I bring too much stuff to gigs

[japhy4529]

I understand getting to that level of 'concern' or possibly 'paranoia' about things going wrong. But, I just can't do it. I never bring a backup bass, I truly believe the chances of my bass going down is pretty slim. I don't bring a backup amp either, but I am prepared to just go direct if need be. Extra cables, strings, batteries? Sure, that doesn't require much and I usually just keep them in my truck at all times. Now, understand I am not playing A list locations, and I am usually no more than 20 minutes from my house, so there is some cushion in case of a complete catastrophe. Over 30 years of playing has made me lazy I do believe.

Same. I used to (nearly) always bring a back-up bass to gigs. Nowadays, I would just bring extra strings (the last set of old strings, which would be already pre-cut to length, saving time and negating the need for wire cutters) and extra batteries. While many on here have never broken a string in their entire playing career, it's happened to me twice (granted that was over 20 years ago). Fortunately, those old strings I stuffed in my case came in handy. I also had a battery go dead right before a gig and having an extra one saved my bacon. Oh, and and extra cord isn't a bad idea...

We used to lug a ton of extra crap with us (carried in a crate). Other than the power strip and extension cord, said stuff was rarely needed. I guess there is something to say for being prepared though.

 

[PunkNerve]

One bass
One amp
One cable
5 picks (play fingerstyle mostly)
Bottle of lemon oil
Cleaning cloth
Two Allen keys (truss rod and bridge)
Screwdriver
Music sheets
Notebook
Pencil (I'm afraid of pens exploding in my bag, especially because I chew on pens)
Glass slide (that I hardly use)
String winder (that only fits a guitar tuning peg)

In addition to that, I sometimes throw in a Green Day CD to tease my girlfriend with.

 

[FingerDub]

One bass
One amp
One cable
5 picks (play fingerstyle mostly)
Bottle of lemon oil
Cleaning cloth
Two Allen keys (truss rod and bridge)
Screwdriver
Music sheets
Notebook
Pencil (I'm afraid of pens exploding in my bag, especially because I chew on pens)
Glass slide (that I hardly use)
String winder (that only fits a guitar tuning peg)

In addition to that, I sometimes throw in a Green Day CD to tease my girlfriend with.

what do you need lemon oil for?

 

[PunkNerve]

what do you need lemon oil for?

You never know when your fretboard is suddenly too dry.

 

[FingerDub]

You never know when your fretboard is suddenly too dry.

So you actually apply lemon oil to your bass while you're gigging?

 

[PunkNerve]

So you actually apply lemon oil to your bass while you're gigging?

I'm not that pedantic.

 

[FingerDub]

I'm not that pedantic.

Huh?

 

[PunkNerve]

Huh?

pedantic
pɪˈdantɪk/
adjective

1. excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overscrupulous.
   "his analyses are careful and even painstaking, but never pedantic"
   synonyms: overscrupulous, scrupulous, precise, exact, over-exacting, perfectionist, precisionist, punctilious, meticulous, fussy, fastidious, finical, finicky; More
   

I can clean my fretboard before the gig.

 

[FingerDub]

pedantic
pɪˈdantɪk/
adjective

1. excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overscrupulous.
   "his analyses are careful and even painstaking, but never pedantic"
   synonyms: overscrupulous, scrupulous, precise, exact, over-exacting, perfectionist, precisionist, punctilious, meticulous, fussy, fastidious, finical, finicky; More

I can clean my fretboard before the gig.

Damn, you're a .... I know what pedantic means. But few people would have a clue about why they would bring that to a gig as being a necessary thing.

Please don't respond to me ever again.

 

[JGbassman]

You need to bring another bassist in case you strain your back bringing all of that stuff

 

[MoeTown1986]

I bring:

-2 Jazz basses in a double gig bag. In the front pocket there's an extra cable, extension cord, surge protector, 10 in 1 screwdriver, pliers, pick holder, picks, allen key sets

-1 GK MB212 combo

-1 SKB pedal board loaded with effects

-1 projector stand

-1 Novation Bass Station

-1 small case with my bass wireless in my in-ear pack and buds. 9v and AA batteries.

and if it is my turn to bring it, our in-ear rack and snake.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I'm the go-to guy. I rarely use anything over-and-above the garden variety cables, cords, plugs, batteries, etc. but these guys I gig with....sheeesh! Be prepared and remember: "two is one and one is none".

Pendantic = nice word for OCD.

Riis

 

[KillerEddie]

I don't see an issue with any of the stuff on your list except maybe all those extra strings, that's a bit excessive. Tools are a godsend and I wish more people carried them. I always carry a basic screwdriver and hex key set. I also like to carry a power tester. (One of those cheap pen ones suffices) . My load is lighter now that I've gone Class D but besides that it's similar to yours although I recently got one of those cable covers you put on the floor and run wires through it beats taping.

 

[Nunovsky]

You lack a massage chair. Really handy between long sets...

 

[fhm555]

i used to get ribbed a lot about being a boy scout, always prepared for all but an end of the world situation, and even then it still took me a long time to figure out i was enabling a bunch of slackers too lazy to keep good batteries in their stomp boxes or insure they did't leave home without the proper cables. There were many other scenarios but nine volt batteries and instrument/speaker cables became more like expendable items rather than backups in case I had a failure.

I mostly played an active bass back then so a spare nine volt was just part of my kit, but it got to where i was carrying three or four to insure i'd have one if i needed it so i resolved to wean some lazy blastages and went back to carrying a single fresh nine volt and one extra six foot instrument cable. I continued to bring a complete extra set of cables for me but would only loan the six foot instrument cable and would make an ass of myself about getting it back at the end of the night, and no more spare nine volts. It didn't take many nights of a guitarist having to decide which pedals they wanted to go without, or teathered to their rig with a six foot cable, to break them from sucking eggs.

 

[Broke]

I'm former military and I think that is the reason I bring so much stuff. I had a bass fail on my 2nd gig ever. It just wouldn't play. Ended up being the input jack. I also bring my entire pedal board that I have never used in a show. And now I suddenly want to bring guitar strings in case one of those Neanderthals breaks a string

 

[Medicine Man]

I alway bring an extra kick drum mic

 

[lfmn16]

What exactly goes "wrong" with a bass that requires one to bring a "backup"?

If you knew, you would fix it before the gig.

 

[lfmn16]

For my main band:

My main bass
My backup bass
Bass tuned down a full step
Yamaha MOX8 for piano/strings
Yamaha MOX6 for organ/synth
Novation UltraNova for bass/synth
6 instrument cables
3 speaker cables
My main head
My backup head
one cabinet (Ampeg Fridge)
two loopers
tuner
MacMillan 12 step and all cables
StudioLogic MP-117
Keyboard stands
bar stool
guitar stand
Power Strip
Extra strings, string winder
Cough drops
batteries
All cables and power supplies needed to run all this crap

Thank God we only play out about once a month. My side project, I only play bass and take the absolute minimum!

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

If my gear is decent and in good working order before I leave the house, I don't need to lug extra stuff. It is bad enough just bringing a rig, cables and bass. I play metal and our sets are typically 25 - 45 minutes. I like to keep my strings fresh and I check on everything before I head out.