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Bass Failure On a Gig (Poll)
- Thread starter Smallmouth_Bass
- Start date
I'm wondering about all these jack failures:
How many players use right angle cords vs. Straight? How many tuck their cord in the strap?
How many front load vs. Side load vs. Recessed?
How many players yank it out vs. Carefully remove?
And I'm sure more variables than that. Not like im proposing we actually answer those questions, my point being; its complicated
How many players use right angle cords vs. Straight? How many tuck their cord in the strap?
How many front load vs. Side load vs. Recessed?
How many players yank it out vs. Carefully remove?
And I'm sure more variables than that. Not like im proposing we actually answer those questions, my point being; its complicated
Mostly side jacks, but it depends on the bass.
All of them get routed through the strap, so accidentally stepping on the patch cord does not put any pressure on the output jack.
I am not overly abusive or careful, expect with my P-Basses, where I'll hold down the pickguard with one hand around the jack while pulling the patch cord out. I've seen countless cracked or broken pick guards in this area.
Strings Broke. and it was from a batch of those Cryogenic-ally frozen strings, (I cant remember who made them) . weirdest thing I ve ever experienced... no wait.. I also had a Roto Sound string break as well.. with both brands, E strings let go at the bridge, it was the center core that snapped clean. Ive also had a G String let go internally. the core snapped about at the 5th fret area. Springy to say the least. In over 50 years of performing with electric bass, I have had 3 string failures to report. Yes I carry spare, though usually used and boiled strings, and Yes I usually carry a spare Bass and use both during a show.
I ALWAYS take a spare bass to gigs; with adequate stage room may actually PLAY more than one bass ; )
I had an EMG active pickup die on a gig, had batteries give out on active bass, I now check my battery voltage when changing strings.
I had an EMG active pickup die on a gig, had batteries give out on active bass, I now check my battery voltage when changing strings.
with the jack failures, I have found it to be corrosion related and physical wear on the jack itself. that is, the diameter of the hole opens up over time due to the friction. they simply wear out. sometimes the jack pin gets bent or tweaked such that it wont lock or it wont close sufficiently to operate the switching action to energize the electronics (if there is a battery involved) as far as corrosion goes, Use DeOxit to clean it up, and a bore brush for like a .270 or .30 caliber rifle cleaning kit will brighten up the jack surfaces and make things crispy again. Cheers. E
I usually bring 2 basses and earlier this year I only brought one because the load in was tight and I had a volume pot fail. I was lucky that there was a major music store nearby where I could rent. I will never bring one bass to a gig again.
The bridge pickup on my Thunderbird unscrewed itself and lifted into the strings during a gig. Fixed it in between songs using my thumbnail, permanently fixed by removing the springs from the pickup mount entirely. Replaced with thick foam. Other than that, one broken strap button, and two broken strings is the only failures I've ever had on a gig.
My Fender P (1980's) failed on a gig, it was so stressful andc frantic, someone who lived close by from another band went home and got me his cheaper bass and the whole set wzs such a struggle because the set up was so different. It was a wire inside the in jack because it got turned and broke the wire.
I've been playing for 40+ years and have only had 2 failures that I can recall: a broken string (admittedly, they were REALLY old) and a battery failure (I had to run to a gas station & get them replaced before our closing set. Fortunately the pastor did LONG sermons!)
I've never carried a spare, although I've had fretted & fretless on gigs. I've not ever given it a thought but now...maybe I'll begin to carry a second.
I've never carried a spare, although I've had fretted & fretless on gigs. I've not ever given it a thought but now...maybe I'll begin to carry a second.
sorry for that error, it didn't work with all the amps and soundboard and when I took it to the shop, it was just a wire, but so stressful!
I don't know much, its my first electric instrument. But the sound people said they don't have batteries so there wasn't anything I could do.
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I have had preamps die on 2 different Musicman basses. A Stringray 5 and a Stringray 4. The 5 stringray issue was at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace and rather perplexing. Luckily I was able to borrow a bass from the then running "Mad Tea Party" show. I later described the situation to a Musicman tech at customer service and they said it was absolutely the preamp. Had to order a new one and send them back the blown one. The 4 string died at a church gig. Same issue. Replaced with an Aguilar pre. I've never ever had this problem with a MM before and I've owned at least 6 of them. The problem with those basses was there is no passive switch so if the preamp dies, you have a dead bass and no way to finish a gig. I had a passive switch added to the 5 string after the incident but I never trusted that bass again so I sold it. Kind of the same with the 4 string. I don't want to carry 2 basses so now I only play passive basses or active basses with a passive switch just in case. I would be fired if I couldn't finish a gig because of an equipment problem. I check everything out before I go to a gig and make sure I have a back-up plan if anything was to go wrong. I do carry a Traveler bass now in the car where it stays hidden just in case but I won't bring it into the gigs unless I need it. Never have since. So still not carrying 2 basses.
Other = please specify: not bass itself, per se, but strap broke where leather sown on to fabric.
Tore leather all of the way off. Took out pocket knife and punched X shaped slits in fabric and pushed over end pin. Down time 3 minutes. Still in use in that condition today - no prob.
Tore leather all of the way off. Took out pocket knife and punched X shaped slits in fabric and pushed over end pin. Down time 3 minutes. Still in use in that condition today - no prob.
Looking at the types of failures people are seeing, I think for ultimate coverage if you don't want to bring another bass, use a passive, well-shielded P or J bass, carry an extra set of strings and bring one of these wiring harnesses from Richter for your P or J bass. I installed a similar plate in a Jazz bass in less than five minutes.
Richter Electronics - Best Bass Gear
But it ultimately depends on your gig and situation.
Richter Electronics - Best Bass Gear
But it ultimately depends on your gig and situation.
Only thing I can think of recently is we had 2 nights back-to-back gigs and I did not change the battery in my wireless set, it died out at the end of a song, so just plugged in my trusty backup cable and was ready to rock.
Always be prepared.
Always be prepared.
I've been playing in cover bands for nearly 30 years and can count the 'mishaps' I've had on 1 hand
I broke a string twice - once in 1995 and again in about 2015.... no dramas, just changed the string and was good to go
had a faulty lead once in 1994/5? as I moved around the stage it kept cutting in and out.... I just stayed relatively still for the rest of the gig and bought a new lead for the next weeks gig
I had a faulty volume gain knob on my Warwick profet 5.1 amp about 5-6 years ago made loud crackling noises when volume and gain were adjusted - sprayed some contact cleaner and that stopped it... eventually got the 2 pots changed but it was all good
I broke a string twice - once in 1995 and again in about 2015.... no dramas, just changed the string and was good to go
had a faulty lead once in 1994/5? as I moved around the stage it kept cutting in and out.... I just stayed relatively still for the rest of the gig and bought a new lead for the next weeks gig
I had a faulty volume gain knob on my Warwick profet 5.1 amp about 5-6 years ago made loud crackling noises when volume and gain were adjusted - sprayed some contact cleaner and that stopped it... eventually got the 2 pots changed but it was all good
