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how important is a spare bass ?

#22
If you are getting paid to play, you need a backup. It is jsst being professional.

If I was a bar owner and a bassist couldn't finish a gig due to an equipment malfunction, I would never book them again.

Active or passive.... wires come lose, screws fall out, pots die, etc.

Non paid and more jam-type gigs, I bring one bass.
 
#23
Hugely important to have a second bass. I recently had my main bass begin to cut in and out right during the show - I quickly switched basses and kept going with no issues.

Another show featured the strap locks busting off - I hate Schaller brand straplocks! With several pieces floating around - I can't stop playing to fix that, I just grabbed the other bass and went on playing.

+100 to the seasonal neck bow craziness basses tend to go through. Especially when you don't notice how bad it is until the night before the show and you don't have time to fix it. Nice to have a backup there.

I don't care how good your gear is - I have an American Spector 5 string and still carry backups. I now carry 3 basses with me, two in standard and the other bass 1/2 step down.

A cheapo SX or Squier can get the job done and does not cost much at all. With no backup - what do you do then? I already figured out that I would grab a 6 string guitar, turn the treble to nothing and blast it through my rig. It would sound terrible, but that's all I got with no backup!
 
#27
I bring two basses to every gig. I play in an odd variety of bands - my regular band is kind of country-rock-blues, my second is original "newgrass," and the third jazz. I also play both upright and bass guitar. But I always have a second bass on hand, and a second amp head too. The speakers I don't worry about.
 
#28
I cracked the nut on my main bass(a stambaugh with a wooden nut, it didn't take much to crack it) and it took a while to get repaired since I also had some other minor stuff done. I have a crappy Montaya bass I got off CL for 70 bucks that held me over. If I hadn't had it I definitely would have been bugging out. I would say everyone needs one, you can find some cheap basses out there that aren't too bad. The montaya sounds bad plugged in but actually plays well, also if I practice on it then when I play my main bass it seems so easy.
 
#29
So what do you do if you play upright? Have a spare $2000+ instrument in your car?

I've never brought a spare to a gig. Make sure your soldering is good and bring spare strings. Make sure your bass is not abused. That's what I do.

Now I do have a couple other basses at home I bang around on. My Stambaugh stays in the gig bag and only comes out when I hit the stage.
 
#30
Its nice to have a few basses so you can continue to play and practice if you main bass every needs to be in the shop. Additionally, sometimes a different bass will spark creativity or speak to you more for different material.
 
#32
::::BASSIST:::: said:
So what do you do if you play upright? Have a spare $2000+ instrument in your car?

I've never brought a spare to a gig. Make sure your soldering is good and bring spare strings. Make sure your bass is not abused. That's what I do.

Now I do have a couple other basses at home I bang around on. My Stambaugh stays in the gig bag and only comes out when I hit the stage.
Click to expand...

Most upright players bring an electric for a spare if its an important gig right?
 
#33
i always have a spare, whatever playing situation i'm in. one time, during reharsal, my bass stopped talking: solder loose. even if i'm checking it regularly.
By chance, we played at singer's house, and she had soldering tools. Since this time, i always carry two basses. It would piss me off a lot to can not play just because my bass fail.
 
#35
My $.02..

The preamp in my G&L Trib L-2500 started crapping out in the middle of a song, during a bass break ironically. I'm talking zero sound coming out of my bass for about 10 seconds. I knew how to fix it (a swift spank on the back), but it continued to crap out on and off for the rest of the set.

I brought my Stingray 4H as a backup, but thinking I wouldn't need it and not wanting to expose it to the elements (smokey bar), I left it in the case to the side of the stage prior to starting our set.

I quit playing the G&L at gigs b\c it needs repair, but still bring 2 basses to every gig.

YMMV.

BTW - A $125 SX can serve as a solid backup, IMHO, for the regular or semi regular gigging bassist. That's less than the cost of many peoples' pedals\pedal boards.
 

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