I was pleased to be able to get the equipment I needed for each of today’s park gigs down a single load (thanks to my sack trolley and the cooler box I picked up last year).

One of the tricks was knowing what I could do without. For example, for this afternoon’s CSWO gig, I didn’t need a lot of effects, so I set up a few patches on my Zoom B3. That is a lot smaller than my Helix LT but, although it has a maximum of 3 effects at any one time, I could get everything I needed. Most of the gig was with an amp model and a touch of reverb. On one song (Birdland) I could enhance that with chorus and, on the most FX-heavy (a medley of 80’s tunes), I had one patch with a couple of blocks used to build a synth sound and another that let me add chorus and / or distortion to my basic modelled amp sound.

A little 3D printing also helped – rather than needing to lug a guitar stand, I have one I designed and printed last year that fits onto the sack trolley and holds my bass securely. It’s nice having more gear on hand sometimes but also great when things can be compressed down to a neat, portable package.