GIGS DURING RAINS

[shyamwestwind]

Hi Everyone.
I really had a bad spell last week and was down in the dumps with depression. We had a lunch session at the Bangalore Club last Sunday and the entire lawn was covered by a thin sheet of cloth (mainly used to keep the sun away ) . The rains came down and before I could finish the song I was singing, the "roof" (cloth awning) gave way and my poor little two month old S900 got dunked in water and inspite of drying it with my wife's hair dryer, a few functions didnt work.
Two ICs blew and had to be replaced by our Yamaha Service Engineer Its perfectly working now but I wonder how you guys around the world react and take protective measures to save your instruments, when it rains at gigs. Do you stop playing when it drizzles? I am sure the hosts place you in a well protected place and I'm sure you'll hold them responsible for damages if they didnt, but over here, I have no such protection or insurance and had to cough up more than double of what I earned. Yes, I', more prepared now and have got myself a polythene cover which I can cover my keyboard with, but I'm sure I wont be able to do so, fast enough to stop the odd drops sliding in to where they shouldnt.

[thingyy]

I would not risk playing in the rain.I hope you use an isolating transformer for outside gigs.
I guess its monsoon season over there now?

[shyamwestwind]

thingyy, its monsoons alright and it wont be long before we start playing some "shocking" music .......lol.
Isolating transformers ? You must be kidding or you havent heard much about India. Last Sunday we had a switchboard kept near us, connecting us to their mains output through a thin, thin wire which had many breaks, insulated with loose insulation tapes !!! I had a tester with me and showed the "electrician" there the bright glow when I touched their amplifier, and the fool jeered at me and touched it !!!!!!! He saw stars .
I have my switch boxes well insulated with MCBs fitted on them, but what good are they when these oafs give us such dangerous source power lines without no "grounding"
I guess its best not to play at this Club till they meet basic safety norms.

[thingyy]

Wow,pretty risky alright.I hope you are well insured.I would be carting a thick rubber mat around to that venue.

[mark]

Hi Shyam

Are you so unlucky. I am glad they repairedyour keyboard. Occasionally in England I played outside so when i did I set up the keyboard in the keyboard bag so if it rained I quickly un plugged it and flipped the cover over.I did go through a few gig bags though.

Regards

Mark

[JohnG]

"Back when I were a lad" we sometimes had venues with dodgy earths. We used to take an old carpet rod with us (anyone remember those?). Basically it's a rod made of brass about a metre long, as I recall. We'd bang that into the earth at a conveniently nearby point, wrap an earthing wire really tightly around it (using pliers to tighten it) then run it back to the distribution point. I'm sure it saved our lives on more than a few occasions.

If the ground was very dry we'd "water it in". Use your imagination!
This is the only occasion when electricity and water do mix!

And don't forget to take it with you when you leave! Although it can sometimes be very difficult to get that little s.o.b. out again.

Aaaah! Memories.
JohnG.