• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

How many of us with expensive backup basses really need them on gigs??

Baird6869

Baird6869

Feb 16, 2007
16,717
5,037
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
#1
I mean really..... these days, how often does a string break, electronics fail or a battery die?:confused:

I have not had a single equipment malfunction in over two years and NEVER had anything worse than a broken string on a gig (knock on wood!:smug:) and that was years ago.

I have been playing my Sadowsky NYC on most gigs lately and my backup has been my EBMM 30th Anniversary SR. I almost never switch between basses during a gig any more, so I am almost tempted to buy an old Squier or SX as a backup beater.

Don't get me wrong.... my Stingrays are great, will get their share of gigs and I won't be selling them any time soon.... but since I stopped using my Fender Jazz and Precision bass combo (I used to switch between these 2 basses constantly on a gig), I really don't see the need to drag $4-5K worth of basses to a bar gig paying me $100-200.

Anyone else starting to shy away from bringing 2 high end basses to a gig?
 
#6
My Sterling failed on me about 3 weeks ago on a gig. With a 5 minute sound check and my number one bass making ZERO sound, I'm glad I had my Zon with me.

I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS bring a backup bass, backup cords, backup batteries, and now even a backup DI in case my amp goes kerchunk. You just never know.
 
#7
I have learned that not taking a backup with me is the quickest way to need one. Sure, my main bass hasn't failed me on the road in years, but leaving for a gig without a backup always puts a knot in the ol' stomach. Lately my extra bass has been of a different variety from my main one, that way even if I don't NEED it I will probably use it for certain songs.
 
#9
thesteve said:
i broke a string going over a song 30 minutes before my band was supposed to play. Boy did I wish I had a backup bass then.
Click to expand...

30 minutes? You don't carry spare strings? When you put on a new set of strings, you don't put the old ones in the box and throw them in your case in case you break one? :rollno:

My main gig axe is a '78 Stingray. My backup is a modded OLP MM clone that looks identical, feels and plays nearly identical, and will cause minimum grief to me and the sound guy if I have to put it into service.

And it's true - having a backup ensures that you will never need it. My theory is that it scares your good stuff into behaving because it knows it can be replaced.:D
 
#10
I always take my 73 Precision Custom with me plus my Stingray 5 which is mainly used for back-up but I do swap basses on some gigs for certain songs, or sometimes I will use one bass for the first set and the other bass for the second set.

The main problem I've come across is that as they are totally different basses they need slightly different settings on the mixing desk. We don't have the luxury of a sound engineer and we do an on-stage mix so I have to be careful on the output once I swap to the SR5.

All the time I've been taking 2 (or more) basses along to gigs I've never had to swap them over due to a fault or problem, however on times when I used to take one bass with me I've broken strings or had batteries go flat! :(
 
#12
I probably break 4 or 5 A strings a year on gigs. Doesn't matter which bass I use, if I'm going to break a string, it's going to most likely be an A.

Been caught one too many times without a backup. I always bring 2. Not usually my expensive stuff, but still...

I've seen too many things put guitars and basses out of service I'm not

going to be caught with my pants down on a show.

Extra tubes, extra batteries, extra cords, extra bass etc. all go with me every time.
 
#13
Until recently, I've never had a bass I paid more than 700 for, and as long as it works for me (or for said individual), it works.

ALWAYS have a back up on a gig, recording session. And carry extra strings, and an extra chord. BE PREPARED for any possibility.

As far as it not being an expensive bass, well, that is personal choice. I mean after all some people want nice cars, but others - well, just as long as it gets you where you are going.
 
#14
scottbass said:
30 minutes? You don't carry spare strings? When you put on a new set of strings, you don't put the old ones in the box and throw them in your case in case you break one? :rollno:
Click to expand...

That doesn't do you any good in the middle of a song, and is really unproffesional looking (required IMO)to have to halt a show while you change a string.



Baker69 said:
The main problem I've come across is that as they are totally different basses they need slightly different settings on the mixing desk. We don't have the luxury of a sound engineer and we do an on-stage mix so I have to be careful on the output once I swap to the SR5.
Click to expand...

Even though we almost always have sound engineers, this is EXACTLY why all my working basses are dialed in to sound VERY similar.

In the case of my 3 P basses, they can all sub for eachother with zero eq changes.
 
#15
It's better to have a bass and not need it than need a bass and not have it!

I've reached for the backup probably just three or four times in about six years...once because I was picking up radio stations through my main bass during a show in downtown Chicago, and a couple other times because my main bass wouldn't settle in tune.

Even if it only gets used once a year, it's well worth the peace of mind to have a dependable backup.

Lonnybass
 
#16
scottbass said:
30 minutes? You don't carry spare strings? When you put on a new set of strings, you don't put the old ones in the box and throw them in your case in case you break one? :rollno:
Click to expand...
At the time I didn't. I'm not sure that I'd have room in the case even if I had a spare set of strings to keep in there. I guess I should look into reorganizing.
savit260 said:
That doesn't do you any good in the middle of a song, and is really unproffesional looking (required IMO)to have to halt a show while you change a string.
Click to expand...
I had this happen during a set at the Hard Rock Cafe in town. I ended up playing the last couple songs without a low-E string.
 
#17
Part of why I have so many basses is because of my Murphy's Law bad luck. Right now, nothin' happens to my basses and I carry more than I need. When I was a guitarist, I'd only break strings when I went to practice with one guitar. The same thing happened to me once with a bass, probably only because I had one bass and forgot strings that day.
 
#18
Just make sure that when you bring a back up it's not kept in your locked vehicle......and if you do keep it in the locked vehicle and a string breaks and you spy a friend in the audience, don't be stubborn-grab said friend and have them go get your stuff :). Better than being without :)
 
#19
Since I got back into playing six years ago, I've never broken a string or had a bass fail, but back in the 1980's I broke a few strings. So I'm paranoid about it, and bring a backup whenever possible.

In my last band, this wasn't always possible, because I had to drive the two guitarists and all their gear, and let's just say they needed backups more than I did! ;) I was a little nervous, but never had a problem at those gigs. Sometimes I was providing another bassist with my rig, so I knew I could use his bass in a pinch.

I don't have any interest in a cheapie bass as a backup. I'm more into alternatives, and just bring two of my main instruments, so I'm always using something I'm 100% happy to play.
 
#20
HI

I seldom bring a back up bass. Last time I had an issue was last fall. My month old Sadowsky NYC had a horrible hum when I was setting up at a gig. I could still have done the gig with it but I knew something was not right. Fortunately, the show was close to my singer's house. His wife drove back to their house and brought me back his stingray 5. I later found that the preamp needed to be replaced. Other than that, cant remember the last time I had a problem at a show

Rob
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back