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Do you bring a backup bass to gigs?

Do you use and bring backup basses?

  • Yes - I have a matching pair

  • Yes - I have a complementary pair (fretted/fretless, rounds/flats, 4/5, J/P)

  • Yes - I bring three or more basses

  • I do on certain gigs, and don't on others

  • No - I risk it

  • No - and I don't see it as a risk at all

Results are only viewable after voting.
#181
Yeah, I gig a lot and I have almost absolute confidence in my gear.
I pretty much always take my Lakland passive DJ-4, Mesa M-Pulse (also take BDDI to back up into house) Bergantino AE410, Mogami cables (take back-up).
I'm just not worried.
So yeah, what if someone steals my bass? Well what if they steal my bass and the back-up? Should I take a third? What if that one gets run over by the band truck?
I mean really, you can drive yourself crazy... or broke worrying about it.
And what is the worst thing that can happen? The bands that I work with love having a bass player and it is a big part of the music, but it isn't the end of the world and they can play on without one if it really came down to that. It wouldn't be the end of the show.
 
#183
I only bring a backup on gig days that end in "y". :D

If I bring a single bass, I bring extra strings. Not that I ever needed them, but stuff happens.

The "backup" bass for me will always have as many, or more strings on it than the one I intend to use. So if it's a 4, then a 4 or 5 is the backup. If it's a 5, then a 5 or 6 is the backup.
 
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#184
Liam Wald said:
So yeah, what if someone steals my bass? Well what if they steal my bass and the back-up? Should I take a third? What if that one gets run over by the band truck?
Click to expand...

Well, don't stop there with the hypothesizing! You were just getting on a roll!

What if the thieves who stole your basses and ran over one with a truck then steal the rest of the band's gear and the van, and then rob all the patrons in the club? What if they then pull out automatic weapons and blast you and your band to smithereens? And then what if the whole joint gets hit by a meteor and there's nothing left but a big crater?

It can get pretty silly if we keep going, right?

I think the central theme of the discussion is doing what's reasonable and responsible in hopes of preventing whatever mishap you can, and it's not about preventing every conceivable disaster known to man. Obviously, if something that tragic and unpreventable happens to you, it would be hard to reasonably hold you accountable.

Liam Wald said:
And what is the worst thing that can happen? The bands that I work with love having a bass player and it is a big part of the music, but it isn't the end of the world and they can play on without one if it really came down to that. It wouldn't be the end of the show.
Click to expand...

You and I play bass in two very different worlds my friend. It might not be the end of the show, but in my world, there's a high likelihood that it will be our last show for that venue or client.
 
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#186
I only bring a backup to gigs that we might be headlining solo. The majority of shows we play are shared bills, so if worse came to worst, there would be another bass in the house that I could ask to play.
But since I don't really like borrowing other people's gear (because I'm a little protective of my own) I always keep an older set of strings (labeled clearly) in my current case. In the event a string were to break or unravel (which has happened once before), I can restring within a minute and be up an running with some band dialog or an extended intro to stall the set.
I also keep a small screwdriver and wrench in my case and always make sure to tighten strap buttons and strap locks the minute we unload gear into the venue.

Now... amps on the other hand...

I bring a backup to almost every gig these days. I play tube amps but like to carry along my Ampeg PF800 in a laptop bag in case of emergency. Most times, I'll even have it out on top of the amp I'm playing, so that it's ready to switch out in a moments notice.
After a few amp failures on stage due to power anomalies or random factors, I always take a "more prepared, the better" approach.

The band also carries an "emergency bag" with extra cables (instrument, power, speaker) and a power strip or two and extension cord.
 
#188
I drove to a gig 3 hours away one time without a bass at all! Luckily the Sound man ran home and grabbed one of his...an old 80's Ibanez with what looked like cat fur all over the strings. I thanked him profusely and learned a big lesson that day...now days I use a Dual Mono case and bring a spare.
 
#189
These days I have multiple basses and I play enough to say I need some of this stuff, but back when I played most every weekend, I only owned one bass. Not the same one, but rarely more than one at a time.
 
#191
sawzalot said:
A couple years ago I went to see Billy Joel and Elton John together--Billy Joel's bassist switched basses almost every song. It must have made him feel better, because out in the audience I could hear absolutely no difference, and I was listening for it. But I totally get why--sometimes you have to give each member of the flock some individual attention.

Tom
Click to expand...
Part of the reason that Billy's bass player, Andy Cichon, is switching a lot is that most of the set is in lower keys than the original. He has one bass tuned standard, for all 3-4 songs that Billy still does in the original keys, as well as basses tuned a half step and a whole step down, to accommodate all the songs that are put down a half step or a whole step, while still being able to rely on the open strings, etc. that would not be feasible if he had to transpose all of his parts.
 
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#192
I do have a matching pair that I occasionally bring if one is giving me and issue, however for the last 8 years I have been gigging, 90 % of my gigs I went with one bass and only had an issue 1x when I had to open my bass at a gig to find a wire had twisted and blocked the jack from connecting.. an easy fix but I sweated for 5 mins while search for the answer.
I did think though, I never have a mechanical issue with my electric bass I can;t get around but could somehow have an electrical issue. I thought it might be a great idea if someone could come up with a pickup that perhaps suction cupped on with a volume pot and 1/4 in input... I would but that rather than carry a back up bass.
 
#193
electracoyote said:
Well, don't stop there with the hypothesizing! You were just getting on a roll!

What if the thieves who stole your basses and ran over one with a truck then steal the rest of the band's gear and the van, and then rob all the patrons in the club? What if they then pull out automatic weapons and blast you and your band to smithereens? And then what if the whole joint gets hit by a meteor and there's nothing left but a big crater?

It can get pretty silly if we keep going, right?

I think the central theme of the discussion is doing what's reasonable and responsible in hopes of preventing whatever mishap you can, and it's not about preventing every conceivable disaster known to man. Obviously, if something that tragic and unpreventable happens to you, it would be hard to reasonably hold you accountable.



You and I play bass in two very different worlds my friend. It might not be the end of the show, but in my world, there's a high likelihood that it will be our last show for that venue or client.
Click to expand...

Okay,
it is almost 3 o'clock here in California. I have been sitting here playing my bass since 11:am. I do this almost every day. Nothing has stopped working today, yesterday, the day before that, or any day that I can remember. I will be going to the gig in a few hours and have no reason at all to think that something will just stop working before tomorrow morning.
If I thought that the band not having a bass would be the end of either the band or the band ever playing at the venue, well I just don't think that is reality. At least for me. I guess that if a band is marginal and having one less player, whoever that might be, would be curtains then there might be other things to focus on.
And if there is a venue that is either that uptight or maybe looking for a reason to ax the band then I really don't care.
 
#194
Liam Wald said:
If I thought that the band not having a bass would be the end of either the band or the band ever playing at the venue, well I just don't think that is reality. At least for me.
Click to expand...

Congratulations.

I guess that if a band is marginal and having one less player, whoever that might be, would be curtains then there might be other things to focus on.
And if there is a venue that is either that uptight or maybe looking for a reason to ax the band then I really don't care.
Click to expand...

I can assure you sir, my band is not marginal by any means, but that assumption says a lot about you. Our playlist is very funk/R&B/dance-oriented and rather bass- and groove-centric. Our target audience knows the songs, expects those tasty bass lines, and the absence of bass would be most noticeable in a most un-favorable way.

If your band can get away without bass and suffer no negative repercussions if you dropped out for the evening, I question the venue, the patrons, and your value and abilities as a bass player. How is it that you are so expendable? It's an honest question, because I've never heard of such a thing.

Caring vs. not caring...pretty much sums up this thread.
 
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#196
Liam Wald said:
I agree that cables, amps, and the like can simply die at any moment but I have not found that to be the case with instruments.
A well made and well maintained instrument is a really reliable thing.
If you have a marginal instrument you may need a back-up. But I think that a person would be better off selling the marginal instrument and the back-up and buying just one good quality well maintained instrument.
Click to expand...


99.9% of the time there are no issues. But I don't want to take the chance. Even high end instruments can have their quirks. Tonight I have my Status and Jaydee with me, so I don't expect a problem, but stranger things have happened. Now that you mention it, I don't think I have ever actually had any issues, but I would hate to be stuck bassless at a gig if there were one.
 
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#197
It depends on geography, money, and when I last changed strings. I'll be subbing in for the old band, next weekend, and will plan on bringing just one, each night, but it will be a different one, each night. There have been occasions when having 2 along has been great, but I have never needed to use the backup. A nice worki-around is the GoldTone Micro Bass, which can at least finish a set, if it had to, before a break where I could address something with my passive J-bass (as if I would need to; I play reliable G&L JB-2 USAs).
 
#198
All that I am trying to say is that it isn't really that big of a deal if there is a little SNAFU at your bar gig. Who cares?
If it is a big gig and it is as important as some people think, then you likely have people schlepping your gear and it is a non-issue.
90% of the gigs that I play are nothing more than paid rehearsals. The other 10% might be important, in which case I might take more gear but at least I'm not carrying all of it.
And okay, I remember when I thought that every gig was super important, like the next step to Rock-Starism.
But they aren't every one of them a do or die situation.
So maybe I am jaded after all the years and all the gigs, but I still do my best and turn on the juice at every gig. I just don't treat every gig like my one and only chance to impress Bill Graham. I take them for what they are.
 
#199
If I play my 4 string fretted, which I do on the vast majority of my gigs, I rarely bring a backup. The exception being if I have done work on a bass. backup is needed. If I use my fretless or 5 str. I bring a backup 4str .in case I start to suck.
 
#200
Okay...
Last thought, I promise.
So having my bass break down at the next gig is as likely as having a new tire go flat tire on the interstate.
Sure, I know we all carry spare tires in our cars. But how many people with new tires would carry spare tires if they had to load it into the car each and every time they went for a drive?
 
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