1 bass or 2 for gigs

[-Stingray]

Two basses? Oh hell no.

Extra strings, batteries, cables, and DI? Absolutely!

Small tool kit including a soldering iron, and some wire? Yup! But an extra bass? Nah.....

Our stages tend to be cramped. There's barely room for my rig, no less an extra bass. Plus having a second bass on a stand doubles the chance that one of my bandmates would ding it with a cable end, or knock it over.

 

[Runnerman]

When I played in originals band usually got 20-40 min single set, limited time to set-up gear. AMPs stacked one behind the other on the stage. Lucky to have a sound check. Kept it simple and brought 1. Only owned one gigable bass at the time anyways.

In the cover world, I can bring as many as I want and set them on my rack. No rush for time or space. (also making money so I can afford more basses)

That's the difference in my experience between original/cover band.

 

[JazznFunk]

Depends on the material and the band. On my electric-only gigs, I typically bring a fretted and a fretless with me in a double gig bag and set both up with an A/B box to switch. Easy. On my jazz gigs with my original group, it's usually just upright. BUT - if my chops aren't up and I haven't been gigging on upright a lot, I'll stick my Sadowsky 4-string fretless in a bag and bring it with me as a backup just in case my hands get shredded by not having my endurance up on the double bass. Sometimes there's an electric-specific song or 2 in the setlist. Never know. I figure having options, if it's not adding much extra work to my plate, is a good thing.

I never bring a backup AMP, but I always run everything through a separate DI box in case something does happen with the amp.... I can get by with just the PA and monitors.

 

[Tony In Philly]

I had a single coil P-Bass pickup fail on me at a gig. It's a good thing a I had a backup bass.

 

[JazznFunk]

I had a single coil P-Bass pickup fail on me at a gig. It's a good thing a I had a backup bass.

No one is safe! There are all these threads where people are fearful of active basses failing suddenly because of a battery dying, but no one thinks about a P-Bass kicking the bucket in the middle of a set. Yikes!

 

[jutty17]

For years I brought 3: fretless 5, fretted 5 and a fretted 6. Not for redundancy but for the look. I did use them all, but not because I needed to, simply because I could. Never brought a back up amp, which coincidentally, is the only thing I've ever had fail during a performance. When that band dissolved and i was just dubbin around, I only brought one. Always had my tool box with spare cables, strings and assorted bits'n'pieces, but never needed any of them. I guess the older I get, the less I care about looks and the more I care about my back. Eventually I'll sell the monumentally heavy Ampeg rig and move to one of those new-fangled class D/Neodymium set-ups all the kids are raving about, but to me it still feels like a compromise, evidence to the contrary not withstanding.​

 

[JC BASS 91]

Good on ya! Be sure and give your spare a run-thru every month or so, to make sure it’s still working properly.

Oh, I do before every show. I will plug it in, tune it up and play it for a few minutes and check both knobs and the 3-way mini switch that's hiding on the pickguard.

 

[sleddogn]

You seem to be suggesting that the expected level of professionalism and preparedness is somehow higher for an originals band, and that "mere" cover bands can approach things much more casually.

If that's what you're suggesting, then I think that's a pretty crappy attitude.

Never said that and was just joking on the mustang sally comment, just wondered what the break down would be. If you read this whole thread, you will see i've been heavy on the be ready with extra bass side, and find those who are dismissive of that a little less that prepared. If you want to call that more or less professional, well if it walks like a duck dunn then.... Oh, and as far as crappy attitude, i'd save that for those who don't think being prepared is necessary because they've never had anything go sideways....you do you

 

[Miles_ONeal]

You seem to be suggesting that the expected level of professionalism and preparedness is somehow higher for an originals band, and that "mere" cover bands can approach things much more casually.

If that's what you're suggesting, then I think that's a pretty crappy attitude.

Based on the emoji at the end of their post, I’d say they were trolling and you took the bait.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Further question for those that bring two, because you all are making me paranoid

I try to have my setup built around one trip so that I can help the drummer and stand by any unloaded gear for the sake of preventing theft. Do you all have something similar to the Mono Dual Case to carry two at once, or two totally separate cases/gig bags and make multiple trips?

I’m looking into duo cases but so far don’t have one.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Exactly... Agreed. I do the same. And I have used my backup amp at a gig. I loaned it to the lead guitarist when his glorious tube amp went into
thermal limit and did not recover. He used my Ampeg BA210 head, and after the gig told me it sounded pretty good for guitar. I also carry spare
guitar strings, because the guitarists always break strings, but never seem to be able to find their own back-up sets. And, not surprisingly, neither guitarist carries ANY tools.

I once loaned my second amp to the keyboard player. A Rumble does surprisingly well for that (it’s been a small PA as well).

 

[Miles_ONeal]

A backup? Not yet. On my regular Friday gigs there is a house bass I could use in an emergency. I really should carry extra strings, though bass strings are pretty tought. When I gave my first bass away in 2007 that I purchased in 1967 it still had the strings on that I had installed, again in 1967. I have done stupid stuff winding strings with a drill-winder, winding the wrong way and over-tightened a string or two in my days. Never had a string let loose in a rehearsal or gig.

I broke plenty of guitar strings but so far no bass strings. But I personally know bassists who’ve had failures of strings, bridges, tuners, and headstocks during gigs.

 

[Chuck King]

I bring a backup bass to gigs. In the last 15 years the only gig to which I didn’t bring one was also the only gig where I ended up having a technical problem with my bass.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I have a dual Mono bag. Works great. But I don't load in in one trip. Two at a minimum.

2 trips for me. 3 trips (1 rougher) if I didn’t have my hand truck.

 

[chris_b]

Our stages tend to be cramped. There's barely room for my rig, no less an extra bass. Plus having a second bass on a stand doubles the chance that one of my bandmates would ding it with a cable end, or knock it over.

I also play on small stages, even the bigger ones can be cramped at the back, but why put your second bass on a stand? My second bass is kept in a Mono Vertigo gig bag by the side or behind the cabs. It's a 8" x 16" footprint, so very little space taken up and easily accessible if required.

 

[sleddogn]

yeah, i'm the one he's mad at for the cover band mention...lol Lighten up Francis.....Is sense of humor dying off with all the bearded fedora wearing players here

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I usually bring just one bass. Maybe it's a Montreal thing, but I don't know any local professional bassists who bring two to bar or club gigs. Larger gigs and tours might be a different thing.

I live in a rural area it’s 15 min to get to “town” and a MINIMUM of 45min to a gig FROM THERE.
So, no running home to get a cable, or bass were something to go awry!
Music supplies other than guitar center are already closed at gig time.
GC - mostly 1/2 hour away.

Haven’t needed spare stuff in quite a while:
But very glad I had it when needed: and will be happy again!

 

[sleddogn]

doubling down on grumpy...zero issues on cover band world...zero..... lot's of issues with old and grumpy though

 

[joel the bass player]

Always 2. Finally got smart and got a double gig bag (Mono), and that is really the way to go for me. Everything else I could need lives in the gig bag or pedalboard bag/case. I have run into situations where my IEMS or the strap I wanted was in the case for a bass I played earlier in the week but not with me in the case of the bass I left the house with. Now I just load the two that come with and I always have everything I need. Normally the second bass is a backup, we used to do cover gigs here and there and I'd use a second bass tuned differently for some songs, but that was a while ago.

I don't normally even bring strings unless I'm going out of town. Just a few tools and an extra cable/di, straps, and my IEMs and backup pair.

Never bring stands, bass is either on me or in the bag. I think the last time I brought a stand it was left behind (oops).

 

[Clark Westfield]

Always 2.

We sometimes are the only band for the evening, having a bass go down completes the performance.

Ever hear a band with no bass?

It really sucks!

Never with me.