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Do you take a back up bass to gigs?

#63
Session1969 said:
It only takes once to let your bandmates and patrons down. Do you check the wiring to your input jack before every show ?
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No but, if that jack begins to loosen and starts to move or flex, I will know it before anything moves or flexes enough the break.

I'm not saying I've never had a gear problem. I've had a bunch. If you pay attention, they are regular maintenance issues. They don't become catastrophic failures.
And..if the gig is all that, then you bring and extra bass if it gives you that warm fuzzy feeling.

If the gig is all that, the backline company has the contract the gear, and the tech on site. Last time I had an amp issue was about a month ago. The thing thermaled out, I had the monitor tech beef up the gain in my wedge and I went on about my business. Then I told the stage manager to let the backline guy know his rig thermaled out.
 
#64
Steve said:
No but, if that jack begins to loosen and starts to move or flex, I will know it before anything moves or flexes enough the break.
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You obviously have the confidence to say such a thing, based no doubt by your extreme good fortune over the decades and your mechanical understanding of bass guitars.

However, I am positive you would have missed this, as there were no warning signs whatsoever when the output jack on my customized '94 Gibson Thunderbird suddenly gave up the ghost. The jack was stock, and this bass had been gone over with a fine-tooth comb by me and my techs routinely. I had gigged it dozens of times. It wasn't a solder joint, it was the jack unit itself. One moment it was rock solid and functioned as normal, the next moment, nothing.

Now, the way this thread is heading, I fully expect some smartass troll comment about how T-Birds are junk and I should get a real bass. :rollno:

DSCN6919.jpg
 
#65
I know the value of redundancy, thanks to a career in industrial telecom. However, I also know that it's impossible to guard against every potential risk.

I've been gigging for more than 40 years, and used mostly active basses since about 1982. I always try to carry tools, fuses, etc., but I've rarely owned a backup, never mind brought one to the gig with me.

In all that time, I've had exactly two equipment failures. A 9V battery died on the job about 6 years ago, totally my fault, downtime roughly 2 minutes. About 30 years ago, someone spilled a drink in the ventilated top of my amp. I turned it off, popped the top, sluiced it with fresh water in the kitchen, and dried it off over a grill. Total downtime about 15 minutes.

Mind you, I'm a tech, I buy good gear, and I'm fairly anal about preventative maintenance. Of course, having said that, I'll have something blow up on the gig next week...
 
#70
electracoyote said:
One moment it was rock solid and functioned as normal, the next moment, nothing.
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So, what happened? What failed? Did one of the fingers just spontaneously break off secondary to metal fatigue?

Nice bass BTW.

And just for the record, when I get to work tonight, turn my rig on and get nothing except a big blue flash and smoking hole in the ground...I will blame you.:D
 
#71
I think for most people it depends on the level of gigs they are playing, what they are getting paid and how confident :hiding: they are in their gear.

I've never broken a string in 25 years, so I'd be more concerned about an amp problem than a string problem. I'm starting to incorporate an 8 string into some songs, so I guess I'll have a backup bass moving forward. :hyper:

Regular maintenance always helps avoid problems.
 
#72
Steve said:
So, what happened? What failed? Did one of the fingers just spontaneously break off secondary to metal fatigue?

Nice bass BTW.

And just for the record, when I get to work tonight, turn my rig on and get nothing except a big blue flash and smoking hole in the ground...I will blame you.:D
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Good question. The contact fingers seemed fine. I'm not as technically savvy as you. My electronics tech just told me, "It's shot," and replaced it.

For the record, I sincerely hope you and every other bass player on Earth never has so much as a broken string interrupt an otherwise slammin' set.

But we both know it, and worse, is going to happen, to someone, somewhere, and fairly routinely at that. ;)

I think the whole discussion comes down to the individual's work ethic and sense of duty as an entertainer. I've read a couple of comments on this thread about how some audiences matter more than others based on attendance, average intelligence, blood-alcohol levels, whether there are record company executives in the room, etc.

My bands never treat one audience different from another. We deliver the same high-impact, well-rehearsed professional show every time, whether it's for ten people and a drunk yelling "Freebird," or thousands at one of the large theaters here in Denver. My bands always play through very nice, well-maintained gear, and we have no shortage of support staff and techs in our corner.

I can't imagine taking a chance on interrupting the momentum of a set to so much as change a string, let alone get out the tool box to fix a crippled bass or amp, while one of our audiences and my bandmates stand around and waits.

I guess I have to remind myself that "entertainers" come in a wide variety of mindsets.
 
#73
electracoyote said:
Backatcha.

Risk-takers who like to brag about their irresponsible lifestyles on the internet crack me up.

Tell us more, like how you don't wear a condom, drive around with the gas gauge on E, and don't balance your checkbook.

You're sooooo cool.

Fortunately, you're firmly in the minority and people with common sense know better.
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Dude, you need relax. You take the bar gig thing WAY too seriously. I mean, take pride in what you do, but it's not the end of thew world if someone breaks a string and has to make it through the rest of a song that way. It takes me about 30 seconds to replace a string. What about you? I think the vocalist can probably talk for about 30 seconds, if he needs to.

I've probably been gigging almost as long as you've been alive (about 33 years), and I've never needed a spare anything.
 
#75
I bring two basses, two cabs, two heads, extra cables and strings, duct tape and tools to every gig. I've also got picks, guitar strings, drumsticks and a DI in my gear bag in case one of my bandmates has a problem. I may be paranoid, but I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law.
 
#77
Craig_S said:
Dude, you need relax. You take the bar gig thing WAY too seriously. I mean, take pride in what you do, but it's not the end of thew world if someone breaks a string and has to make it through the rest of a song that way. It takes me about 30 seconds to replace a string. What about you? I think the vocalist can probably talk for about 30 seconds, if he needs to.

I've probably been gigging almost as long as you've been alive (about 33 years), and I've never needed a spare anything.
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Why is it that people who keep telling me to relax can't take their own advice? Very curious.

53 years old here, been gigging professionally for 35 years (as if showing your age weiner has a friggin' thing to do with it).

For the rest of how I feel about your post, read my Post # 72 above. I recognize that people perceive their audiences very differently and this affects their position on having backup gear at the gigs.

Now, hackles down Chief, go have a cold one. :rollno:
 

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