I'm curious too. I've heard of it happening, but it seems to be a rarity among the low end crowd.
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Never again!
- Thread starter tallulahsdaddy
- Start date
I'm curious too. I've heard of it happening, but it seems to be a rarity among the low end crowd.
It's a nice idea in principle and simple enough (load a second bass into the car and have it on a stand behind you) but almost impossible sometimes, like with gigs involving air travel. I always have my sansamp in my gigbag as a backup in case my whole rig craps out,, an extra cable ready to go next to my pedalboard if my wireless stops working and another spare cable in my bag just in case, but beyond that a second bass isn't practical or cost-effective, I'd have to check in a second piece of luggage and the additional carrying and hassle just isn't worth it.
The main reason I own really solid instruments and amps is reliability. For me that's the #1 most important thing of all. Let's face it, a crowd of metalheads in a dodgy venue in an obscure Eastern European town (which is the only type of venue and gig I seem to play these days) won't really appreciate the nuance of tone, you gotta get the gig done. I don't baby my gear but I take care of it and make sure it's in working order (batteries changed out regularly, jacks are working properly, etc). That way if something stops working, I know with 95% certainty it's just an iffy cable, so I swap that out and carry on.
The main reason I own really solid instruments and amps is reliability. For me that's the #1 most important thing of all. Let's face it, a crowd of metalheads in a dodgy venue in an obscure Eastern European town (which is the only type of venue and gig I seem to play these days) won't really appreciate the nuance of tone, you gotta get the gig done. I don't baby my gear but I take care of it and make sure it's in working order (batteries changed out regularly, jacks are working properly, etc). That way if something stops working, I know with 95% certainty it's just an iffy cable, so I swap that out and carry on.
Broken String.... has happened to me twice on the same bass. Bridge saddle had a rough edge, etc. G string broke at the saddle. First time I just thought it was a bum string. 2nd time, I knew it was the bass.
Ive had a couple of instances with batteries dying in an active bass or in my wireless pack at gigs. I always bring two basses now...but I will say this...unless your bass dies in between songs or sets, its a trainwreck even with a backup. Better than no bass I guess.
I had an incident at a gig where my Hofner started making the most horrendous hum, tried different leads, switched my amp on and off, still no joy , thankfully I found that if I engaged the Bass slider on the Hofner the hum pretty much dissapeared, when I got home I tightened the screws on the tailpiece that the ground wire grounds against and all was well, I don't usually take a backup bass but I will always bring a screwdriver to a gig now
I've had exactly one bass failure and one amp failure in 40 years of gigs. That's a long time to be dragging backup gear with me just in case. And how much stuff to bring...two BGs, two heads, two sets of cabs????
Then what about DB gigs? It's not practical to carry two DBs with you at all times. If you want to hear horror stories, talk to DB players who have had instrument issues on tour ranging all the way from instrument damage to the airline losing your bass
I mean, how do you lose a 5 foot tall object that looks like this?
Then what about DB gigs? It's not practical to carry two DBs with you at all times. If you want to hear horror stories, talk to DB players who have had instrument issues on tour ranging all the way from instrument damage to the airline losing your bass
I mean, how do you lose a 5 foot tall object that looks like this?
Meh... just get one of those double-double-bass gig bags and you'll be jake!
I wonder if that would be considered a quadruple-bass gig bag...
I always bring at least two basses to every gig or jam, a DI box, extra strings/cables and sometimes an extra amp. I will not be the guy who couldn't finish the gig because of equipment failure. I'm also the first person to arrive at a gig. It's become a topic of humor with the guys I gig with around here.
I know a drummer who always brought guitar strings and cables to every gig, just because..
John
If you've gone 20 years without failures, you sir, are a VERY lucky bloke.
I think every band I've played in has had a song dedicated to technical difficulties of various members.
The trunk ride wasn't the thing that made the sax player leave the band - he was very good natured about that. He did, however, have a new girlfriend that demanded.....pretty much all of his time. He complied.
Just slap a Kahler trem on it. I put one on my G&L El Toro in the mid 80s. Tech had never done one before and when I got it back the strings were running over the bridge at an extremely acute angle. I actually broke all 4 strings in one night at a club in Topeka, KS. The BL understandably insisted that I play my backup 1974 Fender Mustang, so I was highly motivated to correct the Kahler setup and did so later that night. This was the 80s, so lots of snapping and popping. I didn't have what one would call a "light touch" back then, as that El Toro had some serious "ski jump" going and the action was pretty high. Even after I got it down to a reasonable angle, I still broke strings, though usually only the G. I also changed my strings weekly back then, in part to minimize the breakage risk.
Yup been there, that is why I rarely play a gig without a second bass at the ready
My gig bag has the following:
Switchcraft 1/4" out put jack (new)
250k CTS pot (new)
DR Hi-Beam 40-60-80-100 strings (new)
Allen wrench set
Soldering iron and solder
Screw driver and players.
Fingernail clippers (just in case)
Switchcraft 1/4" out put jack (new)
250k CTS pot (new)
DR Hi-Beam 40-60-80-100 strings (new)
Allen wrench set
Soldering iron and solder
Screw driver and players.
Fingernail clippers (just in case)
Honestly, I never understood people who basically refused to bring a backup bass. I always do. Is it really that hard to carry one more bass? Well worth it IMO.
Of the people that don't bring a spare bass because they've never had a failure, I ask: if you never had a flat tire, would you still carry a spare and a jack?
I had my bridge crack back in 1997 on my J, resulting not having an E string for a whole set. Since then, I carry a backup bass which I didn't ever use until 2018. I have repaired a ton of other people's crap at the show using a soldering iron or whatever out of my tool kit. Can't be over prepared. If ya'll want to "let it ride," be my guest, but I'll put some extra stuff in my car.
Just have extra strings, calm down. You played for 20 years w/ no problem.
