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Backup Gear?

#21
zachoff said:
I've never had an amp or a bass fail at a show... knock on wood. I have had batteries and cables fail miserably a number of times so I carry extra cables and don't rely on batteries. Straps though... One of those failures that sucks more than anything. Happened once and won't happen again. I've also forgotten my wristband (I've worn one for 20 years), which made for a crappy playing night.
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wristband...lol ;)

i once forgot my strap, and i ended up having to take the shoelaces out of my sneakers. my shoulder hurt for 4 days after that gig. so yeah, i bring an extra strap in my gig bag at all times. small items i don't mind redundancy. big items...nah.
 
#22
I play in stereo, so I always have two rigs with me. In 47 years of gigging I've only had amp problems four times, so the necessity of a spare rig is probably not a real must. I always carry a spare bass also, and that's been much more useful. Various failures of straplocks, batteries, faulty tuners, have made it nice to just grab the back-up and keep right on playing. If you're playing a lot of gigs, inside and outside, even with careful maintenance your bass gets a certain amount of abuse with regular usage.
 
#23
mepex said:
Always a backup bass, always extra batteries, always extra cables. Been using a solid state amp, so no backup amp, but if I start gigging with my new vintage SVT, I'll probably have a backup amp as well. Coreyfyfe, I like the cut of your jib.
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FWIW - aside from the pre-amp tube issue I posted above which was my own fault - as long as I've been gigging with tube amps I've never had a tube amp failure but have had two solidstate amp failures (not my bass amp but parts of the PA system).
 
#24
For important gigs where portability is not a big issue, as is typical of me (Chairperson of the Department of Redundancy Department), I often use two 210 cabs, and besides a couple of basses in a (dual) mono case, I carry a small spare head with the usual compliment of cables, small tools, strings, batteries, etc. Call it my exercise program!
 
#25
coreyfyfe said:
FWIW - aside from the pre-amp tube issue I posted above which was my own fault - as long as I've been gigging with tube amps I've never had a tube amp failure but have had two solidstate amp failures (not my bass amp but parts of the PA system).
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Like you, I've had a tube fail (go microphonic) in a pre-amp, and a solid state amp just plain die (a Vox Essex). However, I also had weird grainy white-noise distortion from a 200 watt Marshall tube head, which was very expensive to cure--and was so long ago that I forget the actual problem, but I did end up replacing ALL the tubes, twice (!). :eek:

Yet, I actually agree with you. In my experience, it is more likely that an amp will suffer a more mechanical-type failure. I mean things like getting dropped, an input or output jack coming apart, a lost fuse cap, environmental heat, liquid spills, theft, etc. :ninja:

The most frequent use I have made of my spares is to back-up someone else's rig!
 
#26
I typically take a second bass with a strap and a cable. I also have been taking an extra amp. My usual gig rig has two cabs. If one goes I can use the other one by itself.
I also bring PA spares - cables, fuses, connectors.
That might be overkill but that's just me, I guess. I'd rather be prepared than sorry.
 
#27
This is one subject that I wonder if I'm really in the minority of, or if it's the case that the more cautious are just more apt to be at TB and post in these threads (of which there are many).

I've never brought a backup bass. I don't understand what could go wrong with a passive Fender with old flat wounds. I've never brought a backup amp but I HAVE thought I should carry a good-quality DI and my poweramp does have two channels, only one of which is ever used.

What I do carry is at least one extra of EVERY type of cable I need. I also carry a mic (saved the day once for a conga player) and some other stuff (including claves and shaker egg) to every rehearsal and gig. I also make it a point to buy good-quality gear.

I suppose I should qualify that I play gigs with OK attendance but never a lot of money on the line. And I don't have an abundance of extra room in my car for transporting gear, either.
 
#28
Was carrying two heads and two cabs for redundancy/backup. Now carry two combos. Same wattage and speaker surface but reduced weight by 50%.

Still pack two basses; looking for a good double gig bag.

Still carry like 20 lbs. of spare cables batteries etc.

mepex said:
Been using a solid state amp, so no backup amp, but if I start gigging with my new vintage SVT, I'll probably have a backup amp as well.
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JimmyM said:
now you done did it!
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lol

--Bomb :bassist:
 
#29
I usually bring at least one backup head, and several basses, but I generally don't bring a backup cab (though I often gig with two cabs).

Recently, Bob Gallien has made it even easier to bring a killer backup head (which could also function as a DI), the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. This thing is small enough to fit into any gig back pocket, and it just flat out sounds great!

Tom.
 
#32
JimmyM said:
now you done did it! now i have to trot out my speech about how solid state amps are no more or less reliable than tube amps.
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Hehe, didn't mean to kick the hornet's nest. It's just I'm not comfortable yet with my new tube amp, so it's more about making me feel better than a belief that the amp isn't reliable... Plus this gives me an excuse to by an ampeg microrig or an mb200.
 
#33
I play through two cabs, so could do with one if necessary. For my pre-power rack: I throw a little 4 channel mixer in my bag and always have an extra power amp in the back of the car (never needed it to cover my rig failing, but the PA has needed it more than once). :cool:
 
#34
tombowlus said:
Recently, Bob Gallien has made it even easier to bring a killer backup head (which could also function as a DI), the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. This thing is small enough to fit into any gig back pocket, and it just flat out sounds great!
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I dont carry any b/u stuff (except strings, cables and straps) but if I did get a b/u head, this would be the one! cute little bugger . . .
 
#36
mepex said:
Hehe, didn't mean to kick the hornet's nest. It's just I'm not comfortable yet with my new tube amp, so it's more about making me feel better than a belief that the amp isn't reliable... Plus this gives me an excuse to by an ampeg microrig or an mb200.
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lol...well hey, keep that economy strong at your own expense ;)

i can relate, though...for the first 3 or 4 gigs with my svt once i got it repaired, i brought my lmii along. but i don't anymore, mainly since i sold it. once in a great while i'll throw my crate powerblock in the car, but hey, if it goes, i'll just use my vt deluxe.
 
#37
Strings=yes
Batteries=yes
Chords=yes
Multi-bit screwdriver=yes
Duct Tape=yes
Strap=yes(spare in every gig bag pocket)
Fuse=yes

Cabinet=No, the last speaker I blew was one of the first aluminum Harke 10's. The best thing about those was they were recyclable.

Amp=No

Basically, I go big in terms of watts. I feel like it's easier for the amp not to have to break a sweat, plus it helps to insure there's no clipping and gives me more cone control so it's easier on speakers. This is completely NOT founded in science or physics, it's a matter of piece of mine because it's always worked. I also buy good stuff, monitor it's condition and take good care of it.
 
#38
JimmyM said:
lol...well hey, keep that economy strong at your own expense ;)

i can relate, though...for the first 3 or 4 gigs with my svt once i got it repaired, i brought my lmii along. but i don't anymore, mainly since i sold it. once in a great while i'll throw my crate powerblock in the car, but hey, if it goes, i'll just use my vt deluxe.
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Hey Jimmy....how ya doin' man...?
Before I bought my LM III, I bought a Tone Hammer to use as a DI in case my LM II went down. But my drummer talked me into getting a spare amp, hence the LM III, because, as he pointed out to me, and he was right, the fact that with me playing in a lot of bands and some that didn't have good PA gear, if my LM II went down, I might not be able to use the Tome Hammer as a back-up. So I had a GK 1001 RB that had just been fixed and was in good running order and I waited until the right deal was available at GC on an LM III and used the 1001 as a trade in/trade up and plus 15% off the amount after the trade in so I got my LM III at a very reasonable price. And I'm glad I did get it because it's a great amp. So that's how I wound up with with the LM III as a spare. )-(
 
#39
hey doc, how's everything in the city i lived in when i was 5? ;)

ya, i feel ya with the backup. some folks are more comfortable with one. i probably should throw the power block in the car when i bring my other amps, but i never do ;)

funny how you use the lm3 as a backup to your lm2, though. any reason why you don't make the lm3 your main amp and use the lm2 as the backup?
 
#40
Two basses, three cables, Sansamp. My rig is pretty solid and it hasn't crapped on me yet, but we keep a channel open on the PA just in case.

I keep a bunch of emergency stuff in my effects case; 9 volts, patches, strings, multi-tool, extra tuner, gaff tape.

I wish we had roadies.
 

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