CamdenRob Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I was thinking about this the other day when I was playing a gig without PA support... After I'd refused to let a great lumox of a support bands bass player use my rig, were mine to go down I would be screwed as I couldn't really ask to use his as a back up! I can only take one bass to gigs as I usually travel on foot, so if I had a bass or amp issue we literally wouldn't be able to play. I always take spare strings and can DI when there is full PA support, but on gigs where the whole bass sound is reliant on my own gear, we'd just have to cancel, wouldn't really have another option. Has this happened to anyone? Room full of people come out to see you and you can't play the gig? I should add that I'm not in covers bands to make money, if I was a professional gigging for my job I'd always carry a back up bass and micro amp. I'm just doing originals for fun and occasional beer money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacey Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I carry a back up bass but also some strings fitted, wound on, clipped off and then taken straight off, in the event of a breakage having one that is ready to fit and stretched means you can swap a string out in a minute or two at worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) Yep, gigged with a new amp and fried it. PA just didn't cut it. Barely did vocals. Lucky it wasn't a paid gig, but it was our singer's birthday party so there was lots of people there. Very embarrassing. Have also snapped an A string only to realise I hadn't brought my spares. I had to restring the D to A and the G to D and play with three strings. Sort of got away with that, was the last song before our break which was fortuitous. To be honest, I don't even think about snapping strings (though I do carry a spare set). I use flats and play fingerstyle. Did have a patch of snapping Thomastik A strings though. I ended up changing to LaBellas. Edited April 16, 2015 by bigjohn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 An amp failed on me onstage once (years ago, very cheap amp). Once I realised there was no way out of the situation I bowed, left the stage and became a very enthusiatic member of the audience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 That would terrify me. As i am also the PA man for our band as well as bass and singer, i have spares for eveything. Even a spare speaker stand. A few gigs ago our drummer forgot his spare snare and I was panicing all night Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I always take a spare bass and a spare head (small 2u unit to cover for any Ampeg tubes that might go pop) to all gigs, sometimes if there's room a spare cab also. These days you can get decent amps that will sit happily in the pocket of your gig bag so there's no excuse for not having a spare other than not wanting to spend the cash on one, which is fair enough as long as you're happy to leave the band bassless in the rare but still possible scenario in which your amp fails Only time I had a major amp failure at a gig was when I forget I was using a shorter than usual cable and managed to pull the head off a stack in the sound check.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1429203103' post='2749222'] ...so there's no excuse for not having a spare other than not wanting to spend the cash on one... [/quote] Well, there is not being able to afford one... Edited April 16, 2015 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1429204004' post='2749242'] Well, there is not being able to afford one... [/quote] ... which amounts to the same thing, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Sounds like your only in this for fun and not a high priority for you. In your case cancelling should not be a problem. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1429204250' post='2749245'] ... which amounts to the same thing, really. [/quote] Does it ? I was trying to point out the difference between not wanting to and not being able to. One may have the money to buy one and still not wish to - a choice on the part of the individual concerned. Not having the money to buy one renders that choice an academic one. Someone who has [i]chosen[/i] not to buy a backup amplifier when they could have done and then finds themselves with an amp that won't work at a gig is entirely at fault for their lack of bass amp. Can another person, who doesn't have the resources to buy a second amplifier in the same situation to be said to be at fault ? I'd say no. It may be that they simply don't have enough money, or have spent it on something more pressing. Edited April 16, 2015 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadofsix Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Was absolutely there when the kids were puppies. No money for anything but their care: food, clothes, medical bills, you name it, I was paying it. There is a difference. But it is still a glorious difference! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1429185589' post='2748868'] Has this happened to anyone? Room full of people come out to see you and you can't play the gig? [/quote] Yes, back in the day when having live drumming was seen as old-hat. Our electronic replacement lost its memory and we had no way of sorting it out. Personally embarrassing for me as I'd gone to great lengths to ensure a good crowd. 'Real' drummers have their faults and will also forget things to a certain extent, but generally not so badly as to be unable to play at all! Put me right off using programmed beats or backing tracks or click tracks or any of that mularkey to this day. I say if you can't play it live then don't do it! Edited April 16, 2015 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1429205069' post='2749257'] Does it ? ... ... [/quote] Ok, I'll go with the fine nuance; there's no major conflict here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) Never happened to me until, luckily, the last song of a gig, where my amp just stopped. Turned out was a loose fuse. Nowadays I always take my trusty Preamp/DI pedal along, so I could connect up to the PA and at least get sound that way. Also take a spare bass, spare set of strings and a spare of each lead along too. And so that any breakages/thefts don`t interfere too much, I`ve three similar basses (2 US Precisions, 1 backup Korean Squier) an Aguilar Tonehammer 500 & 350 (plus afore mentioned Tonehammer DI) and two Barefaced Super 12Ts. Though I`m not taking 2 expensive basses and both amps to gigs. There are limits. I`m also yet to need both Super 12s at a gig. Edited April 16, 2015 by Lozz196 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1429206404' post='2749280'] Ok, I'll go with the fine nuance; there's no major conflict here. [/quote] Edited April 16, 2015 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1429206206' post='2749277'] Yes, back in the day when having live drumming was seen as old-hat. Our electronic replacement lost its memory and we had no way of sorting it out. Personally embarrassing for me as I'd gone to great lengths to ensure a good crowd. 'Real' drummers have their faults and will also forget things to a certain extent, but generally not so badly as to be unable to play at all! Put me right off using programmed beats or backing tracks or click tracks or any of that mularkey to this day. I say if you can't play it live then don't do it! [/quote] Sounds like that drum machine was at the wrong gig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old_Ben Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 A few years ago the power to the stage went out and took about 40 minutes for them to switch it back on... also one night 3 fire alrms went off, twoce during our set and once before. the place evacuated and refilled each time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 It's never happened to me. The only thing I could think of that would stop the gig is a completely dead desk. Anything else I'm sure I could get round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 [quote name='Les' timestamp='1429482918' post='2751906'] The only thing I could think of that would stop the gig is a completely dead desk. Anything else I'm sure I could get round. [/quote] What about a completely dead bass player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1429482985' post='2751909'] What about a completely dead bass player? [/quote] I'm sure they'd just carry on without me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 [quote name='Les' timestamp='1429483133' post='2751912'] I'm sure they'd just carry on without me. [/quote] That would be funny, but I think you're probably right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 We carried on the time our keys player had a heart attack onstage. Stopped when someone spilt water in my guitar fx once though. Hmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameronj279 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 (edited) Only had an amp go once so just went through the P.A which unfortunately had the worst sound guy I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Adding distortion via the desk to Motown songs...that kind of thing. Did have the drummer put his foot through his kick drum once and another drummer snap his kick pedal. We just carried on without kick. Edited April 20, 2015 by Cameronj279 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ticktock Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 At a biker festival, during setup, water dripped through a tarp "roof" into the mixing desk. Finally, when all the gear had been brought out of the van and powered up....... Pop, fizzle. -silence- When it was figured out what had happened we realised that being an oufit with bleeps and beats we had no hope of playing. We got out alive, I reversed for a a good few hundred yards up a one track lane between dry stone walls ( talk about high anxiety!) to let an ambulance into the site. I have a permanent knee injury due to trying to push the van out of the mud too. I wouldn't play a biker do nowadays unless it was a rock or blues band. The organiser was a mate who worked in electronics, when he heard what had happened the desk his head was in his hands. Still, they were entertained by some dude bending blues notes into the wee small hours. Just a disaster for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I once did a gig where we'd had to rearrange the stage at the last minute due to jobsworth venue management and literally finished soundcheck, the venue opened and we started straight off without a break. Halfway through the first song my bass cut out. My amp was on, so I figured it was the lead. I spun around for my gig bag with spare leads in and realised it was over the other side of stage with no hope of reaching it thanks to the last minute reshuffle. Whilst the song was carrying on without me, I unscrewed the jack at the guitar end. In the dark light of the stage, it looked fine to me, so I put it back together and plugged up wondering what to look at next but hey presto! it all worked! I did the rest of the gig without an issue, and wondered what the fault had actually been. It wasn't til I checked my gear after the gig that I noticed the connection in the plug I pulled apart had snapped at the solder joint - somehow when I put it back together I must have wedged it back on the terminal. Someone was obviously smiling on me that day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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