Julia Hofer | What's In My Bag? | Thomann 

I always have clothes pegs in my bag. If you have sheet music on a windy day, they are essential.

She's like Batman. Always a backup and sometimes two. Really chill and cool presentation.

Narrator: "The bass player holds the rhythm section, and in fact, the entire band, together" Drummer: "Look lady I don't need a syncopated groove now, I'm just having a really shit day" Julia: [extracts chocolate from bag of holding]

One indispensable thing i always have in the bag is a small hand-towel. Dry your hands, wipe your head, freshen up, whatever the purpose, good to have one with you just in case.

I love how you've got a story to tell around basically any of the items in your bag. I love the snickers. I'd be that one guy who always needs it and has lots of chocolate debt :D

Great checklist. I agree with everything you mentioned. I also bring: Nail clippers & nail file. Small flashlight (to see on stage when setting up). Bottle of water. 15-foot (6) outlet Furman power strip. Happy Holidays from NYC

In addition to most of the things Julia mentioned, I also carry a K&M "Heli 2" stand, because there's almost never a guitar stand available. I actually have a separate bag for my cables, hearing protection, and fingerless gloves for those cold days in our rehearsal space. I also have some nail clippers and a microfaser towel in my bag, just in case...

Hi Julia, if you wrap your 9V battery with the green tape, it will not discharge if the two contacts happen to touch a metal part. What I always carry with me is a contact cleaner. This helps against scratching pots and cracking plug contacts. I am an electrician and have been playing a Schack for 30 years. Gruesschen

Definitely most of the items I have in my bag but one more essential is a small torx-screwdriver for fixing the bridge when the pitch needs a correction. A must. Thanks for the tips, I will add a lamp to my stuff.

Julia proving that she is a consummate professional with all this.

One thing I always carry to rehearsals and gigs is a set of nail clippers. You never know when you are going to chip/crack a nail or suddenly discover a hang nail after you leave home. It is a small thing but can be really distracting when there is something wrong with your fingers. They can also come in handy as an emergency string cutter if you lose the other one.

I have in my bag all Julia's stuff plus: Band-aid for blisters, foam (for James Jamerson sound), and guitar picks.

'Two is one, one is none' attitude 👏🏻👏🏻

Good list of go-to things to have and I have all of those. I would add nail clippers and I second adding 9v batteries for not only myself, but for my band mates as well as CR 2032 batteries for the clip on tuners.

Love the “bring your reading lamp” idea. I’d also recommended a notebook. “You never know when you’re going to need one” Love your personality Julia Keep it on

All similar essential things plus baby powder for hot stages and sweaty hands, micro fabric towel, and a handful of finger care products including Rock Tip brush on paste, or liquid skin, or new skin (liquid bandage), as well as bowling tape with scissors to cut from tape and stick onto fingertips. Also, a collection of picks, extra batteries, patch cords, and power filter strip, plus a small noise gate and overdrive pedals for going DI when an amp gives up the ghost... And often a backup guitar, an instrument stand and stool, as well as a vocal mic, mic stand, and mic cable... Thanks Julia..

After shave is an old school way to clean strings.Also I keep a fret eraser in the case.Also gorilla glue to fix a broken tuning key in a pinch

same things except deo and chocolate but I always have a capo and picks for my fellow guitarist and a tuning key for my fellow drummer , even sticks sometimes...

If the batteries are loose in the bag, put a strip of that tape over the terminals to keep them from shorting or draining against something metal. Or a zipper snack bag does a great job.

As always well done Julia! I just would add something to keep my nails very short

That chocolate bar... I worked with some IATSE folks and one said the exact same thing. She even had 6 of them in a leg pouch for if any other members, talent, or anyone needed one. Which can be especially tricky for those who are diabetic and need sugar to literally live. Great share! Very much appreciated!

I love that you keep chocolate in your gig bag. I'm keeping chocolate in my bag from now on. Genius!

My Basses are stored and transported in Hardcases and contain: The Instrument and one rigid LeatherStrap with locking System, one Set of new spare Strings, a small Multitool, couple of Picks, one 3m Cable, a tuner/metronome, wet cleaning towels for greasy hands, green microfibre cloth for Bass and Earprotection (not even used) not to forget the allenkeys that comes with the bass. pretty much the same as you carry ;-) PS. the long allenkey (SW4 od SW5) with a ballend is the type to have. The action of a longscale bass often vary from home to gig and need to be adjusted quick, so i leave my trussrod uncovered for the event and replace the cover back at home. (plate and screw is stored in a ziplock bag)

You are very well equipped! I've seen so many musicians at gigs that have single points of failure (strings, cables, etc.). You go girl!!!

Brilliant as always Julia.......I always carry a small can of Stella Artois...cos...you never know !!!xxx

Gator G-PG gigbag, inside of it: - 2014 FGN P bass with EMG GZR, and Emerson custom prewired harness, strung with D'addario chromes, strap - spare bass stings - TC electronic polytune clip - wire cutter, feeler gauge set, allen keys - IK multimedia iRig - IEMs - 2 sets of Fender custom shop guitar cables - iPad - 2 patch cable - 3 power supply cable - pedalboard power supply - Cali76 compact compressor - DSM Humboldt simplifier bass station - a towel, just in case :)

I never broke a bass string and Julia is carrying two packs, wow. Klaus Voormann still plays the strings from the John & Yoko days!

I swear sometimes I just take the bass alone from my trunk to the stage :)) nothing more nothing less! :))

I keep a Yamaha hand towel in my bag. I use it to wipe down my instrument and strings. I don't have sweaty hands but others do and having a towel to wipe things down is a small and useful thing to have. And Scott from SBL showed how to use a towel to tie your bass to a handle to keep it secure.

Plecs (only if you play with plec of course) , cleaning cloth (for the instrument/strings), nail clipper, superglue, plaster, memo pad, towel. Little bottle of sanitizer (Not when flying!)

A true professional. The trips in the van always will be funny.

Wow, thanks, Julia, you are great 👍🏻

Thanks very much Julia for this video !

What's in my Bag? It depends. Nr.1 - Gig: Bass, Cables, Batteries, Setlist, Bottle of Water. Nr.2 - Rehearsal: Bass, Sheets of Paper with weird drawings (Notes, Ideas, etc.), USB-Stick, sometimes Snacks, sometimes a Beer. I put Tools, Powercables and Spareparts in a seperate Case.

You're not yourself when you're hungry huh 😂😂😂 great story

The only missing bit is a rag to clean the bass with. Outside of that, I think you covered everything and more!

Thank you, good one.

I have pretty much the same stuff in my bag, always take a cloth so I clean my bass down, clip on tuner always handy. Have second emergency bag I leave in the car with fuses, batteries and more tools in. That always has a spare strap in because at some point somebody always forgets a strap.

Great video! Danke schön!

I like to carry a notebook to scribble down any changes to songs or whatever comes to mind which needs o stick. And then a set of Boss wireless transmitter/receiver. Always using them instead of cables. A few picks. A piece of cloth, to wipe off sweat and dirt and also to stick in my pants to prevent my belt buckle from scratching my bass.

Very interesting. Thanks!

Add: Nail clippers, sponge (mute), 1 pick (very rarely used), digital recorder

What goes in my instrument case is my instrument, my strap, my two instrument leads, and my tuner pedal, two extra 9V lithium batteries (one for my instrument, one for my tuner), and an extra set of strings. I always bring a second gig bag with my songbook, pedalboard, power supply, direct box, instrument and string tools, an electric mains tester, a 1/4” jack and plug cleaner, extra fuses for my amp, and a roll of gaffer’s tape, plus my usual handbag. In my handbag, I always have a set of titanium flatware and chopsticks, and my Filofax, not to mention my EDC survival kit, which always has a small Swiss Army knife, Space Pen, Bic lighter, and AA flashlight with extra battery.

"first of all".... I loved this video.

Hi Julia! It’s good to see that you carry earplugs. I do too. I wish I would’ve worn earplugs early on because loud music over many years has left me with a bit of tinnitus. I almost always wear earplugs now, especially if I’m on a very small stage. I also take a bottle of “liquid bandage”, called “Nu-Skin”. It works really well if you get any cuts on your fingertips. I also take Super Glue. If any of my calluses act up, I apply a small amount of super glue on them. (The Nu-Skin also can serve the same purpose, but I prefer super glue.) I also take a clean cloth or a face towel for wiping down my strings, and an old, soft t-shirt. I’ll pour a tiny amount of water on the t-shirt to wipe my bass down with after the gig.

Good practice. I also know about the batteries for the guitarists. Snickers for the bad-tempered is a great tip. In addition, I also have a nail cutter.

you rock ! ❤☀

We had a band at music school, a combo, without drummer, but still rehearsing while waiting for better days. Once a drummer went in to test and give us a chance. Fortunately we had some chocolate, as we always used to bring some to the sessions. The drummer stayed with us and we made some nice gigs. Everybody was saying that he was staying with us for the chocolate.

Julia just vindicated the "hardware store" I usually have in my case, so that's like getting a Christmas gift, right? 🎄😎 My case: Two sets of strings, winder, minituner, same tools, masking & elec tape, 4- 9volts, long & medium cable, three patch cables, 3- Velcro cable wraps, small bag of picks, metal & glass slides, guitar polish & washcloth, Emery board & nail clippers, toothbrush, pen & pad, Crybaby wah, Screamin' Blues & Turbo flanger (w/ cable). And hot cinnamon or peppermint gum.

100% all of those. I also carry superglue (or similar) to fix worn out callouses.

one comment a lot of people forget. with that 9V batter put it in a baggie. do not allow the two poles [+/_] to touch a screwdriver, allen wrench or metal piece, shorting across the poles. could really heat things up in your bag if you know what i mean

Julie, much love from me in the UK. I love seeing what other players bring. I have the same but also a ZoomB3 multi effects pedal, AA batteries and the power lead\USB. If I have to DI straight into a desk I can add an amp model to the chain so it sounds beefier through the PA. I can also easily add distortion or synth. I also have a guitar stand through the straps so my guitar looks better onstage whilst waiting to be called up, oh and a cloth to clean my strings down before I pack up.

That snickers is a great idea. I carry all of yours in a backpack bag, plus 9 volt batteries (since I play active basses), a spare mic, step up and down audio connectors (1/4 1/8), a towel, a wireless adaptor, a beer holder for my mix stand, a power strip, clip tuners, nail clippers, sunglasses, capo, USB memory stick, reading glasses, an amphenol DI cable or two, and a phone charger.

In addition to your excellent tips, I always keep a multi-plug extension chord in my gig bag since I play with a pedal board; outlets are sometimes limited and not alway where you might want them to be. My mini board fits into a Mono Tic that attaches to my Mono gig bag. Even though I have a pedal tuner I still carry a clip on tuner just in case. A mini flash light is handy for troubleshooting mixers and pedal boards in dark rooms and lastly, a roll of gorilla tape for taping down cables.

i carry almost all of these except the spoon and a deo :D in addition, i have a small spray bottle with alcohol, paper tissues, blank paper and WD40

Flashlight, spare set of glasses, if you need them… Lol

Pretty blue-bass. ☮️

Anyone else thought of Austin Powers when she asked what was in our bag? mouhahahaha. This is great. There are items i did not think about that i need to add to my bag. Like a spoon.

A clip-on drink holder in my bag!

Julia, I love your posts and have subscribed. I would love to see a some gig videos.

I use a toolbox in lieu of a bag, because it is more organized, and it simplifies setup and teardown. Since I use a pedalboard, I keep multiple spare cables handy. I also have a long extension cord and a power strip handy, an extra guitar strap, screwdriver, battery, extra power sources that can be used for pedals. I also carry a drum key, since a former drummer of mine would sometimes forget his.

Man she's gorgeous😍

Freut mich dass wir da die selbe Regel haben: Immer Essen und Schlafen wenn sich die Gelegenheit bietet ;-)

omg thats alotta stuff!

Love your videos, Julia, they've inspired me to pick up the bass. But as a guitarist, in addition to mostly what's in the video: I have a capo, humidifier, a rag, GHS Fast Fret, Fingerease guitar string lubricant, Martin Guitar polish, alcohol wipes to clean the microphone, nail file, and baby powder (eliminates sweaty hands when playing classical).

Have a small case with me with almost all those things. So I don't need to fit also those thing in the bag/case. Extra powercord for the amp, multi pkug power strip are also in there. No extra set of strings, I just bring a backup bass. Also a small clock for keeping track of the time. To see how much time we have left to play.

Ich habe noch immer ein Maniküre-Set in der Basstasche :)

Hey Julia, really nice informative video for sure! Would like to recommend you a small towel/cloth for the instrument, a string lubricator/cleaner such as - D'addario XLR8, String muter like - Gruvgear FUMP and most importantly a compact guitar stand to keep in your gigbag. Hope this helps! Happy New Year! Cheers!

Overprepare and go with the flow 😊

Some things i would ad: - Hercules does a foldable neck rest. Makes maintenance a lot easier and cleaner. - Small rattle set or adjustable Spanner. Jacks will become loose after all. - Folding rule - string height gauge thingy from daddario - electronic spares. not just batteries, but also the right fuses and tubes for the gear I'm using. CR2032 can also come in handy. - 2-3 spare patch cables, if you have a bigger pedalboard. Also 9v power cables. - a leatherman or swiss army knife - fast fret - bit of cloth - lighter - small powerfull flashlight - 32/64gb usb stick - screwdriver with interchangleable bits. e.g. Stanley stubby is small and really sturdy. - Sharpies I'm also thinking about getting a cordless soldering iron. But yeah... i might just be an overpreparer... xD

That’s great! I’ll carry a spare power cable for my (or me bandmates’) amp. Learned the hard way once with that.

No kitchen sink??? Snickers is my favourite bar, Julia my favourite bassist!

The chocolate bar cracked me up. Genius. 🤣Could have done with those for a few prima-donnas in my time. What a pro.

Fast Fret, nail clippers, nail file, tac(tical) light or small, high-power flashlight, and if called for...foam mute and fret wrap. Also, great idea to cut strings to length, wind back up and pack 'em along.

She’s in the Shop 🤗🍍🍍 Everything is a bit cheerier after a bit of chocolate. Merry Christmas Julia and Crew, the warehousers and CSR’s too!!! from the moon to y’all a happy holiday to all.

Over and above what you mention (most of which I agree with) - small towel, often a change of T-shirt, small Hercules stand, tuner pedal, OD pedal, bass preamp/DI, the little cables for connecting the pedals together, 9v PSU, phone charger. There's probably other stuff that i've forgotten. Yes I have a separate bag for all this crap ;)

Schokolade ist a very good Tool. 😂👍 I have an Multitool from Ibanez. Batteries too...

(stainless steel) clothespins! Outdoor gigs on a windy night and sheet music do not mix.

My main survival kit is my backup bass :) There's no way I'm going to a gig with only one instrument. Lotsa things can happen to your bass that are much more difficult to fix than a broken string. 2 basses and 2 stands (never enough of those). No extra strings, though. The last time I broke a string was in 1984... flatwounds last forever. Clip tuner, cables, Leatherman multitool + swiss knife, 2 sets of earplugs, a powerstrip, Sansamp Fly rig. And yes, a deo coz you don't wanna be that guy :)

Love the straplock. Straight from a beerbottle

I have the same list you do except the spoon and chocolate with only one set of strings 👍

Another great video! And actually got me thinking "Holy crap, I need to pack those things!" Maybe for the next Q&A... Do you have any tips for dealing with blisters, when they become an issue and just any preventitative measures. Just interesting to see what you have to say! Thanks and happy holidays! x

I carry a lot of the same. A pencil is a habit of mine from orchestra & jazz band days. I also carry a tightly but neatly folded change of clothes- a TShirt & jeans. All fit in my back pack. My bass a still carry in a hard case.

Cool vod! I have a microfiber cloth to clean after practice

Nice video Julia. I have pretty much the same stuff in my bag, except for the BO spray, the spoon and the chocolate :). But what I do have is a Korg CA50 tuner that I usually run through a Korg Pitchblack tuner, the Pitchblack often used as a mute switch using the easier to read CA50 for tuning. Sometimes a TC Unitune. I also carry highlight markers which I use to mark music sections so I can take my eyes away from the music and can quickly recover where I need to be should I momentarily get visually or mentally lost. Almost forgot-music glasses. You'll carry those after you turn 43 :0. Edit: One other thing not exactly in my bag, but on the bass, I apply glow-in-the-dark dots where the normal markers are. They have come in handy more than once.

I must have this bag:).

What I would add, appart to the nail clipper, would be a 1/4 speaker cable. Once I brought my head with a speakon cable, but had to connect to a cabinet that only had 1/4. I had a hard time finding the guy who brought the cabinet and was embarrassed to ask him if I could borrow his cable as well.

I love you !

These days a rechargeable smartphone battery and multi-headed charger cable is a must. I also have a small selection of audio adapters, just in case. Where possible I tape a business card on everything, inside guitar cases, on the bottom of pedals, just in case;)

Basic first aid pack (in an old sweet tin)... plasters, headache tablets, tummy settlers, eye drops, mini nail clipper, cotton buds, spare 'spare' earplugs. Of course the gaffer tape doubles as plasters in a pinch.

AAAANNNNDDD a Towel. Never miss to bring a towel on stage.

I have a all- in- one multi-tool that has Allen wrenches, cutter, screwdriver, and more. It’s small and quite nice. I have a cell phone holder that you can attach to any music stand … That comes in handle to check any notes I may have for the gig .I always carry a little pocket flash light ( it’s very small but very good light) . I use this ALL THE TIME ‼️On stage to look behind amp/cabinet, set my knobs, etc.😎

jajaja nice! Snickers should pay you for the ad :)

The candy bar is the least obvious one to me but it's smart.

Good stuff, +1 for the spare batteries and snacks, my last pack of chocolate buttons went to a diabetic guy at a bus stop. I usually take a portable usb phone charger too for my phone, bluetooth earbuds, tuner and so on.

I always bring a power exetension cable and a spare multisocket power outlet (the famous "Dreierstecker"), because you never have enough outlets. However, i am a keyboarder, so this might be typical to those guys. Also, i bring a spare DI box. BTW: Cannot count the times the E-Guitar guy "lend" some of my spare Strings i also brought. Wait? I said i am the keyboarder?

I miss two things: a little box with picks (yes, I'm that kind of bass player, sorry), and a foldable bass stand in a separate bag (because you don't want your bass standing on the floor against your amp, do you?) Great video!

Good job on being prepared. You had me at the Snickers. Food ends up bagged separately for me. But it's always more than a candy bar. Basically I have all those things. Except the tape & strings. But I haven't gone out on long tours.

I carry pretty much what you do plus an extra strap (I’ve had two experiences over the years where my strap failed) and I carry a DI box in the case I have to DI into the board.

I always have a Neve DI in my Bag so I‘m sure to have a real good DI Sound.