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How many times has your bass failed you?
- Thread starter RexxRokket
- Start date
I've had a preamp fail on an active bass, and an output jack start shorting intermittently (and loudly) at the slightest touch on a passive. For the failed preamp, I switched to my backup and continued the gig without missing a step. With the bad jack, I had no backup and had to be very careful for the remainder of the set, and then perform temporary surgery during the next break. I've also broken a string which, granted, can be remedied fairly quickly, but not as easily as switching basses.
I always have a backup now. It's just such an easy, seamless solution that there's no point not to do it. I take both out and tune them up at the beginning of the gig. The backup sits in a multi-guitar stand behind my rig along with the steel player's tele, and if I need it I can grab it and be up and playing in a half minute or less.
I always have a backup now. It's just such an easy, seamless solution that there's no point not to do it. I take both out and tune them up at the beginning of the gig. The backup sits in a multi-guitar stand behind my rig along with the steel player's tele, and if I need it I can grab it and be up and playing in a half minute or less.
In almost 35 years maybe half a dozen times. I only got burned once as a teenager. I broke a string and didn't have a backup bass or string. It just so happened the bartender was a bass player. He ran home and got me an AWFUL bass to finish the show on.
Never again. I always have a spare and have for several decades. I've had a couple output jacks go bad, one preamp went bad, broken quite a few strings, and had a tuner break.
Never again. I always have a spare and have for several decades. I've had a couple output jacks go bad, one preamp went bad, broken quite a few strings, and had a tuner break.
My main bass fails quite often. I've never been able to narrow down the problem, but sometimes the output signal has the wrong rhythm, or even the wrong pitch.
I tried a backup bass, but it had the same issues.
I tried a backup bass, but it had the same issues.
In almost 35 years of playing I've never had a single issue. I bring 2 basses to every gig because I'm in a classic rock band that plays several Beatles tunes. For these I switch from my Jazz bass to my Hofner. If one were ever to fail I've always got a backup.
If I didn't do the Beatles songs I would still take 2 basses because the chances of someone having a lefty bass are minuscule.
If I didn't do the Beatles songs I would still take 2 basses because the chances of someone having a lefty bass are minuscule.
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Not something that happens regularly but over 20 years of playing gigs it has happened multiple times.
More often than not for me the issue was actually a bad output jack. In fact I've mostly played Warwicks and all 5 Warwicks I owned had to have the original jacks replaced within a year or two. These days don't have any basses where the output jack is located in a position that my thigh could bump it if I'm moving around onstage. I think that was the main issue with the jacks on Warwicks. Little things like output jack placement go a long ways towards making a bass more durable. For those who say theyve gone 20-30 years without an output jack going bad I question how much they actually play and what do they do sit down the entire gig? I bet they aren't playing a high energy shows.
On one occasion I tried to change the battery on an active bass in the dark and accidentally touched the battery to the clip the wrong way and fried a preamp. Bass didn't have a active passive switch either.
On another I had an active bass, that didn't have a passive bypass, battery go dead and didn't have a extra battery. Which was a fluke thing because at that time I always had spare batteries.
These days though my basses are a little more foolproof. My dingwall can run in passive mode and the output jack is located on the end of the bass. my backup is a passive fender jazz bass and it's jack is on the top of the bass. I bring both basses to every gig. I typically just play the dingwall but I like not having to worry about not having a backup and I play multiple band original band shows as well and sometimes other bass players have issues and I'd much rather hand someone the Mexican fender jazz I paid $400 for than my Dingwall.
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Never had a bass fail at a rehearsal or gig in 40-odd years.
The worst I've ever had is a 9 volt battery fail in an active bass once. It was brand new, used for about 20 minutes in the morning, then taken out of the bass and put in the case. Put it back in the bass on the night, tuned up, and it died about 5 songs in. Weird. I had another battery in the case, a different brand, and for some weird reason it wouldn't fit in the little plastic flip-out holder. It seemed "fatter" and I just couldn't get it in! I ended up taking one out of an effect pedal that got me through, but no phaser for me that night.
But never has a bass failed at a rehearsal or gig.
The worst I've ever had is a 9 volt battery fail in an active bass once. It was brand new, used for about 20 minutes in the morning, then taken out of the bass and put in the case. Put it back in the bass on the night, tuned up, and it died about 5 songs in. Weird. I had another battery in the case, a different brand, and for some weird reason it wouldn't fit in the little plastic flip-out holder. It seemed "fatter" and I just couldn't get it in! I ended up taking one out of an effect pedal that got me through, but no phaser for me that night.
But never has a bass failed at a rehearsal or gig.
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I've had strings break, electronic issues, and instruments get knocked off stage. I even had the tailpiece cable break for no apparent reason on my upright while in the bag before an out of town gig. I think I know why some of you guys never have problems...I got them all for you. You're welcome.
i had a string break on a guitar during a show. it's one of the very few times i had my own guitar tech/roadie - he had my backup in my hand and was putting on a new string immediately (thanks, chris!)
2 times. My p bass went down after I installed a p retro preamp. The strangest part is the preamp had a passive setting that was also completely gone. I got a replacement installed by a professional and my bass went down for a second time. After that, I only roll with passive basses.
There was a thread about this—bringing a spare bass or not—recently and the two opposing sides were very adamant and intense about their positions.
Personally, I've had 3 bass failures at gigs in ~40 years, 4 if you count a broken string, and always bring one backup bass just in case.
In over four years playing bass, never, but a few weeks ago I was asked to play bass for a ukulele class and couldn't get any sound from my bass, had to scramble to borrow one from the music store downstairs. As I drove home, it dawned on me that I had a pot changed the week before to be pull ON, push OFF for the battery because it's an active preamp and don't like pulling out the amp cable all the time. You know I'll never forget that again.
35 years. (1) One broken G sting. Had a spare set of strings. (2) Battery died. Had a spare battery. The End.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
It happened tonight … I took 2 basses … one of them needed a setup and was buzzing badly on the low G note on the E string … so I played the other bass
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Yes. 2 or 3 times. Input jack once, neck needed adjustment once (damp outdoor gig,) and a tuner. So much easier and more professional to grab a bass and continue.
