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Does your guitarist bring backups?

#101
In my 3000 gig history, had:
1 preamp tube failure
1 strap loop tore through
1 strap mount screw pulled out
1 bass output jack failed.

Given this, seems it’s more practical to leave a small rescue shoebox kit in your trunk:
1 preamp tube
1 strap
1 toothpick glue screwdriver
1 solder gun
1 can of DetoxIt for a scratchy pot

Being ready for first aid might be more practical than lugging an extra bass/amp
 
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#102
I don't bring a backup anything, except extra cables, xlr stuff, cables for my wireless. I bring extra batteries and a few tools. Our guitarist brings three guitars, but not for backup, one is a 12 string, and a couple of different strats he likes. No backup amp. Plays them all during the gig.
 
#103
MultiScaleMale said:
Seems to be a lot of bassists on here that bring backups of almost everything. I don’t think I’ve seen guitarists ever bring backups other than a set of strings. If they bring two guitars, it’s for two different sounds like a tele and a Les Paul.
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Late to the party, but this is definitely not my experience. This millennium, the only "guitarists" I've worked with regularly who didn't bring backup were lead singers who played rhythm guitar on selected songs.

Actually, last year I subbed with a band whose guitarist brought one guitar. I actually didn't notice at the gig, but the regular bassist is a good friend and he was really annoyed at the guitarist's lack of backup: he felt (as I do) that it's unprofessional. even in the bar band world I inhabit.

Also: probably mentioned already, but it's more common for bassists not to bring backup. The usual mindset is "I never break strings, so I don't need one". Well, in over half a century and thousands of gigs I've almost never broken a string, but it has happened a half dozen times. I've also experienced a few other failures (amp and instrument) that were not field-repairable. Best instrument example: broken nut that caused the E string to go flopping off the side of the neck. This happened mid-song, but it took 15 seconds tops to switch to my backup bass. So the gig was not ruined, not even interrupted.
 
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#105
tshapiro said:
In my 3000 gig history, had:
1 preamp tube failure
1 strap loop tore through
1 strap mount screw pulled out
1 bass output jack failed.

Given this, seems it’s more practical to leave a small rescue shoebox kit in your trunk:
1 preamp tube
1 strap
1 toothpick glue screwdriver
1 solder gun
1 can of DetoxIt for a scratchy pot

Being ready for first aid might be more practical than lugging an extra bass/amp
Click to expand...
I respect this, and certainly agree that failures are rare for bassists. In 50 years (couple thousand gigs) I've only experienced a dozen gear problems of various sorts, a few broken strings included. A few of those were not field-repairable, but even in the case of, say, a broken jack that I had the skill and tools to repair, I never want to be That Guy that forces the band to halt the show while I get my spit together.

I play at the bar band level and probably wouldn't be fired from any of my regular bands for a stoppage (though I would be shamed ;)). On that note, in cramped conditions I sometimes leave backup in its case, rather than have it consume precious stage space. I can however envision a sub gig scenario where if I had to pause the show to fix my bass, the BL would then decide not to hire me again because I failed to take the basic precaution of bringing backup, as the majority of bassists and guitarists do even at my level.

Again: what are the odds? Extremely low. But I've learned never to say never, and a backup bass or amp has saved my butt a few times (with modern micro amps, bringing backup is far easier than it used to be).
 
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#106
Fuzzbass said:
I respect this, and certainly agree that failures are rare for bassists. In 50 years (couple thousand gigs) I've only experienced a dozen gear problems of various sorts, a few broken strings included. A few of those were not field-repairable, but even in the case of, say, a broken jack that I had the skill and tools to repair, I never want to be That Guy that forces the band to halt the show while I get my spit together.

I play at the bar band level and probably wouldn't be fired from any of my regular bands for a stoppage (though I would be shamed ;)). On that note, in cramped conditions I sometimes leave backup in its case, rather than have it consume precious stage space. I can however envision a sub gig scenario where if I had to pause the show to fix my bass, the BL would then decide not to hire me again because I failed to take the basic precaution of bringing backup, as the majority of bassists and guitarists do even at my level.

Again: what are the odds? Extremely low. But I've learned never to say never, and a backup bass or amp has saved my butt a few times (with modern micro amps, bringing backup is far easier than it used to be).
Click to expand...

I always bring a backup bass and almost always bring it into the bar, though rarely set it up on a stand - instead, I'll find a safe lean-spot for its gig-bag, usually between my cab and either a wall or a borrowed high-top chair, where it sits unzipped and tuned.

The exception to bringing it into the bar is a monthly venue in a 130-year-old, upstairs bar that's up a long, narrow, steep flight of stairs. Assuming moderate outside temps and secure parking, it stays locked in the car - worst case, we lose 3 minutes while I snag it - band leader tells a story or sings "Mr Bojangles" or some such. Otherwise, that gig only gets allotted enough "stuff" to haul everything up those steps - bass, gig bag, 23 lb cab and 4 lb head - IN ONE TRIP.
 
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#107
Fuzzbass said:
I respect this, and certainly agree that failures are rare for bassists. In 50 years (couple thousand gigs) I've only experienced a dozen gear problems of various sorts, a few broken strings included. A few of those were not field-repairable, but even in the case of, say, a broken jack that I had the skill and tools to repair, I never want to be That Guy that forces the band to halt the show while I get my spit together.

I play at the bar band level and probably wouldn't be fired from any of my regular bands for a stoppage (though I would be shamed ;)). On that note, in cramped conditions I sometimes leave backup in its case, rather than have it consume precious stage space. I can however envision a sub gig scenario where if I had to pause the show to fix my bass, the BL would then decide not to hire me again because I failed to take the basic precaution of bringing backup, as the majority of bassists and guitarists do even at my level.

Again: what are the odds? Extremely low. But I've learned never to say never, and a backup bass or amp has saved my butt a few times (with modern micro amps, bringing backup is far easier than it used to be).
Click to expand...
Makes sense. When it comes to bass failures, I’m more diligent about maintaining my bases in good order and not bringing one that is suspect. Other than the time the strap screw pulled out, I have to admit I knew the failure points were acting up and I procrastinated getting them fixed.
 
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#108
So here's a funny story from tonight's gig:

The guitarist in this band doesn't bring a "backup" per se; he brings a second guitar that's tuned down a half step so that he can play one tune in our set that's in Eb.
That's all he uses the 2nd guitar for. Puts it on for that one tune, takes it off after that song is over

...usually.

Tonight for some reason he left it on. Drummer counts off the next tune, band launches into the song, and gee, whaddya know? The guitar is a half step flat!

I'll give him credit: He valiantly tried to transpose on the fly for ~16 bars ...which btw were not the first 16 bars of the tune. The first 8 or so measures sounded like one of Ornette Coleman's less-successful harmolodic experiments.

:::facepalm:::
 
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#109
Guitarist stood on my cable as I was walking away. Pulled the scratchplate right out, pulled several wires off the pots, bent the jack socket and cracked the scratchplate. The photo makes it look a lot better than it was, this was AFTER I'd pushed it back in and took it home to inspect the damage. This was about 20 years ago now, when I was in my teens and every time I see someone say "I don't carry a spare bass but I carry some strings and some tools etc" it makes me a little worried. Yes, I too can change a string quickly but I'm not pulling out a soldering iron, waiting for it to heat up, and rewiring a bass on stage.

Every gig gets two basses, I have one spare 1/4" and one spare xlr, there's a little tuner in my bag. Everything else I can do without. My guitarist always takes two guitars (one stratty type thing and one humbuckery type thing) and whilst he doesn't technically have any backups in his rig he does have the ability to add amp models on his multi fx if the amp fails, and he can do the gig without any effects if the multi fails, so that's that covered.

1768133873381.jpeg
 
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#111
I play in a 19 piece jazz ensemble, and in many smaller bands. The jazz musicians don’t bring spare instruments. Many of them don’t even own a second instrument — they’re playing whatever they got when they were in school. Classical musicians, same deal. They’re all aware of the things that might be consumable, such as strings and reeds. I don’t own a spare upright bass.

The classical players are compulsive about caring for their instruments, and about being careful around other instruments on stage. You don’t walk past someone else’s instrument if there’s a chance that you might touch it. Preferably you wait for them to move their instrument, or ask them to do so if necessary. It sounds fussy, but most of the players learned a consistent set of habits in school. It doesn’t take many times of getting tracked down and asked to move your instrument, and you learn to take care of it.

Granted, there’s more chance for damage on a stage that’s crowded with mic stands, cables, and other gear. And if your performance requires a lot of acrobatics. But I also think there’s a difference in the attitudes of the players. When I see violinists playing those kinds of gigs, they often do have a second instrument for that reason.
 
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#112
fdeck said:
I play in a 19 piece jazz ensemble, and in many smaller bands. The jazz musicians don’t bring spare instruments. Many of them don’t even own a second instrument — they’re playing whatever they got when they were in school. Classical musicians, same deal. They’re all aware of the things that might be consumable, such as strings and reeds. I don’t own a spare upright bass.

The classical players are compulsive about caring for their instruments, and about being careful around other instruments on stage. You don’t walk past someone else’s instrument if there’s a chance that you might touch it. Preferably you wait for them to move their instrument, or ask them to do so if necessary. It sounds fussy, but most of the players learned a consistent set of habits in school. It doesn’t take many times of getting tracked down and asked to move your instrument, and you learn to take care of it.

Granted, there’s more chance for damage on a stage that’s crowded with mic stands, cables, and other gear. And if your performance requires a lot of acrobatics. But I also think there’s a difference in the attitudes of the players. When I see violinists playing those kinds of gigs, they often do have a second instrument for that reason.
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Classical instruments are acoustic and don't have wiring/pot/switch/jack issues that go beyond proper setup and strings.
 
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#114
fdeck said:
Bringing an instrument with those issues to a gig is on the player.
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Been doing this much? I've been gigging 53 years and have seen every kind of wiring/electronics issue you can imagine that didn't present symptoms up until they did,

Including @Jack 's stepped-on cable pulling jack and pot wires loose 5 posts back.

That's only on me as far as my choice to play an electric instrument.

It's also on me to bring a backup.
 
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#115
Pocket Dave said:
Been doing this much? I've been gigging 53 years and have seen every kind of wiring/electronics issue you can imagine that didn't present symptoms up until they did,

Including @Jack 's stepped-on cable pulling jack and pot wires loose 5 posts back.

That's only on me as far as my choice to play an electric instrument.

It's also on me to bring a backup.
Click to expand...
Nah, only 45 years. I’ll defer to your experience. ;)

But I agree that I was being a bit too blunt. It's also on the gear makers and one's band mates. And I have the luxury of being my own tech for electronics, so I have no need to defer maintenance issues. I'm playing the same electric bass that I bought in 1977. At some point I put new pots in it.
 
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#116
fdeck said:
Nah, only 45 years. I’ll defer to your experience. ;)

But I agree that I was being a bit too blunt. It's also on the gear makers and one's band mates. And I have the luxury of being my own tech for electronics, so I have no need to defer maintenance issues. I'm playing the same electric bass that I bought in 1977. At some point I put new pots in it.
Click to expand...

IME relying on my technical skills only goes so far. I used to bring an emergency kit consisting of wiring, soldering gun, solder, pots and a switch, but really - I replaced a pickup selector switch on a guitar gig when the bar manager wanted to know why I was stinking the place up and wanted to know when we were going back on. I really wanted to play that guitar - a more accepting approach that would've worked better for everyone would've been to just grab the backup and keep things going.

These days, the emergency kit is downsized to a spare 1/4" instrument cable, extra tuner, batteries, two hex wrenches and two small screwdrivers.
 
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#117
MultiScaleMale said:
Seems to be a lot of bassists on here that bring backups of almost everything. I don’t think I’ve seen guitarists ever bring backups other than a set of strings. If they bring two guitars, it’s for two different sounds like a tele and a Les Paul.
Click to expand...
I only bring spare strings and cables. In 30+ years of playing, I've seen a bass string break exactly once, and it wasn't me. The things that seem to cause the most problems are dead batteries and bad patch cables on pedal boards. I don't use a pedal board and I've only got one bass with active pickups.
 

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