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I "tour" nursing homes. As I get older lugging gear from the car, up steps, elevators...multiple trips gets harder and harder on the back and legs.
So how do you guys do this? Rock-n-Roller carts? Gator carts? On Stage carts?
What are your recommendations for cart size vs cart weight?
What about wheel size...regular casters vs all terrain wheels?
Would appreciate your insight and experience.
Jeff
Win11, Intel i7 7700K 4.2Ghz, 32Gb RAM, 2x1Tb HD, 500Gb NVMe, BIAB/RB 2026, MOTU 828MK3 audio, MOTU Midi Express, Yamaha Montage 7, DX7II, TX802, Motif XS Rack, Roland Fantom XR Rack, Oberheim Matrix 1000, VoiceLive3 Extreme, Kontakt 6, SampleTank 4.3
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As I get older, slowly.
Perhaps more helpful, I have a few tools that help. If I’m bringing my PA, a hand truck with small wheels on the long side can carry it. If I’m just taking horns, I have a small luggage carrier that resembles a hand truck but the great thing is the three wheels pattern on each side: it climbs stairs very easily.
Two years ago, I helped a town with their grant application to remodel a bandstand in a park. The architect’s initial design eliminated the ability to drive up to the bandstand to load in. I got that changed. If you are ever in position to advocate for easy access to a performance space, do it.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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when I was playing solo with backing tracks, I couldn't risk multiple trips because I didn't have anybody to watch what was left while I was gone with the first load. So I bought a rock n roller cart with pneumatic tires (recommended). That enabled me to move everything in and out in one trip. They come in different sizes, and I think bigger is better. Even with a fairly large cart, you need an organized method of stacking your gear to make it all fit. The biggest constraint is whether your vehicle has enough space to hold all your gear AND the cart. Even though they fold up, they still take up quite a bit of space due to the wheels
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There is no easy answer to this issue for young or old. It all depends on what you are moving. Bigger wheels are generally better. Pneumatic tires, as Pat said.
At some point in my life, I had to stop being Super Man leaping onto small stages with a single bound...lol I had to hire someone to move heavy stuff and just say no to second-floor gigs. You may find it disheartening to discover that common moving labor is worth more than skilled musicians in all too many cases. OMG, I remember staircases in Holland that looked like ladders. I am lucky now if I can walk to the elevator...lol
Reduce the load by using modern equipment. Play and sing through the PA. Use Guitar Rig 6 instead of lugging a Twin Reverb around. Use a Mexican Strat instead of a Les Paul. Leave the spare repair parts and tools in the car. Be glad you are not a drummer.
Put a crash garde between you and all your gear in the van. It is a good idea not to get killed on the way to the gig.
Sure, I "want" a B3, three guitars, four hundred pounds of tube amps, a snake, and a sound man...well, and a couple of cute girls just for good measure. That ship sailed a long time ago for almost all of us...lol
The other answer is just don't ever get old. Live hard, die young!
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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We just finished tearing down a whole orchestra within the last hour. The musicians took care of their instruments - grandsons of one of the board members put the music stands and chairs away.
Grandchildren work wonders for this kind of work.
For one person, I would get one of those lightweight modeling amps - with my guitar that would be it. (Substitute whatever instrument you want if you don't play guitar.)
...Deb
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Reduce the load by using modern equipment. Play and sing through the PA. Use Guitar Rig 6 instead of lugging a Twin Reverb around. Use a Mexican Strat instead of a Les Paul. Leave the spare repair parts and tools in the car. Be glad you are not a drummer.
Billy
Amen, For my instrumental (guitar with backing tracks) gigs I use a line array pa (ev Evolve 30M) a direct box (Tech 21 FlyRig or Quilter Superblock), a telecaster (usually), an Ipad and a bag of cables. The base of the PA weighs 32 lbs. 2 trips by myself. pretty easy for a64 year old man. That handles 99% of the gigs, inside or out. For bigger I own the Ev Evolve 50 whose cabinet weighs 44lbs. Less than a Vibrolux. The line array has great sound clarity and coverage. Not too loud inside but plenty of gas for an outdoor cafe or swimming pool. If just playing guitar I use a Quilter Micro Pro 2 or a Fender Tonemaster Deluxe. Both of them sound great and weigh 22lbs or .5 Fender Vibrolux. I'm done carrying tube amps and 18" cabs.
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---"I couldn't risk multiple trips because I didn't have anybody to watch what was left while I was gone with the first load."---
_____________________________________________________________
Gee, it looks like we've played some of the same places, Pat...LOL
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Thanks folks, appreciate all of your insight. Yea, grand kids...no help they're 700 miles away! Think I'll go with a Rock-n-Roller cart...they don't make the ones with pneumatic wheels any more....some kinda foam filled thing instead.
Gotta save the back or my "touring" days are over. Just hope that when the day comes that I'm in the audience rather than on stage, there be some younger guys that come in and do some entertaining for us.
I never much thought about the nursing home circuit until I saw how much the residents appreciated the entertainment when my mom was there. Even a hack like me brings a lot of smiles and memories back to these folks. Pays nothing but definitely one of the best "jobs" I've ever had.
Jeff
Win11, Intel i7 7700K 4.2Ghz, 32Gb RAM, 2x1Tb HD, 500Gb NVMe, BIAB/RB 2026, MOTU 828MK3 audio, MOTU Midi Express, Yamaha Montage 7, DX7II, TX802, Motif XS Rack, Roland Fantom XR Rack, Oberheim Matrix 1000, VoiceLive3 Extreme, Kontakt 6, SampleTank 4.3
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Reduce the size and weight of your gear. It was one thing to have monstrously big gear back in the day but with technology and audio improvements there's no need for big bulky gear. Especially if you are playing small venues.
Even so, it's often difficult to get everything in and out with one trip.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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I bought a small utility cart $30 at harbor freight. battery powered PA 20 lbs, my laptop, small case with cables and connectors, and either a nylon string or steel string acoustic.
Bluetooth the laptop to the little PA, plugin the guitar and one Mike and folding stand. It all fits nicely on the cart. If I need a bit more punch I have a tower speaker that has a bit more power but is still not to heavy.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Thankfully, I'm in a duo so there is someone to watch.
I have a rolling rack for my PA and synth modules, and a dolly (piece of plywood with 3" casters on the bottom.
We are very gear intensive. On stage, we both sing and play guitar. Plus she plays a Buchla MIDI controller, I play sax, flute, and wind synthesizer. Add pedals, stands, powered speakers (15" woofers) and gear boxes, and it's a lot of schlepping.
It keeps me in shape, as I don't need a gym membership to lift heavy things.
There is more than one answer to your question. It depends on the terrain and paths you usually follow.
Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Thankfully, I'm in a duo so there is someone to watch. Just to be clear, you meant to stand by the car and watch while you schlep the next load to deter theft, right? Not "Watch while I do all the work?" 
Last edited by eddie1261; 04/24/23 08:19 AM.
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Bob (Notes Norton), Which Buchla MIDI controller does your wife play? I did a search and found Buchla offers, or has offered, a variety of midi controllers.
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Thanks folks, appreciate all of your insight. Yea, grand kids...no help they're 700 miles away! Think I'll go with a Rock-n-Roller cart...they don't make the ones with pneumatic wheels any more....some kinda foam filled thing instead.
Gotta save the back or my "touring" days are over. Just hope that when the day comes that I'm in the audience rather than on stage, there be some younger guys that come in and do some entertaining for us.
I never much thought about the nursing home circuit until I saw how much the residents appreciated the entertainment when my mom was there. Even a hack like me brings a lot of smiles and memories back to these folks. Pays nothing but definitely one of the best "jobs" I've ever had.
Jeff It is fun playing the nursing homes, but you may want to inquire, as many have a budget for entertainment. There is no need to give away what the places may pay for.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
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I picked up a cheap cart from Harbor Freight to haul my rack case (Bass Amp / Tuner / Wireless / Effects Processor), a 1X15 cabinet, a 4X10 cabinet and two bass guitars in cases. Can do it in one trip. Harrbor Freight Hand Truck I'm 62 though and seriously looking at changing this setup to something MUCH lighter and easier to get in and out of the truck . . .
Don't ever try and be like anybody else and don't be afraid to take risks. -Waylon Jennings
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~Russell~
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I picked up a cheap cart from Harbor Freight to haul my rack case (Bass Amp / Tuner / Wireless / Effects Processor), a 1X15 cabinet, a 4X10 cabinet and two bass guitars in cases. Can do it in one trip. Harrbor Freight Hand Truck I'm 62 though and seriously looking at changing this setup to something MUCH lighter and easier to get in and out of the truck . . . Perhaps that is possible in today's market. I still have a Gallien-Krueger 800RB 300 / 100-Watt Bi-Amp Bass Amp Head which is about the size of a loaf of bread. That amp is heavy as hell just by itself, must less a four-ten cab and a fifteen. PA systems have definably have gotten better, and so have amp emulators, but nothing sounds like the real thing. Playing live, the bass is more than just sound. It is also about moving air. I have never heard anything that really sounded like a fifteen-inch speaker but a fifteen-inch speaker. That is the issue with modern light equipment; it just does not sound like the real thing. That is the compromise we have to accept to use lighter equipment. It may be the only solution when you get too old to move all that heavy stuff around. Perhaps it does not matter as much in the world where music is being listened to on cell phones. Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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Keeping in mind that playing nursing homes is not exactly playing Hollywood Bowl, and you are probably playing in some kind of small gathering room or parlor, a big amp with a 4x12? C'mon. You don't need more than a 15w combo amp with one 10" speaker and a tiny portable PA to make those people happy. Especially with backing tracks. As one who grumbled for years about how much junk keyboard players have to move (it's just slightly less than drummers!), that actually contributed to why I don't play anymore. If I was a seriously touring musician on the road promoting my latest platinum CD, maybe, but I was playing in a tribute band covering up the horn players (who were barely in the FOH mix) because they played so badly out of tune. So outside of Herbstock, I don't move gear anymore. And Herb pays the musicians with steak!
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Bob (Notes Norton), Which Buchla MIDI controller does your wife play? I did a search and found Buchla offers, or has offered, a variety of midi controllers. She plays a "Thunder" tactile MIDI controller, hooked to a Roland Sound Canvas sound module. It will do things a traditional keyboard will not do, and the traditional keyboard will do things the Thunder cannot do. It is extremely flexible to set up. The problem is, they don't make them anymore. We have two, and if they break, they go back to Buchla to fix. So far, we had few problems through the years, and they could be fixed. But they no longer make some of the chips that were used in that machine, so if one of those go, it's goodbye to the Thunder. BTW, Mrs. Notes does her share of schlepping. I lift the gear out of the minivan, stack it on the wheels, and she rolls them in. It saves time that way. Mrs. Notes is not a diva, but a hard-working equal member of the duo. Her smaller size and strength means I do all the heaviest lifting, but she does her share. I got very lucky with her. Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Saw mill moosic thats the cart I have. It has haul music stuff and a full apartment full of stuff.
Last edited by Rob Helms; 04/25/23 01:43 PM.
HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac Videos
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
Whether you're exploring new features, checking out the latest RealTracks or Style PAKs, this is your go-to guide for Band-in-a-Box® 2026.
Check out this forum post for "One Stop Shopping" of our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Videos!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Mac is Here!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac is here and it is packed with major new features! There’s a new modern look, a GUI redesign to all areas of the program including toolbars, windows, workflow and more. There’s a Multi-view layout for organizing multiple windows. A standout addition is the powerful AI-Notes feature, which uses AI neural-net technology to transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI—entire mixes or individual instruments—making it easy to study, view, and play parts from any song. And that’s just the beginning—there are over 100 new features in this exciting release.
Along with version 2026, we've released an incredible lineup of new content! There's 202 new RealTracks, brand-new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two new RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac and save up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special offer—available until May 15, 2026. Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page to explore all available upgrade options.
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
Our Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK are loaded with amazing add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is included with most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac packages, but you can unlock even more—including 20 unreleased RealTracks—by upgrading to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49.
Holiday Weekend Hours
As we hop into the Easter weekend, here are our holiday hours:
April 3 (Good Friday): 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM PDT
April 4 (Saturday): Closed
April 5 (Easter Sunday): Closed
April 6 (Easter Monday): Open regular hours
Wishing you an egg-cellent weekend!
— Team PG
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