If it's a jazz gig, upright. Any other gig, just a p or a j and occasionally the EUB...'cos I'm cool
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How many Basses Does Everbody bring to a gig?
- Thread starter Harpo
- Start date
If it's a jazz gig, upright. Any other gig, just a p or a j and occasionally the EUB...'cos I'm cool
+1 I've never needed the spare strings, but I always take them anyway just in case.
- Mar 22, 2000
- 1,972
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- Big Cheese Emeritus: Gollihur Music (retired)
Usually two, typically fretless and fretted or URB and a slab, if I alternate. Sometimes two of the same flavor, the second being just a backup.
Really? When I slap, I slap like Flea but harder... Haven't broke a string in almost 10 years of heavy gigging and rehearsing... Tell your buddy to check out the bridges and nuts on his basses. Something's not right there...
2
That would be me also...
I play the Jazz5 in one set and the SR5 in the other. If we play more than 2 sets, I'll play whichever one feels and sounds the best that particular night. The Moye 5 stays at home...unless we do some alternate tuning stuff.
I will ALWAYS take at least 2 basses...I'm the guy who at one time had a gig, took 1 bass across town to said gig, and had it take a $@#+ in the middle of the show! Changed batteries, cords, everything I could think of. Even had an electrician that was in the crowd jack with it. Nothing! No sound! Had to have a kid in the audience who lived kinda close go home and get his bass, which was a pretty crappy 4(I play 5s), but it worked and I was grateful. Learned a hard lesson that night-might wanna have a spare.
Btw, it was an issue with the battery box that felled my big dollar 5er that night...
Kcco!
My piano player never brings a backup piano, vocalist doesn't bring backup voice and drummer no backup drum set either. Why should I bother
This ^^^.
I only bring my Yammy 5er. I like simple very much. Once upon a time I'd bring 2, but switching basses (a P and a Bongo) was just too complicated for my small brain. Plus it kinda breaks up our groove to stop things for an instrument change.
My piano player never brings a backup piano, vocalist doesn't bring backup voice and drummer no backup drum set either. Why should I bother
Agree
And this. I never seem to have time to change basses. Maybe at church, but I don't really need to there.
I only have one bass right now - a Roscoe Century Standard 5 Plus. It covers a lot of ground. If I could afford it I would have a 5 string "jazz" of some kind to change it up but it isn't really necessary.
Believe it or not, but shows have been cancelled because singers have lost their voice, which is why musicals have understudies for all important roles (the show must go on). Drum sets are very "what you see is what you get"-ish (pretty easy to spot what is wrong), and a good drummer can keep the rhythm going even if one drum fails (although I suspect bands on the road keep some spare parts ready for the snare and the kick drum).My piano player never brings a backup piano, vocalist doesn't bring backup voice and drummer no backup drum set either. Why should I bother
I HAVE attended shows (plural) where guitars have failed, and mainly it is an electronics issue. That is no fun to try to repair in the middle of a gig. In one of the shows, the guitarist had two guitars (backup). In another show there was a 10 minute break, they were unable to fix the guitar, they had to rearrange the set list, and were able to get through the first set by letting the main guitarist borrow the vocalists guitar. During the longer than usual break they drove through the streets of Copenhagen to retrieve a backup guitar and were able to complete the second set with that backup.
Now, everyone involved has a role to play, and are responsible to the paying audience to complete the gig. Not having a backup plan if something fails is IMHO irresponsible. I always bring a backup bass. I do not bring a backup amp, but do bring a DI to be able to hook up to the PA without the amp.
You do not need backup gear for everything, but you do need a backup plan to make the show go on.
But ... I guess this thread has gone off topic. The original question was not about how many basses you bring, but about how many basses you play. I usually play one, unless some songs call for a fretless. Then I play two.
My piano player never brings a backup piano, vocalist doesn't bring backup voice and drummer no backup drum set either. Why should I bother
Sure this works for a lot of folks, but keep in mind that with an electronic piano or keyboard, all the voicing options are available at the flick of a switch.
Right now I play in a power trio cover band, covering everything from Neil Diamond to Daft Punk to Prince to The Band Perry. I occasionally need more range or different voicing / tone. Some of that could be done with tapping a foot switch, but not all of it. For me having a 4-string and a 5-string and a few pedals gets the job done. Probably could get it all done with just a 5-string and pedals (sometimes do) but I have several 4-stringers that are a blast to play. I have no problems switching instruments between songs, especially if the guitarist is also switching.
Here's a funny story about not taking a backup...
A couple weeks ago, I did a gig where I felt like taking a second electric with me for comparison purposes. We start the first song, and it goes well until about halfway through it, then my bass all of a sudden craps out. Turns out it was the wireless. I had put a fresh battery in it the night before and only used it for a half hour, but I forgot to turn it off. I had to run offstage and go throw another battery in it.
So much for bringing a backup bass. You can have all the backups in the world and still jack your show.
A couple weeks ago, I did a gig where I felt like taking a second electric with me for comparison purposes. We start the first song, and it goes well until about halfway through it, then my bass all of a sudden craps out. Turns out it was the wireless. I had put a fresh battery in it the night before and only used it for a half hour, but I forgot to turn it off. I had to run offstage and go throw another battery in it.
So much for bringing a backup bass. You can have all the backups in the world and still jack your show.
Well, my message was intentionally provocative
If I could easily bring the second (third and so forth) bass to every gig, I would! The problem is being overly-anal doesn't pay well, especially over here where I live where there is no parking spaces at all anymore, traffic is horrible and public transportation is pretty much the only way of getting there...
