I bring two basses that have very different tonal characteristics. My main 5'er has a great rock tone, and is pretty versatile with an active/passive switch and 3-band preamp. But some songs I prefer to use my modded Squier VM fretless 4-string bass, strung with flats. It's more about versatility than having a backup.
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Are two basses REALLY needed to bring to gigs?
- Thread starter Alex Huddleston
- Start date
Yes! Exactly! I hear all this bass backup blah blah...but amps are far more prone to issues...and not many advocate a backup amp.
Hah! I would like that guarantee in writing please.
I must have been playing for at least a hundred years then.
Not needed. Clubs can send you direct. You really don't even need to bring an amp at all to most decent gigs if you didn't feel like it.
- Dec 28, 2009
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- Endorsed by K.B. Guitars, Nordstrand Audio Pickups, Von York Strings and Gallien-Krueger Amps.
I am in the group that says if you are doing gigs, have at least two basses and play them both regularly so you know right away if there are any problems. I will give you a recent example. This last Christmas my oldest boys band was going to be playing their first gig at a church for the Christmas play. We all showed up and everything was going great until it was their time to play. The guitarists guitar went dead with no sound. She freaked out because that was the only electric guitar she owned. Fortunately, right before they went on, I was able to pull off the pick guard on her guitar and noticed the input jack had a wire fall off of it. I was able to jimmy rig it and she was able to use it very gingerly for the gig with minimal issues. Now, had they been playing when this happened, they would have had to cancel their part in the show due to no other guitars in the building.
Look, unforeseen things happen and it only takes one of those things to happen and you not have a back up bass to give you a bad name and not asked to return as a performer again. If you are in a situation where you can keep two basses, then do so. If not, then if something bad does happen, hope the people you played for are understanding.
Look, unforeseen things happen and it only takes one of those things to happen and you not have a back up bass to give you a bad name and not asked to return as a performer again. If you are in a situation where you can keep two basses, then do so. If not, then if something bad does happen, hope the people you played for are understanding.
Just for fun I'll reiterate some advice:
2 basses;
2 heads;
Spare strings;
Small tool set- whatever you need to change a battery if need be- and spare battery;
Spare cable;
Some kind of external DI unit is a great idea.
If you have a problem and can recover yourself without it becoming anyone else's problem, you will get remembered for it- and called again.
2 basses;
2 heads;
Spare strings;
Small tool set- whatever you need to change a battery if need be- and spare battery;
Spare cable;
Some kind of external DI unit is a great idea.
If you have a problem and can recover yourself without it becoming anyone else's problem, you will get remembered for it- and called again.
I always bring two basses to gigs. It's the condom mentality. I'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. Sure you can change a string, on stage mid-song but it just looks bad. It takes far less time to pick up another bass and continue on. If you have the means to carry 2 basses to a show, I highly recommend it.
I've carried two basses -- at least -- for years, not including my EUB. Plus, usually always a direct box, spare batteries for the wireless, cable, patch cables, speaker cable, and a multi-tool.
The spare cables and batteries get used all the time. But I've only needed the spare bass once, IIRC. It was about this time last year at a personally important hometown gig for our guit. My main bass crapped out, so I pulled out my spare. Played the gig and did fine. Re-booked it for this year. Played that one a couple weeks ago and re-booked next year.
Would we have rebooked the first time if I hadn't had a spare bass? Don't know. But I'd hate to have to wonder about it knowing I lost money over the extra stouble of carrying a spare bass......
dcr
The spare cables and batteries get used all the time. But I've only needed the spare bass once, IIRC. It was about this time last year at a personally important hometown gig for our guit. My main bass crapped out, so I pulled out my spare. Played the gig and did fine. Re-booked it for this year. Played that one a couple weeks ago and re-booked next year.
Would we have rebooked the first time if I hadn't had a spare bass? Don't know. But I'd hate to have to wonder about it knowing I lost money over the extra stouble of carrying a spare bass......
dcr
I always bring two basses with me on a gig. They're sort of backups as they're both P-basses but one has flats and the other rounds. In a pinch one would replace the other for songs.
From last night
Bass one: E string popped out of the nut AGAIN... About 40 minutes into our set... I decided I didn't wanna risk that happening again and playing the always fun "lets pop this back into the nut mid song when its not even over the neck anymore..."
Link Removed
Bass two
Link Removed
From last night
Bass one: E string popped out of the nut AGAIN... About 40 minutes into our set... I decided I didn't wanna risk that happening again and playing the always fun "lets pop this back into the nut mid song when its not even over the neck anymore..."
Link Removed
Bass two
Link Removed
If you have a spare bass, take it. I dont care if its a cheaper than cheap no name piece of junk, take it.
That night when your 20 or maybe 200 miles from home at a gig, and your getting no signal from your main bass you'll be glad you did 100 times over.....
"the voice of experience".
That night when your 20 or maybe 200 miles from home at a gig, and your getting no signal from your main bass you'll be glad you did 100 times over.....
"the voice of experience".
I broke the E string on the first note of the first song of a gig once.
Muddled through transposing the notes below A up an octave.
But I didn't have a backup bass. So the singer had to do some talking while I restrung as quickly as possible. Would've been better to get through the set on a spare and restring my main bass between sets.
Lessons learned:
1. Always have a spare set of strings.
2. A string winder can really speed things up in an emergency (I have one of those neat-o Kinal wooden ones.)
3. BRING A SPARE BASS if you can.
Muddled through transposing the notes below A up an octave.
But I didn't have a backup bass. So the singer had to do some talking while I restrung as quickly as possible. Would've been better to get through the set on a spare and restring my main bass between sets.
Lessons learned:
1. Always have a spare set of strings.
2. A string winder can really speed things up in an emergency (I have one of those neat-o Kinal wooden ones.)
3. BRING A SPARE BASS if you can.
rockstarbassist
Inactive
Unless you only play a few songs.
Since 1965, these are the ONLY times a backup was NEEDED and gladly on a stand onstage:
1) Cutoff, La in the late 70's and a 64 T-Bird got knocked over snapping off the machine head
2) Early 80's, somewhere, 64 T-Bird tailpiece launches(screws, bridge, and strings!)
3) Late 80's, tuning from drop D the E string pops
4) March 2010, bass starts cutting out during a song, put it down and pickup an exact copy mid-song. Turned out the tone pot nut loosened and let the whole pot turn so the internal wiring shorted to the pot.
Usually one of the two has NEW or close-to-new strings. I start out playing the one with the oldest strings but IF they're "deadness" bothers me, I swap to the newer-strung one.
Your call but I've seen "gig delays" that really suck because one player had no backup.
It is one way to empty a club, have a panic attack, lose "friends", and have bandmates glare at you all rolled into one event.
I'd sell one and get gear but bring two.
Since 1965, these are the ONLY times a backup was NEEDED and gladly on a stand onstage:
1) Cutoff, La in the late 70's and a 64 T-Bird got knocked over snapping off the machine head
2) Early 80's, somewhere, 64 T-Bird tailpiece launches(screws, bridge, and strings!)
3) Late 80's, tuning from drop D the E string pops
4) March 2010, bass starts cutting out during a song, put it down and pickup an exact copy mid-song. Turned out the tone pot nut loosened and let the whole pot turn so the internal wiring shorted to the pot.
Usually one of the two has NEW or close-to-new strings. I start out playing the one with the oldest strings but IF they're "deadness" bothers me, I swap to the newer-strung one.
Your call but I've seen "gig delays" that really suck because one player had no backup.
It is one way to empty a club, have a panic attack, lose "friends", and have bandmates glare at you all rolled into one event.
I'd sell one and get gear but bring two.
I ALWAYS bring at least two basses. I rarely ever use the other one but It has been a life saver in the past.
Don't sell both! You will need it eventually!
Don't sell both! You will need it eventually!
I bring the second for one of 2 reasons- convenience (don't feel like retuning down to D just for those 1 or 2 songs) or I want the mellow sound from my flatwounds on the other bass
Oh yeah, forgot to add, ditch the idea of a hard case. I own hard cases for most of my basses, but thats only if I'm storing them in my house.
I use an incase dub bag. Its pricey, but nothing will damage your instruments save running them over with the gig mobile in the parking lot after. Its also really light weight and can take a lot of abuse. I've been throwing mine around for 2 years and I bought it used from some guy who also threw it around for awhile.
Its also a lot easier to bring two basses to a gig.
If you really wanna get a case, gator makes a nice soft "hard" case
I use an incase dub bag. Its pricey, but nothing will damage your instruments save running them over with the gig mobile in the parking lot after. Its also really light weight and can take a lot of abuse. I've been throwing mine around for 2 years and I bought it used from some guy who also threw it around for awhile.
Its also a lot easier to bring two basses to a gig.
If you really wanna get a case, gator makes a nice soft "hard" case
For 20 years I only took one bass to gigs -- for most of that time, I only OWNED one bass! But I also took a good sized tool box that had all the tools I'd need (including soldering equipment), extra strings, jacks, wire, tubes, cables . . . never failed to finish a job, rarely had any problems. Now, though, I usually have a second (or third) bass along, just for variety in sound and show.
But I'd never take my stuff on the road without a hardshell case.
But I'd never take my stuff on the road without a hardshell case.
Having two basses at a gig also allows you to switch basses between songs if you think the other one would sound better on a particular song. I take two basses to every gig, along with spare everythings and tools. If people think I'm a gear whore, they're right. But I've never let my band down or lost our audience due to equipment problems.
The point of the hardshell case for me isn't to protect my cheaper basses from dings and scratches because of the value of the instrument, but more so to keep them from being damaged during the moving of gear in between sets so they don't get stepped on and such. I'm in a metal band too so there's plenty of moving big, heavy amps on and off stage. So what I'm getting from this is it's pretty much a 50/50 split on whether or not people bring a backup. Since we have no gigging experience, most of our starting shows will be 30 minute sets opening for some of the bigger local bands in the area, most likely for free for awhile. I'll definitely keep a spare set of strings with a speed-winder in my case, but I think I should be able to skate by with taking 1 bass to a gig while saving up for eventually getting a more expensive bass like a stingray or something
Its really hard for me to believe anyone even needs to have a discussion on this. Not that I care what anyone wants to do, but here's a story that happened to me this friday.
I'm playing 3 sets, 60 miles from my house. I'm playing my 1978 Fender Jazz bass, that I have had for a couple months. About halfway through the first set I am thinking "my god, I have the best sounding bass in the whole world" (it was a good tone night) During the next to last song of the 1st set, I can't hear my bass anymore. I stick my head right up next to the cabinet, and I can hear a little noise, but not much. We are in the middle of a song, so I assume my amp crapped out on me, and I plug into my DI box (for emergencies) and I get through the last 2 songs, unable to hear myself. I figure I'm going to have to use the backup head I keep around (for emergencies) (crate powerblock, its tiny as can be, and I figure its insurance for me and my guitar player)
So between the 1st and second sets, I plugged my other bass, which I tune half a step down, into my amp, and its working fine. I then take the control plate off, with the tools that we have around (for emergencies) Everything looks cool, I have no idea whats going on, and I'm kind of freaked out about what happened to my bass, but I just end up retuning my other bass and finishing the night.
Apparently there was something wrong with the tone pot, I cleaned it up, and sprayed contact cleaner in it yesterday, and now its working fine.
Visually it was fine, I don't abuse my gear, and I've been playing it every weekend since I got it a couple months ago.
I think I'm going to buy a small bottle of contact cleaner and throw in my gig bag (for future emergencies)
Now extra strings certainly were not going to save me from the disaster, and I was not going to start poking around this particular bass in the middle of the night with a soldering iron. There was no other band to borrow gear from, and no music store open. Even if was willing to go to walmart and play a first act the rest of the night, that would take way too long.
I am not going to say everyone who doesn't bring a backup bass is unprofessional, but if what happened to me happened to you, what is your plan to take care of it?
I'm playing 3 sets, 60 miles from my house. I'm playing my 1978 Fender Jazz bass, that I have had for a couple months. About halfway through the first set I am thinking "my god, I have the best sounding bass in the whole world" (it was a good tone night) During the next to last song of the 1st set, I can't hear my bass anymore. I stick my head right up next to the cabinet, and I can hear a little noise, but not much. We are in the middle of a song, so I assume my amp crapped out on me, and I plug into my DI box (for emergencies) and I get through the last 2 songs, unable to hear myself. I figure I'm going to have to use the backup head I keep around (for emergencies) (crate powerblock, its tiny as can be, and I figure its insurance for me and my guitar player)
So between the 1st and second sets, I plugged my other bass, which I tune half a step down, into my amp, and its working fine. I then take the control plate off, with the tools that we have around (for emergencies) Everything looks cool, I have no idea whats going on, and I'm kind of freaked out about what happened to my bass, but I just end up retuning my other bass and finishing the night.
Apparently there was something wrong with the tone pot, I cleaned it up, and sprayed contact cleaner in it yesterday, and now its working fine.
Visually it was fine, I don't abuse my gear, and I've been playing it every weekend since I got it a couple months ago.
I think I'm going to buy a small bottle of contact cleaner and throw in my gig bag (for future emergencies)
Now extra strings certainly were not going to save me from the disaster, and I was not going to start poking around this particular bass in the middle of the night with a soldering iron. There was no other band to borrow gear from, and no music store open. Even if was willing to go to walmart and play a first act the rest of the night, that would take way too long.
I am not going to say everyone who doesn't bring a backup bass is unprofessional, but if what happened to me happened to you, what is your plan to take care of it?
