For those that only take one bass to gigs

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

These days I take an ashbory as an emergency backup. It stays in the boot of the car and I've not needed it yet.

[MacDaddy]

over the years: strings have snapped, strap button has come off, and the input socket played up. And on a guitar the volume pot froze - in the off position.

[Norris]

I've never taken a spare bass. Spare strings, always! It only takes a minute or two to change a string, and it's entertaining trying to finish those last two songs on the remaining ones

Do you take a spare amp? There's a lot more gubbins to go wrong in one of those. (Oh no, here comes the paranoia... )

[MB1]

MB1.
"What? take two basses into the shower? Not me!, i prefer to Wash and Go!"
(One Bass+spare strings! )

[Earbrass]

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1008192' date='Nov 1 2010, 09:27 AM']Never needed one, never bring one. Keep spare strings in the bag, spare lead, that's it.[/quote]

+1

[dave_bass5]

Same as most people here. Never broke a string and only ever take one bass.
I do sometimes worry that something might go, but it never has so far.

I expect this thread will now jinx us all ;-)

[Lozz196]

Thanks for all the responses so far.

I`ve been leaning towards the fact that a P-Bass don`t really have too much that can go wrong with it, and the fact that I haven`t broken a bass string since the 80s. However a few things have been mentioned that I hadn`t considered, hence starting the thread. Think for the extra bit of hassle, the backup will still come to gigs with me.

Re the amp issue, I`ve a Behringer BD121 bought for amp failures so thats covered. Not an exact replacement, but would be ok as cover for the rest of a gig.

I really hope this thread hasn`t jinxed things for everyone.

[CHRISDABASS]

Ive never taken two basses to a gig! fingers crossed i'll never need to!

Suppose it was a bit risky going on tour with just one, but it worked out fine

also by only taking one there's less risk of loosing everything if gear gets stolen! you'll still have a bass sat at home

[lemmywinks]

In case of amp failure i DI straight from my bass using an MXR M80 or an Aphex Bass Xciter, usually the MXR. As it's first in my signal chain anything after it can go kaputt and i'll still have bass going to FOH with no interruptions

[Gareth Hughes]

Only once in about 3000 gigs have I needed an alternative bass, due to seriously dodgy wiring in the venue resulting in bad earthing - and thankfully that night I was playing upright as well as electric, so I just did the whole gig on upright. And only from about 2 months ago have I started bringing two basses to a gig - and that's only because I might be digging the P for some songs but then feel like it's a J time, and when I want that tone I'll just start regretting not having brought that bass instead.

On upright gigs I have a spare pickup mounted on the bass, as that's the most likely thing to stop working.

[lojo]

Someone managed to knock by bass once and snap the head of a tuner once way back, so i had to tune it with pliers, other than that no real issues

Id be more worried now about my hi tec circuit board head going wrong than my basses, regards how new it is

[LawrenceH]

I really can't think of anything that could go wrong that a set of spare strings, a small soldering iron and a leatherman/couple of allen keys couldn't sort in 5 or 10 mins, other than stuff that'd p*** me off so much that the last thing I'd be caring about was a spare bass to finish the set. It's only a gig! The rest of the band'll be able to carry on, after all. Definitely not worth taking a spare unless you're also in that happy position of having roadies

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1008596' date='Nov 1 2010, 02:53 PM'].... the last thing I'd be caring about was a spare bass to finish the set. It's only a gig! The rest of the band'll be able to carry on, after all. Definitely not worth taking a spare unless you're also in that happy position of having roadies [/quote]


If somebody is paying me £150+ to play at their wedding then it's not just a gig though. I am being paid to provide a service as an entertainer, if i haven't got the required tools for whatever reason then i'm not doing my job and i'd feel guilty about taking the money - rightly so.

Being able to switch basses in a few seconds is much better than standing there like a plonker with a duff bass while the rest of the band carry on playing!

[simon1964]

[quote name='Norris' post='1008414' date='Nov 1 2010, 12:34 PM']Do you take a spare amp? There's a lot more gubbins to go wrong in one of those. (Oh no, here comes the paranoia... )[/quote]

Good point - I always take a DI pedal of some description for that very reason. And I have had to use that after an Ashdown died on me mid-gig.

[BassBod]

In 20 plus years I've almost never taken a spare..even on "tours". I've carried a Sansamp for at least 15 years and used it a lot, mostly out of choice but sometimes out of necessity (very dodgy backline, no time to unload gear etc).

The only problem I can remember was a Wal Probass IIE - the battery would die with very little warning. Started a song and noticed a touch of distortion...three mins later its was completely dead. The battery compartment was two screws, which is always fun on a dark stage.

I expect more problems from active basses (noisy sockets, scratchy pots, worn battery connector).

[Bilbo]

I broke a string in about 1983 (on the last tune in the set) but, since then, I have taken one bass and never had a problem.

[Bottle]

My current stable of basses (all two of them) are in different tunings now, so I don't bother to take both, unless I know for definite what tunes I'll be playing, so can choose which bass to take - it's usually the Squier. The Ibby only comes out occasionally for practices and the like. I think if I was gigging regularly with an active bass, then I'd probably take the Ibby as a backup.

Miscellaneous spares: ordinarily I take a screwdriver and Allen keys, spare battery, guitar leads, patch cables and spare tuner (Boss TU-88) - it's amazing how many of my fellow muso's tip up without a tuner (guitards mostly). Occasionally will pack a Leatherman Wave as well. DI-wise I have a SansAmp now, so that always comes with me. Usually sits inline with the amp input so my amp/cab is purely for backline/stage monitoring; the effected signal goes straight to the PA desk then.

Touch-wood not had a problem with a bass that (1) couldn't be sorted straight away with the spares I carry, or (2) was a show-stopper in any shape or form (i.e. completely deaded, capitan). Guess that's karma set up for me now - next gig'll be the one time it all goes Pete Tong

HTH, Ian

[Wil]

I broke a low E mid set once - I just carried on and played the lines an octave higher. Worked out ok, sounded a little odd but not enough for the punters to notice much.

[chris_b]

[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1008612' date='Nov 1 2010, 03:10 PM']....If somebody is paying me £150+ to play at their wedding then it's not just a gig though. I am being paid to provide a service as an entertainer, if i haven't got the required tools for whatever reason then i'm not doing my job and i'd feel guilty about taking the money - rightly so....[/quote]
Do you take 2 cars as well?

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1008538' date='Nov 1 2010, 01:56 PM']I really hope this thread hasn`t jinxed things for everyone. [/quote]
At least we know who to blame if you have

[mcnach]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1008167' date='Nov 1 2010, 09:08 AM']Fairly self-explanatory really. I always take a backup bass to gigs, and to date, have never needed it.

I`m trying to reduce the amount of gear I take to gigs, in an effort to stop aching so much the next day (aging is not a good thing). Have bought an Orange Bass Terror on the amp front, so the next thing to maybe cut down on is the backup bass. I don`t have different sounds/tones, it stays in its case, and like I said, to date have never needed it. For info, my basses are Fender Precisions, so no actives that can go wrong/batteries die etc.

Opinions would be gratefully received.[/quote]

Never ever had a problem. Sometimes I take two basses, either because of the different sound or simply as backup... but never needed them. Always have spare batteries, strings, basic tools etc. I figure that any problem I may have I could fix quickly enough while the band does their thing to entertain without me. If it's an important gig then I'd probably still take a second bass, and a second amp head, and a second DI box and spare cables and... But the truth is until now, one bass has been enough.

[ThomBassmonkey]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1008739' date='Nov 1 2010, 05:14 PM']Do you take 2 cars as well?[/quote]

That's a bit unfair, I completely agree with Chris B. If you're payed to do a job, you should do everything within your power to do it and be prepared for most problems, I think that's a reasonable working ethic for any business and don't see why music is any different. Taking an extra bass to gigs isn't a big deal (although as I said earlier, I don't usually do it), it's certainly not on the scale of taking an extra car.

[EssentialTension]

I usually take two. One time I only took one and broke a string first chorus first song. First time I'd broken a string in about 20 years.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1008360' date='Nov 1 2010, 11:51 AM']I always do a pre-gig check, make sure everything's tight, nothing is crackling or scratchy. It's amazing how many of the things which stop working at gigs show up in rehearsals or practice first and are just ignored.[/quote]
Yep. One of our guitarists was having trouble with a loose jack on his strat for two or three rehearsals before an internal wire finally broke.

I don't know how anyone could put up with something like that. OK, he wouldn't really know one end of a screwdriver from the other, but you'd have thought he'd get it looked at.

In the end I fixed it for him. It took less than half an hour but he now regards me as some sort of technical genius.

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1008739' date='Nov 1 2010, 05:14 PM']Do you take 2 cars as well?[/quote]

Our drummer was a mechanic, so no. If the van breaks down and there's nothing you can do about it then that's a reasonable excuse.
It's not a massive effort to take a spare bass to a gig and it costs nothing, so that isn't an excuse for not being able to play i'm afraid.

Would you still pay a tradesman who broke their tools and couldn't do the job?

The way i see it is that you have to expect the unexpected and prepare for all eventualities. If you don't and something goes wrong (be it your fault or someone else's) then as a paid musician you only have yourself to blame.