If you went 20 years with no problems, I think you should check your cases and bags. You may have picked up a couple of these guys...
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Never again!
- Thread starter tallulahsdaddy
- Start date
If you went 20 years with no problems, I think you should check your cases and bags. You may have picked up a couple of these guys...
Nah. You thought they smelled bad before, just wait until they’ve sat in your trunk for a couple weeks.
There are so many excellent Indonesian and Korean basses for short money now, you don't have to compromise much (if at all) on playability. A decent headless bass will fit in a guitar gig bag, add a little Class D amp like a TC Electronic 250 and you are golden for minimal weight and bulk.
Yeah, it did. But I can't take credit: Bill the Sound Guy actually tied the knot. I'd have preferred breaking the G, but I got around okay for the last 15 minutes of the set. Guitarist Solar Bob told me afterward that I was still reaching for the E even though it wasn't there.
lol I had a friend who, when we'd play racquetball at the Y, often brought her daughter and a friend. As she would pull in, the girls would drop the rear seat, crawl into the trunk, then pull the seat back up. As soon as she stopped they would bang on the trunk lid and yell "Let us out!" My friend would casually gather her gear, walk around to the back, and pop the trunk, oblivious to the dropped jaws and fierce frowns as two young school girls climbed out. Hilarious.
I always have to be prepared. 2 basses, and a class D backup amp for the SVT. This weekend, it was the SVT that went down. 1st song, 2nd set, and there goes another power tube, lol. Mesa D800 got me through the remaining 2 sets.
You went 20 years with no issues and, after a single incident, you're going to bring an extra bass, cables/ strings, preamp and DI
It was a battery in your active bass wasn't it?
That's the same as saying
'you went 20 years without a seatbelt and after a single accident you start wearing them every time?'
My live kit holds a set of spare batteries, a cable and a Sansamp pedal that's not much weight/room, yet it covers a lot of possible failures. When I know there is no bass around I could borrow when mine fails, I bring one, too.
The only bass I've had act up was a Line6 Variax that I played for about a year. I learned that a bass with a built-in computer that requires a CAT-5 cable to connect it to the Line6 X3-Live board (which also started acting up at an outdoor concert on a separate occasion) was not a good combination. The Line6 gig bag even had one of the shoulder straps tear off while I was carrying it and it hit the concrete.
That bass hated me.
Now I play only passive basses, carry extra strings, cables and a spare DI.
That bass hated me.
Now I play only passive basses, carry extra strings, cables and a spare DI.
Thanks to all the earnest advice I'm going to carry extra... well, extra.
Im pretty much in the same boat...i havent broken a string in 15-20 years, but always have a spare set. It used to happen occasionally when i boiled them back in the day. I also never bring a backup bass....but play passive Fenders, which are mechanically pretty simple and I keep them well maintained.
It happens, nothing remains totally perfect or lasts forever no matter and life throws you curves and no it does not care. Having a plan-B is never a bad idea though if you ask me.
Bass and guitar bring spare gear..
What do vocalists do?
What do vocalists do?
As much as I love tube amps, I've also been caught by a wonk tube. And now that little micros are plentiful and cheap, I see no reason not to lug a backup to a tube amp.
Spare mic and cord at best. Most don't even do that.
Our guitar player's amp blew 10 years ago. He used the harp player's amp while the harp guy went thru the mains. I broke a string 22 years ago, BL had an old Yamaha bass at his house 2 miles away so I used it the rest of the night. I broke a string in the early 80s but had an extra. That's about it from the 60's until now.
Trickier for me now, my main gigging band is upright. I suppose that if I was being responsible I'd have an electric as a backup.
i sometimes bring an extra bass ,
but always an extra amp { T.E. ELF } ...
but always an extra amp { T.E. ELF } ...
It depends on the gig and if I'll be able to keep an eye on the extra bass. Low paying gig? If my bass dies, play some music and I'll drive home and get a replacement. I've never had an issue to date other than the time I went and and realized that I forgot my cable. I do carry extra cables.
