but the condition and level of care given to these mics can vary a lot.

Whether the mics get regularly cleaned and maintained will depend on the kind of venue and the care the owners and engineers have for their equipment, and is that a risk you want to take?

It’s also just practical. If something goes wrong with your mic, the venue has a backup, but you can clean, maintain, personalise, and pick out your own signature live sound.

It can also be beneficial to carry around multiple mics for backing vocals from your bandmates. We would usually recommend vocalists try and bring at least their own mic for these reasons, even though it’s not totally necessary.

A dynamic handheld microphone like the Shure SM58 is usually the best choice for live vocals, or if you want something a little different, we recommend the sE Electronics V7. However, as an alternative, handheld condensers like the Sennheiser e865 and Neumann KMS 104 offer detail that’ll shine on softer, more intricate vocal styles for genres like jazz, indie, and pop.

PA system

Now, this isn’t always a necessity for performing bands as the vast majority of venues will have their own PA system already. That said, certain areas, types of venues, or kinds of events may require you to bring your own PA system. And given that vocalists often have the least to carry and set up, the responsibility of bringing this to gigs might fall to you.

DIY venues often won’t have a PA system available, so you’ll need to bring your own. It’s worth checking with the event organiser first if you’re not sure. Most external spaces will probably have something, but if you’re playing a local café, village hall, open-air space, or a friend’s garden or house party, a PA system would be extremely beneficial.

If you’re looking to do events like this, or organise your own with other local bands, it’s definitely worth dropping the money on a pair of full-sized speakers. For starters, we’d recommend an affordable pair like the G4M 12-inch Active DSP Speaker or the Mackie Thump 215.

Mixer

If you put on your own events or are interested in home recording, you may need to consider running your own sound. In this case, you’ll need a mixer.

Something with about 16 channels should suffice for most bands, with enough preamps for drum mics (four to eight), vocal mics (two to four), sufficient line inputs for guitars and bass, and at least one stereo channel for keys.

For this kind of portable setup, a durable analog mixer is a quick way to get started with learning live sound principles.

Check out our guide to live sound mixing to get started.

For bands who need a durable mixer to bring with them on the road, we’d recommend the Yamaha MG16XU, or for those who might want to do more home recording or record their live shows, the Tascam Model 24 has an in-built recorder.

XLR cables

You can’t run a microphone without a microphone cable! If you’re bringing your own mic, it’s probably worth bringing a cable too. That said, most venues have a plethora of cables, so it’s not the end of the world if you don’t. Something durable and with Neutrik connectors is probably ideal, but pick what fits your budget, you can get something that works well for almost any price.

In-ear monitors

Again, vocalists tend to have the least to carry, and so they’re usually tasked with bringing general equipment for the whole band. This includes the in-ear monitoring system, which enables you to listen back to your performance as you gig.

We highly recommend most bands consider in-ear monitoring if they have regular paid gigs at sizeable venues.

The NUX B-7SPM Custom Bundle is an affordable and portable entry-level system if you’re struggling to hear yourself in smaller, more local venues or just need something to adapt to a variety of show sizes. For a more professional and comprehensive option, Sennheiser’s XSW IEM SET is ideal.

We’ve rounded up more options for our list of the best in-ear monitors, and if you’re looking to keep costs low, check out our favourite budget IEMs.

Bags and cases

So, we’ve got the kit. Now, how do you keep it safe?

For microphones, the Gator GM-4 Microphone Bag would be a great setup – it has space for three other mics as well as mic clips and cables. If you’re into self-recording, this bag can al so be beneficial for storing and protecting your mics at home or while travelling.

For your PA system, if needed, we’d recommend Gator’s GPA-712LG or GPA-715 for portability with wheels, depending on the size of your chosen speakers.

For the kind of setup and mixer size we’ve been discussing, we’d recommend the Gator GTSA-Mix series. There are a lot of sizes within this range, and mixer sizes vary a lot, so make sure the internal dimensions of the model you pick fits the dimensions of your chosen mixer!

Your microphone cables can easily fit into accessory pockets of your mixer cases and PA system bags, so you won’t need dedicated protection for them.

Depending on the size of your chosen in-ear monitoring system, the G-IN EAR SYSTEM bag or GM-1W will be ideal. The former is designed to fit half-rack receivers, which most wireless in-ear systems tend to be, but the GM-1W fits full, rack-sized receivers when necessary.

Band equipment checklist: Guitarist

Guitars

Of course, the first thing on your list should be a guitar. You likely already have one, but let’s look at two of the most versatile and popular guitar styles around the same price.

The Fender Player II Stratocaster HSS is one of the most versatile solid-body guitars around, taking the instantly familiar Stratocaster design that almost every guitar player likely started on and souping it up.

Strats have been taken in by legendary players of all kinds, from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to David Gilmour and Jeff Beck, and this version’s bridge humbucker gives it extra punch for high-gain players while staying well-defined for clean playing too.

So, that’s all well and good, but what if the Fender style isn’t really for you? The longer scale length, broader fingerboard radius, and single-coil twang of classic Fender specs don’t always gel with some players, so Gibson are the clear alternative.

For a mid-priced gigging guitar, we’re looking at Gibson’s sibling brand Epiphone, and their Les Paul Custom for a classy black and gold “tuxedo” look that can do just about anything with a slightly darker, warmer sound than the chime of a traditional Fender guitar.

Guitar amp

Guitar amps have changed a lot over the years. They’ve become more complex, more powerful, and technology like amp simulators and modellers have condensed complicated setups into rack units or even just singular pedals.

The two main types of guitar amp are tube and solid state.

Tube amps use a vintage form of amplification that uses vacuum tubes to add volume to your signal. Vacuum tubes distort more easily as they’re not very efficient, resulting in a lot of variance in the signal, but this can add a pleasing harmonic sound that a lot of players seem to like.

Solid state amps use transistors to boost signal, resulting in a cleaner, more linear playback.

Wattage is a better indicator of an amp’s headroom than its volume – as in, how easily and quickly it breaks up. If you’re playing clean parts for music like funk, pop, or indie, or rely more on pedals for your sound, you’ll want something with a higher wattage, as it’ll take a lot more volume before it breaks up with audible distortion.

Generally speaking, anything from 20 watts to 45 watts will suffice for small to medium-sized venues. For medium to larger venues, anything from 30 watts to 100 watts is ideal. Tube amps tend to sound louder than solid-state amps, despite not actually being louder.

Something on the lesser end of these brackets will suffice if it’s tube-based, especially if you’re feeding it into a physical speaker cab that’s miked up, as the live engineer can always boost the mic gain. If you’re going for a solid-state design, it may be best to add a few extra watts to give you the punch you want.

Solid-state amps have more headroom, are more precise, and can be pushed harder before reaching any audible distortion. They’re also generally more reliable, but digital components failure in solid-state amps can mean that the whole amp needs to be replaced with a new one. Although, depending on your amp, this might still prove cheaper!

Tube amps break up sooner, but this can be desirable for more pushed, aggressive, or vintage styles. They’re not always reliable, however, especially if they’ve got some years of use on them, but they’re generally easier to maintain as their analog design means parts can be more easily replaced and fixed. 

Combo amps are compact and easy to transport as they combine the preamp, power amp, and speaker stages into one single block. Tube amps are considerably heavier than solid-state amps, often because they rely on chunky voltage transformers, so make sure you weigh this up – pun intended – before you pick your live rig!

Alternatively, you can take an amp head. Amp heads will need to be paired with a suitable speaker cabinet – be sure the wattage of your amp matches the speakers in your cabinet or you’ll get a very nasty, nasal distortion and risk damaging the cabinet.

Amp modellers and simulators can be run direct into the venue’s mixer or paired with a separate power amp. Most people will tend to run a solid-state power amp like the Seymour Duncan Powerstage with modellers, simulators, or multi-effects pedals.

However, you can also buy FRFR cabinets like the Laney LFR-112, linear speaker cabinets with built-in power amps. These are great if you prefer to mic up a cab or have that live feel of speakers blasting your tone out on stage while still using modellers. To work out whether or not these are right for your setup, have a read of our FRFR speaker cabinet guide.

If you want a tube amp, we’d recommend the 30-Watt Vox AC30S1 for a classic clean sound that’s great for indie, blues, pop, and funk, but can be pushed into some breakup that can really shine in blues, classic rock, and even pop-punk.

For people who want to play more aggressive styles, Marshall’s SC20H recreates their beloved JCM800 in a 20-watt package, designed to deliver British-style gain that can do everything from chiming cleans to heavy metal and plays extremely well with pedalboards.

For solid-state amps, Roland’s JC-40 takes inspiration from their classic Jazz Chorus amp, with two speakers for a broad stereo effect and a built-in chorus, vibrato, and reverb effects. A favourite for clean tones and as a pedal platform – shoegaze players absolutely love these! Orange’s Super Crush 100 is a versatile high-wattage amp head that can do everything from pure clean tones to hyper-aggressive metal tones.

Effects pedals

With advancements in modern digital technologies, you can get pretty much every form of effect – from overdrive, distortion, and fuzz to reverb, delay, pitch, and modulation effects in a single unit.

Multi-effects pedals offer most – if not all – of these in blocks that can be swapped in and out, chained in different orders, and switched through preset chains or singular pedal settings. Some even have built-in amp simulations too. This is convenient and a great space-saver, but are multi-effects pedals for you?

The alternative is building a pedalboard of individual effects. This gives you some dynamic effects switching, setting your own order and swapping pedals in and out at a moment’s notice, but once you’ve placed the pedals in order, you don’t have as many options as multi-effects tend to offer.

People may argue that they prefer the sound of individual physical pedals, or they want to achieve specific sounds from particular circuits like a real analog delay, or a specific overdrive or distortion. Multi-effects save space but may need to be tweaked more heavily, and you’ll need to learn to understand gain staging to prevent digitally clipping your effects chains.

Bags and cases

Guitars are pretty expensive, so you want to make sure to protect them properly! You can get fitted cases for a variety of guitar shapes, such as Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, or SG – like the Gator GW-JAG for offset guitars, the GW-LPS Deluxe for singlecuts, and Fender’s vintage-inspired Strat and Tele wood cases.

There are also more generically shaped universal guitar cases that fit most typical guitars, like the BAM Crew Adjustable Case, where you can adjust straps and padding to fit almost any guitar.

Be aware that certain rare guitar shapes might not fit the all-purpose cases, though, particularly Explorer and Flying V-style guitars, and other wild pointy metal guitars. As cool as they look – they’ll need dedicated cases like the Gator GWE-EXTREME, which is purpose-built for those shapes.

For amps, the case you pick will depend on whether you have a head and cabinet, a combo amp, or a modeller. You can find a dedicated bag for the Kemper Profiler, the Gator G-901 Amp Head Case, or cases for both 1 x 12 and 2 x 12 combo amps, as well as fitted covers made by the manufacturers of your chosen amp.

For pedals, you’ll likely want a pedalboard with a case, like the Palmer Pedalbay 50S or the Gator GPT-PRO, depending on the number of pedals you’re seeking to use. Both of these include both the boards themselves and a travel bag.

Accessories like jack leads, picks, spare strings, and folding stands can usually be stored in the same cases, there’s often ample space for accessories in compartments within the guitar case.

Band equipment checklist: Bassist

Basses

Basses have similar principles to guitars, but obviously with thicker strings, a longer scale length, and a wider neck as a result. Fender are still a standard-bearer for classic bass guitars, so we’d recommend the iconic Fender Player II Jazz Bass.

Alternatively, if you’re dabbling in heavier or more experimental genres that require a lot of movements up and down the neck, Ibanez make a lot of fast, responsive guitars and basses that are popular with prog players, jazz musicians, and metal players.

To get that extra punch, we recommend the humbucker-loaded Ibanez SR400EQM.

Bass amps

Bass amps are more commonly solid-state and combo designs. Solid-state amps allow for the much higher headroom that bass amps require in a much more affordable and lightweight format, as bass amps will very regularly need upwards of 200 Watts of power.

If you’re after a combo amp for a full stage setup, the Ampeg Rocket Bass 115 takes the classic warmth of vintage Ampeg bass amps into a manageable and portable combo that you can readily set up on stage.

If you’d prefer an amp head, the Darkglass Alpha Omega 500 is excellent for more modern styles and it’s a go-to choice for high-gain players in rock and metal with responsive EQ, fantastic dual drive, and DI output with a cabinet simulation, making it portable without the need for a cab, as well as a headphone output for home recording and practice.

Bags and cases

As with guitars, basses have both fitted and general-purpose cases available, usually with ample space for accessories if it’s of good enough quality. For an all-purpose bass case, the Gator GTSA-GTRBASS is well-suited to local travel as well as international flights.

For fitted cases, look at the model and dimensions of your chosen bass guitar, as there can be a lot of variance in sizes and shapes!

Band equipment checklist: Drummer

Shells

Depending on the venue you’re playing in, you may have to provide your own shells.

Typically for smaller gigs though, the headlining band on the bill will often share their kit with support acts if the venue doesn’t provide a kit, so ensure you check with the venue and the headliner to make sure you know what’s happening with shells.

As a drummer, you probably already have a trusted pack of shells, but if you need some inspiration for a new set, check out our top picks for the best drum kits.

Cymbals, snare, and hardware

You may still be expected to bring your own cymbals, snare, sticks, and/or hardware for the snare and cymbals, at the very least, even if the shells are shared.

It’s also beneficial to bring tuning keys along. Tuning is very important to drum setup, so if you want to have a good live sound, it’s worth tuning your shells and snare before you get to the venue and then again at sound check.

There’s also usually a lot of benefit in bringing replacement drum heads, just in case you or one of the other drummers starts hitting a little too hard. If at least one drummer on the bill brings some replacement heads, you can really save a set! So, be the change you want to see, and try to remember to bring backup drum heads as often as possible.

Bags and cases

The bags or cases you use for drums will depend on what you’re bringing and what size they are.

Fortunately, case manufacturers tend to offer a range of different sizes to suit genres and the typical sizes of kick, snare, and toms you’ll find within these styles.

Gator alone offer their GP-Standard, GP-Fusion, GP-Rock, and GP-Jazz to fit the typical shell sizes you’ll find. These are a great choice if you ever find yourself having to bring your kit or even just parts of it.

You can also get cases and bags for hardware, drumsticks, and mallets. For cymbals, a gig bag should fit most standard sets, but ensure your cymbals are the right size for the bag before you buy!

If you need space for your replacement heads, you can usually find space within the shell cases itself, but the tuning keys, screws, and washers are probably better off in your cymbal bag’s accessory pocket.

Band equipment checklist: Keyboardist

Keyboard

Depending on your style of playing, desired setup, and musical project or genre, as a keys player, you can bring a wide range of equipment to a gig.

A laptop and a MIDI keyboard are perhaps the most compact, immediate, and flexible options for pulling up a wide range of different sounds and triggering samples. If you’re in modern pop, rap, or metal groups, this may be the way to go.

A stage piano might be preferable for more seasoned players who want a standard acoustic piano and organ sounds – these are usually weighted 88-key keyboards with preset sounds and little tweaking available. So if you don’t need a range of dynamic sounds on tap and just want to play, this is ideal.

A stage piano is the option for the more classically-trained players amongst us. Blues, jazz, funk, soul, classic rock, and worship bands will likely only need this.

We recommend the Kawai ES120 and the Casio PX S1100. These are lightweight pianos with authentic-feeling hammer action keys – perfect for recreating the experience of playing an acoustic piano.

However, if you need a range of tones from a laptop and still desire the weighted key action of a piano, 88-key hammer action MIDI keyboards are readily available. While large and heavy, these can give you the best of a laptop’s tonal flexibility and programming power alongside the responsive, weighty expression of a piano keyboard.

Just be aware that these kinds of keyboards don’t have built-in speakers, and will need to be connected to mixers or audio interfaces to get signal out – both at home and at the gig.

For something in-between the two: arranger and workstation keyboards have the digital tweakability, tonal power, and layering capabilities of a laptop with some of the flexibility of a synthesizer, all in one unit, so you don’t have to look at a screen or make sure your laptop is safe throughout the night.

It’s less to worry about, there’s a range of sizes and key actions and some powerful sequencing and layering options to change your sounds throughout the gig.

Finally, there are synthesizers. A more tweakable instrument that’s well-suited to experimental or electronic genres, synths come in a range of form factors, from desktop sound modules to Eurorack to mini keyboards, all the way to full-sized keyboards.

Synths typically have somewhere between 37 and 61 keys that are semi-weighted for some slight resistance when playing, but not as much as hammer-action keyboards.

Synthesizers make their own sounds based on their internal design and features, and while you can design sounds to emulate existing instruments, they won’t be close to the real thing or the samples you’ll find on stage pianos, arrangers, workstations, or laptops.

Controllable via built-in keyboards, buttons, knobs, switches, and MIDI controllers, this is a different experience for a keyboardist, but if you’re interested in playing electronic music or pushing the boundaries of traditional sound, a synth can be a great way to do so.

Many keyboardists will blend at least one or two – sometimes more – of these instruments together to get the sounds the project needs, so think about what suits your style and the gigging setup you want most.

Cables

As with all instruments, you’ll need to think about the types of cables you need on stage.

You’ll generally want two balanced 1/4″ jack cables to run sound from each source for clean, stereo signals. However, some synthesizers might only offer a single mono audio output – in which case, you’ll only need one cable. Keyboardists may use and blend a range of different keyboard instruments for their sounds, which makes having a compact desktop mixer or audio interface a wise choice.

It’s also good to have at least two MIDI DIN cables per sound source you’re using – one for input and one for output. This will let you connect your instruments together to control them from one central hub and let them synchronise timings for cohesive performances. USB cables for MIDI are also common and can help keep things connected.

Bags and cases

For the most compact and travel-ready setup, i.e., a laptop and MIDI keyboard, Gator offer a joint MIDI controller and laptop backpack case: the GK-LT25W. For larger MIDI controllers, look for a general-purpose keyboard case that fits the dimensions and number of keys of your chosen controller.

Since arrangers, workstations, and stage pianos tend to be either 61 or 88 keys, the GTSA-KEY61 and GTSA-KEY88 are probably the safest and most protective choices for these kinds of keyboards.

Meanwhile, synthesizers can vary quite considerably in size depending on their design.

Even things like the height of knobs and buttons, the length of the keys in the keybed, and the number of outputs and connectivity on a synth can have a massive effect on its dimensions and make generic cases unfeasible. Instead, we’d recommend looking at our dedicated synth bags and cases page to find the correct model for your chosen instrument.

As with most accessories, you should be able to find sufficient space for cables within the cases themselves.

How to transport your gear safely

So, we’ve talked about a lot of gear and a lot of cases. But why are we recommending these products? What should you look for in a case? What kind of protection is best for what kinds of gear?

Of course, the first priority is finding something that fits your equipment. It might be a microphone, PA speaker, mixer, guitar, bass, drum shell, or keyboard, but you need to find the right dimensions and style of transportation for it.

Always check the internal dimensions of the case if they’re available against the dimensions of the piece of gear you want to put in the case. We try to include this information in the specifications of every single listing we can, because even two similarly styled guitars may not be the same size if they’re from different brands.

Gig bags aren’t highly protective in general, but they’re certainly affordable, sometimes included, and far better than nothing. If you drive or can walk to your shows, a gig bag will probably suffice. But if you want a little extra protection than a thin covering of fabric, we’d at least recommend the extra security of a padded gig bag as opposed to an unlined one.

A padded bag is better at distributing shocks, so should the worst happen, the force of impact will at least be dispersed a bit.

Softshell cases are a step up from this, but hardshell cases are usually the best, they’re safer, more durable, and far more secure than the alternatives, and they’ll remove that anxiety in the back of your mind about whether or not your equipment is actually protected.

The next question is how far are you going, and how are you getting there? This not only helps you figure out the kind of case you buy – a gig bag, softshell case, or hardshell case – but extra features you need, such as accessory pockets for the important extras, whether or not you need wheels on the case, and the kind of latches and locks available.

Make sure you have locks of some kind if you’re using public transportation, for example, it’ll make it less likely to get stolen.

Hardshell cases are also often better at preventing things like dust, temperature, and humidity from impacting your instruments. Particularly wooden instruments like violins, cellos, and violas, as well as acoustic guitars, and even drum shells, can be subjected to warping from changes in humidity and temperature. Even solid-body electric guitars can undergo fret sprout or neck warping.

These changes can damage, destroy, or at least ruin the playing experience of your instrument, so if you’re travelling long distances, or live in a country with extreme weather and/or humidity, it’s worth making sure you get a hard case with a good lining.

If you’re taking an international flight, look for Gator’s “GTSA” series. These flight cases come with TSA-approved latches, which means that they’re both secure and can be opened by airport security teams when they deem it necessary to check the contents of a case. This can save you a lot of time and headaches when going through customs checks, not only with American TSA but all international customs and security teams.

FAQs

What type of instruments do bands use?

Bands use a wide variety of instruments, typically divided into categories like brass, woodwinds, percussion, and strings. The typical instrument setup for a band is two guitars, a bass, and drums – and sometimes keys. Specific instruments depend on the band’s genre and style.

What does a band need for a gig?

A band needs instruments, amplifiers, microphones, and a PA system for a gig. Essential items also include cables, a setlist, and backups like extra strings or drumsticks. Adequate preparation ensures seamless performance and professional sound quality.

What instrument is best for me?

The best instrument for you is the one you’re most interested in. There are other factors, like the kind of role you’re interested in within a musical project and what you have an ear for. Somebody with an ear for melody may be best suited to piano, lead guitar, or vocals. If you like harmony, you may prefer keyboard or rhythm guitar. Anyone who likes deeper sounds or rhythm might be more interested in bass or drums.

Final thoughts

As our band equipment checklist has shown, there are quite a few considerations to make when preparing for a gig! You need to know exactly what your role is in the band, understand your instrument, and choose a good protective case that suits your method of travel. Generally speaking, it’s better to have a case that’s overly protective for smaller local gigs than something that isn’t protective enough.

To find out more about how to put on a great gig, check out these articles:

The 13 Best Microphones for Vocals

What is Audio Feedback and How Do I Fix It?

A Guide to Stage Lighting Design