How Many Basses at the Live Gig?

[ashtray]

So, side story, one of my favorite basses to gig was my MIJ Jaguar bass: full scale, JJ pickups, passive bass with a switchable active circuit with bass and treble boost. The active circuit really kicked in a boost even if you didn’t boost the treble or bass knobs.

The Jazz Bass setup allowed me to get different sounds, so I could dial in what I liked. Some songs different from others. But the active switch was reserved for when the guitarists would have volume creep. When things started getting a lot louder than sound check, no need to walk to my amp and adjust the volume up, just “activate time circuits” ie, turn on the active boost switch. Just that easy. If they kept getting louder, just had to roll a bit more of that bass boost. I usually didn’t boost bass levels, and really tried to have my bass sit in the mix, but when those guitarist yahoos started their “louder! louder!” till they buried me, I could put them in their place. Then at break we’d discuss turning down to soundcheck levels.

Point is, having one versatile bass was helpful in the live setting. Had I been playing my passive P bass, I’d have to keep going back to my amp to adjust my levels.

 

[Stewie]

If space is tight, a P bass, if roomy, my upright and the P just in case. In truth, the upright makes people smile, but the P can do it all.

 

[Geogio]

If it's a nite out casual, I use three.
FSO P-type
FSO J-type
Beatle doppleganger

The O and the J type - I might switch but I definitely will switch to the Beatle on a casual soft number.

Rock out night It's usually the P.

Jazzy fests... Schecter 6 with the DC and BQS.

 

[jerry]

One!

 

[bikeplate]

1. Unless you'd like to tech for me for free

 

[waynobass]

... what’s the most basses you would bring to a gig?

One. It's bad enough to worry about one getting damaged or stolen, let alone two, let alone four!

 

[Scarysharkface]

I’m mostly a recording hobbyist, but a songwriter I respect asked me to play an extended set with him, and I jumped in. I’m having a great time woodshedding the material. Feeling some rare musical fulfillment.

First few times running through the material, I was on my go-to P with flats, but pretty quickly one tune started to beg for the fretless. So I got that locked in; sounds good.

And then another—90’s R&B vibe in A-flat—really wanted the 5-string with rounds. Done.

Last night, as I was packing up the 3 basses for today’s rehearsal, I thought “Am I insane?” I want to get the perfect sound for each song, but am I going to look ridiculous up there? Like I’m in an 18-song flex all about myself?

It was shortly after that thought that I decided to refresh myself on something real quick and, with the P packed up, I just grabbed the Mustang off the wall and…smh…now I need to have that sound (Mustang, La Bellas, foam mute) on this one song.

Is 4 basses over 18 songs a ridiculous look? Will I hate myself at the end of the night—or more specifically, will my 55-year-old back hate me? For you guys, what’s the most basses you would bring to a gig?

I'll bring whatever the gig calls for, but never fewer than two.

John

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Two, occasionally one. The second bass is only a backup and usually stays in the car, depending on the gig.

I play 5-stings exclusively and my main basses are a P/J and a P/MM, so they cover everything I need.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

1 bass. Active eq will cover almost any situation.

 

[jnewmark]

One bass, a Fender Jazz.

 

[jdaunt]

I bring 2, and almost always play both. And usually one is fretted and one is fretless. But I also have an A/B box with level control (Lehle), so the mix is minimally affected by the switch.

 

[insomehonkytonk]

Not so crazy, it feels right sometimes and could make it more fun. Even if the only difference is the color of the bass.

 

[jimmydean]

Two basses are enough to gig with . Many years ago , I stupidly took six on the road with the intention of using everyone and did for a couple of gigs until it became obvious .......I was an idiot for bringing all those basses out .

 

[Joe6Bass]

Roughly, it seems like the majority is bring 1 and a spare. It’s hard to argue that.

I’ve got a J-Bass with an Audere Z-mode preamp and Seymour Duncan Hot Stacks. The Z-mode Audere is crazy versatile, coupled with pickup balancing, I get more tones than I really need. I usually bring my passive P too - I pack them both in a Gator Pro 2 bass gig bag. The backup doesn’t come out of the bag. I can get enough tonal versatility with the P-bass with the tone knob at 10, 5, 1 or anywhere in between. That’s close enough for rock and roll.

In a second band, they transpose a lot of songs. Typically from E to C. I rely on my 6-string for that. If I had to fall back to a 4-string as a backup, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but the audience LOVES that Yamaha TRB-6.

Sometimes I fantasize about bringing the fretless, but there are so few moments in my repertoire where slides, vibrato, or mwah would matter, and those 12 seconds of sound across 2 hours of music just aren’t worth it for me. Although, I bet a few in the audience would LOVE that one too.

So bring them all. Start with the axe that can cover everything, and then mix it up as required. You can make a more informed decision based on your experience for the next gig.

 

[rickdog]

I almost always bring two: my trusty fretless, and a fretted bass. I can play any song on either bass, but on some songs I have a strong preference.

With a mute switch on the amp, a footswitch to select the bass, separate gain controls for each, and two stands, I can usually switch unobtrusively while the guitarists are moving their capos and checking their tuning

 

[Wasnex]

I used to switch between a fretted Yamaha TRB6P, an NS Design USA 6 elecric upright, and an acoustic upright with a pickup. I chose whichever I thought worked best for each arrangement. This was in a big band that played a fairly wide variety of styles including some fairly popish vocals.

Due to the order of songs and transition, it was not always possible to switch instruments where I wanted to. This meant I sometimes had to choose a compromise.

Occasionally I was not able to use all three basses due to space constraints. I asked people in the band if they had any preference, and to my surprise they did not. I wound up doing an entire show on the NS Design.

After the show we had a reception with the audience. A lot of people were curious about the NS Design because it has 6 strings and a very modern look. I assured them it was a bass and asked what they thought about the sound. Everyone seemed to think it sounded great and fit all of the music very well.

I though the NS Design was a huge compromise on many of the songs, but apparently, I am the only one it really mattered to. No one from either the band or audience seemed to care that much one way or the other.

I continued using all three instruments, because it mattered to me. My feeling is if I think it sounds right, I will play better. However, there needs to be some practical limits as it takes a lot of extra work to play on three instruments.

In many musical settings I typically use 1 bass and occasionally 2.

 

[dave hope]

I’m sure it’s directly related to an “IQ and alternate egos” count

 

[BlueTalon]

I say go for it. Bring four basses to a gig. If it works for you, and you (and your band) aren't bothered by the extra inconvenience, then keep doing it. You might (probably, actually) reach a point where it becomes more of a pain than it's worth. Then make your decisions accordingly.

Everyone else here is just trying to save you the learning curve.

 

[NYCBass]

Two, a Fretted and a Fretless

 

[pepj]

I'll take 2...one is spare and I play both because I'm testing them on the gig.
I've got the amp dialed in a home...all of them...so I'm trying to work out which is my no 1 bass for gigs.
They are all versions of a Jazz with rounds