I hate switching basses...who's with me?

[Selios]

I’ve got 4 basses that I like rotating at home and using for different bands/projects/recordings, but I’m a one-bass-on-stage kind of guy too. I will usually bring out one at a time, or bring a backup but plan on using it only as a backup.

My basses all have fairly different sound profiles and playing several of them during a gig would definitely make the mix inconsistent without some extra gear and attention on my part.

My “main player” bass rotates from time to time and often I will use the main player for everything I’ve got going on as well. I don’t mind adapting if it means I can use one bass for the whole day/gig.

Even if that means rocking a 5 string tuned CFA#D#G# at church in the morning, and then heading off to play the same way for a heavy rock rehearsal after lunch

 

[Rob1957]

I usually bring two basses to a gig, say a pbass type and a fiver or a modern active 4string and a five string jazz. But it’s definitely with intention that one is a backup to the other. At the most I will switch basses between sets.
It’s good to have a spare set up and ready to go, already eq’ed if the need arises.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I used to bring two basses (a P bass and a J bass) to bar gigs and doing the switch but I got sick and tired of this and got myself a P/J bass and it does almost 99% of why I was bringing them. Now for when I am working on a concert type of project, that is different and I will bring the basses that the songs are requiring since there's more time between the songs to change basses.

 

[lfmn16]

I don't switch bases mid-gig anymore. I finally figured out that it's just an exercise in vanity. Almost no one notices or cares, other than noticing that you're holding up the show. If someone wants to do it, it doesn't matter to me, but they should be honest about WHY they are doing it and not kid themselves that they are somehow adding to the show.

 

[TheSeagoats]

I've never taken multiple basses to a show, the idea of having to keep up with extra stuff isn't ideal. My first band would switch tunings between parts of the set (standard, to Eb, to drop C#) so I started just bringing my five string so I wouldn't have to worry about retuning as fast as possible. I'm also at a point in my life where I'm trying to liquidate as much extraneous stuff as I can so I recently bought a new five string I'm still trying to decide if I want to keep that will eliminate the rest. I have my first P bass that I don't want to part with but everything else can go.

 

[JRA]

hope you're feeling better sooner!

feel free to comment either pro or con.

in the past several weeks in multiple threads i've stated along these lines:
- two axes to gigs these days (not that i'm getting a bunch of gigs! ).
- i might switch: it would most likely be for fun --- assuming it was not for necessity!
- i've only had to switch for necessity once or twice.
- all my axes have a commonality among their important parts!

i mostly take two and play one. i don't "hate" switching axes, but i don't do it as a routine, anyway, so there's that.

 

[funk generator]

That lead me to getting a trickfish trilobite. Two channels with EQ and gain with foot switches to mute and change channels. I can even have both plugged in at once. Switching two drastically different basses now happens in seconds.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Same here. Just play music! Like people who have 10 pedals. Bass is bass, let it sound as it should!

 

[funkmaster p]

I play fretless on 70% of the tunes we currently play. If the other 30% didn't work significantly better with frets I would do it all fretless. But for a number of valid musical reasons they do. So I swap.

I'm curious. Could you elaborate on which types of tunes work better on fretted to justify the switch?

 

[dave64o]

Switching basses? Sure, why not? I always bring two basses to a gig so why not play both?

That being said, I almost always bring my favorite two, which are both high output, extremely versatile basses - my Stingray 5HH and my L-2500, so they don't wreak havoc on our mix (i.e. I wouldn't choose to bring my Stingray and my U-bass unless I had a good reason to). I love playing both of those basses and they both sound great for what my band plays.

However, I pick one to use for each set based on what we're playing in each set and then I use it for that whole set. The only time I'd switch mid-set is if something happened that forced me to quickly grab the other, IOW the reason I bring a backup bass.

 

[Wfrance3]

I own 3 basses, one is a UBass that doesn’t get play unless I’m noodling while watching tv or camping or something like that…
I’m a one pair of tennies, one pair of church shoes kinda guy, so all I can really say is amen bro!
The only way I could ever see myself with multiple basses in a state is if a BL specifically said, “you know, we’re doing this set list and I want a specifics Bass sound on those specific tunes. How many basses can you bring, I really want to nail the right tone for each”. - said no BL ever. Any band I’ve ever been in has just been happy I was willing to tune my bass occasionally and play the right notes at the right time…

 

[gtirard]

Thanks for that post! I was about to try using 2 instruments for our next gigs, but after reading the huge majority of testimonies against bass-switching, I've changed my mind: I thrust the TB community wisdom. Thanks!

 

[Rebel Rocker]

I bring two. My #1 Fender Jazz name "Mel" (After the Great Mel Schacher) My #2 Fender Jazz named ("Precious") if I need it. Most the time it's me and Mel all night. I have others but I like Jazz basses.

 

[Medicine Man]

I was doubling on bass and upright with an AB and a couple preamps, and then a couple years ago I got sick of hauling all that stuff and quit doubling. So much easier, but Im addmittedly getting less calls. Im not sure if it is pandamic or doubling related.

 

[40Hz]

I always bring two basses to every gig, and I usually switch them out a few times.

Just out of curiosity, what do you do that you want to switch around a few times every gig? Sounds like you’re covering a pretty broad range of music/styles.

 

[nnnnnn]

I don't play in front of people anymore, but if I did the only reason I would want to switch basses between songs is to go between fretted and fretless - and I would make sure the rest of the band knew to give me time to effect the change.

I used to switch to the five for the few songs in the set that required it.
That got old real fast.
I just started playing the five string the whole gig,

I've heard Lee Sklar say (not an exact quote) that if he needs the low B string for even one note in the show then he plays his fiver for the whole show.

 

[BtaylorTheRogue]

I used to switch between sets to show them off. Now I can't bring myself to switch from my dingwall to a low/mid-teir ibanez.

 

[BobDeRosa]

Some of the big-time guys I've seen in concert don't seem to switch very much. Doesn't Pino use only one? Tom Barney and Freddie Washington with Steely Dan appear to bring a couple (4 & 5 string) and sometimes use only one for the whole concert. Andy Cichon with Billy Joel is pretty much the same way. When he doesn't play his Yamaha EUB, Nathan East seems to use mainly a 5-string solid body and an AEB. I think Zak Whatshisname from Alabama Shakes uses only one. Sean Hurley seems to use only P basses, one with rounds and the other with flats.

 

[ctmullins]

Just out of curiosity, what do you do that you want to switch around a few times every gig? Sounds like you’re covering a pretty broad range of music/styles.

Yep, cover/variety band stuff.

Sometimes it's four-string-drop-D followed by five-string-low-B kind of thing.

 

[Ric Vice]

Basically, I'm a "one trick pony" unless the gig calls for doubling with Double Bass, in the context of the show. Even then it's always a hassle because switching during a performance interrupts the flow

of the show unless you switch over from DB to EB in the middle at intermission and don't go back or there's a tune that cushions the switch. Otherwise I try to just use one or the other.