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How many Basses Does Everbody bring to a gig?

#368
At most, two, but usually one. I typically select a single bass that will cover the entire gig.

I’ve never had a bass fail on me at a gig, but out of habit, I always bring a back-up, which sits on a stand, tuned and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Occasionally — at the start of the third set — I’ll grab the back-up, if only because it looks so lonely sitting there, unused. :p
 
#369
I'll play as many as serve the gig- ideally one, but if a swap makes the music better AND it doesn't distract/disrupt, I'll bring all I got and borrow a few. Like string count, its just a number- what counts to me is what you do with it/them.:)
Edit: Most of the time I bring two and play one
 
#373
I've tried to use as many as 3, but I hate dealing with different EQ responses and volumes, so I almost always just stick to one all night. Once in a while I'll trot out a second, but it's rare.
 
#374
just one unless the gig requires playing upright as well as bass guitar, in which case two. However, which bass guitar varies, as I use a different one with each group I play with. Sometimes I bring a backup bass guitar but not always. Tonight happened to be sort of the other way around as it was a jazz gig so I played the upright all night but I had the fretless BG available.
 
#377
jlepre said:
Sorry for the slight hijack, but I don;t see the reason to de-tune a bass. Guitar I get, but bass?
Click to expand...

My band writes in drop C# (And we aren't even metal!) I hate my guitarist/singer for writing so many songs in C# but there is nothing I can do but drop down to C# myself. Then we play some songs in drop D (mainly covers)... So then I just tune the E and A string back up half a step (sometimes the D, but never the G)

As for me, I bring one bass normally, I always just brought whichever bass I have been practicing on more.
 
#378
chuck3 said:
just one unless the gig requires playing upright as well as bass guitar, in which case two. However, which bass guitar varies, as I use a different one with each group I play with. Sometimes I bring a backup bass guitar but not always. Tonight happened to be sort of the other way around as it was a jazz gig so I played the upright all night but I had the fretless BG available.
Click to expand...
Oh, does upright count as two? Then yeah, I bring two to most gigs.
 
#379
I use 2 basses on our gigs.

For the whole of the first set and the second half of the second set I use either my Ric 4001 or ACG EQ01 equipped HK 6 string (the preamp can cop the Ric tone but gives me extended range).

The first half of our second set (about 8 songs) are all played in Eb tuning because the originals were played in that tuning (GnR, Thin Lizzy etc...). Funny thing is we've tried those songs in standard and they're easily in our singers range, but strangely they don't seem to have the same vibe.

I suppose that I could downtune my main bass for half the second set, but then I would have to put up with the trussrods being a bit fierce for the lower tension and more fretbuzz - along with floppy strings - so I have an Epi T-Bird Pro IV that is set up with 50-110 strings to handle the downtuned stuff.
 

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