Question about switching between different basses during a gig

[JRA]

if it really makes any difference at all (other than flash/style points)

i've switched from a main to a backup a few times when the main was 'protesting'. i was not awarded style points.

 

[buldog5151bass]

To anyone who says you need a specific bass for a specific sound, I'm remind you of when Geddy played a jazz fingerstyle on roundabout at the HOF.

 

[bassboysam]

Sounds like someone has an excellent opportunity to add a 5-string to his portfolio.

no thanks, too nu-metal for me.

 

[craigie]

Some great perspectives here. Used to play in a covers/function/wedding band and this was my set up...

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I could have thought of it as a main plus backup (always took a backup) but since they’re both lovely basses I used them both across the gig. Mostly it was for my own enjoyment but there were also some songs where the sound and feel of one seemed to suit it better for me (e.g. A Town Called Malice and Sweet Caroline - Pro; Long Train Running and Lady Marmalade- Mk 1 Custom). Of course I could have aced the whole gig with either and yes no one else could tell the difference... blah de blah de blah... But, again like others I kinda played a bit differently on each and really enjoyed the variation. And I reckon that if I’m more into it, I play better and so the audience DOES get a benefit. Even if they don’t know how or why on any conscious level!

I don’t really buy most of the downsides arguments... they’re all addressable. Differing output levels? The Lehle switch has variable levels for each channel. Differing EQ? I set my amp pretty neutral and drive tone variations from the bass EQ and plucking styles. Dead air? It took about 2 seconds to swap basses plus I’d not swap and change each song. I’d slice the set lists up into 5 or 6 song chunks and so across a 3x45 minute gig I’d only swap 4 or 5 times. We were NEVER left waiting with dead air for me to swap.

So, an indulgence? Yes. Done for my own enjoyment? Yes. No one else can tell the difference? Not consciously. But then again. Don’t care. I love both basses, I love playing both and I enjoyed the variety across the gigs.

So basically, I’d say that if you fancy it then go for it but do it in a way the doesn’t cause the much discussed downsides, is seamless and doesn’t leave dead air. If you don’t want to then... we’ll, don’t. It’s reslly no biggie. Plenty of folks play all night with one bass and one tone!

That all makes sense and I do so enjoy having a fretless. My new bandleader works without set lists. Could be interesting though to play songs on fretless or not. I find I don’t quite like playing fretless with a pick and certain songs I like a lot better with a pick. I have got caught out before playing a song on fretless I wish I wasn’t.

 

[craigie]

we play some songs tuned 1/2 a step down and others that are tuned 1 1/2 steps down so I use two basses if the setlist calls for it.

Just use a capo

 

[TrevorR]

My new bandleader works without set lists.

That would do my head in... esp for a regular gig rather than a jam-band thing!

 

[chris_b]

That all makes sense and I do so enjoy having a fretless. My new bandleader works without set lists.

I guess that's his prerogative, but I prefer to work from set lists as do most big touring bands I've seen, ie The Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Bowie etc.

My 5 string is a Swiss Army Knife. It allows me to deliver on every song, no matter what band I'm playing with.

 

[nostatic]

Rather amazed at some of the dogmatic negative responses to switching basses during a set. Just goes to show, everyone has a different opinion on what "right" is.

fwiw I take two basses to almost every gig I do. The only time I would stick with one was when I was doing 2-3 different nursing homes in an afternoon, and I wanted to travel as light as possible. But for the past 18 or so years, I take a pair on a gig, usually fretted and fretless. Sometimes it is 4-string and extended range (5-string or 6-string). I used to use an A/B foot switch, but these days I just use the tuner on my pedal board to mute and swap. I can do it quicker than I see most guys take to tune - you get faster with practice. I've never missed a downbeat count.

Why do it? If you have to ask, then you don't need to do it. That isn't casting aspersions - it is just that different people have different gigs and different wants and needs. There are some gigs where the second bass serves as a backup because I can and want to play everything on one bass. But I've had other nights with the same band, same sets, where I'll end up switching, either because I want to try something new or I'm not feeling the first bass. I've done entire gigs on fretless because for whatever reason, I wasn't really connecting with my fretted.

Other times I'm playing a set where for some tunes I want a 4-string because I'm most comfortable playing the tune on that configuration, and on other tunes I want extended range down or down and up. If I sit back and analyze the last thousand or so gigs, my bass choice comes down to:

1. what do I think serves the song best
2. what am I feeling comfortable on at that moment
3. what am I trying to experiment with (at some point, things you try at home practicing need to get tried live - unless they suck )
4. what moves me and keeps me engaged with the music and the gig

For some gigs, a single bass fits all those criteria - have done plenty with my YYD, leaving the backup on a stand. For other gigs, I sometimes take a non-traditional choice because I want to take some risks - like playing a Rob Allen fretless for a funk gig. For me music isn't paying all the bills, so it is much more about the love of making music and personal growth that comes in having a musical conversation on stage. That conversation changes from day to day and gig to gig, so my tools/language sometimes do as well.

 

[JimmyM]

I used two basses on my gig today...did the first set with my 09 AmStd Precision, the second with my Hammersmith PJ. That's how I like to switch basses...using ones that sound pretty much identical

 

[Coot]

I have had broken strings or electronics issues on occasion on stage. I was thankful all I had to do was hit a pedal and switch to a second bass via an a/b while our crew fixed the problem..better safe than sorry...

 

[Eilif]

I appreciate all the feedback, lots to think about....

...I do enjoy stage flash, I'm a bit of a ham! I agree that four is too many, although I have to say I found it way cool when the Mars Hotel bassist did it. I may have been the only one who noticed, but it made an impression. It wasn't fatuous in any way - it felt like the bass did indeed match the song in it's own special way.

I'll ask the band about it, as I don't want to chew up rehearsal time unless they think its beneficial. If they say yea, I'll go for the 4-string P and the 5-string P Special and see how it goes.

If not chewing up time is the priority then 2 on an A/B box is probably the best way to go. Unless your set is super tight, with nailed down transitions I doubt that stomping the box and picking up a new instrument would even create a delay that would be noticed by your bandmates.

What does chew up time is breaking a string or having a battery die or some similar mishap and taking the time to fix it.

I would suggest not asking the band, just setting up with two and seeing how it goes.

 

[Woofer]

I switch between 2 in different tunings: one in standard and other in Eb. We group the Eb songs together so there's minimal time during the set spent switching instruments.

 

[Road Hat]

One thing really jumps out at me after reading all of the responses. No one suggested a modeling bass, such as Line 6, as a viable solution. I've never played one, so I can't speak to their gig-worthiness, but based on this completely unscientific thread they don't seem to be worth consideration.

Edit: Dang it - just derailed my own thread...

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

That or a 'Swiss army' bass.
However, you still should have a backup.
Forrest Gump had a popular statement that covers why.
Also, if it takes longer to set a bass to sound like something else than it takes to change to
a real something else, you haven't saved anything.

 

[Eilif]

One thing really jumps out at me after reading all of the responses. No one suggested a modeling bass, such as Line 6, as a viable solution. I've never played one, so I can't speak to their gig-worthiness, but based on this completely unscientific thread they don't seem to be worth consideration.

Edit: Dang it - just derailed my own thread...

I think maybe you're looking in this thread for something that's not there and not the point. The focus is on whether and how to have a backup, not whether or not to bring a modeling bass.

Luckily this is talkbass and if you start a thread about the Variax you're sure to get plenty of information.

 

[mesaplayer83]

I have switched back and forth between 4 strings and 5 strings many times during sets at gigs - it didn't "bring the show to a halt", nor did it ever cause any problems with the FOH... Of course, I set things up in advance to insure a fairly seamless changeover - balancing out levels and EQs between the basses, and used a wireless transmitter so that the entire process is well under 10 seconds...

 

[JimmyM]

I have switched back and forth between 4 strings and 5 strings many times during sets at gigs - it didn't "bring the show to a halt", nor did it ever cause any problems with the FOH... Of course, I set things up in advance to insure a fairly seamless changeover - balancing out levels and EQs between the basses, and used a wireless transmitter so that the entire process is well under 10 seconds...

You must play in a band where whoever counts off songs actually pays attention to whether you're ready or not.

 

[PasstA]

A lot of bands have different tunings in their songs, that's one thing. In my band, on some songs I use a 4 string, some others a 5 string. So that's the only reason I switch around. Some players just like to switch it up for a different look or whatever.

 

[Fuzzbass]

I'm wondering now if I should switch between basses at a gig, and how to determine which bass is the right fit, or if it really makes any difference at all (other than flash/style points).

All I own are five string fretteds. No real reason for me to switch*, so I'm like you: I bring two basses to every gig and use one as primary, the other as backup. Once in a blue moon I'll switch just for spits and giggles, but I much prefer to "set it and forget it".

Style points? You might get some from your bassist buddy in the audience, but it's doubtful anyone else will notice.



*Actually, here's the only exception I can remember: I played a few sub gigs with a band that played two sets in standard tuning and one tuned a half-step flat. Yeah that was weird, but that's how they rolled. There were a few songs in each tuning where I preferred to use open strings, so I tuned one bass standard and the other flat (as opposed to using the same bass and transposing).

 

[electracoyote]

I'm wondering now if I should switch between basses at a gig, and how to determine which bass is the right fit, or if it really makes any difference at all (other than flash/style points).

For that 99.5% of the audience who are not performing musicians, it's probably just flash/style points. But there is some value in that.

For the .5% of the audience that are performing bass players, you might get a few to notice or appreciate tone variations.

Some questions to ask yourself: Do you only have the two basses? Are there that many and profound tonal variations or vastly different tunings between them that are required to make the songs sound good on a live sound stage with only two basses? Again, the vast majority of your audience is probably not going to notice most tonal variations.

Also, does your live show depend on momentum? I play in a band right now where there are very few points to switch basses without killing momentum and losing audience interest. Depending on how much down-time there is between songs you may need a switching pedal. Even though I rarely change basses intentionally mid-set, I still have my main and spare basses running through a two-way switch in case of a failure.

I've done it intentionally a few times, but mostly it was for showing off my basses to the musicians in the room. For the vast majority of my shows over 40 years my spare just sits there in the event I have a failure with my chosen main bass for the evening. There is no right or wrong here. Tom Petty and Mike Campbell (Heartbreakers) used to bring dozens of vintage guitars on tour and switch them out after every song (with lots of dead air to go with it). But, that's an established superstar who can do what he wants and not lose his audience.