Band Practice Spaces...what do you use?

[aristotle]

For those of you who play in bands (or jam with the same folks on a regular basis) I'm curious about how you handle practice space and storage of all of the "stuff" you need to play out. I'm fortunate in that one of my work related warehouse spaces has enough room to serve the purpose. But I'm not sure how well it would work out if we needed to practice at somebody's house. Anyway, post pics if you've got 'em, or just describe what you do for practice space if you don't. Since I've only been playing with the same group of guys who I've known forever, I have no idea how other bands deal with practicing.

 

[jfb]

I've always wondered about those concrete blocks in your pictures. Now I know. I like your setup. Your fort is quite impressive.

 

[jfb]

Phone browser borked. Double post. Sorry.

 

[John Beef]

Wow, that's a lot of amps. Also, don't hate me but I had to laugh a little! You've got what, $20-30K in amps at least in there, and a $150 drum kit.

We used to practice in a similar place, it was called the Argo and in the not so nice part of South Phoenix. Gunshots were a pretty regular sound outside at night. Thankfully all the units had heavy steel doors to match the concrete walls and we never had theft problems. The unit we had, we shared with three or four other bands and had a weekly schedule of who was going to play when. Everyone was cool about it. It kept the rent manageable. The unit we rented was originally rented by someone 15 years before we got there, and it had been handed down as various bands came and went. I heard the well recently dried up and the keys were turned in. The scene here isn't what it was 10 years ago.

But now, it's a room in our house, 11x12. Enough for our power trio. If we wanted a 4th member, there wouldn't be enough room.

 

[helmi]

best friend's attic.

 

[JustRob]

Practice?

:iamconfused: :dontknow:

 

[jfb]

Practice?

:iamconfused: :dontknow:

You know...posing...in the mirror...to pick up babes.

 

[gush]

We practice at my house. I bought a roland TD-6 drum set to teach my son drums. I have a small room downstairs set up with small PA and a custom folding mic boom attached to the wall. Bass player plugs into board, drummer turns on kit,singer keeps amp with 1x12 cab here and I have a spare 5150 slant cab so I drag my head and rack downstairs. If I feel lazy I can use my roland cube 30 and not drag head and rack down. It's quiet enough to not use mics for backup vocals.

We don't sound great this way but the key is getting parts correct and being tight so it serves its purpose.

Since I run the band like a business, I'm entitled to deduct a small portion of our mortgage as an exspense!!!!!!!!

As for the gear, well I have basement littered with amps and cabs and such. What we use to gig with stays in trailer which stays locked up in a warehouse. When I do sound jobs I always unload what I don't need into the garage so trailer is empty while I'm busy working.

Sure would suck getting arrested breaking into an empty trailer!

 

[gush]

I see you took cymbals away from drummer, must of been drowning out the guitars.

 

[JustRob]

You know...posing...in the mirror...to pick up babes.

I always planned to learn the "posing" part after I really learned to play guitar. That's still some time off in the future.

Our "band" is jamming in my family room Saturday. I'll try to take some pics while I'm still sober. It will be good for a laugh.

 

[jfb]

I always planned to learn the "posing" part after I really learned to play guitar. That's still some time off in the future.

Our "band" is jamming in my family room Saturday. I'll try to take some pics while I'm still sober. It will be good for a laugh.

You have it all wrong. Posing first. Pictures while drunk.

I need to move my fort into a warehouse. Aristotle has a bitchin' setup.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I always planned to learn the "posing" part after I really learned to play guitar.

Wrong. You learn posing first and then write songs around what makes you look cool.

 

[alantig]

Wrong. You learn posing first and then write songs around what makes you look cool.

Wrong. FIRST you learn how to position the sock, THEN posing!







What, like I'm the only one???

 

[Boogie]

Wrong. FIRST you learn how to position the sock, THEN posing!







What, like I'm the only one???

Umm...the sock goes in the FRONT!

:rofl:

We've always practiced in our bassist's woodworking shop out in the middle of corn fields. You have to work really hard to piss-off corn. The alternate is my living room and that's just an insane place to cram a 5-piece band with drum kit. And hardwood floors, to boot. Almost as much fun as bare concrete.

 

[garrett]

Lucky for us, our other guitarist and our singer are married and have a basement studio. Also lucky for us, the guitarist is also an excellent drummer and has a kit there. A friend's bass amp lives there, too. I'm the only poor schlub hauling my amp in and out.

Prior to that, my band in Australia rented a practice space weekly. Was expensive, but houses were so close together where we lived the whole neighborhood would hear.

Prior to that, it would usually be at a drummer's house.

 

[RedGuitars]

Before I moved from KY to TX, I had a basement. It was unfinished when we bought the house so we were able to finish it the way we wanted, which included band space, including a cubby-hole for a 4x12 and head in one wall (we had to extend the wall out at the bottom to hide some plumbing, so we put in some shelving and the amp slot. Also put in lighting and electricity specific for the band space. It was converted to a home theater area after we sold the house and moved.

 

[markie]

My Basement.............

 

[vchizzle]

We have a man-cave built into a large steel storage building on a friends property. Pool table, fridge, pizza oven and a grill outside. We're pretty lucky, closest neighbors are horses...they warmed up to us after the 1st couple rehearsals and just hang out while we play now.

 

[jfb]

We have a man-cave built into a large steel storage building on a friends property. Pool table, fridge, pizza oven and a grill outside. We're pretty lucky, closest neighbors are horses...they warmed up to us after the 1st couple rehearsals and just hang out while we play now.

Awesome. Can't wait to visit.

 

[Coop]

For my bass gig we've got a 14x14 room in a dedicated practice space building. Vaughn, I think you were in that building one of the times you were up back in the day.

For the guitar gig it's a much bigger room (like 25x25) with it's own control room for recording. Great space in downtown St. Paul... I actually used to rent the very same room about a decade ago in another band.