Do you bring a backup bass to gigs?

[McG]

I never took a backup bass to a gig and it was never an issue... UNTIL last summer at our (annual) largest gig of the year. When I was loading up at home my wife said "maybe you should bring an extra bass". I asked why and she said it was just a feeling she had. So I brought one. Well, for the first time ever I had a string failure. My wife's premonition came to pass. Since then I always toss a spare in a gig bag over my shoulder.

 

[Scottkarch]

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.

I do find it ironic that you bring a backup amp because you've had an amp fail before, but don't see how the same could happen with your bass. In fact, a backup amp is usually less important because you can go direct into the FOH usually.. if your bass stops working, you're SOL.

Before you started bringing a backup amp, did you only bring one because you'd never had one fail? It seems that if you learned the lesson with amps you'd assume the same thing with a bass. Still.. you may very well play another thousand gigs without a bass issue.. I hope you do. All the best.... off to rehearse.... rock on.

 

[Liam Wald]

I never took a backup bass to a gig and it was never an issue... UNTIL last summer at our (annual) largest gig of the year. When I was loading up at home my wife said "maybe you should bring an extra bass". I asked why and she said it was just a feeling she had. So I brought one. Well, for the first time ever I had a string failure. My wife's premonition came to pass. Since then I always toss a spare in a gig bag over my shoulder.

A string failure? Really?
Now that's a show stopper.

 

[Tony In Philly]

I always bring a backup bass to gigs, but then again I think I am genetically predisposed to excessive redundancy. My father would always have backup lawn mowers, backup snow blowers...etc....etc...

 

[gumbynotpokey]

Always took only one from the mid 80's until 6 months ago. I had a tuning head sheer off 5 minutes before we walked on stage. Venue had a beater bass, and I used that. UGH. Now, I always bring two of my basses every time. Who would have thought?

 

[Liam Wald]

I do find it ironic that you bring a backup amp because you've had an amp fail before, but don't see how the same could happen with your bass. In fact, a backup amp is usually less important because you can go direct into the FOH usually.. if your bass stops working, you're SOL.

Before you started bringing a backup amp, did you only bring one because you'd never had one fail? It seems that if you learned the lesson with amps you'd assume the same thing with a bass. Still.. you may very well play another thousand gigs without a bass issue.. I hope you do. All the best.... off to rehearse.... rock on.

Actaully I do not take a back up amp. It is a Sans Amp BDDI. I don't use it with my rig but use it occasionally when recording and as a back-up (although seldom needed) to go to the house at gigs.
And yes, I had an amp fail. It was a Mesa M6. Had a faulty fuse holder that caused it to stop dead in it's tracks.

 

[electracoyote]

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?

Well, since you asked, my answer is the people who hire my band to do an important job for their venue or event definitely care. They care about snafus, a lot, because when the band tanks or has issues, it is a poor reflection on them as well, and I'm talking everyone from the corner bar manager to the wedding or corporate event planner.

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.

lol. In my world, it is possible to book what we call a "big gig,"( i.e. very important to the client [and his patrons or guests] who is paying us a decent wage) and still have to schlep your own gear. This is the norm in my neighborhood.

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.

That explains a lot. I told you, we play in very different worlds, but I'm not a touring superstar by any means. Just a weekend warrior in a kick-ass dance party cover band. Not to boast, but our performances are definitely a step above "paid rehearsal."

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.

No "stars in the eyes" syndrome here friend. Just serious weekend musician-entertainers who take pride in their work and do what they can to not get tripped up by preventable situations. That's all.

And what our gigs are is, they are important enough for us to bring spares and backups to the extent reasonable and responsible to help ensure success for the individual musician, the band, and the client. We call it the WIN-WIN-WIN.

 

[jwilson67]

Problem solved...

 

[Kmonk]

There isn't much that can go wrong with a bass especially if the bass is passive. Maybe an problem with the jack but not much else. I have been playing since 1978 and never had a bass quit at a gig. I once had a bass that needed a jack replacement but I discovered the problem while practicing alone. I bring 3 basses but not for use a backup. I use my Jazz on some songs, my Precision on others and my fretless on a couple depending on the song.

 

[McG]

A string failure? Really?
Now that's a show stopper.

It would have been. It was an outdoor gig on a 102 in the shade day. I was using Tomastik Acousticore strings (phosphor bronze over a nylon core). Great tone but they kept going flat, which had never happened before. Apparently the extreme heat was causing the nylon cores to stretch, I had to retune after every song. At one point the G string just wouldn't get in tune. A final turn on the tuning key and the string went completely slack. The core had let go. Fortunately it was between songs and I had the backup on a stand and ready to go. My wife's advice saved the day. I learned long ago to always trust her premonitions

 

[Liam Wald]

Well, since you asked, my answer is the people who hire my band to do an important job for their venue or event definitely care. They care about snafu's, a lot, because when the band tanks or has issues, it is a poor reflection on them as well, and I'm talking everyone from the corner bar manager to the wedding or corporate event planner.



lol. In my world, it is possible to book what we call a "big gig,"( i.e. very important to the client (and his patrons or guests) who is paying us a decent wage) and still have to schlep your own gear. This is the norm in my neighborhood.



That explains a lot. I told you, we play in very different worlds, but I'm not a touring superstar by any means. Just a weekend warrior in a kick-ass party dance cover band. Not to boast, but our performances are definitely a step above "paid rehearsal."



No "stars in the eyes" syndrome here friend. Just serious weekend musician-entertainers who take pride in their work and do what they can to not get tripped up by preventable situations. That's all.

And what our gigs are is, they are important enough for us to bring spares and backups to the extent reasonable and responsible to ensure success for the individual musician, the band, and the client. We call it the WIN-WIN-WIN.

I appreciate all of your comments. They are well thought and make good sense. I understand where you are coming from.
My only suggestion is that you might be better served by taking a new perspective, relaxing, and while treating every gig as an important situation do not let the venue owner or your own need please them create the kind of stress that taints the joy of making music.
And if some little thing goes wrong, like a broken string or a bad patch cord, it is not the end of the world.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>and it is very UN likely that you bass will break!!!

 

[electracoyote]

It would have been. It was an outdoor gig on a 102 in the shade day. I was using Tomastik Acousticore strings (phosphor bronze over a nylon core). Great tone but they kept going flat, which had never happened before. Apparently the extreme heat was causing the nylon cores to stretch, I had to retune after every song. At one point the G string just wouldn't get in tune. A final turn on the tuning key and the string went completely slack. The core had let go. Fortunately it was between songs and I had the backup on a stand and ready to go. My wife's advice saved the day. I learned long ago to always trust her premonitions

It's interesting to me that some people think the time it takes to change a string on stage, mid-set, mid-performance, is just part of the deal, simply the reality of how life as a musician works, and there's nothing to get concerned about. The lead singer will do some stand-up comedy, the band will noodle an intro, and the bass player can hunker over his bass while the audience cranes their necks to figure out what's wrong.

Again, anyone who is comfortable with that, more power to you.

Me, in under ten seconds, failed bass off, spare bass on, one click of a splitter pedal, it's go-time. No opportunity for my audience members to check their watches, go outside for a smoke, take a pee break, and wonder if maybe they should just bag it and go to another club or perhaps hit the liquor store, head home, and watch a little Netflix.

But this all depends on your situation. My situation demands the music keeps rolling strong distraction-free. The livelihood of the venue manager or party planner, and the livelihood of my band, depend on it.

 

[electracoyote]

I appreciate all of your comments. They are well thought and make good sense. I understand where you are coming from.
My only suggestion is that you might be better served by taking a new perspective, relaxing, and while treating every gig as an important situation do not let the venue owner or your own need please them create the kind of stress that taints the joy of making music.
And if some little thing goes wrong, like a broken string or a bad patch cord, it is not the end of the world.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>and it is very UN likely that you bass will break!!!

No stress here chief. In fact, that's the whole point! An ounce of prevention deters stress in my mind, I can proceed unburdened and I always have a great time at my gigs.

I hope yours goes well tonight too.

And you're right; it is definitely unlikely that I'll have a bass fail on stage. Not impossible, but unlikely.

 

[mark beem]

I always bring back-up.

 

[Liam Wald]

It would have been. It was an outdoor gig on a 102 in the shade day. I was using Tomastik Acousticore strings (phosphor bronze over a nylon core). Great tone but they kept going flat, which had never happened before. Apparently the extreme heat was causing the nylon cores to stretch, I had to retune after every song. At one point the G string just wouldn't get in tune. A final turn on the tuning key and the string went completely slack. The core had let go. Fortunately it was between songs and I had the backup on a stand and ready to go. My wife's advice saved the day. I learned long ago to always trust her premonitions

Definitely a bad situation. Did it end up being a truss rod issue?
What was the result?
PS; I always listen to my wife... immediately.

 

[MegaSwing]

FWIW, I'll always try to use the backup, at least for one set—to assess its flightworthiness and to keep it from becoming disgruntled.

 

[Liam Wald]

It would have been. It was an outdoor gig on a 102 in the shade day. I was using Tomastik Acousticore strings (phosphor bronze over a nylon core). Great tone but they kept going flat, which had never happened before. Apparently the extreme heat was causing the nylon cores to stretch, I had to retune after every song. At one point the G string just wouldn't get in tune. A final turn on the tuning key and the string went completely slack. The core had let go. Fortunately it was between songs and I had the backup on a stand and ready to go. My wife's advice saved the day. I learned long ago to always trust her premonitions

PS: Smart guys marry women who are smarter then they are.

 

[cdef]

I bring two basses and might end up playing either one, depending on the room and the mood. So there'll be a spare if anything goes wrong - which hasn't happened in as long as I can remember.

 

[kittywithabanjo]

I generally bring a back up. Currently I play fretless on about 6 songs so that's what I use as my back up

 

[hintz]

I don't but I really should!! I have broken strings on occasion....