How many basses do you bring to a gig?

[Bijoux]

Just one. I've been gigging since the mid 80's,... I don't see what could go wrong....

 

[nostatic]

Always 2 on a gig, sometimes only one at rehearsal. As noted, a double gig bag makes this a non-issue.

Murphy goes on every gig...

 

[Dkerwood]

Alright, thanks, guys. I was a little worried I was doing something overkill. I've had major problems twice in 20 years.

The first time was the annual jazz band placement audition my senior year of college. The G string on my 5 string broke right before I walked into the room. I thought I'd be able to push through, but my mind immediately clicked over to 4-string mode. I still made the group, but I think that was more due to three years of playing in it before than the specific audition.

The second time I had a volume pot go bad during the soundcheck before a concert. I had no time to repair it and just had to deal with a fiddly volume pot that kept cutting out.

So yeah, even the most reliable instrument occasionally has problems. Glad to know that I'm not completely in left field on this.

 

[Rob Martinez]

One. Never had a problem.

 

[megarat]

While we were playing Smoke on the Water, the amp started smoking.

That's not a bad amp, that's a stage effect.

 

[ctmullins]

Two: a four-string and a five-string.

Wait, three: a four-string fretted, a five-string fretted, and a five-string fretless.

Wait, four: a four-string fretted, a five-string fretted, an eight-string fretted, and a five-string fretless.

Oh, and a keyboard rig for synth bass tunes.

 

[Rib 13]

Alright, thanks, guys. I was a little worried I was doing something overkill. I've had major problems twice in 20 years.

like i said last month when this thread topic appeared: I haven't had a flat tire in over two decades.... i'm still going to keep a spare tire in my trunk

 

[mr zee]

Always had 2. Never did have a gear problem but better safe than sorry

Best of for the tour

 

[david barnes]

i bring one bass... extra strings.. i have had only one time ever i needed to use a bass cuz i had a bridge saddle come lose on a brand new bass id bought . that was in 2008... been playing live since 06.. never had any thing pop up on me since. i try to prevent any issues before show time. new strings. ect...

 

[nostatic]

like i said last month when this thread topic appeared: I haven't had a flat tire in over two decades.... i'm still going to keep a spare tire in my trunk

Variation on a theme - there are two kinds of motorcycle riders: those that have crashed, and those that will crash. I wear full gear all the time (and am in the first group).

If you play enough gigs, something will go wrong. Because life.

 

[cchorney]

My gig rig from last Saturday night. You'll notice I have 2 basses on stage. I always bring two, tune them both up and then play just one all night. Because just in case. Also, you see the Markbass rig? The previous two gigs I was fully thru the PA and IEMs and had my amp master vol at zero. At this gig I had some weird phasing issues so at the break (we just do two big sets instead of 3 regular ones) I moved my line out cable from the DI in my amp to the DI on my pedal board. I bring a backup DI just in case too! Bypassing the amp didn't help so I dropped my bass signal on the board to zero and turned up my amp volume. Problem solved. Glad I brought the amp as a backup!

 

[Vic Winters]

Two, unless it's a single short set on a crowded stage with multiple acts.

 

[baileyboy]

One. Never been an issue.

 

[Ric5]

I'm starting a 7-week contract this summer, playing between 3-4 half hour sets a night six nights a week. I'm planning to bring two basses - one primary and one backup. Am I being overly cautious? I know several do gigs like this on a regular basis. How many basses do you bring to the gig?

I like to bring 3 … but that is mainly because I have 16 …

I would never go with just one … unless I only had one

 

[Ric5]

Two: a four-string and a five-string.

Wait, three: a four-string fretted, a five-string fretted, and a five-string fretless.

Wait, four: a four-string fretted, a five-string fretted, an eight-string fretted, and a five-string fretless.

Oh, and a keyboard rig for synth bass tunes.

I like the way your mind works

 

[Just George]

I bring 2....My Wilkins Custom 32" medium scale P style bass and my Breedlove Pursuit "32" medium scale acoustic. In the past 50 years with rare exception, I've only brought one.

 

[Ric5]

I have had bass malfunctions and I have seen other have bass malfunctions.

You have lots of choices for basses, 4, 5, 6, 8, fretted, fretless, active, passive, detuned, short scale, long scale, and all of the different styles and colors … so why only bring one

 

[Baa]

Two. Period. Always. Dual gig bag makes it stupid simple to do. There are zero good reasons for not having a backup. Zero. You can buy a gig worthy bass for a hunnerd bucks. Sticking it in the vehicle and then in the corner of the stage takes little to no effort. Anything can happen.

This is exactly my opinion. I have the Ibanez dual gig bag with wheels
I sometimes change bass during a gig because the strap gets so hot, its good to get a cool one.

 

[Bassamatic]

Usually only one - since the late 60's never had a failure, but I do have a set of strings. I think I broke one once many years ago. Last gig we played another band's bass player brought a sub-short-scale bass as a backup. Good idea - a lot smaller and lighter to carry. For a big gig like a festival, I may pack one of my miKros. ALSO - I always bring my little Markbass amp, even if there is backline provided, as sometimes it is crappy.

 

[stringthrough]

This could have been a good poll.

It's out there. I started one about 10 weeks ago, but alas very few (including me) search a topic before re-raising it. Here's the link . . .

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