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Carry a backup bass, or not??

T

tonynoriega

Jun 26, 2004
637
45
Tampa, Florida
www.
#1
As I pack for tonight's gig in Clearwater, the thought occured to me that if my bass (I play a vintage '66 Jazz) had a problem and stopped working, the trip back to Tampa for a backup is about 25 miles!! Here's my question: do any - or many - of you guys take a second bass for the reason I've brought up? It's 80 degrees here now and I don't like the idea of keeping a bass in the car - not to mention the threat of theft.

Tony Noriega, Tampa
 
#4
I tend to bring a backup, or maybe had gigs where I switched anyways, from a 4 to 5 etc.

Every time I've broken a string onstage, there was no backup. From now on both the fretted and fretless cirrus is coming with me. I can finish the set on fretless if need be :)
 
#6
I always carry two basses, because I never carry extra strings! I've never broken a string on stage and never had a bass die on stage, but take no chances. Like silky said, "American Express card".

Usually, they are very different in tone so I can have a choice of sounds to use that night. And usually one is modern-ish and one is more traditional. Like a Cirrus 5 and a P5 or a Jazz 5 and a SR5.

If I carry a third bass, it's almost certain to be my EUB.

Most everything I do is at least one hour from anywhere, and often two. Hard to fly to the house and pick up a spare and then make it back for the downbeat!


dcr
 
#12
Murphy's Law will apply. Although it took 20 years, I had a bass finally break down on stage during the first performance in the band I'm in now. Thank goodness I had a back-up because I was able to switch in the middle of the song. We have 3 guitarists in the band and they all bring back-ups, too.

Any available back-up bass sounds much better than no bass. Although the risk of a bass breaking a string or electronics frying out is small, there's a lot on the line when things go wrong.
 
#13
I usually bring from three to seven basses to any gig. The Warwick Rack Stand keeps them all organized. If one fails, I have two to six others to choose from. Also, if the bass I have on clashes with my shirt or shoes, I have other choices... ;) ...
 
#14
I always take a backup to a gig. Always!

In nearly 30 years of gigging I have only *needed* a backup less than a dozen times. But even when I don't need it, I enjoy the peace of mind.

The most common failure was a broken string, but here are the most critical ones I've had:
1) Broken nut that caused the E string to flop off the side of the neck
2) Onboard preamp that began making a nasty loud crackling noise

But even in the case of a field-repairable problem: is it fair to make your entire band take a break just so you can replace a broken string? Not IMO. Nor would I want to "man up" and finish the rest of the set with a flat tire (so to speak). It's much more professional to exchange basses between songs, or during a song if necessary.

Again, I'm talking about gigging.
 
#17
I usually don't bring a back up. I used to, but, at some point I stopped. I do , however, take a rather extensive " field service tool kit" with me. With it, I can fix just about any problem short of a broken neck.
 
#19
I carry the ashbory bass in my car as a back up. Get a backup, even if a cheapo. See generally, essex thread. But the ashbory is nice to keep in your car. Does not have a truss rod. My A string broke during a gig so I had to play the little thing for the rest of the night.This was taken from a back yard party gig at Treasure Island. I also like to grab it and sit in with the tiki bar acts.
 

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