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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.
#141
Love my basses and treat them well. But experienced a failure of one of the pickups on my 72 P bass during a gig. Glad I had a backup.

These days I play live broadcasts and would never show up without another bass that could finish the job.
 
#143
Strap for each bass. Forget a strap, you'll see. :)

Had an amp fail on a gig hour from home. Guy in front row, that I had never met, ran to his house came back with old Ampeg Reverber Rocket combo. Had to use a guitar cord as my shite was too "pro" and had speakons. Sarcasm! Okay guess what? It sounded really good. All 35watts into my 4x10. It was loud and way better tonally then many backlines I've used. So subsequently I carried two of the amps that failed.

Answer though, rarely carry backup.
 
#147
Hi,

Some shows:

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Other shows:

fjVPNTdMBdyTuapQ5KiyI_cE90Q1kFMH7mStseyVmn56YJLWXrjK4ox_kwv1UTn_B8Is4dIeVNm8qeHo2mR=w800-h600-no.jpg


The minimum:

eVqIUAA5W4vw0wIAFVHItAwtd8scoS-Dhsf5dxD1kkKV0EdFrog-38Untgmy7KJDl17enFcRO1gAGUhtBA=w1024-h768-no.jpg


I will often bring a backup amp too.

My small rig. (The backup bass was behind the stage.)

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Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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#151
jwilson67 said:
I've never had a bass failure issue in 30 years of playing - and I play active basses. Amps, cables, strings....yes but never the bass itself.
Click to expand...

Same here but it's over 40 years for me. Never even had a battery go bad on a gig back when I used actives. Knock on wood.

The gig bag that stays in my car has items useful to bassists and guitarists such as cables, straps, strings, a tuning fork, some tools and some commonly used instrument screws, a set of chopsticks for repairing stripped strap button screws (seems to happen to my guitarists with some regularity), ear plugs, a flashlight, first aid kit, a small sewing kit, gaffer tape, eyeglasses screw kit, and other sundries. Not to leave the drummers out I also carry a couple pairs of sticks and a drum key. I used to carry a spare amp head but I stopped years ago when I started DI-ing.
 
#152
Hi,

jwilson67 said:
I've never had a bass failure issue in 30 years of playing - and I play active basses. Amps, cables, strings....yes but never the bass itself.
Click to expand...

I've been playing over 45 years and I will admit that is has occurred to me very rarely, only a few times in all those gigs. But it would have been an absolute disaster had I not had a backup with me.

Granted, when I was first starting out I could not afford a spare bass but as soon as I could I bought a second and brought both to my gigs. Even if you don't have a spare bass you should always have spare mic cables, speaker cables, instrument cables, etc. I have a strap for each bass, plus a spare. I usually carry four guitar stands with me, a pair of drum sticks, picks, extension cords, a couple of spare mics, maybe an extra mic stand, mic clips, and other paraphernalia (batteries) that could be forgotten by other bandmates. I just keep it all in my gig bag, just in case. ;)

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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#155
It is also kind of a bass and guitar thing. I don't know too many keyboard players or horn players who carry a back-up.
I am not sure that a bass or guitar is any more fragile or prone to failure than a saxophone.
And don't even mention drummers, this discussion is only about musicians.
 
#157
Scottkarch said:
I assume you were joking, but our PA is a Mackie DL1608. We have an ipad in it, 2 backup ipad minis in case something happens to the main ipad. We have a small 8 channel mixer as a backup just in case the DL dies. Our PA has 2 powered tops and 2 powered subs and we have a powered wedge with a 15 we use for special guests.. we could lose any one or two of them and keep playing. We have extra microphones, cables, DI boxes, sometimes even a backup amp head, but I'd just go direct if my amp died. Anything we can afford to have redundant, we do.. just in case.

To turn it around? Do you have homeowners insurance? Have you ever used it? You have insurance just in case.. to be ready if something bad happens. To plan on it happening and be ready. Just because you haven't had something break doesn't mean nothing ever will. Things fail. Period. Regardless of how carefully you take care of things. Equipment is generally really reliable... but not 100% Those of you scoffing at backup basses or equipment are playing russian roulette. Some day you may get bit and it might be a big deal.

Just because something of yours hasn't died doesnt mean it will never die. I'd recommend being prepared for your amp dying, your cables breaking, your bass breaking a string, preamp battery die, electronics die, mics break.. Look at each piece of equipment and say.. "If this died/broke, what would we do" For everything you gig with. I'm looking into a backup DL1608 or if I can find the 8 channel cheap, probably that. We can get by with 8 channels.
Click to expand...

I own the 1608 also... I do carry a spare mixer...

In my trunk I have a briefcase of an extra C string... tools... xlr and 1/4 cable... batteries.. guitar strings... strap...extention cord... these I do use... out of the 3000ish times I've gigged... these are about the only things I've needed.

With active (powered mains) something can always be rerouted at the last minute to make due.
 
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#158
Nah. I always have an extra set of strings with me in case of catastrophic failure, and a 9 volt battery in case I forget to change it ofte enough, but if the thing "breaks" for a reason not related to those, I most likely have a much larger problem to deal with. Like I was attacked or something.
 
#159
I bought a Spector Euro LX many years back. The bass was fine during practices but on its first show, the forward strap lock screw pulled out. I was able to quickly sit down on a nearby sub and finish the song before changing basses. Things can happen that aren't part of regular maintenance.

The two basses I owned that have suffered string breakages (both E strings) during shows were my Warwick Thumb NT and EBMM Sterling. Burs can wear into a bridge and break strings no matter how expensive the bass/bridge. String breakages are probably more tied to playing enthusiasm but regardless, bring a backup.
 
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#160
Liam Wald said:
Am I really the only bass player who doesn't have dramatic failure issues with instruments and feel I need to always take a back-up?
Click to expand...
Hey Liam. Nope, you're not alone. I've never had a bass fail catastropically. I have broken 2 A strings over the years. Only 2. I'd finish a song but no way I'd want to play a whole gig with E DG

I've also never had an amp die ever. But I know it can happen and I'd like to be ready and never need them. Now, the fact that I bring 2-5 basses to each gig as much for fun gives me my backups. ( fretless, 8 or 12 string, upright ) But I'd never show up with less than 2 four string fretted basses. I am trying to scare you a bit, to be honest. I'd hate to read you had a failure during your first song, with no backup available and force your band to finish the gig without you. Really, I wouldnt get any joy from that. I don't wish anything bad on you... :)
 

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