Hello everyone! I'm in a band and my band mates (4 total) and I are raising money to do a DIY tour come December. We want to buy a used RV but we have no idea what we're doing. I'm hoping to get some knowledge about that here so we can make the best decision. I appreciate all and any input. I'll lurk around and see if I can't figure everything out via previous posts.
Hi: Band Touring USA, needs RV
- Thread starter Gypsy
- Start date
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34footer
Well-known member
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- Dec 12, 2009
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- 982
You will need a class A with all the beds you can find. Twin beds, bunks, sofa sleeper, and a dinette. Most bands buy a tour bus, like Elvis had.
J
J
Check our Library and also use the Search function and you should find some info. A medium size Class A could have a queen bed, a dinette that makes into a bed, and a sleeper sofa. Toss dice for who sleeps on the floor or dashboard or shares the bed. You're probably looking at 32+ feet. Don't know how much equipment you'll need to take along but you might need a trailer to haul the gear.
Wendy
Wendy
34footer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2009
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What years have you thought about and what part of the country are you in?
J
J
34footer said:
We're in Los Angeles, California. We hope to first make forays all over CA, NV, and AZ. Then after we get the hang of R/V-ing and touring to make a massive trip across the U.S., probably L.A., CA to Phoenix, AZ then through the Southern States to the Eastern Seaboard and travel up along the East Coast to NYC then to the Midwest to definitely hit Chicago and then head back South to ultimately veer West back to CA.
I haven't really thought about years yet. I think out budget will be 10-20k. I've seen some pre-owned Class A's on Craigslist and on dealer websites that are 80s thru early 90's that fit that price range so those are probably the years we're aiming for, with as low mileage as possible I suppose.
We don't need anything too decked out with amenities, durability, mileage, low-maintenance, and enough room for 4 guys and band equipment is ideal. We'll probably not go diesel as I've read those RVs tend to be more high maintenance.
Wendy said:
Thank you the Library was very helpful as is the Glossary. I've used the Search function to do some preliminary reading and I've certainly found the right place for my research
Yeah I think we def. need to be 32+ ft. Our equipment isn't too bad I'm hoping we can strap a lot to the top or to have storage compartments under the RV. I'd like to avoid towing a trailer as it seems to add extra risk to driving, although that's just an unfounded fear as I've never towed anything before, so maybe I should research that too
34footer
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 12, 2009
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I'm in Altadena, if I find something nice I'll send you a lnk. The Inland Empire seems to have pretty good prices on Craig's List.Gypsy said:
J
Jaxon
Member
Hey Gypsy,
Great way to research for the traveling band! I can totally relate to the dilemma of being on the road & how to do so with relative comfort sans big pocket sponsors! I wish, when our band started out on the road, we would of had such resources available... traveling in a Ford Econoline with 6 other guys & a trailer full ?o equipment took great interpersonal skill development and strict dietary prohibitions (beans, chili, Mexican food, dairy products, etc., etc...). Fortunately, we now travel in 2 Prevosts. Previous busses have been Eagles & MCI?s. The Eagles were a blast and still evoke good times & feelings when I see one... BTW, I?ve seen some older ones for sale in your price range but you?d have to make sure it was mechanically sound. Good thing about the busses are, you can modify the interiors easily. Our first ?bus? was an Eagle passenger bus that we modified by taking out all the seats and building in the ?innards? (our bass player was a master carpenter). Me and my sweetie currently have a Foretravel for personal travels. Once bit by the road, it never wears off!
Craigs list is a good place to start but there are also quite a few online resources for RV?s. I wouldn?t just limit yourself to gasoline engines as diesels? are also very good & very reliable and in the long run, cost effective. Remember, you can write off bus expenses as business expenses... Make sure you?ve got some skilled buddies to help you out when you find one that interest you - someone to help you check it out mechanically (engine, tranny, brakes, tires, etc) and systemically (electrical, plumbing, heating, AC, leveling, etc.). An ounce of prevention... Towing an equipment trailer is an option but I?ve known many a band who have had theirs stolen.
You do need a class A to make the trips easier on y?all. Also, make sure you have a driver... ?sharing? the responsibility is not a good idea, believe me when I tell you that... some states also require a class B license for a vehicle over 20K lbs (Texas does). Make sure you have pass through storage - that is, when you open the bay door on one side, you have an unobstructed view of the other side. Amps, guitars and PA equip. store square or rectangularly. Drums do not, they take up odd space. I know this. I am a drummer. Mic stands, lighting rigging, speaker stands need some length to store thats why pass throughs are better. Also will need to consider clothing storage, both regular daily stuff and stage.
Be able to modify fron seating arrangements - sitting on a sofa facing one side or another gets old real quick over time. Facing forward or towards the rear is easier especially with a table in between the seats - good for eating, charting music, sending emails, drinking... uh, tea... and so on. Think of insurance, maintainence, fuel, etc. as operating costs. How are you going to do that and who is paying for it? Do you have a management agency booking you?
Sleeping - You?ll have maybe 4 to 7 folks traveling with a 4 piece band - hopefully at least 5 with a road manager/driver/soundman. I can?t really ever remember sleeping on the bus, parked with everybody sleeping at the same time. There was always someone driving and usually someone else up to keep him company. When we all slept, it was in a hotel (some venues will add that in the contract or you can specify it). Make sure y?all have a place though, for 4 people to sleep at the same time (sofas, queen/king bed... floor). Learn to love WalMart as a freebie parking lot overnight stay.
Holding tanks... here?s a biggie with 4+ guys on the road. Learn proper bathroom etiquette! Remember, you have only so much capacity to flush into. Now, with some guys that won?t be a problem but that?s another issue entirely for y?all to, uh... work with. That small space can get... compromised in many different ways. Trust me on this one... You?ll also have to find a place to refill your water tanks and dump your holding tanks (truck stop). Pay attention to the levels!
Kitchen. Bring lots of coffee... and snacks for the road - things to munch on. Got to keep up stamina but remember, if you?re using the refrige, you?ve got to keep some source of power on, either propane or electric when you?re parked.
Right off the top of my head, that?s about all I can think of right now. Good luck in your search for travel arrangements and great problem solving by seeking out an RV forum for your travels with the band! Heck, I would of never thought of seeking out a forum such as this to get some ideas!
Great way to research for the traveling band! I can totally relate to the dilemma of being on the road & how to do so with relative comfort sans big pocket sponsors! I wish, when our band started out on the road, we would of had such resources available... traveling in a Ford Econoline with 6 other guys & a trailer full ?o equipment took great interpersonal skill development and strict dietary prohibitions (beans, chili, Mexican food, dairy products, etc., etc...). Fortunately, we now travel in 2 Prevosts. Previous busses have been Eagles & MCI?s. The Eagles were a blast and still evoke good times & feelings when I see one... BTW, I?ve seen some older ones for sale in your price range but you?d have to make sure it was mechanically sound. Good thing about the busses are, you can modify the interiors easily. Our first ?bus? was an Eagle passenger bus that we modified by taking out all the seats and building in the ?innards? (our bass player was a master carpenter). Me and my sweetie currently have a Foretravel for personal travels. Once bit by the road, it never wears off!
Craigs list is a good place to start but there are also quite a few online resources for RV?s. I wouldn?t just limit yourself to gasoline engines as diesels? are also very good & very reliable and in the long run, cost effective. Remember, you can write off bus expenses as business expenses... Make sure you?ve got some skilled buddies to help you out when you find one that interest you - someone to help you check it out mechanically (engine, tranny, brakes, tires, etc) and systemically (electrical, plumbing, heating, AC, leveling, etc.). An ounce of prevention... Towing an equipment trailer is an option but I?ve known many a band who have had theirs stolen.
You do need a class A to make the trips easier on y?all. Also, make sure you have a driver... ?sharing? the responsibility is not a good idea, believe me when I tell you that... some states also require a class B license for a vehicle over 20K lbs (Texas does). Make sure you have pass through storage - that is, when you open the bay door on one side, you have an unobstructed view of the other side. Amps, guitars and PA equip. store square or rectangularly. Drums do not, they take up odd space. I know this. I am a drummer. Mic stands, lighting rigging, speaker stands need some length to store thats why pass throughs are better. Also will need to consider clothing storage, both regular daily stuff and stage.
Be able to modify fron seating arrangements - sitting on a sofa facing one side or another gets old real quick over time. Facing forward or towards the rear is easier especially with a table in between the seats - good for eating, charting music, sending emails, drinking... uh, tea... and so on. Think of insurance, maintainence, fuel, etc. as operating costs. How are you going to do that and who is paying for it? Do you have a management agency booking you?
Sleeping - You?ll have maybe 4 to 7 folks traveling with a 4 piece band - hopefully at least 5 with a road manager/driver/soundman. I can?t really ever remember sleeping on the bus, parked with everybody sleeping at the same time. There was always someone driving and usually someone else up to keep him company. When we all slept, it was in a hotel (some venues will add that in the contract or you can specify it). Make sure y?all have a place though, for 4 people to sleep at the same time (sofas, queen/king bed... floor). Learn to love WalMart as a freebie parking lot overnight stay.
Holding tanks... here?s a biggie with 4+ guys on the road. Learn proper bathroom etiquette! Remember, you have only so much capacity to flush into. Now, with some guys that won?t be a problem but that?s another issue entirely for y?all to, uh... work with. That small space can get... compromised in many different ways. Trust me on this one... You?ll also have to find a place to refill your water tanks and dump your holding tanks (truck stop). Pay attention to the levels!
Kitchen. Bring lots of coffee... and snacks for the road - things to munch on. Got to keep up stamina but remember, if you?re using the refrige, you?ve got to keep some source of power on, either propane or electric when you?re parked.
Right off the top of my head, that?s about all I can think of right now. Good luck in your search for travel arrangements and great problem solving by seeking out an RV forum for your travels with the band! Heck, I would of never thought of seeking out a forum such as this to get some ideas!
S
seilerbird
Guest
I hope your band has a good income. An RV is expensive to buy, maintain, insure and operate.
Bob Buchanan
Well-known member
A Class C "will" have more beds (the cab over area) than an A.
I recall in the mid 90's when looking at used RV's I came across several Class C's that were called "Party Models". The idea was why sleep when you can party all night. Actually, it was for those that liked to attend sporting or racing events and wanted more room w/o having to buy a Class A. They had no bedroom or bunk bed as you will normally find in a 24 foot class C. The bathroom was located in the rear -- and tho narrow, stretched across the width of the MH.
THIS ONE has already sold, but will give you the idea of the party models of the '80's and early nineties. I saw others that had a smaller kitchen with 2 couches plus dinette that would sleep 8.
Also, if you don't plan to tow a vehicle, a Class C would be easier to slip over to and park at that 7-11 than a Class A. OTOH, a touring band "will" need a lot of storage that a Class C does not have -- unless you are a harmonica band.
I recall in the mid 90's when looking at used RV's I came across several Class C's that were called "Party Models". The idea was why sleep when you can party all night. Actually, it was for those that liked to attend sporting or racing events and wanted more room w/o having to buy a Class A. They had no bedroom or bunk bed as you will normally find in a 24 foot class C. The bathroom was located in the rear -- and tho narrow, stretched across the width of the MH.
THIS ONE has already sold, but will give you the idea of the party models of the '80's and early nineties. I saw others that had a smaller kitchen with 2 couches plus dinette that would sleep 8.
Also, if you don't plan to tow a vehicle, a Class C would be easier to slip over to and park at that 7-11 than a Class A. OTOH, a touring band "will" need a lot of storage that a Class C does not have -- unless you are a harmonica band.
Jaxon,
WOW! Thanks for all the info, especially the heads up on the pass thru storage.
I hear ya on that interpersonal skill development. After having been in a few bands I now know that one of the hardest aspects of keeping a band together is keeping everyone away from each others' throats.
Modifying buses will def. be beyond our skill, but we have some general maintenance sills between us all. I'd love to see some pics of your past and/or present band buses.
Once we go looking I'm thinking of just hiring an R/V mechanic on his days off and see if he can check out our final choices for mechanical soundness. Also, my brother works on 18 wheeler trucks in AZ so I'll mine his experience.
That's damn good to know about the driver. I guess we might be avoiding Texas, it's a shame I totally wanted to see Austin.
We don't have a booking agent we intend to DIY everything. I don't even know how one gets a booking agent. As far as expenses go I do OK for myself and I work on the interwebs, so I can really work from where ever. Also 2 of my band mates are involved in a start-up business, website design and SEO, that I created a few months ago, so we're hoping this can help fund our road odyssey. The other member I may roll-in to the business as a copywriter so he can draw a pay check too.
Everyone is currently saving for the expenses and we're all looking forward to not having 1k rent per person to worry about which is brutal in Los Angeles.
Beyond that I hope to get the band running like a business and move it towards some type of profitability no matter how small, how to do this exactly...I'm not really sure yet.
The real moral here is that we hope to hit the road not just because we want to play music but also because all4 of us sincerely want to travel and we don't have much tying us to Los Angeles besides apartment leases.
We love doing our band thing but we all want to see the world so we figured why wait if we can all afford it by doing work online, pay the costs associated with the R/V, live out of it and play music then let's just go. What can I say I read Kerouac's "On the Road" at an impressionable age.
What's your band Jaxon, I'd love to check them out?
Thanks again for the info, maybe I'll see you on the highways some day.
WOW! Thanks for all the info, especially the heads up on the pass thru storage.
I hear ya on that interpersonal skill development. After having been in a few bands I now know that one of the hardest aspects of keeping a band together is keeping everyone away from each others' throats.
Modifying buses will def. be beyond our skill, but we have some general maintenance sills between us all. I'd love to see some pics of your past and/or present band buses.
Once we go looking I'm thinking of just hiring an R/V mechanic on his days off and see if he can check out our final choices for mechanical soundness. Also, my brother works on 18 wheeler trucks in AZ so I'll mine his experience.
That's damn good to know about the driver. I guess we might be avoiding Texas, it's a shame I totally wanted to see Austin.
We don't have a booking agent we intend to DIY everything. I don't even know how one gets a booking agent. As far as expenses go I do OK for myself and I work on the interwebs, so I can really work from where ever. Also 2 of my band mates are involved in a start-up business, website design and SEO, that I created a few months ago, so we're hoping this can help fund our road odyssey. The other member I may roll-in to the business as a copywriter so he can draw a pay check too.
Everyone is currently saving for the expenses and we're all looking forward to not having 1k rent per person to worry about which is brutal in Los Angeles.
Beyond that I hope to get the band running like a business and move it towards some type of profitability no matter how small, how to do this exactly...I'm not really sure yet.
The real moral here is that we hope to hit the road not just because we want to play music but also because all4 of us sincerely want to travel and we don't have much tying us to Los Angeles besides apartment leases.
We love doing our band thing but we all want to see the world so we figured why wait if we can all afford it by doing work online, pay the costs associated with the R/V, live out of it and play music then let's just go. What can I say I read Kerouac's "On the Road" at an impressionable age.
What's your band Jaxon, I'd love to check them out?
Thanks again for the info, maybe I'll see you on the highways some day.
seilerbird said:
Seilerbird,
I work as an online marketer and do OK. I also started a small web design company that two of my band mates work for, here and there, doing design and coding. We're growing our business now to finance our NEED to travel and play.
I figure playing music is about a few things: the music, the women, and the traveling.
Well if we're all together more often we can be creative and make more music. If we're in an R/V then we're traveling. And from my past travel experiences I've learned that women love a man on the road, must be something about how scarce her time is with him...makes 'em wild
Bob Buchanan said:A Class C "will" have more beds (the cab over area) than an A.
I recall in the mid 90's when looking at used RV's I came across several Class C's that were called "Party Models". The idea was why sleep when you can party all night. Actually, it was for those that liked to attend sporting or racing events and wanted more room w/o having to buy a Class A. They had no bedroom or bunk bed as you will normally find in a 24 foot class C. The bathroom was located in the rear -- and tho narrow, stretched across the width of the MH.
THIS ONE has already sold, but will give you the idea of the party models of the '80's and early nineties. I saw others that had a smaller kitchen with 2 couches plus dinette that would sleep 8.
Also, if you don't plan to tow a vehicle, a Class C would be easier to slip over to and park at that 7-11 than a Class A. OTOH, a touring band "will" need a lot of storage that a Class C does not have -- unless you are a harmonica band.
Bob,
I won't rule out Class C's based on what you said. We're looking for a good deal of space. We're hoping to bring an iMac with us and some recording equipment to record a bit on the road, even if it's only rough tracks.
This one looked pretty spacious.
The requirements for a driver's license in Texas is a class B non-commercial license to drive any vehicle over 26,000 lbs, but that's only if the driver has a Texas driver's license. If the driver is legal to drive the vehicle in his home state, then he's legal to drive in any state. No need to avoid Texas
Ned said:The requirements for a driver's license in Texas is a class B non-commercial license to drive any vehicle over 26,000 lbs, but that's only if the driver has a Texas driver's license. If the driver is legal to drive the vehicle in his home state, then he's legal to drive in any state. No need to avoid Texas
Thanks Ned! We'll be sure to get legal in CA.
Wendy said:
We're considering having both satellite and 3G cards as redundant systems, satellite is slower but more reliable I hear.
We can't be without Internet long but we can always SBUX it up in the morning and bang out work too.
I'll look into the discussions here on the forum.
Jaxon
Member
Cool. Get a lawyer to draw up a contract between y?all. Not because you don?t trust each other (however, things do change), but mainly due to liability issues on the road. Agent?s are easy to get - ask around the musician community and pay attention to feedback... Main thing about the road and RV... maintenance and upkeep. Extremely important to have someone knowledgeable paying attention to the coach.Gypsy said:
You can do copyrighting yourself online ?a collection of songs by Gypsy? - cheaper that way and one less person to share the wealth with... unless of course, the copyrighter is also a soundman and driver. DO NOT BRING A GIRLFRIEND!Gypsy said:
I hear ya?, I did too. Great story! Get?s that wanderlust churning!Gypsy said:What can I say I read Kerouac's "On the Road" at an impressionable age.
We?re a rhythm section that ?rents out? to singer songwriters and labels - bass, drums, guitar. We like the flexibility and they like us.Gypsy said:
What?s the name of your band? Got a page...?Gypsy said:
bj
PS...
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Gypsy said:
[/size]And from my past travel experiences I've learned that women love a man on the road, must be something about how scarce her time is with him...makes 'em wild
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[font=verdana, sans-serif]Ohhhh Gypsy... I sure hope this doesn?t offend anybody but... years ago, whilst in the Navy, my Chief told all of us fixin? to go on shore leave ?Boy?s! Make sure you don?t catch anything a shot of penicillin can?t cure!?. Sage advice, Gypsy, sage advice...[/font]
