How many ***backup*** basses do you bring to a gig?

[stringthrough]

This is more a question about backup basses, not whether you need a 4, 5 or 6 string or fretless bass for certain tunes.

 

[Nashrakh]

Zero. I keep my basses well maintained thank you. No broken inputs or pots for me. If a string breaks (which has NEVER happened to me), I'll still have more than enough left on the bass.

 

[BassmanM]

If a string breaks (which has NEVER happened to me), I'll still have more than enough left on the bass.

Oh, so you play a 6-string?

 

[devnulljp]

Always have two ready to go.

 

[gary mitchell]

none just the one i am going to play

 

[GH van Dijk]

One. Never needed it, but better safe than sorry.

 

[nostatic]

Zero. I keep my basses well maintained thank you. No broken inputs or pots for me. If a string breaks (which has NEVER happened to me), I'll still have more than enough left on the bass.

apparently you've never met Murphy...

 

[-Stingray]

 

[HotelX]

I generally just bring one.

 

[BurningSkies]

Somewhere between zero and zero back up basses. What are y'all doing to your basses that they might collapse with a few hours of playing.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

One backup. Because I never want to have to do this again.

 

[JRA]

one to play + one as the backup. mostly. sometimes i've taken just the one to play. it depends. sometimes i just feel lucky.

 

[NicJimBass]

Somewhere between zero and zero back up basses. What are y'all doing to your basses that they might collapse with a few hours of playing.

Not collapse, but I've had batteries die, or the rare loose wire or something. It's better, IMO, to be able to grab another bass quickly, and continue the show, than it would be to try and diagnose a problem on stage. I try to bring spares of things that could break or die, mid-gig, so that downtime is minimal.

Usually, I try to test batteries, and check things out, before we have a gig, so I don't have to worry about something going wrong, but I can't catch everything, every time.

All that being said, I voted One, as that is standard for me these days.

 

[40Hz]

Bring the one I’m playing plus a plain vanilla PB which sits in its case behind the amp. Never needed it. With luck I never will.

 

[cheapbasslovin]

One, because if I can't cobble one passive bass out of two then the gig wasn't meant to be.

Somewhere between zero and zero back up basses. What are y'all doing to your basses that they might collapse with a few hours of playing.

Playing them for years with no troubles only to have the trouble occur on a gig.

One backup. Because I never want to have to do this again.

View attachment 3322516

That's innovation right there.

 

[Stevorebob]

I always bring a backup. A 2-bass gig bag makes it easy.

In 40-plus years of giging, I’ve had a catastrophic failure once.

But thinking about this, do other musicians take backups? Drummers don’t. Guitarists, yes. But what about sax or trombone players? Keys players? And I’m sure it’s a rare double bassist who brings along a backup. Things can go sideways with any instrument.

 

[BurningSkies]

Not collapse, but I've had batteries die, or the rare loose wire or something. It's better, IMO, to be able to grab another bass quickly, and continue the show, than it would be to try and diagnose a problem on stage. I try to bring spares of things that could break or die, mid-gig, so that downtime is minimal.

Usually, I try to test batteries, and check things out, before we have a gig, so I don't have to worry about something going wrong, but I can't catch everything, every time.

All that being said, I voted One, as that is standard for me these days.

I carry extra strings. And extra batteries. I also change them with some frequency as well (batteries about 4 times a year, strings I rotate through sets every 2-5 weeks depending on how much we're gigging. I've been gigging since sometime in the 80's and can't remember ever having an epic bass failure.

 

[J-Mags]

One - I do brings strings though. Only recently have I owned more than one bass. I have frequently brought only 1 guitar to a gig as well, although now that I own more than one, I'll bring a backup if I'm playing guitar. In past years, I've mostly played guitar, and I don't remember playing a gig where any bass gear other than amps was causing problems, and that was mostly in the 90s when the bass player would sometimes blow out other people's speakers when playing through their SWRs and GKs and such. As long as she had her V4B or her Acoustic 370, we were golden.

The reason the Good Lord gave us mouths and brains is so we can tell jokes while strings are being changed.

 

[GBBSbassist]

Somewhere between zero and zero back up basses. What are y'all doing to your basses that they might collapse with a few hours of playing.

Absolutely nothing, but I still bring a back up.

 

[NicJimBass]

I carry extra strings. And extra batteries. I also change them with some frequency as well (batteries about 4 times a year, strings I rotate through sets every 2-5 weeks depending on how much we're gigging. I've been gigging since sometime in the 80's and can't remember ever having an epic bass failure.

That's awesome! On the other hand, it only takes one time. I've had some near misses, and a few fails (nothing epic), which were enough for me to consider bringing a backup. Especially if we're going out of town... it's a small gamble to assume everything is going to work perfectly every single time. I've had other gear fail spectacularly (amps and cabs, mostly) and got caught with my pants down, so i do what I can to prevent that sort of thing, on all fronts.