Bass Failure On a Gig (Poll)

[lermgalieu]

Actually, the poll was meant to indicate what fails most often for those have experienced a failure. I would be more inclined to raise another poll with the simple "yes" or "no" selection for the question: Has your bass ever failed/broke on a gig? to see how significant it really is.

This thread was meant as a supplement to the other bass failure thread, mainly for the poll.

You can do it however you want, but my approach would have given you all of the above info. My feeling is that, although there seems to be a lot of responses, in the grand scheme of things this stuff happens extremely rarely, so you are subcategorizing a tiny percentage of reality here. But whatever, I don't mind. Not trying to cause trouble.

 

[devnulljp]

Had a strap pin come out once -- hooked my pinkie under the bridge and kept playing until break then fixed it with a toothpick. Don't think anyone noticed.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

You can do it however you want, but my approach would have given you all of the above info. My feeling is that, although there seems to be a lot of responses, in the grand scheme of things this stuff happens extremely rarely, so you are subcategorizing a tiny percentage of reality here. But whatever, I don't mind. Not trying to cause trouble.

Actually, in reading the other thread, I was really surprised at how many people were experiencing input jack (or I guess they're output jacks) and kind-of wanted to see if that was the leading failure beyond broken strings and drained batteries.

The thing with strings and batteries is they have a predictable lifespan. Maybe less so for strings, especially flatwounds. But, you should expect that a moving part of the bass is subject to fatigue and wear and tear.

Which brings up another question: how many of you do preventative maintenance? For example, if output jacks are a common source of failure, are any of you replacing them periodically before any indication of failure or breakdown? And if not, aren't we just expecting that it has to fail to need to change it and if it's on a gig, so be it?

 

[LBS-bass]

I would like to see an option for no failure. I've only ever had strings break, and that was only twice, some 30+ years ago. Never actually had a bass fail. Just tuned up on the remaining strings and improvised to the break.

I did have a straplock fail once that caused my bass to go crashing to the stage floor in a rather spectacular fashion, but that's not a failure that requires a backup. That's a pick-it-up and sit on a stool and finish the set sort of problem.

 

[Kustom_Thunder]

I had a neck pop off my bass one night during a ruff set.

 

[Kmonk]

Broke a string about 35 years ago, had an internal fuse on an amp, also about 35 years ago, had a battery in a wireless die about 15 years ago. I've played over 3,000 shows in the last 40 years and never had any other issues.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Okay, I have added a "no failure" choice to the poll!

 

[JohnnyBottom]

wow. High output jack failure. Keep that nut tight. Easily not noticed and with a lose nut eventually the twisting will cause a problem.

 

[mikewalker]

Those pesky attack carrots! Every. Freakin. Time.

 

[bumperbass]

I only had one issue since the late 60's with a bass. I had a BC Rich Eagle that shared the same doom and gloom as, say, a Les Paul or SG guitar (headstock prone to breaking).
Our drummer slightly bumped it when we went to break. It fell into the drums and the headstock split in half.
Other than that incident, it was luck that I found a problem with my Pbass at rehearsal. One of the pickup coil wires was apparently soldered (at the eyelet) without the varnish being removed. It's worked fine ever since I super-heated the connection a year ago, but I can never completely trust it, so I always take two basses to every gig.

 

[JC Nelson]

Only once ever in 30+ years. A small battery operated soldering iron is a requirement in my backup bass case now.

 

[Thumpr]

Been watching these threads pop up.
Carrot attack.
Other than a wireless transmitter that fell off my back pocket and dangled stupidly through a song at a bar in Hollywood...nope. I always had a second stick because we played our second set a half step down, so by necessity I always had a backup, usually ran two stingray 5’s (pita guitar players writing music just to be difficult IMO) ...fresh strings were always how I “got my tone”, doing the math it’s somewhere around 20 years of playing shows and I never even broke a string. Lucky I guess, or maybe I just had gear built by people who were much smarter than I am

 

[LBS-bass]

Been watching these threads pop up.
Carrot attack.
Other than a wireless transmitter that fell off my back pocket and dangled stupidly through a song at a bar in Hollywood...nope. I always had a second stick because we played our second set a half step down, so by necessity I always had a backup, usually ran two stingray 5’s (pita guitar players writing music just to be difficult IMO) ...fresh strings were always how I “got my tone”, doing the math it’s somewhere around 20 years of playing shows and I never even broke a string. Lucky I guess, or maybe I just had gear built by people who were much smarter than I am

Yeah, maybe just decent gear to begin with? I've not had a ton of instruments in my life but everything I've bought has been pretty well made and not at the bottom of the price range. I gigged one bass five nights a week for maybe ten years without a true failure. But who knows? Anything could go bad.

 

[trevcda]

I chose other. I bring a back up bass (and strings and cables and amp/DI) not for all the reasons you list. Most of those can and should be avoided through preventative maintenance. But for all the reasons that you didn't list, I can't think of and couldn't have seen coming. If I'm playing an sixty to ninety minute set, sure, I may be able to limp through the rest of the song. But I wouldn't expect them to let me stop the show to change a string. In less than 10 seconds I can mute the wireless, put down one, pick up the other and be fired up and ready for the next verse, not the next song. And if it's something more tragic than a string? This is basic boy scouts, folks. Be prepared!

 

[Plectrum72]

Stuff happens, but it happens less when you maintain your bass and keep an eye on it. I’m not saying that the latest stories are due to negligence, because freak things happen, but to the bass itself? That’s not common. I’ve never had an issue with a bass, ever. Even in my professional years.

Amps/effects/other electronic sounds equipment? That’s a different story.

^This^

A little preventive maintenence goes a long way.

 

[LBS-bass]

^This^

A little preventive maintenence goes a long way.

Preventive maintenance and maybe also not buying the cheapest thing out there.

 

[Chip Stewart]

I play a passive bass so batteries are never an issue. The first thing I do when I get a bass is loctite the output jack nut. Output jacks typically only fail if the nut loosens up. As long as the nut is tight it won't typically fail. I put my cable between the strap and the bass to protect both the cable and the output jack. I change my strings every 6 months. Being a little proactive has allowed me to gig for over 10 years without having a failure and without having a backup.

A few months ago a bass just like mine with a case was advertised on Craigslist for $175. Of course I told the wife I had to have it to use as a backup! So now I do have a backup, although I never expect to use it.

 

[43ManSquamish]

No bass failure, but after hooking everything up (bass to pedals to amp) no sound came out. Swapped the cable and still nothing. It had to be the pedals, so I just disconnected from there and all worked well. It turned out that the settings on my MXR bass compressor got screwed up in my pedalboard bag. It's the usual culprit when there's no sound, so I need to mark knob settings with tiny stickers or something.

 

[Thumpr]

No bass failure, but after hooking everything up (bass to pedals to amp) no sound came out. Swapped the cable and still nothing. It had to be the pedals, so I just disconnected from there and all worked well. It turned out that the settings on my MXR bass compressor got screwed up in my pedalboard bag. It's the usual culprit when there's no sound, so I need to mark knob settings with tiny stickers or something.

Studio trick of painters tape and a sharpie works pretty good. Tried grease pencil but it was a fail.

 

[seansbrew]

We had a gig in the summer heat with no shade.The neck on my bass began moving and the strings were getting further and further away. Everytime I checked my tuning I was flat. That's my worst story, so I must be doing pretty good.