Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How many Basses Does Everbody bring to a gig?
- Thread starter Harpo
- Start date
Yeah-Free beer happens sometimes,but I'm fussy & don't drink "Fizzy yellow water" even for free,so the drummer & I keep some IPA in the cooler [Don't tell the club owner].....I have broken 2 strings onstage in the many yrs. I have been playing. It was when I was young & poor & would play those strings till they had absolutely no life left. Coincidently both As,but on different basses. Believe me,not the easiest string to lose half way through a set! Like I said b-4,keeping extra strings around gives me the security I need. Plus,the room in the truck & trailer we have at this point doesn't allow for any of us to bring much of anything extra except for a suitcase.
I always take 2 basses and a backup amp. If your gig is several miles from your home, what are you going to do if you have a problem.?
+1
Failures can and will happen regardless of how good your gear is or well you take care of it. I don't even like stopping the show to change a string.
I am one of those guys who has perpetual bad luck in virtually every area of my life, I had my E string break on my main and back up basses in the SAME night about 4 years ago. So now, I take both my basses and a set of strings in my bag.
Two basses seems like a pretty good number. It's being prepared but not being cocky and saying 'hey, look at all my guitars!!'
Two basses seems like a pretty good number. It's being prepared but not being cocky and saying 'hey, look at all my guitars!!'
I always take two. One is my main and another for backup. I have broken probably 5 or 6 strings during gigs and had to do a quick change. That is over 25 years of playing. It always seems to be the A string though. Various brands of strings so I think it isn't a QC issue with a single brand. Not sure why it is always the A string.
I also bring a direct box to everything in case of an amp apocalypse. I just bought a second head so I might start hauling my old head as a backup.
I also bring a direct box to everything in case of an amp apocalypse. I just bought a second head so I might start hauling my old head as a backup.
I like to travel as lightly as possible. For rock/funk/pop cover band gigs and church I take my active fretted 5 string - a Yamaha BB605 with Bartolini electronics. For my jazz quartet I take my EUB and my Yamaha as we do a mix of jazz and soul and even a little pop. A better bass for this gig would probably be a P bass. If I know it's a straight jazz standards gig I just bring my EUB.
I am starting to think about going away from my active 5 and to passive 4's. After going back and forth between a P and a J for the last few days, I think that I could really use one of each.
The P would be great with the rock/funk/pop cover band gigs.
The J would work anything, especially church and contemporary jazz.
The EUB covers traditional jazz.
Still only 2 basses at most per gig, and a wide variety of tones at my disposal.
I am starting to think about going away from my active 5 and to passive 4's. After going back and forth between a P and a J for the last few days, I think that I could really use one of each.
The P would be great with the rock/funk/pop cover band gigs.
The J would work anything, especially church and contemporary jazz.
The EUB covers traditional jazz.
Still only 2 basses at most per gig, and a wide variety of tones at my disposal.
2 in a double gig bag. Play one 99.9% of the time. When I do play the other, it is just for a change for me. I have switched because of a broken string once, and because of a bad amp once. I thought it was the bass and switched...but the second one was "broke" too.
I usually have 4 instruments on stage with me, 6 string fretted, 5 string fretless, 5 string fretted (alt tuning) and the Chapman Stick. it would be nice if I could just bring one, I'd still bring a back up though. last gig we played, just an open mic so I brought one bass, for 2 songs, but I was worried.
I've had my amp blow up on stage twice, (free smoke show!) once at the Rat in Boston, once on a blues booze cruise, it continued to work, but only at half power (thanks Gallien Krueger, I will never buy another of your products!, they sent me a new amp in my old chassis and that one blew up too xp)
I had a bassist ask to borrow my bass but he played 4 and I only had 5's with me, also there was no way I was going to let that particular bloke touch my bass. as it was the singer put the mic down his pants, much to our vocalist's chagrin as she had to use it after.
had a battery die too, sound-guy said to me "sounds like a blown speaker" right as we were going on, I freaked, but played the whole set on my fretless, including tunes with hammer-ons and chords which I'd never even tried to play without frets before, it all sounded great as it turned out, fortunately, I surprised myself. we failed to win that battle of the bands as we didn't bring in anyone in to buy beer.
and the moral of the story is be prepared for anything. bring band aids too.
I've had my amp blow up on stage twice, (free smoke show!) once at the Rat in Boston, once on a blues booze cruise, it continued to work, but only at half power (thanks Gallien Krueger, I will never buy another of your products!, they sent me a new amp in my old chassis and that one blew up too xp)
I had a bassist ask to borrow my bass but he played 4 and I only had 5's with me, also there was no way I was going to let that particular bloke touch my bass. as it was the singer put the mic down his pants, much to our vocalist's chagrin as she had to use it after.
had a battery die too, sound-guy said to me "sounds like a blown speaker" right as we were going on, I freaked, but played the whole set on my fretless, including tunes with hammer-ons and chords which I'd never even tried to play without frets before, it all sounded great as it turned out, fortunately, I surprised myself. we failed to win that battle of the bands as we didn't bring in anyone in to buy beer.
and the moral of the story is be prepared for anything. bring band aids too.
I always take 2 basses with me to a gig. I broke a string once (An "A") but it was in rehearsal and that was enough persuasion for me. Always have a back-up plan.
In the past I took my smaller rehearsal rig as a back-up to my main rig but not lately.
In the past I took my smaller rehearsal rig as a back-up to my main rig but not lately.
You should bring exactly as many basses as you need. <ducks>
Yes I've broken strings at shows, not many but definitely more than once. I bring two basses to a show, usually never switch but the 2nd is there for backup if I break a string or a battery dies.
Yes I've broken strings at shows, not many but definitely more than once. I bring two basses to a show, usually never switch but the 2nd is there for backup if I break a string or a battery dies.
I generally bring 3-4 basses to each gig and always play at least 3. I'm guessing I'm really in the minority. I play fretless for about 50% the show, fretted 4 for about 30% and either a 8 or 12 string for the remainder.
Partly it's because I have such a wide variety of basses and I love to play them all. So they all make it into the rotation. I enjoy fretless the most, but I play fretted on songs I sing so I don't need to look at my left hand as much while singing. And either 8 or 12 string for our Cheap Trick and other Rock songs. We joke onstage about the bass changes. It's only a few seconds and doesn't slow us down. I have fun with it.
Anyone bring additional basses to play at gigs rather than as just a backup?
Partly it's because I have such a wide variety of basses and I love to play them all. So they all make it into the rotation. I enjoy fretless the most, but I play fretted on songs I sing so I don't need to look at my left hand as much while singing. And either 8 or 12 string for our Cheap Trick and other Rock songs. We joke onstage about the bass changes. It's only a few seconds and doesn't slow us down. I have fun with it.
Anyone bring additional basses to play at gigs rather than as just a backup?
Classic Rock gig - 2 basses: P/J5 w/flats and Jazz 5 w/nickels
Trio JamBand/Jazz gig, 4 basses: P/J5 w/flats, Jazz 5 w/nickels, fretless, EUB5.
Trio JamBand/Jazz gig, 4 basses: P/J5 w/flats, Jazz 5 w/nickels, fretless, EUB5.
Latest posts
-
-
Curious what the percentage of bass players use rounds vs flats is.- Latest: Swamp_Ronin
-
-
