Anyone else do this?

[Bach5G]

Concert tonight and I’m tempted to change up my gear. Because I can.

Does anyone else do this?

[Doug Elliott]

I experiment on gigs sometimes. It's really the only way to find out how something works outside your own studio.
Also because I can, and I know my own chops can get away with almost anything. I've played gigs on borrowed horns and mouthpieces nothing like what I use.

[Burgerbob]

In low-exposure situations, yes. Otherwise you'll never know what works and what doesn't. But if I'm playing something important or high-level, no.

[Kdanielsen]

It should be illegal to have new mouthpieces arrive on Friday-Sunday morning.

[Posaunus]

Concert tonight and I’m tempted to change up my gear. Because I can.

Does anyone else do this?

Sometimes - cautiously. Perhaps with a familiar backup at hand.
But I think that my chops, like Doug's are pretty flexible.

Good luck tonight!

[imsevimse]

Concert tonight and I’m tempted to change up my gear. Because I can.

Does anyone else do this?

I experiment in rehearsals (a lot) not so much at gigs. I have a lot of older trombones that I like at home and have tried, but some of those do not blend very well and that I don't want to discover at a gig. If the equipment works then I might use it for the concert too. Sometimes my colleagues don't want me to use a certain trombone because they don't like it and sometimes they tell the horn I just showed up with sounds terrific. With such strong opinions I can not use any horn on the concert. I need to consider also what the others like to some sense because we are there to do the concert together. On bass trombone I might switch mouthpiece for a certain part during gig if I think the part needs another mouthpiece.

/Tom

[robcat2075]

I've never been in a position to be tempted.

There has always been just one horn available to me and if there was anything lacking about my playing... it probably wasn't the horn's fault.

[Matt K]

Typically not on performances but in rehearsals almost constantly

[norbie2018]

I too experiment in rehearsals but usually not on performances.

[JohnL]

I have a large stable of trombones, but there's a "short list" of go-to horns that I normally use for gigs.

The orchestra I play in normally does 5-6 rehearsals leading up to concert; I might try something else in the first rehearsal or two; if I like the way it's working, I'll keep it for the cycle. If not, it's back to old faithful.

A group like Bones West is great for trying out new stuff. We only do a couple concerts a year, plus there's a lot of other trombone players who are quite willing to offer their opinion on your latest acquisition.

[MrHCinDE]

Yes, even between the final rehearsal and gig if there is a surprising acoustic or section balance issue.

For example I‘ve done a last minute change-up from a 48h to an 8h when the venue turned out to be much livelier than the rehearsal space. Went from a Holton TR150 to an 8H on another occasion when it was vice-versa. Come to think of it, maybe I‘d just be better off playing everything on my 8h to start with…

[BurckhardtS]

Yes. I used to do it in rehearsal more, but since I've been out of school most of the gigs I do are done on little to no rehearsal, so the only other option is to experiment on the gig. But I haven't changed my main equipment in a couple of years.