How to Build a Stage Stringer

Plug in musical instruments and other stage equipment via a stage stringer.

Front line and back line stage stringers are used for power on a performance stage for musical instruments and other electrical devices. A stage stringer allows you to easily plug an instrument or another piece of equipment into a handy outlet. Build a 70-foot stage stringer with enough outlets to accommodate a number of instruments and other equipment on a 40-foot stage.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Pliers
• 1 box of small screws
• 4 to 8 portable rubberized outlet boxes for 1/2-inch cable
• 1 dead-end portable rubberized outlet box
• 4 to 8 duplex receptacles
• 12-gage SOW cord or cable
• 20 amp twist lock outlet connector

Instructions

1. Assemble rubberized portable outlet boxes with duplex receptacles on each side.

2. Run the 1/2-inch cable -- the 12-gage SOW cord -- through the assembled portable outlet boxes to string all of the boxes together. Connect the receptacles.

3. Place a dead-end portable outlet box at one end of the stringer to close it off. This is where the stage stringer will end, but the dead-end portable outlet box outlets are also live.

4. Connect the 20 amp twist lock outlet connector to the other end of the cable so that you can plug in the stage stringer into a main power source outlet.

References

• O.A. Windsor: Portable Outlet Boxes
• YouTube: Our Stage Power Stringers -- Parts and Pieces O A Windsor Boxes