Swapping Basses at a gig.

[Phil Starr]

OK I'm a lucky guy with the luxury of choice. I have two 'good' basses that I'm really comfortable with. A Highway 1 Jazz and an American Deluxe Precision. I had no intention of being a Fender man, if you'd asked me three years ago I'd have said you get better quality £ for £ almost anywhere else, but these two came up cheap, I couldn't resist and they both play and sound great.

I'm happy with the basses but my question is what to do live? There's little doubt in my mind that the P-bass sits better in the mix for most of our songs (Indie covers mainly) For a few songs the depth of the Jazz works better. At home the Jazz sounds so much better, to my taste anyway. I take both to gigs, just in case. I take spares of everything critical, even PA speakers.

So, should I start swapping basses? I hate it when the guitards swap instruments, particularly when one puts down the acoustic to pick up an electric whilst the the other swaps to pick up their acoustic. How important is having the right tone compared with continuity?

[Mykesbass]

You would probably be the only one who noticed the difference, but if you really do want to do this is there any way you can group the Jazz Bass songs together so you only have two interruptions?

[Grissle]

I swap all the time. It takes me about 10 seconds without hurrying. I keep a wireless on my strap (but using a cable works the same) and just mute, unplug unhook strap locks, set down the bass then reverse order New bass! I can do it a lot faster if I want to as well.

Using an A/B box would make things even quicker, probably 4-6 sec., at relaxed pace.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Grissle

[philw]

I do it all the time too. I have a Boss LS2 line switcher so it all works pretty seamlessly. Takes about 10 secs to do a swap. Most gigs with the current band I'll use my fretless Wal, fretted Yamaha BEX 4 and NS CR4 EUB (pizz and arco). Sadly, on one song, I play the first section on the EUB and the second section on the Yamaha (I'll have the Yamaha hanging on its strap while I'm playing the EUB).

Whether the punters really notice the difference is of course a moot point - although actually I'm pretty sure when I swap from, say, fretted with flats played with a pick to round-wounds on the fretless played finger-style, anybody actually listening would probably be aware that something's changed. I think it's more complex than that though. The sounds we get playing bass fundamentally influence the the way we play a song. It's not just about the audience hearing (or not) different bass guitar tones, it's about the sound of the whole band and the performance.

P

[Happy Jack]

If you do more than one set, just play different basses in different sets.

I always take two basses to every gig but it's vanishingly rare for one to be needed as "a spare" so I have one strung with flats which I use for all bar the last set (whether that's #2 or #3) and then one strung with rounds which I use for the rather rockier final set.

That way I get two different sounds and can justify carting around two basses to every gig.

[Muzz]

I've always taken a spare bass to gigs although, as Jack says, the times I've been forced to switch have been almost nonexistent compared to the number of gigs. One of the bands I play in has a different feel from one set to another (first set's poppier, second set when everyone's giddy gets rockier), so I'll play one bass for each set - Dingwall for the poppier set, Thunderland for the rockier. If I'm tired, though, the 7.5lb Dingwall will get used all night. If I'm honest, I can get very very similar sounds from each one, so it's more about look and playability - the first set has a couple of slappy songs in, which is easier on the Dingwall.

I try not to switch basses within a set, though.

[dudewheresmybass]

For my main band I always have at least two basses. One is always in a different tuning, and it only takes a max of ten seconds to swap at the appropriate moment.
Others I may take areas aback up in the normal tuning

[Dom in Dorset]

I did build the twin neck with this in mind, I play fretted and fretless. The twin was a bit of progtastic whimsy, quite heavy and to keep costs down had to be made from budget parts.
These days I just hit the tuner pedal and swap between fretless and fretted jazz. As others have said it takes a few seconds and is only an issue if I have to introduce the next song.
Oddly enough the set list has to be drawn up around our guitarist instrument changes, funny that.

[yorks5stringer]

I used to swap between a superjazz and an EUB a couple of times a set, but like others, we tried to group material so I played 3 or 4 songs with either bass. Helps if your singer engages the audience with some idle chat during the changes, but not what our singer used to do: " Keith's just going to change basses now"... then silence!

[chris_b]

I don't swap basses on a gig. I don't see the point.

As always, the audience gets me playing with my sound on every number. I don't believe they, or even most of the bands, are really bothered about the difference between my Lull P and Lakland. As long as it sounds good they are happy. I know this because I ask them.

I've done my homework and bought the best sounding gear I can find. After that I'm more interested in how[i] I'm[/i] playing than what instrument I'm playing.

I do get compliments on my sound and the current band likes what I do (again, I asked). I've been told to turn up and told turn down but, so far, no one has ever asked me to change my sound.

[Machines]

I'd like to but can't be arsed. Too much bother with 2 cases, then I need 2 stands etc etc.

[Lozz196]

Unless one is needed for different tunings I`d stick to the one bass. The audience - aside from any lurking Basschatters - will probably not notice any difference. I don`t mean that to knock your playing, more that most audiences wouldn`t even notice the difference between a Les Paul and a Strat as they focus on the "whole" sound of the band.

Edit - if any substantial differences in sound are needed, use the eq on the amp. It`ll be quicker and certainly less weighty at the end of a gig when packing up/carrying the gear home.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Lozz196

[matski]

I swap basses on stage at every gig - it's no big deal.

Depending on which band I'm playing with, it's because I am either playing both fretted and fretless basses, or I am using different tunings and find it easier to swap bass than start arsing around with retuning and then having to retune back again at some point.

Usually when I record I use various different basses, but draw the line at taking 4 or 5 of them to gigs to exactly replicate the specific sound for each individual track.

PS: once I did have 3 basses on stage as I had to collect one of them from a luthier en route to the gig. The only comment I got was from a rather fetching young lady in the audience who told me I looked 'very professional with so many guitars'.

[police squad]

I swap guitars at gigs. Acoustic to electric and back again. It doesn;t take long, so don't worry about it.
Basswise, I always carry a spare bass. One night about 10 years ago, one coil of my trusty old P bass died. That left me open circuit and with (almost) no sound at all. There was a very little faint sound with some hiss. So we went into the PA aswell. Turned evrything up , knocked off the treble to remove the hiss and battled to the end.

The chances of that happening again are slim but I'm not prepared to take that chance.
On Sunday I have a Police gig and will appear as a modern Sting which means my '57 Bravewood replica, but I'll take the 70's fretless re-issue just in case of any problems. When I do late 70's Sting I have the Ibanez Musician fretless as the back up to the fender!! (lovely)

[tonyf]

I always take two basses to a gig, think the original reason was so I had a spare if something went wrong. Of course it never has and probably never will <TOUCHES WOOD> lol

Got a fantastic fairly compact Levys double gig bag that goes over my shoulder so it's never a case of having to worry about extra kit. Got some of those small stage stands that take up no room at all in the leads bag. Occasionally I'll bring a small multi guitar stand but again, it takes up no room as it folds flat.

I don't always change basses, it often depends on how I feel rather than what the song needs. If I'm going to swap, I'll do the first set with one, the second with the other. Although it's pretty quick to change, I don't tend to mid set because we're pretty dynamic and try and keep the gaps between the songs to a minimum. I wanna be ready to go. My Spector and my Lakland are pretty different feeling and sounding instruments but ultimately, a bass is a bass. No one notices. lol

[Phil Starr]

Thanks guys, I think you are confirming mainly what I feared, that we are the only ones that really care. I think I prefer playing the Jazz and it sat nicely below the mix in my old pop band, I even used flats then. With the new band the P-bass which is active and has a bridge pup can do most of the tones I need and sits well with the band. looks like I'm a P basser after all.

[grunge666]

I use 3 basses live due to different tunings. The rest of the band moan that I should get a 5er but, I hate them and there are a lot of open string tunings we use + I'm cack at transposing! It's easier for me and they just have to put up with it!

[leschirons]

Why not just get one of these? but if you have to change basses, put all the Jazz numbers together and the Precision numbers together.

I change basses rarely and only if it's an absolute must. I don't really think it helps the flow of the performance and can look a little unpolished.

[jazzyvee]

I've only done it the odd few times and that was because the gig had some Stanley Clarke tracks which sounded better, and were easier to play, on my short scale bass. Usually it's one 4 stringer or one 5 stringer.
I often wonder how much the audience appreciate the subtleties of different guitars/basses when i see them being changed multiple times on a gig. I've never been a punter at gig and thought hmm...... the bass player should be using bass X or bass Y on that song and not the one being played.

[Prime_BASS]

I've recently contemplated this but IMO there is nothing a precision does that a jazz bass doesn't. I would take my P to gigs as I use the same sound but would only change should the unforeseen ever happen

[4000]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1389999645' post='2340527']
I've recently contemplated this but IMO there is nothing a precision does that a jazz bass doesn't.
[/quote]

You must play very differently to me!

[JTUK]

Depends if I know the gig and what the space is like.
Am undecided about 2 basses tonight as I may need new strings on my second bass, and not sure if I want to do that....

For the louder numbers at the end of the set, the 'second' bass works well as it is a fuller jazz sound, but I prefer the thinner vintagey
character on number 1 bass.
Tonight we have a new drummer, so I think I'll take just the one.

[FinnDave]

One of our guitarists used to change guitars constantly, in the end we put a stop to it as it took too long and looked so unprofessional.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Phil Starr' timestamp='1389945442' post='2339727']
OK I'm a lucky guy with the luxury of choice. I have two 'good' basses that I'm really comfortable with. A Highway 1 Jazz and an American Deluxe Precision. I had no intention of being a Fender man, if you'd asked me three years ago I'd have said you get better quality £ for £ almost anywhere else, but these two came up cheap, I couldn't resist and they both play and sound great.

I'm happy with the basses but my question is what to do live? There's little doubt in my mind that the P-bass sits better in the mix for most of our songs (Indie covers mainly) For a few songs the depth of the Jazz works better. At home the Jazz sounds so much better, to my taste anyway. I take both to gigs, just in case. I take spares of everything critical, even PA speakers.

So, should I start swapping basses? I hate it when the guitards swap instruments, particularly when one puts down the acoustic to pick up an electric whilst the the other swaps to pick up their acoustic. How important is having the right tone compared with continuity?
[/quote]

If you swap, have the other bass on a stand and tuned. It takes under a minute to step on the tuner (mute), unplug, swap, plug again... make sure that your band knows at what point you'll swap, so that it is teh moment the singer speaks about something, and/or the band does something other than stand there quietly watching you. Essentially, do the same as when a guitarist breaks a string Providing you're not swappint for EVERY song, it should not be a problem.

If you're not able to do it fast and/or it seems to break the flow too much, then don't do it. But it can be done. Practice it during rehearsals.

Edited January 18, 2014 by mcnach

[mcnach]

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1389990739' post='2340422']
Why not just get one of these? but if you have to change basses, put all the Jazz numbers together and the Precision numbers together.
[/quote]

Not always practical, if -say- a guitarist needs also two different guitars and the setlist has to take to into account. Sometimes certain songs are split to allow the singer to rest after a particular taxing one on his voice, etc.