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Are two basses REALLY needed to bring to gigs?
- Thread starter Alex Huddleston
- Start date
Did you twist the knobs to see what was going on? I've just never had a dirty tone pot go out without "popping" back in after being twisted a few times. But even so, dirty pots tend to give plenty of warning in the form of scratchy noises, unless they're just turned full on and left there for years. Contact cleaner is good for regular maintenance, too.
I get asked to bring two basses to gigs quite a bit. I am frequently asked to bring the upright bass and double on electric bass, when playing orchestral "pops' concerts. I spend time in the orchestra section and then play electric on the tunes they ask me to play. Impossible in that case to just bring one. But I think that may be a little far afield from your original intent.
A second bass (for backup/emergency options, if nothing else) gives piece of mind, and at 8-12 pounds, is so little "extra" to carry around, the benefits of the extra effort outweighs the disadvantages.
Anything could potentially happen to any one bass, but having two basses that within a span of a gig becoming ungigable/upplayable? Much more unlikely. Never impossible. Much much more unlikely.
As slim as the chance may be that my bass would leave me stranded for whatever reason, I can’t even imagine how horrible and embarrassing a feeling that would be, not to mention how I’d be letting so many people down.
For the peace of mind alone I would have one somewhere nearby.
For cryin’ out loud… you can get a cheapazz backup bass for near nothing and leave it in the trunk of your car if you’re lazy (like me).
And if you’ve been gigging without a backup for the last 6/60 years, unless you’re finished gigging, you’d be wise to go get one before your next gig.
+1 on the hardshell case, the lack of which is just another potential reason to have your base damaged,
even a cheap one
http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/EXO-Deluxe-ABS-Hard-shell-Electric-Bass-Guitar-Case.html
For the peace of mind alone I would have one somewhere nearby.
For cryin’ out loud… you can get a cheapazz backup bass for near nothing and leave it in the trunk of your car if you’re lazy (like me).
And if you’ve been gigging without a backup for the last 6/60 years, unless you’re finished gigging, you’d be wise to go get one before your next gig.
+1 on the hardshell case, the lack of which is just another potential reason to have your base damaged,
even a cheap one
http://www.worldmusicsupply.com/EXO-Deluxe-ABS-Hard-shell-Electric-Bass-Guitar-Case.html
themacinator
Always looking for the perfect gig
- Oct 8, 2009
- 1,511
- 138
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Babicz FCH Hardware
I think this is VERY solid advice. Although I have all of the above in terms of cab, SansAmp DI, etc. a young person starting to gig can find all this difficult to acquire. The MIM will get you very close.
twisted it, noticed there was no effect, and it was scratchy feeling. That's why I tried the contact cleaner. I leave it on full all the time, and for all I know its been like that for 30 years.
maybe some preventative maintenance could have prevented it. I was certainly caught by surprise though.
I only take 2 basses when 2 different sounds are needed. Acoustic, solid body, URB, fretless, 5er etc...
I've never - in over 20 years of gigging - needed a 2nd bass as a backup.
Take a spare set of strings in case you break one. If it happens mid song - get ready to play it using 3 strings!
One of the most impressive things I've ever seen is a band who's bassist/lead singer broke and changed a string mid song while continuing to sing the song. The band didn't skip a beat.
I've never - in over 20 years of gigging - needed a 2nd bass as a backup.
Take a spare set of strings in case you break one. If it happens mid song - get ready to play it using 3 strings!
One of the most impressive things I've ever seen is a band who's bassist/lead singer broke and changed a string mid song while continuing to sing the song. The band didn't skip a beat.
I currently use 2 for a couple of reasons.
1. It gets them both more 'playing time'
2. I play weekly in a praise band at a 12 step ministry. We do 6 songs for the service. Four upbeat praise songs and 2 mellow offering/altar call type songs. My Rickenbacker is perfect for the upbeat and my Hofner CT with the flatwounds is perfect for the mellow songs.
We are also going to start doing a Sunday morning contemporary worship service at our newest campus starting August 1st. I will probably do the same with my Peavey Foundation S and my Ibanez SR300, which also has flatwounds.
Jack
1. It gets them both more 'playing time'
2. I play weekly in a praise band at a 12 step ministry. We do 6 songs for the service. Four upbeat praise songs and 2 mellow offering/altar call type songs. My Rickenbacker is perfect for the upbeat and my Hofner CT with the flatwounds is perfect for the mellow songs.
We are also going to start doing a Sunday morning contemporary worship service at our newest campus starting August 1st. I will probably do the same with my Peavey Foundation S and my Ibanez SR300, which also has flatwounds.
Jack
I bought an SX 5-string for one of the churches I play at. It stays at the church so that it's available to play on the Sundays that I'm playing at my own church. On rare occasions I'll show up on Sunday empty handed and just plug that bass into the PA. Usually, though, I'll bring my fretless and my MarkBass F1 and plug into the cabinet that I've left at the church. I prefer the way my fretless sounds for some of the more mellow, expressive songs.
Twice I've had the SX fail on me and had to fall back on my fretless to do everything. Once was a rehearsal, but the other time was during a service.
Twice I've had the SX fail on me and had to fall back on my fretless to do everything. Once was a rehearsal, but the other time was during a service.
yes. no one knows what can happen with one single bass, even with good care.
one time for me, at reharsal. Thankfully it was not a gig, and our chick singer had a solder iron at home. Since, i always carry two basses.
one time for me, at reharsal. Thankfully it was not a gig, and our chick singer had a solder iron at home. Since, i always carry two basses.
- Jun 3, 2009
- 3,330
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- Disclosures
- Bassgearu, Music Industry Consulting and Sales. Tech 21, NBE Corp, Sonosphere.
The backup amp discussion is really more interesting. Since most gigs will take you direct or you can even take yourself direct, having a good DI Like the SansAmp, Hartke or Sadowsky preamp is my "backup". Yeah, sucks if your amp craps out and you can't hear yourself well, but fortunately bass can be run direct easier then guitar, so less likely to have catastrophic gig effect if the amp goes.
I occassionally carry and additional head, never an additional cab. Now that I've said that I'm sure I just jinxed myself...
I occassionally carry and additional head, never an additional cab. Now that I've said that I'm sure I just jinxed myself...
For now I’ve been using a BMAX preamp, and I always plug direct into the snake box, which is always right near me whether I’m mixing there or the mixer/processing rack is out front with a sound guy.
I suppose the preamp could take a dump on me. Maybe I should consider investing in a little bass pod or something for a backup.
Most places we play are a bit cramped and the one stack is right near me, and I can hear myself adequately through the PA.
- Jun 3, 2009
- 3,330
- 398
- Disclosures
- Bassgearu, Music Industry Consulting and Sales. Tech 21, NBE Corp, Sonosphere.
Most of my gigs lately have been in a small club, the Saint in Asbury Park, NJ. You usually don't get to use your own sound guy, so I try to control the sound by asking him to put me flat into the board from my VXL pedal and use my pedal for tuning the room augmented by my Hartke rig. That way I know what I will get. I find most sound guys understand tweeking guitars much better then bass in a room.
But bringing it all back, carry spare gear, especially your axe if you can, because without an axe you got no sound, baby, and all the cabs and amps don't matter.
And never lend it to another band unless you know the dude or dudette well. A lesson hard learned is lending your bass or backline to someone and they start treating it like they treat their equipment (which is usually not the way you do, and I mean that in a bad way.) First time you get the bass back and see the huge belt trough on the back will cure you of that quickly...
But bringing it all back, carry spare gear, especially your axe if you can, because without an axe you got no sound, baby, and all the cabs and amps don't matter.
And never lend it to another band unless you know the dude or dudette well. A lesson hard learned is lending your bass or backline to someone and they start treating it like they treat their equipment (which is usually not the way you do, and I mean that in a bad way.) First time you get the bass back and see the huge belt trough on the back will cure you of that quickly...
I’ve never been asked by a stranger to borrow a bass.
That would be a tough situation for me, as I’m one of those softies that can’t say “no” for some reason, especially if a bass player was in dire need.
I play five-string, but I have this old Rogue four-string I paid about $10 for (actually plays/sounds fine) and since I have plenty of space in the trailer, I’ll throw that thing in there for such a situation, haha.
All the angles and explanations for everybody's habits represented here are fine, but if my student asked my advice I'd tell him to bring a backup bass and head, and keep a DI on-hand. Keep 'em handy, within reach. If you never need any of it, good! But "20 trouble-free years" of gig history, in my book, is fiction when it comes to reality in the present.
And if you want to be seen as a together cat, you'd best not get caught in a preventable situation.
Nothing like a little complacency...
And if you want to be seen as a together cat, you'd best not get caught in a preventable situation.
Nothing like a little complacency...
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.
I do feel like it.
This post says it all. Humans generally worry about exactly the wrong thing. Having your bass crump on stage would be embarrassing, so it tops the list of worries, when statistically, there are probably about a million other things more likely to go wrong that are completely out of your control. I've seen way more vehicles, amps, cords, bass drum pedals etc. fail than basses.
We all have different risk tolerances. Take a second bass if it makes you feel better, but personally, I'm not going to lug a second bass around for what is a very unlikely contingency.
when i gig, i bring 4 basses, one in standard, one half-step down, and one a full step down, and a backup. i never had to use my backup but its there so i can tune that to replace the bass that isn't usable for whatever reason rather than having to change tunings on one of the original 3 multiple times.
TOOLS! Man, you are SO right there. I am a technician by trade and no matter where I go, tools are with me because you never know what may come down the line.
