Always bring a backup bass!

[bass12]

I have never brought a backup bass to a gig before. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't a good idea to bring a backup. I have to say though - a lot of the gigs I've played where a backup would have been an especially good idea (gigs that were a long distance away in remote areas) didn't allow for a backup. By this I mean there simply wasn't enough room in the cramped car for me to bring anything more than one bass.

 

[michael_atw]

I spent most of my playing career sat on a barstool, what's the issue?.

Probably the issue was he was whipping it around his head like a numb-chuck, it broke the strap button and he was stuck riding a chair while the rest of his post-hardcore speed metal emo fusion scream-o band flailed themselves around like rag-dolls in a hurricane.

Of course, that's all a hypothetical.

 

[PJSShearer]

Probably the issue was he was whipping it around his head like a numb-chuck, it broke the strap button and he was stuck riding a chair while the rest of his post-hardcore speed metal emo fusion scream-o band flailed themselves around like rag-dolls in a hurricane.

Of course, that's all a hypothetical.

I couldn't have done that - either my bow tie would have been in the way - or the cufflink on my right wrist would have got caught in the strings. Perhaps I should have left the ashtrays on?.....

 

[Marley's Ghost]

Played a big show Fri nite with my LB75P strapped on and my Bongo on the stand. Stuff happens and I am not going to take a chance.

 

[pedrodelawasp]

There is no earthly reason to take a backup cabinet. That's just silly.

All,of a sudden my bass sound is starting to get really distorted...I look around at my rig and there's smoke pouring out of the ports in my bass cab... That's a sight I hope none of you ever see. )-([/QUOTE]

The FIRST time I got to use my Ashdown combo at a gig we were half way through our third song. The bass started to sound pretty bad, all distrorted and rattling, followed by a distinct burning smell. Then a bit of a 'bang' followed by deathly on-stage silence (DI was running to FOH, so the audience was none the wiser). I keep playing (knowing I can be heard out front), finish the song then unplug the amp and shift it off to the side quickly and ask the engineer to put me through the monitors. On-stage mix was pretty screwed up from then on (guitar and vox hard to hear, drums POUNDING. No idea why the engineer thought it'd be a good idea to put kick and snare through the front monitors) but apparently one of the best gigs that band ever played, according to some of our regular crowd. Ashdown paid for a courier to take the amp away from the store I bought it from, fixed it and sent it back within a week, which was pretty damn good. A faulty batch of transistors was apparently to blame for a few similar incidents.
I really learned the value of DI boxes that night. Must save up for really a good one of my own (I generally borrow an old LEEM one for now. Very basic, but a decent clean signal all the same)

 

[BassZilla5]

I got REALLY lucky once...
Back when I only owned one bass, my HipShot Extender Key took a dump on me shortly after arriving at a recording studio. The band I was in at the time was recording a demo - good thing this wasn't a paying gig! While we were tuning up something stripped out on the inside of the Hipshot and the more I tried to tune sharp, the flatter the string went. Awesome.
Fortunately, we were close to a music store (Chuck Levin's in D.C. - don't even know if it's still there) and one of their techs was able to pull parts off a Schaller tuner that the extender was based on and get me up and running in about 15 minutes.
Luckily, I only ever suffered the occasional broken string until I was able to afford a backup. Never left home without one since...

 

[CrimsonGhost]

i broke my strap button and had to play the rest of the gig sitting on a bar stool,things that happen once in a lifetime specially when you don't have another bass!

Gaffer tape FTW!

 

[Roedkill]

I always take back up cords, cables, fuses, tools etc...and a back up bass... if something goes wrong; two is one-one is none...

 

[JoZac21]

This would be much easier if I didn't live in NYC and had a car... I never bring a back-up bass, simply because I can't... it's hard enough lugging one around on the subway!

 

[Diogenes]

Never had to rely on a backup but lugging it to gigs just isn't whine-worthy.

 

[Raymeous]

If you bring a back up you will rarely ever need it, and you'll start to question "why do I lug this thing around" until that one time, that one year, when you DON'T bring it. That will be the day that all hell will break loose and you will kick yourself for not bringing a back up.


DAMN YOU MURPHY!!! (Waves fist in the air)

 

[BassZilla5]

... DAMN YOU MURPHY!!! (Waves fist in the air)

Murphy's Law: If anything can go wrong, it will.

O'Tooles Commentary on Murphy's Law: Murphy was an optimist.

 

[Shardik]

I was at a concert once when the lead guitarist got some electronics issues with his expensive Fender 195something RI Strat. He didn't have a backup. They rearranged the set list, and the lead guitarist had to borrow the vocalist's Les Paul. The break between sets was long. At the beginning of the next set they came on stage with a Squier. It was rumoured that they drove through half of Copenhagen at breakneck speeds to get that backup.

You never know when something craps out on you.

I just ordered a backup bass myself. I only have inexpensive gear, and the backup I ordered will probably be the most expensive at around $300 including shipping. (But then I got some bargains at my two main basses, where I have used my fretless as backup for the fretted up until now (and Vice versa).

 

[Shardik]

There is no earthly reason to take a backup cabinet. That's just silly.

I gig with 2 smaller cabs, a 2x10 on top of a 1x15. So if one goes down, all is not lost. But as it is, the reason is not backup. I prefer to save my back if I can. I think 4x10s (don't get me started on 6x10 or those 8x10s) are too heavy.

 

[Darknut]

In my 30+ years of gigging I've had straps, cords, amps, speakers, strings fail, but I've never needed a backup bass ... not once.

knock on wood

 

[Shardik]

Yeah, and I know there are people smoking 40 sigarettes a day for a lifetime and dying from plain old age at 95. Still doesn't mean it's worth the risk.

To me it seems more likely that something fails in the bass than in the passive speaker cabs... Got to do with simplicity of construction.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Doesn't the sub have the wheel of fortune truss rod adjuster like the Stingrays? I can adjust that thing practically in the middle of a song.
Maybe the lesson here -- for EBMM player at least -- is to keep a drill bit, allen wrench, small screwdriver (I've used all of these in the wheel of fortune before) close by at a gig for on the fly adjustments.

And a lot lighter than carrying an extra bass.

 

[Josh Pelican]

In my current band, I don't have a spare bass setup in the same tuning. I guess that means I should buy another bass. Will my parents/girlfriend fall for this?

But one thing to remember is if you play actives, bring batteries!

 

[66Atlas]

I always go through a "pre-flight" check before a show. Check batteries, Neck adj, output/input jacks, cables etc. And I always carry a truss rod wrench, extra cables and strings. I'll occasionally bring a second bass, but I've never NEEDED it.

I do however bring a back-up head to every gig nowadays. Its a complete beater solid state head I've had since the late 80s. I've never needed it, but when the other band comes up begging to use my amp I pull it out and let them use that.

 

[GeorgeBerlin]

I've been lucky so far and none of my basses ever went broke during a gig in all these years. Now my current band is a two-piece (drums and bass) and a blown bass would be a true show stopper that's why I started to bring a backup whenever possible, plus a briefcase full with spare cables, DI box, tools, strap etc etc.