How many times has your bass failed you?

[bearfoot]

zero in 22 years and counting

including guitars, also.

I would guess the most likely failure would be an output jack, but those usually go over time, 99% of them are going to be replaced before a showtime.
So this just leaves freak incidences with electronics.

I have had one amp failure, but it was a Peavey built in 1986, and it failed last winter. So in other words, that amp is retired in glory right now. And would probably go another 10 years with an easy fix.

 

[PWRL]

One of my P basses went a little wonky at an outdoor gig one spring. Maybe it would have been okay, but I used my MIM Jazz instead, which I'd brought along for some songs which sounded better with rounds, and wound up using that for the whole gig. That was the only time anything went wrong with my stuff, that I can think of.

 

[lermgalieu]

this thread again, huh

 

[Don M]

0

 

[BoogerMan79]

Very first time I went to play bass on stage (played at a friend's church) I plugged my bass in, cranked the volume knob, and....nothing. Changed the cable. Bass was run direct so switched the DI box... nothing. Found out my jack was bad. Almost brand new bass. Was working just fine the night before. Epic failure day of. No backup.

 

[Ironbar]

I was reading some stuff about having a spare bass at gigs in case that something goes wrong with your main one, but how many times you guys have really experienced that? do you think that you really need a 2nd bass on stage (considering that you don't change your tunning)?

I have more than one bass for sure, but I never take a backup, never needed to either. How about you?

Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

 

[Chad Michael]

Since I started around 1984, I have had only one 'failure' that was instrument - related. Had to do with neck relief - truss rod... (circa '04 ish). Thought it was stable with the strings, tuning, truss rod, action, etc. But - part way through a song, the neck straightened enough that the strings started banging against the upper fingerboard, making a hellacious noise... If you've ever played a Lightwave (optical pickup system), the sound from this is quite impressive and a buzz kill at the same time.

Glad I had a second instrument to grab and go.

Plus, it was possibly my fault for not letting things settle (even though I thought I had)

 

[Savage_Dreams]

I have a spare tire in my car...I havent had a flat in decades....Im still going to carry it

thats it right there.

if it never happens to a person, thats awesome, but why would anyone want to take the chance of something going wrong and then looking like a dink on stage and completely unprofessional when there such an easy way to avoid it? ive seen a band continue playing while the bass player could be seen off stage changing a broken string. to me it makes you lose any credibility and image of being professional that you had.

ive had a couple different failures in my time, but were solved withing 10 seconds by changing basses with the band never missing a beat.

backups for everything. if im wireless (and even not) i have a cable laying next to the amp. i even always have a spare head in the trailer just in case. but also running di before the amp in case the amp goes, the audience will never know.

 

[Salicete]

Didn't read every reply, but my bet is somebody else has said about the same thing.

Never, my guitars have never failed me.

I have failed them by not doing proper PM, but they have never failed me.

 

[Savage_Dreams]

It really doesn't matter if it's never happened. It only takes once to ruin a gig. Then you are "that guy" to your band and the promoter.

Yes, I bring a backup bass because I'd rather not be that guy.

not to forget you could make your whole band look like "that band" to the audience as well.

 

[klejst]

0.

However,

The amount of times I failed my bass? Too many I'm willing to admit...

 

[GrooveDaddy]

Just the battery. Serves me right for playing an instrument with active electronics in the first place. And for not replacing the battery sooner.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Didn't we just have this thread (and spinoff threads...) a couple of weeks ago?

My bass fails me every time it doesn't stop me from playing a wrong note...it's clearly not holding up its part of the deal!

 

[G On Bass]

Never had a failure (knocks wood) but I almost always take 2.

 

[nilorius]

None, i failed him once, when scrambled his body near some amp.

 

[ezstep]

Been at the play-for-pay gigs for over fifty years. Number of times a bass failed me? Zero. Two broken strings (maintenance, not a failure) back in the 90's with the slapping and popping craze. Batteries had started to die during sets, but, again, maintenance, not a failure.

 

[cnltb]

How many times has your bass failed you?
Never.

 

[CallMeAl]

Zero, but I've just recently started gigging regularly. I'm bringing a back up now, because like @jeff62 says, i DO NOT want to be "that guy"

 

[shoot-r]

40+ years gigging a Jazz, had a new input jack installed years back, that's been my bass failure.

Now bass amp fail's while on stage is another story!!!!

 

[ArtechnikA]

It really doesn't matter if it's never happened. It only takes once to ruin a gig. Then you are "that guy" to your band and the promoter.
Yes, I bring a backup bass because I'd rather not be that guy.

Anyone who has done risk management knows the math:
Likelihood of failure (admittedly near zero) times cost of consequence.
I never bring spare anything to a blues jam. If something fails, it's 'thank you, good night, next player.'
If I'm supporting a paid gig, it's a job, and I come prepared.
As a side benefit, I do believe there is a visual aspect to a stage show, and I think it's visually interesting to have multiple instruments onstage.
Which is weighed against the damage-due-to-exposure factor. In a dive bar, the spare stays in its case...