josie Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 I've been thinking about this for a while. Typical rock or blues/rock gig, the lead guitarist will have four or five guitars on stage, and sometimes will only play two of them. It's like he (almost always male) just wants to show off his collection. How often do you see a bass player with more than one bass on stage? I know one who had a second because some of the songs were in a different tuning and it saved him re-tuning, which makes sense. Are electric guitars really that much more different from each other in sound than basses, or does the lead guitar sound vary more through a set than the underpinning bass sound, or is it just that lead guitarists tend to be show-offs and bass players just enjoy getting on with our back-room, backbone role? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 (edited) Four guitars. Guitarist uses two completely different tunings during a set and has a back up guitar for each tuning. Seems fairly sensible to me for a touring/regular gigging musician. By completely different I would mean standard tuning and C sharp Sabbath tuning. A half step down to me can be pulled off by most instruments used as a back up. Changing guitars just for the sake of it is s bit pointless though for me. I'm not really a fan of the 'this song needs a tele, the next one needs a strat and a few others need a Les Paul' approach. Too much time is spent switching guitars and not enough is spent actually playing. Edited November 27, 2016 by thodrik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 (edited) [quote name='josie' timestamp='1480200681' post='3182537'] I've been thinking about this for a while. Typical rock or blues/rock gig, the lead guitarist will have four or five guitars on stage, and sometimes will only play two of them. It's like he (almost always male) just wants to show off his collection. How often do you see a bass player with more than one bass on stage? I know one who had a second because some of the songs were in a different tuning and it saved him re-tuning, which makes sense. Are electric guitars really that much more different from each other in sound than basses, or does the lead guitar sound vary more through a set than the underpinning bass sound, or is it just that lead guitarists tend to be show-offs and bass players just enjoy getting on with our back-room, backbone role? [/quote] It might be different for guitarists, guitars might actually sound different. Even with with that in mind most "greats" I've seen only had one guitar on stage. Jimi and Jeff Beck. I really think it's for show. I usually have 2 basses on stage. It's not necessary. I have a few cool vintage basses, so it's more showing off for the local bass players that come to our gigs. Blue Edited November 26, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted November 26, 2016 Share Posted November 26, 2016 Guitars are easier to put out of tune. Solos that involve a lot of string bending will do it, serious use of the whammy bar will do it faster. When I saw the Eagles after their reformation all of them changed guitars after every single song, I saw Placebo a couple of years ago and they were the same. Having said that I saw Robert Glasper recently and his bass player had two backups on stage but only used the one bass for a 2 hour+ set, retuning very quickly every half hour or so, so I'd guess the spares were only there in case of string breakages or electronics failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painy Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I've always had a spare bass on stage in case of string breakage but kept the spare with a longer strap for the couple of songs I play with a pick for a more comfortable position. Recently I've been using my Ray with very bright new rounds for most of the set but there are several songs that it's just too aggressive sounding, so for those I'm using my P with flats. I'm planning to bring my jazz to the next gig for the pick songs which will mean 3 basses on stage. Nothing to do with showing off though, the stand with be tucked out of the way on stage where the punters can't see it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 It's ok if your Jimi Hendrix because well your Jimi Hendrix and that's the sound you need, if your playing a couple of Hendrix numbers amongst dozens of artists then you are going to need a couple of distinct sounds imo. In a previous band our front man had a strat for most of the set but he also needed a Gibson for some of the songs, he had a guitar tuned really weird for some killers tracks I think they were and one that was totally detuned a semi tone, the other guitarist just used a strat and a les paul. The guitarist in our trio has a Variax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I'm just back from tonight's gig, and as usual, I had a guitar stand with 2 basses, both black n maple Precisions . Obviously, there was only one in the stand when I was playing. I take a spare as years ago I had a Precision which would suddenly stop sending any signal to the amp mid song, and have never forgotten that feeling. I just feel more comfortable having a spare there. I used the same bass throughout the gig, but will continue to take two because the law of sod dictates that if I don't, the one I take will fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stance Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I always have a spare - its a must! You just don't want the gig to end just because the bass player (who happens to have more basses than he needs) just decides to take one bass, cause he thought Murphy's Law didn't apply to him... Be professional no matter what - it counts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 (edited) [quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1480203071' post='3182554'] Last night's gig saw me with three on stage. My main Stingray which I played through most of the set, another Stingray as a back-up, plus a 5'er for the songs that required it. They were all hung on a triple Hercules of which the footprint is only marginally bigger than the double version. [/quote] Understood, I guess the other reason I'll have 2 on stage and play them is because I paid a ton of money for some of my basses, for what. To have them sit at home? No way. There has to be some utility. Blue Edited November 27, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 [quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1480210128' post='3182583'] I'm just back from tonight's gig, and as usual, I had a guitar stand with 2 basses, both black n maple Precisions . Obviously, there was only one in the stand when I was playing. I take a spare as years ago I had a Precision which would suddenly stop sending any signal to the amp mid song, and have never forgotten that feeling. I just feel more comfortable having a spare there. I used the same bass throughout the gig, but will continue to take two because the law of sod dictates that if I don't, the one I take will fail. [/quote] I hear you, always have a back up. It might seem like a waste of time. I say dont get lazy, like it's to much trouble to bring 2 basses. One bar we play is so small there really isn't enough real estate for 2 basses. In that case I keep the spare locked in the trunk of my car Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 (edited) [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1480209796' post='3182581'] It's ok if your Jimi Hendrix because well your Jimi Hendrix and that's the sound you need, if your playing a couple of Hendrix numbers amongst dozens of artists then you are going to need a couple of distinct sounds imo. In a previous band our front man had a strat for most of the set but he also needed a Gibson for some of the songs, he had a guitar tuned really weird for some killers tracks I think they were and one that was totally detuned a semi tone, the other guitarist just used a strat and a les paul. The guitarist in our trio has a Variax [/quote] Well yeah I get that. And an LP is a totally different sound than a Stat. Funny, Jeff Beck used to play LPs. You hardly ever see him with a Paul these days. Blue Edited November 27, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Two acoustics, one mandolin, three electrics and one bass on our stage tonight, I managed to knock one of the acoustics and the mandolin over in one fell swoop in my hurry to get my vampire teeth out for "Bad Things" cos' I'd forgotten to get them out of my case before hand, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Most of the places we play have barely enough room for me let alone any spare stuff! I think the drummer has room for a couple of spare sticks , but that's about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I always have two - the one I play and a spare, which is either a B2V or a B2B depending upon whether I am using a 4 or 5 string. Either way it is small - I usually prop it up behind or to the side of the cab. Guitarists in my regular band each take 2 guitars so they have a spare. So 6 guitars 'on stage', not that we play places with a stage. In the new Bon Jovi tribute the guitarist takes 3 - he uses a Line 6 Variax to emulate a 12 string acoustic at the start of 'Dead or Alive' on which he can then just change patches for the rest of the song. Then a couple of others as he prefers the tone and they way they play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 [quote name='Les' timestamp='1480219589' post='3182601'] in my hurry to get my vampire teeth out [/quote] If I had a tenner for every time I've used that old excuse... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 It really depends what styles of music you're playing and how much you want to copy the originals. You can take as much gear to a gig as you want. You can even use it all. Excess is what rock is all about, but I don't play with guys who feel the need to use more than one of anything. I played with 2 guitarists last night. One had pedals one didn't, both bought two guitars, only used one and they stayed in standard tuning all night. Both managed to sound exactly right for songs which ranged from blues through rock to pop without any faff. I only take one bass to a gig. I've never had an instrument fail or broken a string and one always covers the songs I've been asked to play. IMO there's a satisfaction when you can make "less is more" work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazhowe Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I always take two basses as I would hate to not be able to continue a gig if something unexpected happened to my main bass. This is more about risk of accidental damage caused by me or drunken punters than risk of string or battery issues. It also gives me the opportunity to use the 2nd bass for a song or two to make me feel less guilty for having a such a good quality backup but not using it much outside of my house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agwin Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Two – my Precision and my Squier Precision which has dropped D for a couple of songs (This also acts as a spare as it doesn’t take long to tune back up to E in an emergency). Guitarist has a Strat and a Les Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yank Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 The last few gigs, I've just brought the one. In the past I've had a spare onstage on a stand or left it in the jeep. Either way, it's one more thing to pack/unpack, load in and out. I could cite pro's like B.B. and Chuck who only traveled with one instrument. So I'm lazy or a minimalist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Often 2 , my favourite 4 string and one for a few that require drop D , either my 5 or a D tuned 4 Once did a gig on medium sized public hall stage and the guitarist brought so much gear the rest of us shared 50% of the stage , he got there early and we couldn't be bothered to argue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 (edited) Saw Stanley way back with Animal Logic. He had tonnes of basses on stage for that gig for some reason. Mostly played his Alembic and a Ken Smith though. Edited November 27, 2016 by visog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I just wouldn't be in a band where the guitarist had 5 guitars on stage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 quite often have two - will only have just the one if is either totally passive or active/passive switchable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaytonaRik Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Always have a spare bass just in case on a stand - things can/do go wrong and I'd hate to have to stop a gig because I couldn't be bothered to spend 30 secs putting another case in the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I saw Ry Cooder and David Lindley (just the two of them) at the Hammersmith Odeon, about 26 years ago, and they were surrounded by at least 30 guitars set up on stands. I have no idea what they intended as they only used about 4 each. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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