Gear for gigging

In my very short history of performing, this is the gear I've come to rely on.
In no particular order,

1. The Snark Tuner

A wonderful name, no? Top it off with a fun design and color scheme. These tuners are serious. Very serious. They are extremely accurate and fast, and can detect the lowest of notes without any problem. Sure, it doesn't have the fancy "sweetened tuning" that the Peterson Stroboclip boasts about, but... it's only $9! That is a good deal. I really like this tuner and would definitely buy it again if it breaks. Actually, I've already done that... Not suggesting that it's flimsy or anything  -  it just doesn't take well to motorcycles. Yeah... that's a story for another time.

2. Extra strings and a winder

Planet Waves Pro Winder

You'd be insane not to bring extra packs of strings. Especially if you've got an aggressive technique or, as a friend calls it, years of repressed rage that you express through music. I always restring my guitar a few hours before the gig so that I can play on a fresh set, and the strings will have had time to stretch. Even so, stuff can happen. And when it happens, you want to be ready to slap on a new string as quickly as possible. Read: invest in a string winder. The one pictured above is quite nice, since it has a built in cutter as well. If you can help it, please don't leave your strings uncut or wrapped in those silly loops. It's really quite distracting. Oh, and tell a joke or something while restringing on stage. Otherwise it will be as boring as watching someone turn a knob in silence for a few minutes. Petteri's got it down!

3. Guitar Hands and a string wiping thing

These are up to you, really. I use them if I'm going into a long gig. The "Guitar Hands" lotion pretty much smooths and softens your calluses so that you can glide up and down the neck with reduced drag. And it works pretty well! My friend got me "The String Cleaner" as a joke, but it turns out that it actually does a decent job . If your strings feel kind of gunky, give it a quick swipe with this thing and they'll feel as fresh as a fish from a Japanese fish market. 

4. A Pickup

Sure, a mic works fine for gigging... if you're not playing in a noisy bar or have to move around while playing. Having a pickup has been so convenient for me. I currently use the Dazzo pickup:

It's a brilliant soundboard transducer made by Teddy Randazzo. It sounds really good! Thomas Leeb uses it as well. I have mine soldered to a Mi-Si Simple Jack, which is a preamp powered by a capacitor that you charge through a wall outlet. That's right, charge. And in only a minute! No more heavy batteries to replace. This is awesome. If you go to an open mic, the sound guy will hand you a cable and expect you to plug in and start playing as soon as possible. There's no time to set up a large, clunky preamp and fiddle around with EQ. 

Other pickups to check out: 

K&K Pure Western Mini 

LR Baggs Anthem

Seymour Duncan SA-6 Magmic

Fishman Rare Earth Blend

Sunrise (combine with a soundboard transducer or microphone)

Mi-Si Acoustic Duo (combine with a soundboard transducer or microphone)

I'm going to try sleeping again. I'll add more to this list if I think of anything. Let me know what you would recommend, too!