In-Ear Monitor System

My In-Ear Monitoring System: Click Here

I realized for the sake of my performance, enjoyment, and health of my voice, investing in a In-Ear Monitoring System was something worth exploring. Musicians typically like things loud in our monitors and sometimes the venues want things a little more tame. The best solution to this I’ve found is to have your own mix and levels coming directly into your ears. Bonus, feedback becomes a thing of the past for the most part.

Mic Stand

Guitar Stand

My Guitar Stand: Click Here

Please, please, please don’t mess around with cheap guitar stands. After seeing guitars tip over and fall off standard stands, I suggest spending just a couple more dollars on something much more likely to hold up to bumps and stand the test of time.

ipad Holder

My iPad Holder: Click Here

Because some of my gigs can be hours long, I utilize an ipad for the lyrics and chords to some songs I haven’t played in awhile or audience requests. Hercules really nailed it with this product. It can be used with almost any tablet or phone whether you’re gigging or practicing at home. It’s designed to connect to mic stand and is definitely pro grade, like the majority of their products.

Cables

FX PEdal

My FX Pedal: Click Here

If you’re a guitar player today you know just as well as I do how many options you have when it comes to manipulating and enhancing your guitar sound, from giant boards packed with individual pedals to tiny boxes that emulate 100s of options. I have a soft spot for BOTH. However, what I need most for my performances is with a click of a single button, I can get a usable tone and get into the music. The HX Stomp has continued to hold it’s own against the competition and I am free to plug in my acoustic or electric and get a great sound within seconds. As a plus, I think for everything this device does, it is competitively priced and has a small footprint.

Bass Sound

My Bass Sound: Click Here

In my loops, having the ability to make my guitar sound like a bass is so important. Adding a bass line really fills things out! I use the older OC-3 for now, but if I were to buy today, I’d likely get the new and improved OC-5. Something special about these pedals is the poly mode, where you can set the range of impact. For example, if you want the pedal to really only impact the lower strings so in a way, you can play both bass and guitar at the same time. Lots of videos on this.

Page Turner

My Page Turner: Click Here

Often times my performance last 3-4 hours. That’s a lot of music! I use an ipad to assist me with lyrics and chords, especially with new songs. This bluetooth page turner allows me to handsfree to scroll through different songs and song sections.

Pedal Board

My Pedalboard: Click Here

I’ve owned this same board and case in 3 different sizes over the years. This is probably considered a medium size that can fit a fair amount of pedals without being a back breaker to carry around. The flight case is very sturdy and doubles as a sign during my performances.

Amazing small mixer

My Mixer/Pre Amp: Click Here

This is another piece of equipment that I bought, sold, and bought again when I realized I just couldn’t live without it. This little box fits on my board is responsible for a warm punch from my acoustic and amazing reverb! Not having to have a separate mixer to plug in and find a stand for cuts down on time and is truly remarkable at what it does.

PA System

Sampler

My Sampler (Drum Sounds): Click Here

I often loop in my performances and having the option to play samples of real drums brings my loops to a new level. This is an affordable, simple sampler that does the job.

MPC

My All in One MPC: Click Here

In my pursuit of sounding big as a one man band, from time to time you will see me creating and looping using an Akai MPC One. Akai has dominated this space for many years and for good reason. With this standalone unit, you can quickly create full songs without the need to connect to an external computer. Every time I use it, I discover something new and realize, if I had to have one piece of gear, this might be it.

Capo

My Capo: Click Here

I’ve collected and tested many capos over the years and find myself going back and forth between a couple brands. However, when I found this capo it seemed to strike the right balance of accuracy and speed I’ve been looking for.

Pick

My Guitar Pick: Click Here

I’ve purchased thousands of guitar picks. All the shapes and sizes in a variety of thicknesses. This is the one that I always seem to come back to. The Dunlop Tortex .73mm.

Guitar Strings

My Acoustic Guitar Strings: Click Here

I remember when Elixir strings came out, guitar players rushed to see what it felt like to play with strings that had a special coating to extend the life of the string, requiring fewer changes. I was initially critical of what I described as a slimy feel and I thought for some reason that it was the cause of string breaks many years ago (which ended up being my guitar’s fault). Since then, these strings have come a LONG way and they now offer a coating (nano) that’s not as thick, so you still feel the string, but you do reduce the squeaks as you slide up and down the frets. Makes sense that several guitar builders ship their guitars with Elixirs!

Guitar Maintenance

My Favorite Guitar Maintenance Tools: Click Here

Sorry guitar players, but most of us can step up our game when it comes to taking care of our instruments. I typically change my string 1-3 times a month. Whether I’m doing a quick change before a gig or really taking my time to properly clean the neck and body, oil the fretboard, and lubricate the nut and saddle, Music Nomad just does NOT miss.

Cart

My Gear Cart: Click Here

I spend too long taking multiple trips to my car loading in. I bought this cart in 2017 and hundreds of gigs later, it’s still going strong!

Guitar Case

My Guitar Case: Click Here

It took me too long to believe that a soft case of any kind would actually protect my guitars but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the quality, durability, and protection my mono case has provided. Padding is strategic, it’s light weight, wears like a backpack, and most importantly provides great protection (assuming you don’t body slam it or throw it in a wood chipper). This version is for acoustic, they make a version for electric, I have one that holds an acoustic and electric. Buy with confidence.

My Guitar Case Accessory: Click Here

Mono makes an accessory bag that attached to the backpack case and I love it. It perfect pits my ipad, tip jar, guitar strap, promo cards, picks etc. Having more room to add the items I need for the gig really helps. Expect the same great quality that you get with their bigger cases.