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Gigging with 1 bass or multiple bass's?

#22
One time, just before the start of a gig, the band's singer knocked over 1 of my basses while trying to move some cables around. Broke the peg on the G-string tuner. I was very glad that I had a backup bass handy.

She offered to pay for the repair, but I asked her to learn a couple of songs that she'd been putting off instead. She did, I got a new tuning machine (should have upgraded all of them, but I didn't think to until later), & everybody ended up happy!

The only times I ever go to a gig without a backup bass is if it's just something short, like a radio interview show. Anything more than 20-30 minutes & a backup comes with, even if it just gets tuned & left on the stand.

I do have certain songs with certain bands that are easier to play, or just plain more fun, with 1 bass rather than another, so sometimes I'll switch off when there's a break.
 
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#24
Well, I had a first-time and scary experience at a rehearsal this weekend...For the first 20 years of playing, then the last 2 years, this has NEVER happened to me...

My Jazz bass has the Aguilar preamp in it, which I've never been terribly crazy about, but it got the job done while I saved my pennies for the Nordstrand preamp that I really want for it.

However, at this rehearsal, I pulled out my Jazz, started to warm up and, hey, what's wrong with this thing?? Doesn't sound right at all. Even with the blend pot in the center, it had way too much rear-pup sound. Nothing like a Jazz bass (both pups at 100%). I looked at it and looked at it (even replaced the 3-week-old batteries, which I don't usually replace for 3 months), and finally determined that the blend pot must have gone bad. Further examination revealed that both pups were fine, and the rest of the preamp worked properly, but still sounded really bad. And I was 45 minutes from home, so it was a really long rehearsal with my Jazz not working properly.

However, Saturday and Sunday night, and a rehearsal yesterday, I totally disproved the notion that a Precision can't be funky...

So NOW, I'll be carrying my Precision along as a spare. I should have been all along, I guess. If had been on a show with this problem, it would have been bad. REALLY bad.

Today, I order the Nord preamp I wanted and a blend pot for the Aguilar. It's going in my fretless Jazz.

Now more than ever, you are never too old to learn...
 
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#25
electracoyote said:
Really? 5-10? They use that many?

I've been watching live bands, in person and on TV, for 50 years, and I've never seen this. I must be watching different bands than you.
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I might have been buzzin when I was typing.. No not 5-10 bass's but I have seen as many as 4 used. Tommy Stinson, mike dirnt,flea will even use 3 or 4 sometimes in one show. Idk why I said 10. But then when it comes to guitarist I mean I've seen jerry Cantrell use a different guitar for almost every other song, slash has at least 5 or 6 he uses in a show. Different turnings, tremolo bar etc..
 
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#26
descendent22 said:
I might have been buzzin when I was typing.. No not 5-10 bass's but I have seen as many as 4 used. Tommy Stinson, mike dirnt,flea will even use 3 or 4 sometimes in one show. Idk why I said 10. But then when it comes to guitarist I mean I've seen jerry Cantrell use a different guitar for almost every other song, slash has at least 5 or 6 he uses in a show. Different turnings, tremolo bar etc..
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Tom Petty and Mike Campbell bring a sizeable collection of some pretty badass vintage guitars and switch after nearly every song. Not unusual for guitar players, for the reasons you mentioned. It seems to be more rare when bassists do it. I would say that a desire to gig their collection, or part of it, is also a reason for a lot of guitar and bass players bringing so many instruments. It may also be an aesthetics thing, a different finish or color changes up the look.
 
#27
electracoyote said:
Tom Petty and Mike Campbell bring a sizeable collection of some pretty badass vintage guitars and switch after nearly every song. Not unusual for guitar players, for the reasons you mentioned. It seems to be more rare when bassists do it. I would say that a desire to gig their collection, or part of it, is also a reason for a lot of guitar and bass players bringing so many instruments. It may also be an aesthetics thing, a different finish or color changes up the look.
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I agree,it does seem more rare for bassist. A guy like sting or Paul Simmonin have used different bass's throughout their career but the mainly used 1 almost always. Sting and that 51 p bass Paul Simmonin with that white p bass that's been through hell and back, and they both still plug them in and use them to this day. Fender really is durable. 40 years of road wear and abuse and they still work like the day they were new. I bet they sound and feel amazing!
 
#28
I use two bass when gigging. One has flat wound strings the other round wound I am in a classic rock band and I go through songs that flat sound was all that was available at the time 50-60 to the zing of round wounds in later years and to the present. The Set lists are setup by me, so the Flat wound sound is in the first set and the rest of sets are the round wounds. My Work horse basses for the Flats are my Fender P and my Epiphone EB-0 the other 10 are strung with round wound strings
 
#29
A lot of bassists use multiple instruments because of their suitability to certain sounds or genres. A really good bass with versatile active electronics can diminish or eliminate that necessity. I can get mine to sound like a Fender, A Rickenbacker, and a Gibson. Also has a great warm jazz sound, and punchy Latin fretless sound.
 
#30
I take 2 basses to the gigs - one stays in its case behind the stage as backup, one gets played during the show.
I am not convinced that for live music, there is a need to switch basses to adjust the sound to a certain
song (exception might be fretless/upright vs. standard fretted bass).
 
#31
I always have two - just in case. That said - I have never needed the back up.

Just so happens that I don't have a "back up" to my main bass, a AVRI Jazz. I have an old Rick, and an old fretless P.

So while either can be used as a backup, I really have them their for another flavor. These days it's usually the fretless, which comes out for a handful of tunes. If I had to use it as a back up, I could, but I'd rather not, as I don't like doing faster walking lines on it - I'm just not that good.

The Rick can pull off a whole gig, and w/ the vintage/modern switch, I can cover the tones I need.
 
#35
I've two jazzes, but for the past year or so I've only been taking the old, old jazz on the job.

(It's the one that feels right you know.....)

I know I might be walking a fine line, but our two guitarist have had up to 12 different electrics and acoustics on stage.

My theory.....the less you got, the less you have to carry!




.....
 
#36
I am not currently gigging, but when i was, it was just with 1. I only had 2 basses at the time, but nobody in the audience seemed to care about tonal differences or anything. If i were going to do it now, I'd probably do 2 just because I have multiple nice instruments, and carrying a spare isn't exactly a burdent
 
#37
I take two basses with me to a gig but I usually leave the back-up locked in the truck. If the weather is really cold , I'll bring it in and leave it behind my amp in its case.
Five basses on stage at a gig?????? Naaa , I'm way too lazy for that kind of stuff.
 
#39
I always take only one bass. I'm always looking at downsizing and schlepping gear 2 to 3 times a week for gigs gets old. I've move to IEMs partly for that. A second bass would be an extra hassle. In the 20 years I've been playing I've had one occasion where I broke the E string and two occasions where the battery died.

3 instances in over 20+ years. I'm sure it will one day bite me in the behind but I'll take my chances (out of laziness) and take only one bass. I do get annoyed though when the guitar player busts a string and doesn't have a spare.
 
#40
I play in a Country/Blues band and always take at least 2: Both are Wilkins PJ5's.
Bass 1 - Nordstrand pickups with Sadowsky pre and is is strung BEADG with Stainless (DR Marcus Millers at the moment).
Bass 2 - Pat Wilkins' own pickups w/Aguilar Preamp, strung BEADG with flats (TI Jazz flats)

If it's a long night and there is room on stage, I will bring a 3rd bass which is a Carvin B25 fretless string BEADG with Chromes.

If it's a dinner/quiet night, I may bring 1 fretted and the fretless.

They each have a Line6 wireless transmitter going to a G30 receiver and I swap them by turning the packs on and of as needed. Takes seconds!

The players:
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