I wouldn't take a backup solely as a backup, but a second bass whose primary function is to be a different tone on a few songs and could act as a backup? Sure. But I mostly just take one. If it were a serious touring gig, I would take a backup.
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Do you need a backup bass.
- Thread starter pica
- Start date
I've gone with and without a BAK. I've broken strings and just limped through the set and changed it out on the break. In those days, I only had one bass. Now days I bring a BAK because I can.
Yeup. 2 of everything possible. Will not risk not being dependable to the band and patrons. Common sense really....to add if its a bar gig with easy car access and temp ok its left in the car. Theater gig or a show where a short break could be awkward, its on stage.
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per the discussion: for multiple decades i only took one (i mostly only had one) but i also took a fretted for backup a few times and never needed it. i remember breaking an A (or D?) string one time: i changed the string. these days i take two: i have a bunch, they're beautiful, they're worth 'sharing', so why not?
also: i'm the cat who put them together and wired them up and installed all of the pieces-parts = maybe a little less confident in the "builder" than in the past! 
so i'd probably split my vote:
- do i "need" one? = probably not.
- do i take one? = yeah, most likely. but i don't take a backup to jams and 'informals'.
I've been playing and gigging since 1968 and have never needed a backup bass, have never broken a bass string-on or off stage-, and never needed to replace a battery in a bass while at a gig. I occasionally take a 2nd bass but it's a fretless with my fretted bass being the primary.
All the gigs I ever did "back in the day", I never needed a backup. That being said, I also took three basses with me. One was a "backup" and the other was tuned to drop-D for that one song we had. It was a quick swap and I was ready to go, then a quick swap back and ready to go again.
But, like others have said, you don't need a backup until you do. Had I not brought one, I probably would have needed it.
But, like others have said, you don't need a backup until you do. Had I not brought one, I probably would have needed it.
"Need" is a fraught term. I have never had to swap instruments during a gig because of a failure (tuning, yes, acoustic vs electric, yes, but not because an axe became unplayable). I also, knock on wood, have never had my house catch on fire. I still buy homeowner's insurance, and I still bring a backup bass to gigs.
My primary also has an active/passive switch with a passive tone control, so if it's just a dead battery all I have to do is keep it passive the rest of the set and load a fresh pair of nine-volts at the break. I don't bring a spare amp but I do bring a DI, and I can recall only one or two gigs in my career where the PA wouldn't have carried the low end by itself. My pedalboard, while fun and useful, is ultimately optional other than the tuner, if a connection craps out worse than twiddling connectors I can just skip it, and I have a clip-on tuner in my "oh s**t kit" (along with 9Vs, so if I really want my TU-2 in the chain I load in a battery). I have two mics for my backup vocals, mostly to match Shure vs Sennheiser on the house system, but if either manages to crap out I can pull out the other. My OSK also has spare strings (bass and guitar), spare XLR cables, spare instrument and patch cables, spare IEC cable, a surge-protecting power strip, another vocal mic, picks, gaff tape and a few other miscellany.
This all may seem a bit paranoid, but when you think about it, what else are you gonna do? At a lot of the gigs I play, we're it; there's nobody to borrow gear from. We typically start about the same time Guitar Center closes, and the venue is very often a half-hour one-way trip or longer to any store that would have anything that could fix a problem. If you can't work around a rig problem, and can't fix it on the spot with what you have with you, your gig is over. It might just be a bar gig, but it's still a hit to your reputation and that of your group as being prepared professionals, and both reputations can only survive so many letdowns.
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I always did when I was gigging, and even today I prefer to have two copies of a favorite bass, if I can afford it. I had a 4001 and a 4003s during the gigging days, but never played in anything important enough to actually bring both to a gig. The drunks never cared and the only girls ever at our gigs were the drummer and guitarist’s wives. So usually the 4003s stayed home.
I have broken the occasional string, but I usually had spares in the case. Lugging the amps kept me busy enough
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Agreed on all counts. Though to be clear - if you take a second bass because you like it and want to make sure you get a chance to play it, that's not exactly a backup. My overly anal analysis above only contemplated the use of a backup as an avoidance of a set calamity.View attachment 4453659
per the discussion: for multiple decades i only took one (i mostly only had one) but i also took a fretted for backup a few times and never needed it. i remember breaking an A (or D?) string one time: i changed the string. these days i take two: i have a bunch, they're beautiful, they're worth 'sharing', so why not?
so i'd probably split my vote:
- do i "need" one? = probably not.
- do i take one? = yeah, most likely. but i don't take a backup to jams and 'informals'.
I always bring one, even to rehearsal. If I'm just playing one set, the second bass might stay in the car if I didn't bring my double gig bag (although I usually do)
Things I have broken on stage:
-Nuts
-Strings
-Jacks
-pickguards (I only use metal now)
-Pots
-Tuning pegs
Things I've noticed when pulling a bass out of the gig bag:
-Bridge missing a saddle screw
-Broken nut
-Bag ground wire
-Dead battery
In addition to bringing another bass I also bring:
-Extra strings (including for the guitar)
-Small tool kit
-Drum key
-Extra XLR, IEC, speaker, etc cables
-Extra stand
-Extra DI box
-Extension cords
-Power strips
I've been known to bring an extra head when I use my SVT because all it takes is one heavy plunk and you could be short an output tube.
Things I have broken on stage:
-Nuts
-Strings
-Jacks
-pickguards (I only use metal now)
-Pots
-Tuning pegs
Things I've noticed when pulling a bass out of the gig bag:
-Bridge missing a saddle screw
-Broken nut
-Bag ground wire
-Dead battery
In addition to bringing another bass I also bring:
-Extra strings (including for the guitar)
-Small tool kit
-Drum key
-Extra XLR, IEC, speaker, etc cables
-Extra stand
-Extra DI box
-Extension cords
-Power strips
I've been known to bring an extra head when I use my SVT because all it takes is one heavy plunk and you could be short an output tube.
If you're playing in your bedroom and don't mind not having a bass while yours is being repaired or replaced, then no.
If you're getting paid to play and the rest of the band is staring at you because something went wrong with your bass in the middle a tune, then yes.
If you're getting paid to play and the rest of the band is staring at you because something went wrong with your bass in the middle a tune, then yes.
I generally bring the bass of choice; and a Precision.
It has a predictable sound for sound engineers, and does not need a battery so I don't have to keep a back-up maintained with fresh batteries. It can go without being called upon for a very long time, then get pulled out and be ready to go.
When a bass goes down during a gig, you need to be able to switch to a working bass immediately - not after cancelling the rest of the set to diagnose, change a string or battery or delaying a set, with everyone standing around 5-10 minutes to do the same.
I even carry a small back-up amp (TE ELF or GK MB200), as well as backup for every essential cable. Doesn't really take much room. A backup for the cabinet is about the only backup I don't bring. And I probably should, but have never had a cabinet failure and I can get by without a stage cab in a pinch (monitors).
It has a predictable sound for sound engineers, and does not need a battery so I don't have to keep a back-up maintained with fresh batteries. It can go without being called upon for a very long time, then get pulled out and be ready to go.
When a bass goes down during a gig, you need to be able to switch to a working bass immediately - not after cancelling the rest of the set to diagnose, change a string or battery or delaying a set, with everyone standing around 5-10 minutes to do the same.
I even carry a small back-up amp (TE ELF or GK MB200), as well as backup for every essential cable. Doesn't really take much room. A backup for the cabinet is about the only backup I don't bring. And I probably should, but have never had a cabinet failure and I can get by without a stage cab in a pinch (monitors).
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Oh, this again. For most of my "professional" career, I and just about everyone I know really only owned one instrument. My keyboard player didn't bring a "backup" DX7 and my guitar player might have brought an acoustic and an electric but I don't ever recall seeing two electrics on the stage.
In that decade I probably played 3-set shows anywhere from 3 to 5 nights a week, depending on the time of year. Summer was busier. Count up all those shows over ten-plus years and in all that playing time I broke two strings. Both times I was able to get by with what I had; I think once I just tuned up the remaining strings and played that way until the end of the set and the other time we were close to the end of the set anyway so we just finished the song and took our break a little early.
Given the number of failures I experienced over the many hours of stage time, I think that the likelihood of failure is overstated. Given the type of shows I tend to do nowadays, I feel like I'm taking myself a little too seriously if I'm dragging along another instrument that I'll likely never need. If I have to bring two then I'm going to play both of them, so a four and a five or something like that. But most of my shows are not shows where I'm going to be unable to accommodate a problem if it happens.
I do take backups of the most likely failure points. Extra cables, strings, batteries, tuners, power cables, all the things that typically do or can fail. I don't care if someone else feels like they need a backup instrument, but it seems like overkill for the situations I'm usually in.
In that decade I probably played 3-set shows anywhere from 3 to 5 nights a week, depending on the time of year. Summer was busier. Count up all those shows over ten-plus years and in all that playing time I broke two strings. Both times I was able to get by with what I had; I think once I just tuned up the remaining strings and played that way until the end of the set and the other time we were close to the end of the set anyway so we just finished the song and took our break a little early.
Given the number of failures I experienced over the many hours of stage time, I think that the likelihood of failure is overstated. Given the type of shows I tend to do nowadays, I feel like I'm taking myself a little too seriously if I'm dragging along another instrument that I'll likely never need. If I have to bring two then I'm going to play both of them, so a four and a five or something like that. But most of my shows are not shows where I'm going to be unable to accommodate a problem if it happens.
I do take backups of the most likely failure points. Extra cables, strings, batteries, tuners, power cables, all the things that typically do or can fail. I don't care if someone else feels like they need a backup instrument, but it seems like overkill for the situations I'm usually in.
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I have needed a back up bass several times over the decades (ugh!) for a variety of reasons::
* Bass fell out of stand, busted neck
* Tuner failed
* Broken strings
* Electronic failure
I also needed a backup saxophone a time or two, they are fragile beasts. The most memorable time was when I had a pitcher of beer dumped on me as I played during a particularly riotous gig 20+ years ago. That was a mess lol.
It's not fun to schlep extra stuff around that you don't need very often. But the pro-minded do it to make sure they're not the reason the show stops. Amateurs practice until they get it right, pros practice until they can't get it wrong. That sort of thinking.
* Bass fell out of stand, busted neck
* Tuner failed
* Broken strings
* Electronic failure
I also needed a backup saxophone a time or two, they are fragile beasts. The most memorable time was when I had a pitcher of beer dumped on me as I played during a particularly riotous gig 20+ years ago. That was a mess lol.
It's not fun to schlep extra stuff around that you don't need very often. But the pro-minded do it to make sure they're not the reason the show stops. Amateurs practice until they get it right, pros practice until they can't get it wrong. That sort of thinking.
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I haven't broken a string on stage in 25 years now. In my usual live circumstances (1 set shows with no setup time to speak of in a metro-city environment where parking can be a nightmare), bringing the bare minimum and making sure it is maintained well, pays off much more in feeling confident than bringing multiple basses, with all the extra strings and cable mess that comes with it, unless the music really requires it.
Of course it may be different if you are playing a 4 set evening with circumstances like a large PA, music with bass parts that cant be navigated with a broken string for a few tunes, sound personnel, a roomy stage, and ample parking space coupled with scheduled load-in and setup time.
Of course it may be different if you are playing a 4 set evening with circumstances like a large PA, music with bass parts that cant be navigated with a broken string for a few tunes, sound personnel, a roomy stage, and ample parking space coupled with scheduled load-in and setup time.
If you play gigs... definitely! I haven't broken a string (yet) but I don't want to be "caught with my pants down". I always take two basses with me because the bands I have been a part of always had a handful of songs that they played in Eb. Much quicker and more professional than tuning between songs. Besides, it's nice to have some variety.
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I've taken a backup to almost every gig for a decade or so. Only had to use it in an emergency situation twice, but I was glad to have it and just I enjoy being able to play more than one bass in a gig. Really helps me appreciate the differences between them.
My philosophy is that as the bass player I need to be on and playing. I can't be the weakest link in the band and in many situations I end up being the glue keeping it all together. If something goes wrong, I'm a bass grab and a stomp on an A/B box away (5-10 seconds at worst) from being back in the groove.
My philosophy is that as the bass player I need to be on and playing. I can't be the weakest link in the band and in many situations I end up being the glue keeping it all together. If something goes wrong, I'm a bass grab and a stomp on an A/B box away (5-10 seconds at worst) from being back in the groove.
Usually yes. It's a lot faster to change bass than change a string or battery. I've seen bands stop because of a broken guitar string and try and muster through bass and drums jam and it's often cringe-worthy. Ok in a spit and sawdust pub, but not at say, a wedding.
If you're being paid to play, be professional and have a backup plan for everything that can go wrong. I've had instrument failures, amp head failures, bad cables, pedalboard issues. I've seen a friend solder another bassists cab jack socket due to failure. At the very least, pack a DI box in your gig bag.
I'm in the lucky situation in my band that me and the two guitarists each use a Helix and frfr speaker, and we go through FOH. There's built-in redundancy for backline (if one goes down, just plug into a spare channel of another) and one of them carry's a Helix stomp as backup that we can all use.
If you're being paid to play, be professional and have a backup plan for everything that can go wrong. I've had instrument failures, amp head failures, bad cables, pedalboard issues. I've seen a friend solder another bassists cab jack socket due to failure. At the very least, pack a DI box in your gig bag.
I'm in the lucky situation in my band that me and the two guitarists each use a Helix and frfr speaker, and we go through FOH. There's built-in redundancy for backline (if one goes down, just plug into a spare channel of another) and one of them carry's a Helix stomp as backup that we can all use.
For a high-level show, I think it would be a good practice. If I were playing in a top casino band or something at a similar level, I'd probably bring something. But the stuff I do nowadays is just not so highfalutin that I need to drag extra stuff for a very remote possibility. Back when I did do that kind of stuff, nobody had backups. Maybe gear was built to last then.
