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Are two basses REALLY needed to bring to gigs?
- Thread starter Alex Huddleston
- Start date
Fix it with your portable drill-pickup winder-soldering gun-and-string winder in 1 that you carry in your wheel in craftsman tool box.
... and get 'er all done in the seven to ten seconds the vocalist gives you while they introduce the next song.
Interesting note on the whole idiot + close proximity to bass = bad times deal.
One of my buddies has been playing out for lord knows how long, and at one gig he was leaning over and talking to the drummer about a song he had coming up or something, and some drunk was walking by the stage with a full pitcher of beer, got bumped into and proceeded to crash into the stage right into him, and in the process ruined his pickups, as well as knocking off a tuner when the bass went crashing into the kit.
One of my buddies has been playing out for lord knows how long, and at one gig he was leaning over and talking to the drummer about a song he had coming up or something, and some drunk was walking by the stage with a full pitcher of beer, got bumped into and proceeded to crash into the stage right into him, and in the process ruined his pickups, as well as knocking off a tuner when the bass went crashing into the kit.
What if you have a wardrobe malfunction of any kind - always take a spare set of clothes?
Car trouble - do you use a trailer hitch and take a spare vehicle for every gig? What if the hitch breaks?
Speaker cab when you have no PA- always take a spare? Spare amp?
What if the spare bass that you don't use very often comes out of the case with a problem?
You never know...might die along the way. I make sure to bring a spare me as well!
I wouldn't be surprised if some probability calculator showed that it's just as likely someone would hit a telephone pole in their car on the way to the gig as they would have their bass cease to work at any given time at the gig.I was in a thread just like this a few months ago and the word "unprofessional" was being thrown around then.
How many people in this thread have actually had one of their basses knocked over by someone on stage?
If I was at a gig and that happened to me, I'd be far more worried about the guts of my favorite Fender strewn about a dusty bar than I would about 5 minutes of dead air.
If I was at a gig and that happened to me, I'd be far more worried about the guts of my favorite Fender strewn about a dusty bar than I would about 5 minutes of dead air.
Cool, I've heard the "Nursing Home Circut" has very well behaved audiences.
Not true. I do a lot of pro bono nursing home gigs. The audience varies from people who are near comatose to ones that are kinda out of control. Generally few problems but there have been a couple of guys who had mental issues that I could sense didn't fully understand the situation.
That said, very satisfying gigs to play. It is awesome to see people in miserable situations come alive when the music plays. On the 4th we played the VA hospital and a guy came up afterward and thanked us for "the best entertainment" he'd had during the 4 months he'd been there (he was in his mid 40's).
Highly recommended experience - apologies for the hijack. btw for those gigs I only bring my Rob Allen. We do multiple gigs a day at different places and the less I have to carry the better.
Never said anything about fans. Not everyone at a show is there to see every band. Also, lots of people play in bars. Drunks are known for behaving stupidly, regardless of what bands they like.
It amazes me the amount of flamebait that flies on this site.
Maybe... the idea that things WILL, not MIGHT go bad is pretty paranoid. If it's true I guess I'm way overdue.
I've never got the reputation of being a guy who had to quit the gig in the middle and drive home either. If my bass is in any way questionable I don't take it. I take one I trust implicitily. If I know a knob was a little loose or a jack made a slight noise or the bass sounds different than normal, I either check it out or leave it home and check it out later.
Of course I'm staring fate in the face, just begging for a problem
That reminds me, I did have one gig back in the 80's where I had bought a new Washburn 6 string and the scarf jojnt on the neck separated when I took it out of the case. I had another bass with me because the Washburn was an unknown gig-wise. That's when I'll definitely take a spare again.
Yes, as usual, you COULD be wrong! Having no respect for Murphy is really asking for trouble. It's like teenagers laughing at 25 year olds because they think they'll never be "old"!
Sure keeping your bass totally serviced is very un-guitar player like, and perhaps a bit paranoid, but what I'd call a "really good start". Personally I don't know how some guys can stand to play an instrument with loose knobs, switches or jacks and act like everything is totally normal!
So your bass is perfect. So was mine. Weld on guitar stand snaps off. Stand totally unusable. Guitar players have no extra stand (of course). So I'm leaning my bass in a corner on the stage. Half in the bag guy wanders up to make an announcement. My bass falls over. Now the next part was actually in truth "no damage". But just as easily could have been "headstock splits" or other equal disaster. If you think it was my "special" qualities and extraordinary "luck" that saved my butt and I really don't need to worry about this crap, let me say that I'm never going anywhere with you if you are driving!
Call that "paranoid" if you wish. I call it "stayin' alive".
I had a friend who did a really important showcase in front of a bunch of industry people years ago... Halfway through the set the second guitarist had the little tab inside the cable jack break. He spent the rest of the set playing air guitar with the cable hanging out, because he didn't have another one and didn't know what else to do. Needless to say, they got no love from the record people.
Whether you're in construction, or a lumberjack, or whatever... No professional only shows up with one of anything that can break.
Whether you're in construction, or a lumberjack, or whatever... No professional only shows up with one of anything that can break.
what's funny is i know a ton of professionals who make decent to good money and only bring one instrument to their gigs. including me. calling it unprofessional to bring only one is stupid unless all you own is cheap junk hanging by a thread. go tell jeff berlin he's unprofessional. or mike stern. or jerry casale. i can keep going on and on.You never know...might die along the way. I make sure to bring a spare me as well!
I was in a thread just like this a few months ago and the word "unprofessional" was being thrown around then.
besides, how the hell are you going to fly with more than one bass? i've tried it before and it's a horror show.
i wonder how many people who say to bring more than one at all times actually make a living playing music.
wrong. a ton of professionals do it. they just bring stuff that doesn't fall apart. call me unprofessional and i will laugh in your face. and unlike most of you throwing around the "u" word, i have the credentials.
That's why I'm not calling anyone unprofessional.
But bringing two certainly gives me piece of mind.
But bringing two certainly gives me piece of mind.
I try my hardest not to bring 2. I haven't for 25+ years. My recent run of bad luck (some was not preventable, maybe one situation was) made me rethink m stance, but after a couple weeks have passed and everything is "fixed" I am back to only wanting one bass at a gig. I am back to my 4 or 5 string debate. I'd like to for 4 for a while, but a few tunes will need to be reworked...maybe that's OK.
i only used to take 1 when i giged in school bands. Now i always take 2. id rather be prepared for something that might happen than not be!
Lets be honest, if a string snaps, its going to happen during a song. not wait untill the end of it. so unless you can figure out quickly how to get to the end of it with out using that string, your going to look a tool changing a string on stage.
its not just strings snapping that can happen, anything can!
no one in the crowd cares about what circumstances your in, or why youve only got the one bass! there there for a good time.
What would you think if you were watching a band and all of a sudden the bassist stops to change a string? theyll stop what ever momentum they had going
also wouldnt rely on using another bassists equipment with out checking with them before the night! What would you say if some bloke you didnt know asked to play use your bass? i wouldnt be happy about it for sure!
Lets be honest, if a string snaps, its going to happen during a song. not wait untill the end of it. so unless you can figure out quickly how to get to the end of it with out using that string, your going to look a tool changing a string on stage.
its not just strings snapping that can happen, anything can!
no one in the crowd cares about what circumstances your in, or why youve only got the one bass! there there for a good time.
What would you think if you were watching a band and all of a sudden the bassist stops to change a string? theyll stop what ever momentum they had going
also wouldnt rely on using another bassists equipment with out checking with them before the night! What would you say if some bloke you didnt know asked to play use your bass? i wouldnt be happy about it for sure!
The gear I use is all in top notch shape, as is my guitar player and drummers stuff, but that still doesn't mean any of us were immune to odd ball problems.
Playing a $4000 bass wouldn't have cured any of the issues I've ever had myself, or seen others have. A Sadowsky isn't any less prone to being slammed into by an enthusiastic show goer than an SX or American Fender.
What do you suggest I play to cure that kind of issue?
My stance is based on not having gigs where my gear has physical contact with the audience (or anyone for that matter). In your case I guess I'd wear a helmet.
The gear I use is all in top notch shape, as is my guitar player and drummers stuff, but that still doesn't mean any of us were immune to odd ball problems.
Playing a $4000 bass wouldn't have cured any of the issues I've ever had myself, or seen others have. A Sadowsky isn't any less prone to being slammed into by an enthusiastic show goer than an SX or American Fender.
What do you suggest I play to cure that kind of issue?
I didn't say anything about expensive, I said better. Better could be a well maintained $500 P bass... and IME it does make you less susceptible to oddball problems.
