how important is a spare bass ?

[PATTY1]

i still have only one bass and can't afford a whole lot for a spare but i was just wondering how important it is to have a spare ( i gig about 1 a month on avg ) , and how many players on avg carry a spare with them when they play out...any idea ?? ps. i can change a string fast enough but if my active pickups die i'm screwed

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Depends really on where your playing , if you are getting a hefty check to play somewhere you better deliver, but as for me i play free shows i am not going to spend money on a spare bass.

 

[TeamTrejo]

Not very.

If you have an active bass it's more important to keep some spare batteries with you. I usually just change to a fresh one before a gig so there are no worries.

 

[diamonddray]

funny you should say that the active went out on my 05 warwick vett std active.thank goodness i had a spare brice.not the best bass in the world,but it did'nt cost a mint but good enough to get by.the show must go on!

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

not important at all.

Spare strings? Sure. Battery? Well, if you bass is active... DUH...

But "spare" bass? I've never had one.

 

[Boguszewivz]

I have 3 basses, but only take 1 to a gig. I suppose if you take care of it and maintain it properly (which I do) you don't really need to worry about having a spare.

 

[capnsandwich]

It all depends on how much you gig and how reliable your gear is. If you're playing a fairly big gig with a lot of people's eyes on you and you have a not-so-reliable amp or bass then I'd say you'd better have a backup. If you're an occasional gigger with a decent bass and amp then you could get away with it for a while. But, remember that I said this, there WILL be a day when a piece of your gear goes out either pre-gig or during a gig if you start doing it on a regular basis. If that's the case then you'd better have a backup. Even something like a seasonable neck bow can make your bass unplayable right before gig time. If you're going to have one bass/amp then I suggest keeping them in tip top shape and getting regular maintenance done on them.

 

[Catdaddy]

I went for many years with only one bass but it was a P bass, so what's to go wrong? I think I broke only one or two strings over many years, but since I mostly did weddings and parties rather than shows or concerts, it was not that big a concern. Now that I'm playing in a band that does mostly concerts and festivals, not to mention that I'm now an old fart who can afford more than one bass, I almost always bring two. I usually bring a fretted and a fretless, or a P bass and a MusicMan--so I can have fun switching off So I would say, don't go out and buy one just for this purpose, especially if money is tight. Be sure to have batteries, strings, tools, spare cords, and maybe even a soldering iron (providing you or someone else in the band knows how to use it), and you should be O.K. If you stay with it long enough, other basses will come. They always do

 

[BooHead]

I wish I had one...I was changing my strings on my bass and the nut cracked in half. Luckily I had a friend who wasn't using his bass and I borrowed it until I got mine repaired.

 

[TortillaChip520]

Not very. I have only 1 bass, and play lots of shows. I take good care of my stuff, however, because I don't have money to replace it. I need a new amp and better rig before a spare bass.

 

[lowfreq33]

If you're touring, you absolutely need a spare. A lot can happen on the road, and it can be pretty difficult to hunt down a replacement on short notice, especially if you're in a smaller town. If you're just playing locally it's not too important.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I think it is important.

Maintaining your instrument is your part of the equation. You keep your strings fresh, you keep batteries replaced, you bring spares of those. But what if someone steals your bass before a show? Or maybe it's on a stand waiting for you and someone knocks it over and breaks it. Or maybe some well-meaning person tries to move it out of the way for someone moving cabinets and drops it. Or maybe some stage-hand drops a speaker cabinet on it. Yeah, you beat them severely, but if you don't have a spare, you are going to have to try to borrow one from someone else, or run to a music store, or just not play.

You never know. Good to keep a spare in the car/truck/trailer/van.

 

[cassanova]

I don't think anyone really buys a 2nd bass for use as a spare. I think we buy them because we just want another bass and rationalize that we need a backup.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's not a good idea to have one in reserve because things eventually will and do go wrong, but they don't happen often enough to where having a spare is all that important.

 

[Bassamatic]

It really depends on what kind of gig you are playing. Anything can happen. Someone could knock over your stand between sets and the headstock could snap off.

If it is a big deal gig you should have a backup just to keep Murphy at bay. That's what SXs and used Squiers are for!

 

[Jim Dep]

If you happen to be left handed and playing on the road in mid-west during the winter months, having a spare bass is a REALLY good idea. Playing with a warped neck isn't much fun.

 

[JDJen]

Depending on how much you play, just change your batteries once a month. I've only had them go dead once during a gig. However it was the end of the fair season and we were just finishing up 6 nights in a margarita tent playing from 5:30 till 12:30. Pulled out the back up and finished the set. As for broken strings...any bassist worth his salt can finish a set with a broken string.

 

[darkstorm]

Not very important at all. With bass its very unusual to break a string. With guitar thats unusual too but more possible and thus more important to have a backup guitar for gigging. Since you only gig once a month Id say a backup had no importance at all. Unless you regularly break strings somehow. 2nd bass for bass players is primarilly for change of sound or other change of pace thing. If I was a world touring pro, Id have a 2nd bass that was exactly like the other excpet maybe for color. Or some other marking to help me know which was which. Lol. Since its purpose would be as a backup to the other. As such it should be the same bass imo. Since its purpose wouldnt be to give diff sound, its a backup not a alternate. If however I had need for diff sound for swome stuff not getable with the main bass due to pup types etc, then would have 2nd bass as one that gave the desired other sound.

 

[RobertPaulson]

I take 2 basses to every gig. I've only ever needed the 2nd once, but hey I like to have options. I can either play the rick or the fender depending on the mood that strikes me . The peace of mind is well worth hauling an extra bass around for me.

 

[elgranluis]

If you are playing a stadium gig, then by all means yes. I've never played a stadium gig, though, so I've never brought more than a sigle bass to any gig.

I carry an extra set of strings, and I can change a string in a couple of minutes, including stretching and tuning.

 

[Ric5]

I have 15 basses so when I play the hard part is which bass to take. The choice gets easier when I take more than one. These days I take 3. I take a fretless 5 and 2 that are fretted. Having a backup bass is good in case you break a string, or if your basses are active and a battery goes bad, or if you want a bass that sounds different for a different song, or if you want a bass tuned DGCF or BEAD for certain songs, or if you want a fretless for certain songs or if you just like to play different basses. When I play out in a band I like to have 3 basses a different one for each set.

The only time I carry only one bass is when I go to open jams and I will only be playing a few songs.