Contributor Guidelines
NOTE: The guidelines on this page are specifically for submitting gear used by an artist. For general guidelines on adding music gear to the Equipboard database, see this page.
Anyone can contribute gear to an artist page on Equipboard! Simply click the “Add Gear” button on an artist’s page to get started. Three key pieces of information are needed for a valid contribution:
- Item - The music gear item in Equipboard’s database that most closely matches what the artist uses.
- Source - A link to the source that proves the artist uses the item.
- Explanation - Describe in as much detail as you can how the artist uses the item
Let’s break each one of these down:
1. Item
Choose the most accurate match for the gear the artist uses, rather than creating unnecessary variations. Sometimes this is very clear cut, but sometimes can be ambiguous. Here are some examples:
- If the artist says they use an MXR Carbon Copy delay pedal, this is pretty straightforward and the item you should select is the MXR Carbon Copy.
- If the artist says, “It’s a ‘99 P bass that I sprayed blue, used to be sunburst” DO NOT go create a new item for a 1999 Fender Precision Bass Sunburst (or worse, Custom Spray-painted 1999 Fender Precision Bass). The best item to select here is the Fender Precision Bass, and talk about the details in the submission notes. We discuss how to handle guitars in different years and finishes here.
- If the artist says “I use a Scarlett 2i2 interface” this can be a bit ambiguous since the Scarlett 2i2 has multiple generations (Gen1, Gen2, Gen3, etc). If it’s impossible to know what exact version or generation is being talked about, it’s perfectly okay to default to the latest generation item.
2. Source
Simply put, the source should be a link (i.e. https://www.example.com) to a:
- Social media post
- YouTube video
- Article
- Image
- Etc.
The source must clearly show that the artist has used the item - no speculation or assumptions.
- ✅ Correct source: A rig rundown YouTube video where the artist (or their tech) talks about the gear they use.
- ❌ Incorrect source: A YouTube video of someone covering or recreating the artist’s music and saying that they think the artist uses a specific piece of gear or software.
If your source is a social media post, make sure you’re grabbing the link directly to the post. Most social media posts have a share link where you have the option to “Copy link” or “Copy URL.”
3. Explanation
The explanation is where you can write as much detail as you can about how the item is tied to the artist. If the artist themselves has a great quote about how they are using the gear, write the quote down in the notes.
This is where you should aim to capture any interesting details, both about the gear itself, or how the artist uniquely uses it.
Remember the example above where the artist said, “It’s a ‘99 P bass that I sprayed blue, used to be sunburst”? Well, the notes is where you can write down that detail.
- ✅ Write in English
- ✅ Use proper grammar and spelling
- ✅ Keep your submissions factual and opinion free
- ✅ Write in the third person.
These days there are tons of tools you can use to help you clean up your writing, or translate if English is not your primary language:
Submission Quality Rating
Your submission will initially go live with a Needs Review status, meaning it requires verification from a community member, moderator, or admin. Here’s how submissions are categorized:
- Needs Review - The default status for all new submissions, pending evaluation.
- Needs Improvement - Partially correct but requires edits to the item, source, or notes.
- Correct - Fully verified and accurate.
- Completely Incorrect - Completely wrong, a duplicate, irrelevant, inappropriate, or anything else that should be deleted.
You (and other community members) are able to edit and improve your submission at any time.
Thanks for contributing to the Equipboard community! As always, if you have any questions, you can post in the forum, or reach us at [email protected].