• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Do you bring a back up bass to gigs?

#83
Always, along with more gear than I care to mention. We play in several different tunings, so it's mainly for time saving purposes.

th_IMG_0182.gif
th_004.gif
th_005.gif
 
#84
mcnach said:
If you maintain your main bass properly, the chances of having a problem with it are very small.


If I broke a string (seriously, how often you get that? most people don't get that ever in their playing lifetime) I can change it in a couple of minutes while the band jams something without me.
Click to expand...

That's all going to depend a lot on they type of situation you play in...

We all know our own gigs best, and should base our decisions on that.

Myself.... when I played fingerstyle in a blues band... wouldn't worry about it. Went years without breaking a string, and it was the type of gig that would have prob. allowed me enough time to switch one if it one broke. It was a very easy gig on the bass. Wasn't getting buckets of sweat poured onto it every night like today.

Today, I play fairly aggressive with a pick in a punk/rock band. My gear is very well maintained. I go over whichever basses I bring before and after shows faithfully. I break strings. I break lots of strings. I break strings on every bass I own, regardless of price. Playing a 40 minute set on a 3 to 5 band bill doesn't allow me time to stand their like a stage potato changing a string while people who paid good money to see my band play wait. Even a musical interlude while I'm "fixing it" isn't going to fly .

In my case, I need a backup... every time.
 
#85
FBS1996 said:
Hey guys

I'm having my first gig next saturday (:hyper:) and both guitarists will be bringing a back up guitar. It's gonna be a very small gig (we're the opening act so we're only going to play a 30 minute set, in front of 150 - 200ish people). Is it necessary to bring a back up bass, or should I just bring my main? I have no problem with my back up bass, I just don't really fancy bringing 2 basses if I don't need both of them.
Click to expand...

In the past I've taken a backup bass a few times, but now, no - not usually. However, I always have extra strings.

But with this being your first gig - take a backup.
 
#86
To all of you "I've never had anything fail in 20 years people": Neither had I. Been gigging since 1987, and just in the past 3 years I've needed both a backup bass and a backup amp at a gig (two different gigs with two different amps!), but never before that. The gig where I needed the backup bass was a festival- big stage, big crowd, but only a 50 minute set- I was *so* glad I had a backup.
 
#87
HometownLetdown said:
Always Always Always

Its like a gun, id rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.
Click to expand...

Those were going to be my words exactly! I always take two basses even though I have rarely needed the backup. I have broken strings and had my preamp battery die during the set. I could have kept one bass and stopped the set to fix it since I have spares. However, this is very unprofessional in my opinion. It will certainly kill the vibe with the crowd and clear the dance floor. If you have backup, you can switch basses, keep rocking, and fix it during the next break. :bassist:
 
#91
Last time I went to a gig without a backup bass, I broke my D string while playing a Boston tune (all I remember now is that it was in G).

The next song was YYZ. I had no other bass, no other band was there with us, and no other strings. We had the drummer take a solo and I tied my D string back together. About the 6th fret I think.

We played the song like that. It was the worst gig of my (then-very-young) life. I have never been to a show without a backup since.
 
#93
Hey FBS,whenever possible-bring it! If it's just a matter of putting one extra bass in the car and carrying it in-in the event you break a string-no matter how unlikely-it's SO worth it to quickly switch to a backup.You'll be glad you did...Sure, a lot of other things can go wrong but why not minimize potential breakdowns by at least one...the simplest to anticipate.One less thing you have to worry about.
 
#96
maxgrant said:
We had the drummer take a solo and I tied my D string back together. About the 6th fret I think.
Click to expand...

I got a big laugh out of this because the same thing happened to me many years ago. I was a teenager and had no money for extra strings, so a second bass was totally out of the question. I broke my G string and we had to stop the set while we unwound the slack from the tuning peg and tied the broken ends of the string back together. I thought I was only one who ever had to tie a broken string back together :D It was a miserable set because it was hanging together by a thread and I was afraid to play it, but we got through the rest of the night. Since them, I never gig without a spare bass and spare strings.
 
#97
Tampabass said:
In more than 35 years of playing, I've never had a bass conk out on me. So my vote would be no, a backup isn't necessary. An amp is more likely to fail than a bass, so if you're gonna bring a backup anything, that's probably the one to focus on.
Click to expand...

Yep. Three bass amp failures, no bass guitar failures. I nearly always take a spare bass, though.
 
#98
Good question.
In 40 years of playing, I only had one issue and that was a string unravelling back in the 70's and I had a back up.

While I owned a bar for 3 years with bands playing 2-3 night a week, I saw several issues but mostly it was from bass heads dying on stage. Ampeg SVT's were the worst. The happiest bass players used Hartke. With guitars it was mostly batteries dying on Active basses and a few strings breaking.

I always use 2 heads and take 2 basses when I play out.
 
#99
Aussie Player said:
Good question.
In 40 years of playing, I only had one issue and that was a string unravelling back in the 70's and I had a back up.

While I owned a bar for 3 years with bands playing 2-3 night a week, I saw several issues but mostly it was from bass heads dying on stage. Ampeg SVT's were the worst. The happiest bass players used Hartke. With guitars it was mostly batteries dying on Active basses and a few strings breaking.

I always use 2 heads and take 2 basses when I play out.
Click to expand...

I have broken bass strings, although generally speaking my guitars break strings, the basses don't. I've also had amps die. I carry a DI for amp backup. Yes, playing through the PA can suck but it's better than making bass noises with your mouth! :hmm: I've lost a ton of cords. Just step on it right and yank the wire out of the plug. Best one ever was a cord guillotined by falling cymbal. And yes, I've had a battery go dead when I was SURE I'd put a new battery in there! And even worse it was an old-style bass with no passive bypass AND you had take a bunch of tiny screws out and cover off to change the battery! What were those bass makers thinking? No backup bass that time either! At least I did have a spare battery. That's when I started to seriously learn the "backup" lesson.
 
#100
Any gig where suddenly not having any bass would be detrimental to the gig, yes, I bring a backup. So that's almost all of them.


People always talk about breaking strings, but pretty much all of my misfortunes with basses have had to do with the electronics. I can work around a broken string (it'll often sound weird, and it'll be difficult, but I can do it, even if I'd rather not)... but there's no working around a problem that causes complete lack of sound from the bass.

Do I often have cause to use my backup? No, almost never. But it's nice to have. Doesn't really take much more room than one, either.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back