lownote Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) If you have the choice, do you take just one bass on stage or a selection? I'm in an up-forming blues band with first gigs likely to happen in early summer. We're not pure blues, if there is such a thing, there's a hint of latin and funk in what we do too. Legacy GAS has ensured that I currently have three basses: a Squier Affinity 4 P bass upgraded with Kiogon loom, flats and a Tonerider pup, a Squier Vintage Modififed 5 P bass with Kiogon loom; a Sire V7 4. Should I take them all on stage with a view to matching song tone to bass, or am I going to end up confusing myself and looking a plonker? I suspect I know the answer but could do with a clip round the ear'ole from a wise person. Edited February 20, 2017 by lownote12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tut Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Play your favourite and take a spare on stage. Your band won't thank you if you're forever changing bass while they're trying to keep the vibe going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 There have been similar threads before along the lines of 'should I take a spare bass to my gigs?' As for me, usually just the one bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I always take two basses to a gig. Both are tuned up and ready to go. You never know if you may need a spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 take em all!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Depends on gig, stage size etc. I like to have a spare bass but failing that a spare battery and set of strings will do fine. I'm a great believer in not wasting time between songs. Its a vibe killer when you have agood rockin band but they doodle, tune every stop or talk between every song and usually a load of crap that means nothing and the audience don't care anyways. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 (edited) I'd say take as many as you really need, as long as they don't detract from the bands performance. In other words, only you knows. Edited February 20, 2017 by Maude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike257 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I'll usually take a spare, but I'm usually on a function or corporate gig where I can't afford for things to go tits up. I'll also make sure I have one if I've got a bunch of songs that need a different tuning. I wouldn't suggest taking one to "match the tone" to each song. The difference will be negligible in a lot of settings, and you can achieve more noticeable variety in tone from varying playing technique and hand position than you will from playing three different basses the second way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 As mentioned this subject has come up a couple of times before (although not as often as one might think). Personally I think just the one BUT have spare strings, tools and be equipped to sort out any problems that arise. I've only ever broken one string onstage in 30yrs of gigging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I've got a triple stand but a double gugbag, so I take two basses and magnanimously let the guitarist use the spare stand neck... :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Down that road madness lies; start with a spare bass and end up taking a spare amp and cab and strap and pedalboard etc... I just take the one. If it's set up and maintained regularly then it minimises the chances of failure. One caveat though, if you're playing in different tunings then it's a no-brainer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 If your gigs are anything like any that I've ever done, then I doubt there will be room in the performance space for several basses. My one residency I have to sit on my combo cos there's not room else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number6 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 One.....normally transported with me via tube or bus. But regularly maintained to cut the likelyhood of breakdown.....hopefully :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I usually have four on stage, and was for a while competing with a guitarist who had six. (guitars obviously) I'm not anymore, but am a total drag queen so on stage they stay. Oddly, I broached the subject of maybe trimming one back to the band the other week and was told "no!". I have them well trained Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbiigg Kev Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 One decent reliable bass should be all thats needed, if its active then spare batts is all you need, If your touring mega places then you only need two as a max unless you intend smashing one up !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrevorR Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Back in the covers/function/wedding band days this was my set up... Two reasons. First I always had a spare bass just in case (not that I ever actually had a bass failure on stage but insurance is an item you buy hoping never to use). Second, although I could happily play the entire gig on either bass I would swap between them across the course of a gig. This was never a problem but I made sure that my set up meant it was never a problem or a delay between the songs. My set up signal path was "2 basses - Lehle 3@1 switcher pedal - inline tuner pedal (Boss TU2 or Polytune) - Amp...". Also I was very particular about how I approached switching basses so as to ensure that the gig and the audience experience didn't suffer. I never switched between them song about... rather I segmented each set into blocks of several songs and looked for segments of the set which particularly "suited" either bass - either tonally or in terms of the feel of the bass/neck. I'd then swap quickly at the end of each segment. With the switcher pedal it never took more than a couple of seconds to change basses so there was absolutely no interruption in the flow of the songs. The singer/guitar player similarly would switch across the course of each set between acoustic and electric (not necessarily at the same point as me) but, again used a similar technique. When you have to stop, go over to the amp, unplug the jack from the amp, unplug the bass, drop the jack on the floor, change basses, find the jack you dropped on the floor, plug the other jack back into the amp, change the settings on the amp because that bass has a different output, walk back to your performance position it does look unutterably amateur to an audience and does create huge dead air in the flow of a set - doubly so if you do it between EVERY song... I would never have allowed myself to do that. It was, for me of course, pure indulgence but I love both my main basses and they both have different tonal characteristics and feels so it was a little subtlety that gave me pleasure (and, I'm sure therefore enhanced by playing). Did the audience notice - not consciously but that's not the point. So, I'd say feel free to bring a couple of basses along with you (if that floats your boat - one P and and the Sire sounds like a nice, versatile combo) but do also invest in a good quality inline tuner pedal and a good switcher unit (something like the Lehle [expensive but bombproof] or a Boss LS2 Line Switcher). The advantage of that is that a good quality switcher pedal will allow you to balance the outputs of the different basses so you don't need to change the amp gain or master volume when you switch between them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 It all depends on a number of factors. What are the extra basses needed for? Spares in case of string breakage etc? Different tunings? Fretted/fretless? How important is it for you to maintain the flow of the band's set? Could you get away with one bass for all the songs if you really had to? If you broke a string would you rather be able to grab another bass ready to go, or would you have time to fit a replacement string? How much room is there on stage for extra instruments? How easy is it to transport the extra basses to the gig? The answers to those questions will vary from bassist to bassist, and will probably change with a change of band as well. I've taken four basses to a gig in the past - fretted and fretless and a backup for each, and have also lived dangerously and only taken one, when space in the band transport (for a different band) has been at a premium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dieseldalziel Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 The v7 should be fine,runs in passive if you get a battery failure,take a spare if room in car,venue etc allows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 i just take a spare in case of disasters. Sometimes it gets a run out in the second set if i feel the sound could be better suited to the venue with a zinger/thuddier/fruitier sound after playing the first set. Mostly it doesn't. Don't faff about between songs unless you absolutely have to - as others have said its a groove killer. Sort your sound out before the gig so you're happy with it and dont expect the audience to notice the finer nuances of your tone - they probably won't give a stuff what you sound like as long as you play in tune and in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I always take two basses to gigs, if there's enough room they'll both be tuned, have straps, and be on the stand next to my amp. I use one and the other is there 'just in case'. If there's not enough room, one will stay in its case, sometimes in the car, unless needed. I have never even considered changing basses from one song to another, I set the sound to suit the venue and leave it there. I recently played with a guitarist who used 3 or 4 guitars, every some required a change, but I couldn't detect any difference between them at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 Two for me, main gigger, and backup which is tuned up, strapped, and in its gig-bag. I`ve seen a few people have problems, usually with the electrics on their basses, so always have the backup close to hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 These are what I gig with. [URL=http://s38.photobucket.com/user/Richard_Pain/media/stuff/IMAG0558_zpsxrbp7252.jpg.html][IMG]http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e113/Richard_Pain/stuff/IMAG0558_zpsxrbp7252.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The jazz is used on the 2 or 3 songs where I use a pick. The strap is set a bit longer as I find it more comfortable for pick playing. The precision is used on the 8 or 9 songs where a more oldschool tone just works better. The Ray basically gets used on everything else. They obviously all sounds very different and if I didn't gig with them all then I wouldn't really be able to justify owning them all (to my wife). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 No backups for me apart from cables + batteries. Where would it stop ? Anything could go - cabs, amps, pedals, ...i'd need a bigger boat Just one fretted and one fretless. Thats it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I only play one bass all night but I always take two where practical (and always for 'big' gigs). The spare stays in a double gigbag by the side of the stage. I haven't needed to use the spare for nearly ten years until last summer when we played a big outdoor bike rally to over 2,000 bikers, No soundcheck, first note of the opening song and no bass (minor electrical problem it later transpired - took 15 minutes to fix). I reached into the gigbag to get out the spare bass and no one knew that anything had happened. Would have been very embarrassing stood on stage with no sound in front of all those people... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I play bar gigs every weekend. I usually bring 2 of my 9 basses. Saturday I brought my G&L ASAT bass and my German made Hofner Club Bass. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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