Or you could carry a pack of strings in your case, no?
How long does it take you to change a single string?
Still, that night sounds like it was fun
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Always bring a backup bass!
- Thread starter Stinsok
- Start date
Or you could carry a pack of strings in your case, no?
How long does it take you to change a single string?
Still, that night sounds like it was fun
Hairline fracture of the nut at the slot on the bottom string. Impossible to see unless you remove the string and put the nut under a magnifying glass. In the middle of a song, the fracture gives way and the nut breaks, leaving the bottom string unanchored and flipping around, essentially rendering the bottom string useless.
I've seen this one a couple of times.
But I'm sure the "maintainence guys" would have caught that one before the gig somehow.
I've seen this one a couple of times.
But I'm sure the "maintainence guys" would have caught that one before the gig somehow.
Oh man, I hope I get to play a fundraiser for Governor Skeletor one day!
But seriously, you just scared me with that story. OK, so I use a wireless, but still... these stories are bumming me out and making me think maybe it wouldn't hurt to bring a backup. But why do they have to be so heavy?
I have always said the same thing and, as a guy in his 60s, weight can be a factor. But, I'm glad now.
Had the battery terminal in my Jazz break 15 minutes to drop, no backup. The sound man had a soldering iron in his truck, and fixed it right on stage, with three minutes to spare. I gave him my entire cut that night.
Now I bring a spare.
Now I bring a spare.
I only take one. There's really not that much that can happen to a bass that I can't, at worst, limp to the end of the set and fix it in between. Of course, I bring strings and batteries.
I suppose there's always the possibility of a catastrophic failure, like a nut crumbling to dust or a piece of electronics utterly pooping the bed. But the chances are trivial at most, and IMO they don't make it worth dealing with an additional bass every night.
I suppose there's always the possibility of a catastrophic failure, like a nut crumbling to dust or a piece of electronics utterly pooping the bed. But the chances are trivial at most, and IMO they don't make it worth dealing with an additional bass every night.
Even if it never leaves the case, I always take a second bass.
I spent years with only one bass, and I was very lucky. Not taking that chance anymore.
As someone noted previously, you can get a lot of bass for not much cash these days. Even an SX would be suitable as a back up to save to the day.
I spent years with only one bass, and I was very lucky. Not taking that chance anymore.
As someone noted previously, you can get a lot of bass for not much cash these days. Even an SX would be suitable as a back up to save to the day.
I get your point, guys. I got your point from your first couple posts. I'm not debating the merits of a backup, I completely understand...no conspiracy theory in my mind, trust me.
Maybe I should have started with "Hey, I RARELY (and to be clear: rarely as in 3-4 times in 15 years of playing often) ever play in dive bars, on shoddy stages or basements or shoddy stages located IN basements, or places where drunk people will be so bold as to go on stage and knock stuff over. I'm not a statue when I play but I don't move all over the stage during the set, and I keep a watchful eye on anything or anyone heading in my general direction, and if needed, avoid them like the plague. I hardly ever leave my bass setup on stage (and if I do, i'm within eyesight of it). I've played on tight stages before and whenever I do I minimise movement, stay from the edges and watch everyone like a hawk and avoid contact like the plague. THAT SAID..."
In other words, MY playing environment is usually pretty controlled and there's usually an alternate solution I could pursue if the worst should happen, whether that's using someone else's bass or using a keyboard for bass, or using my own backup, if I walked with it that night, or whatever else I can think up in the situation. I don't rely on the kindness of others, but on the other hand, I'm not afraid to ask for help, either. I can only speak for myself; I wasn't saying this is ideal for everyone, but the general consensus on your side of the argument is that those who don't walk with a backup, for whatever reason, has lost his marbles, is irrational and won't listen to reason.
Exactly...also, I don't know how cut-throat the audiences are where you play, but if done right a little mishap like that can be handled with little to no fuss.
The only hole in your argument is where you shoot down my premise of bringing "2 of everything"...why stop at just basses? If you have a more than capable car or truck, which you've claimed is the vast majority of us, in essence...
...then why not 2 of everything? Where does practicality start and end for this majority? In fact, I've had and have seen heads go down, or combo amps shut down way more than an unfixable (in 3 minutes or less) bass-related issue...if the vast majority has the capability, and that is who we're talking about and concerned about, why not walk with a cheap micro head and a cheap DI (I've had an amp fail AND the house didn't have any more spare DI's)? I'm just saying, safety first...should I even go into the issue of when a pedal that's ESSENTIAL for a certain song has died just before it's needed? Do we pull out the spare? Pedals don't cost that much compared to most basses...maybe bring a duplicate pedalboard?
On gigs where there's no PA support, having an amp go down is just as bad as the bass. Do you walk with two?
On a song where the bassline has a prominent role, and it requires an effect, and that particular effect goes down, it kills the vibe of the song. Do you walk with two?
If a song requires keyboard bass and the keyboard/controller/laptop or audio interface stops working, same issue. Do you walk with two of each?
most of these things are either smaller, cost less and/or weigh less than a backup bass.
My point is: This argument is essentially pointless. Am I prepared for every possible disaster at every gig? NO, and I accept this...but before you continue to belittle the crazies without a consistent backup bass, ask yourself the same question. If anything could and will happen to ANY of your equipment...pretty much all of us are a little unprepared. I'm just saying...now where's my straitjacket...?
Maybe I should have started with "Hey, I RARELY (and to be clear: rarely as in 3-4 times in 15 years of playing often) ever play in dive bars, on shoddy stages or basements or shoddy stages located IN basements, or places where drunk people will be so bold as to go on stage and knock stuff over. I'm not a statue when I play but I don't move all over the stage during the set, and I keep a watchful eye on anything or anyone heading in my general direction, and if needed, avoid them like the plague. I hardly ever leave my bass setup on stage (and if I do, i'm within eyesight of it). I've played on tight stages before and whenever I do I minimise movement, stay from the edges and watch everyone like a hawk and avoid contact like the plague. THAT SAID..."
In other words, MY playing environment is usually pretty controlled and there's usually an alternate solution I could pursue if the worst should happen, whether that's using someone else's bass or using a keyboard for bass, or using my own backup, if I walked with it that night, or whatever else I can think up in the situation. I don't rely on the kindness of others, but on the other hand, I'm not afraid to ask for help, either. I can only speak for myself; I wasn't saying this is ideal for everyone, but the general consensus on your side of the argument is that those who don't walk with a backup, for whatever reason, has lost his marbles, is irrational and won't listen to reason.
mcnach said:
Exactly...also, I don't know how cut-throat the audiences are where you play, but if done right a little mishap like that can be handled with little to no fuss.
The only hole in your argument is where you shoot down my premise of bringing "2 of everything"...why stop at just basses? If you have a more than capable car or truck, which you've claimed is the vast majority of us, in essence...
electracoyote said:
...then why not 2 of everything? Where does practicality start and end for this majority? In fact, I've had and have seen heads go down, or combo amps shut down way more than an unfixable (in 3 minutes or less) bass-related issue...if the vast majority has the capability, and that is who we're talking about and concerned about, why not walk with a cheap micro head and a cheap DI (I've had an amp fail AND the house didn't have any more spare DI's)? I'm just saying, safety first...should I even go into the issue of when a pedal that's ESSENTIAL for a certain song has died just before it's needed? Do we pull out the spare? Pedals don't cost that much compared to most basses...maybe bring a duplicate pedalboard?
On gigs where there's no PA support, having an amp go down is just as bad as the bass. Do you walk with two?
On a song where the bassline has a prominent role, and it requires an effect, and that particular effect goes down, it kills the vibe of the song. Do you walk with two?
If a song requires keyboard bass and the keyboard/controller/laptop or audio interface stops working, same issue. Do you walk with two of each?
most of these things are either smaller, cost less and/or weigh less than a backup bass.
My point is: This argument is essentially pointless. Am I prepared for every possible disaster at every gig? NO, and I accept this...but before you continue to belittle the crazies without a consistent backup bass, ask yourself the same question. If anything could and will happen to ANY of your equipment...pretty much all of us are a little unprepared. I'm just saying...now where's my straitjacket...?
most gigs, if the bass player stops playing because of a broken bass or amp, nobody notices anyway and you have time to go home and get another bass. 
I always bring 2. I had one bass where the copper shielding foil came undone and shorted out the electronics. In addition to the extra bass I also use shielding paint only in my basses (yes some people say it is less conductive but that's ok)
I always bring 2. I had one bass where the copper shielding foil came undone and shorted out the electronics. In addition to the extra bass I also use shielding paint only in my basses (yes some people say it is less conductive but that's ok)
You have to decide this for yourself.
As for me, my instrument is pretty high up the list. I do carry a DI and a spare microhead as well.
Along with the other obvious stuff like strings, tools, cables, batteries, etc., I think that having those things on hand puts me squarely in the realm of being a responsible, conscientious performer in the minds of most. I doubt any rational person really expects me to carry a spare PA or automobile in my gig bag, or would fault me for not having two of every single thing needed for a succesful performance. Anyone who criticizes me for not having those things can go take a leap. I obviously make the effort, and I've got my personal bases (and basses) covered.
As for pedals, with bass I use them sparingly and if my board or an individual pedal died I could do without and it wouldn't make a big difference. But if I DID rely heavily on pedals for my unique sound or the success of the material we played, I WOULD, if at all possible, pack spares of the most neccesary effects to get me through the gig if one died (although, and this is pure speculation, I think most effect pedals are a little hardier than most basses I've seen...but I have no way of proving that). Considering how far the technology has come for self-contained all-in-one boxes, I might try to get one of the smaller versions and program some patches, to at least let me limp along. The point being, I'd make the effort if my and the band's sound were that critically dependant upon those effects.
I'm a guitar player in a band at the moment, and I use a variety of effects throughout a typical performance. I do not bring a spare pedal board or pedals. But I honestly can't think of any one pedal or effect that would stop the show dead in it's tracks if it died (the way it would if my only guitar or bass died). It would change our sound a bit, but we would hammer through it with energy and enthusiasm, and I'm willing to bet only a couple of people in the room would even notice.
And I have yet to call you or any of the other one-bass people "crazy." It's your choice to err on the side of faith, my choice to err on the side of caution. You are free to expound on the benefits of carrying one bass (and the potential drawbacks of bringing two), I am free to expound on the benefits of bringing a spare (and the potential drawbacks of only bringing one). Let the reader decide for his or her self. It really is that simple.
(BTW--The "small minority" I referred to are people for whom it is literally physically impossible to transport more than one bass, for whatever reason. I believe for the vast majority, it is possible.)
Terrible. The question is, though, do you plan contingency around that kind of [extremely unlikely] equipment failure by lugging an extra instrument to each and every gig? For me, the answer is no.
I guess there's always the chance that an asteroid will crash through the roof of the club I'm playing in and land on my amp. There's a chance.
Yeah, that's why I carry two basses, a DI, and a spare microhead. I have an irrational asteroid phobia.
Again, thanks for keeping it real.
Honestly, an extra bass doesn't take up that much more space, or weigh that much more when carting into a venue. I keep my spare in a gig bag. It goes over my shoulder, my pedal board is slung on the other, I wheel my amp/cab with 1 hand and carry my hardshell in the other. 1 trip, no hassles!
Better safe than sorry!
well I don't bring 2 of everything but for me an extra bass covers a lot of ground in terms of redundancy, and it is not a huge hassle. I don't carry 2 amps or 2 sets of cabs though because it would be unpractical.
Also I run a server/data center as my day job so redundancy is always at the back of my mind
But this is not the norm, and it is not good advice. Just breaking a string in the middle of a set will happen from time to time and having a spare to pick up and carry on is professional.
If you break a string with your well maintained expensive bass and you have to stop the show to fix that, the crowd and club owner will notice that MUCH more than they will notice your expensive bass. And it could cause you to lose future gigs.
Even $100,000 cars get flat tires.
It was just an extreme example to illustrate a point. If you took offense, I meant none - but it tells me that I am onto something.
Generally, I'd recommend continuing to the end of the set without your string and changing it before the next set.
Been gigging regularly since 1967. Broken about 2 strings in that time and always carry spare strings, so no great problem.
I only had one bass up until about 7 years ago so only took one, still take one and cannot see it changing although I now have 9 or 10 (I loose count).
Having said that it always travels with me, in a well fitting hard case and is on a good stand on stage. I treat it with the care and respect that a good instrument deserves (rather than throwing it in with the rest of the gear in a gig bag as I have seen others do).
I only had one bass up until about 7 years ago so only took one, still take one and cannot see it changing although I now have 9 or 10 (I loose count).
Having said that it always travels with me, in a well fitting hard case and is on a good stand on stage. I treat it with the care and respect that a good instrument deserves (rather than throwing it in with the rest of the gear in a gig bag as I have seen others do).
Not sure what you're "on to," but I'm not offended, it was more like this for me
I'd say bass failures are a slightly more common occurance than asteroids hitting the earth, wouldn't you? So you can say you didn't mean to offend the sensibilities and intelligence of folks who bring a backup bass, but I suspect otherwise. In my case, nice try. Wouldn't it be great if every bass line, or every player, could actually allow that and sound just as good with one less string? Or if we even wanted to take that approach, like there's no option? But that's not the case for many players. I've been at it 35 years, and though I'm sure I could manage it, rather than re-write the bass line and limp along with a missing string, I'd much prefer the five-second guitar change.
YMMV
I bring at least 3 basses just for their different flavor, but I agree with the above and opt for a 5 second bass change. Heck, I even bring a backup strat for my guitar player and I can't tell you how many time's I've saved his butt. Restringing a floyd rose equipped guitar
takes at least 15 minutes.
takes at least 15 minutes.
How simple are your bass lines that you can limp through that easily? I mean, if you're playing root note stuff, sure...but try something complex with a missing D or G string.
Crowds & club owners notice more than you do when there's a lull. A 10 second lull feels like a minute to the crowd. Given that on most basses, due to the bridge not being a quick release, a string change will take close to a minute (including time to find the string, open the package and get it on). That's not worth potentially screwing your band out of return gigs or having your dance floor clear out. Your livelihood, and your band-mates' is on the line.
My guitar player got a new Gibson LP in the summer and we had 3 gigs lined up after he got it. 1 of them was a wedding for a friend and we had to take a 10 minute break for him to restring. I started carrying my Strat as a spare for him to use, as he couldn't justify having 2 guitars (even though he saw the point we were trying to make). Needless to say, he broke different strings at the next 2 gigs & needed to use my Strat.
He's since had the guitar looked at & rounded over the saddles a bit & fixed the break angle, but he would have been screwed and we wouldn't have been invited back for more gigs if he hadn't had my backup.
