What do I need?

[leehutch]

So after obviously a bass and an amp what are the essential pieces of equipment every bassist needs to play live?

 

[dnp41]

A cable...?

 

[leehutch]

A cable...?

Yeah thanks for that so after a bass, amp, cable, picks, strap, power lead and a lava lamp, what are you taking with you?

 

[dnp41]

Well let's talk about need-to-have, instead of nice to have. what you need can vary from situation to situation, but you will always need a way a) hear yourself and b) have your band hear you (to some amount) and c) make the audience hear you. So a amp will most of the time cover point a, and perhaps point b, and perhaps even point c. But if you have FOH (front of house) support, and perhaps a monitoring system you would also need a way to feed that system with you signal. This would mean either some sort of DI box or a Mic.

I guess that would cover all the essential needs.

 

[Bodeanly]

Yeah thanks for that so after a bass, amp, cable, picks, strap, power lead and a lava lamp, what are you taking with you?

That's pretty much everything, but you might find something useful here:
ideas for a gig toolbox?
What all do I need as a gigging bass player?
The Ultimate Gig Survival Kit
Gig Emergency Kit

 

[Frankjohnson]

Well let's talk about need-to-have, instead of nice to have. what you need can vary from situation to situation, but you will always need a way a) hear yourself and b) have your band hear you (to some amount) and c) make the audience hear you. So a amp will most of the time cover point a, and perhaps point b, and perhaps even point c. But if you have FOH (front of house) support, and perhaps a monitoring system you would also need a way to feed that system with you signal. This would mean either some sort of DI box or a Mic.

I guess that would cover all the essential needs.

yes......
I'll tell you what I seem to see with most guys touring, who know what they are doing IMHO

Bass rig - some bring outboard DI that "can" be used if needed, many have DI at back of rig which is "ok"...... some have a preferable Mic that they like - a few with a stand or mount assy.

instrument cableS..... I emphasize plural
effects that they use AND batteries AND power source AND some multi-plug even if its only a power strip

A Stand for their bass(s)

a fan (funny how many do)

Tuner

XLR cables - a couple actually have them in the rack case - set up and ready to send

IF YOU SING
a vocal Mic - XLR(s)
Stand

Some dolly or cart if you need it

Strings/tools/flashlight etc........ as needed

I think its just a matter of being prepared, low maintenance and professional
You don't have to have ALL of it right there -but at least in the vehicle if needed

 

[sqlb3rn]

as far as equipment goes, a tuner and DI box is probably about it. a lot of people run a compressor, distortion, octaver or the zoom b3 if you want effects.
beyond that, up to you... probably a towel or rag, ear plugs, extra set of strings, extra 9v battery for active basses, etc.

 

[Munjibunga]

Yeah thanks for that so after a bass, amp, cable, picks, strap, power lead and a lava lamp, what are you taking with you?

I think you've got it pretty much covered, just add a tuner.

 

[DirkP]

- Toolkit with every screwdriver, stringwinder, stringcutter, allan keys etc. you could need if something is wrong with your instrument or setup (or the setup of your keyboard player).

- 2nd bass

- replacement battery if you play an active bass

- flashlight

- cables for you and the keyboard player, who is completely ignorant when it comes to technical matters.

- flashlight

- second D.I. in case your amp might stop working (already mentioned), a sans amp or a DI with EQ etc., something that would allow you (or the keyboard player) to play and be heard in case your amp might fail. If you are rich and have rowdies: a second amp.

- Set of replacement strings, same type that is on your bass

- if you play with a plectrum or some songs with a plectrum: a plectrum in each pocket of your trousers, of your jacket, of your shirt, of your gigbag, in your purse

 

[Al Kraft]

I come from the aviation world where there is always a trade off between carrying additional weight and the degree of risk you're willing to take by not having two or three of everything just in case.

For a live performance situation I like to have an extra set of strings (although in 40 years I've never broken a bass string), a spare cable (I have had a cable get damaged or simply fail a few times) and a preamp/DI of some type so I can go to the PA just in case my amp fails. Obviously you can do the back-up/redundancy thing for every critical path item (amp, cab, bass, etc.), but in my experience a cable has been the most frequent failure and it's only happened a few times over decades of playing.

In terms of "a little more than nice to have" I would say to get a good quality bass guitar stand and a decent tuner, neither of which should break the bank.