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Not bringing a spare: lesson learned

#21
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS... and make sure the guitarist does also. Seen regular broken strings with Floyd Rose tremelos... and ready guitarists can switch out in 2-4 bars if the axe is tuned and ready on stand.

Bass - well, even with battery testers and new batteries, the occasional strange connector malfunction seems to happen a couple of times a year... or I just need a change.... unless you personally or a trusted luthier installed the strap locks/pegs etc., you just never know.
 
#24
I take care of my gear and I don't break strings, so sometimes I bring a backup and sometimes I don't. I'm more confident in my bass than I am in my amplifer, for which I do not have a backup yet.

My guitarist, on the other hand, has only one guitar, and he breaks strings fairly often. I offered to bring my Strat as a backup for him last gig and he declined.

Sure enough, he breaks a string on the first freaking song!

My drummer and I broke into an improvised blues jam while he fixed his guitar. I always knew those imrov skills would come in handy someday. And I'm bringing a backup from now on, too.
 
#26
Spectrum said:
I take care of my gear and I don't break strings, so sometimes I bring a backup and sometimes I don't. I'm more confident in my bass than I am in my amplifer, for which I do not have a backup yet.

My guitarist, on the other hand, has only one guitar, and he breaks strings fairly often. I offered to bring my Strat as a backup for him last gig and he declined.

Sure enough, he breaks a string on the first freaking song!

My drummer and I broke into an improvised blues jam while he fixed his guitar. I always knew those imrov skills would come in handy someday. And I'm bringing a backup from now on, too.
Click to expand...

NO PROBLEM - YOU NEED A BACKUP GUITARIST!

I'm thinking if my drummer reads this he's only gonna bring 2 drumsticks, and if he looses or breaks one, he's gonna stop playing until he fixes it.....
 
#29
There are people who breezily declare their one bass is a beast and can't be harmed, but that's easy to think before an unexpected catastrophe destroys the one thing you live for in this game-- playing live.

I never go without a backup. I also take extra strings, I usually keep a pack of guitar strings, I also keep picks (not even for me) and several other little things I jam into my big bag before a show.

You never know when you're going to save the day.
 
#31
Spares are a great thing but it's no excuse to ignore regular maintenance. a few minutes of checking for loose screws and nuts is all it takes. If your amp has an external fuse, carry a backup or 2. Oh, and a pack of 9 volt batteries.
 
#32
On a show a couple weeks ago I had not brought my back up. It was a short show. Popping and cracking and of course unpredictable bad timing. might do it a lot one song then not for 3, Changed cable DI cord would think it fixed then ***. Could affect it at times by shaking cord. After having the show ruined for me, no fun, we got thru it.

After checking out almost everything, last thing to check was output jack. was tight no loose wires. Took out the mounting screws pulled out jack and there it was. A damn internal tooth lock washer floating around in the jack cavity. Must have been left in there at some previous repair or adjustment. Nothing was loose or missing as I could tell.

Lesson learned, Always bring a back up.
 
#33
Hear the Rime of the Not-So-Ancient Bassplayer: These are the stories that lead me to the habits I keep today.

I was "touring" with a Top 40 cover band circa 1988. "Touring" meant playing around the small towns north of Boulder. Kind of weird, and didn't lead to much. But at one place we stopped, we were playing some Boston song (it was in G, all I remember) and my D string snapped.

Next song: YYZ. No spare bass. No strings. So the drummer took a solo, and I tied my D string back together at roughly the 6th fret, and that was how I performed YYZ in front of about 300 kids.

I have NEVER gone to a show without a backup since.

My guitarist also has to have two guitars, and if he doesn't, I bring my JPB strat. Years ago I used my brother's Yamaha. I was playing with an originals group and we were all really tight, and it was the first gig with that band, and the guitarist's ONE guitar decided to crap out on us right before we started playing. So I quickly got my bro's Yamaha out, and we went on.

So now, I also bring a second 6-string, if the guitarist doesn't have one (and it is shocking how often they don't, or they don't have spare strings which only cost them $6 dollars, for crying out loud).
 
#36
Just another safety tip, especially for newbies playing outside gigs for the first time.

If a tent for the band is not provided and the weather is questionable, invest in a few tarps to protect your gear.

Last night we were lucky, the clouds cleared up by the time we started our 3 song.

blue

BTW, We bring that sound into bars.
 
#37
FWIW: I played for year using only one bass, and yes I did have a couple of problems - for example, one time the nut came lose, but lucky some hot chicks had fingernail glue (that stuff works great and dry’s fast) and I broke a string a couple of times, but that wasn’t a big deal because I just played around it until the end of the song and I can put a new string on in seconds :D. With that all said - now I like taking a Fender P, and J bass.
 
#39
2 basses, 2 amps (one backup), 2 cabs always to a gig, plus spare strings, spare guitar cables.

Things I've forgotten over the years: earplugs, spare 9V's, speakon cable for second cab, picks, second strap, guitar stands, spare fuses, extension cable.

I try and keep bass-specific needs in the case for each bass ie. old strings (right length), Allen keys, battery, etc.
Amp-specific needs in the amp case, etc.

But with many basses, several amps, a couple of bands, and playing many different venues - I've decided today to go back to using a dedicated cables/tools bag again. Leave it all in there, carry it onstage and not have to think about it.
 
#40
Back when I played for a living, I always had a spare. But in 1994 when I quit playing full time and went to weekends only, I sold my backup bass. So since then I have not had a backup, never needed one. Never have even broken a string on stage, and I've played a LOT of weekends............

If you are playing a gig where you would lose the gig if your bass crapped out early on, AND you really wanted/needed said gig, then by all means bring a spare. But if not, sorry I just don't see the need. The road beats gear up, even if you never unpack it.
 

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