Spare Instruments

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='Yank' timestamp='1480931618' post='3188050']
When did musicians on a local level start bringing spare instruments to a gig? During the '60's, '70's and '80's guitarists and bass players that I played with only had one good instrument. When they bought a new one, they traded off the old. In the '90's, when I played guitar, I had a second for open tuning, but for bass gigs, just the one. Is this a millennial thing?
[/quote]

It is a direct result of disposable income. They do it just because they can.

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1497992022' post='3321901']
What if one gets stolen ? Surely then you would need a spare
[/quote]

It's the spare that is [i]most[/i] likely to be stolen if you think about it.

[Skinnyman]

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1480934128' post='3188090']
I haven't seen many pub level bands bringing spare basses/guitars, extras for different tuning yes but not just spares - how often are you seeing this?

If you're seeing this a lot I would have thought it's because people seeming have more disposable income to spend on toys than they did in years gone by rather than the age of the actual musicians.

I'd say it's different for wedding/corporate bands though, but I think that's because they're providing a different service & should rightfully come more prepared.
[/quote]

I work on the basis that if im being paid to play - even if it's "just" a pub - then I need to act as professionally as possible. That means turning up on time, being sober, being rehearsed and generally trying to deliver the service that's been paid for. I could take spare strings but it's just easier to take a cheap bass as a backup.

[Lozz196]

I`ve never needed a backup bass, but I`ve seen a few bassists who have needed one, and it`s always been an electrical fault rather than broken strings. Sometimes it`s an accident, bass dropped with lead plugged in the socket and broken socket as a result. Other times it`s been plug in bass, nothing, worked yesterday (as in I`ve seen them use said bass the day before) so prob a pot or loose connection.

[Norris]

I blame a lot of multiple bass ownership on t'Interweb. Back in the day it was so much more difficult to find out about other basses. You were pretty much limited to what your local music shop had in stock (we used to have local shops back then) or what you saw in the occasional magazine. I bet most people can't open a browser nowadays without having bass adverts thrust at them. One search and you're forever plagued with ads for similar items

[Marc S]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1480949471' post='3188294']
Providing there`s room I always take a spare along. In fact I`ve got a bass on the way to fill that position as I don`t like taking two expensive basses out with me, so the incoming is a Squier which will be perfectly good as a backup.
[/quote]

My thoughts are exactly the same - I've got two "expensive" basses, for the best gigs / functions
and a couple of cheaper basses for "certain venues" or a cheapie as backup

I know not everyone agrees with taking a backup - but Murphy's law can strike at any time
I used to take just one bass, Way back when I could only afford one, or we only had one driver or one car which had to transport the whole band and all the gear (yes, that happened, and I don't know how we squeezed in! lol) But back then, I do recall a dodgy solder joint meant no output on another bands' bass, and a broken bass string, and several snapped guitar strings - all of which resulted in bands sharing guitars & basses

I think back then, we were all younger & poorer, and guitars were relatively more expensive - so perhaps we were more willing to share gear. Come to think of it, I played more gigs where we were one of 2 or 3 support bands, and we all just seemed to use the "main" bands bass amp etc - all amicably pre-arranged with a phone call Any emergency borrowing of guitars all seemed perfectly acceptable

PS. I even carry a spare amp head these days! Sounds daft, but it's an absolutely miniscule, Euphonic Audio (EA) 2 channel 550W head - smaller than many effects units at about 7" x 5" x 1.5" - and it sits in a little storage compartment of my car. I could get it in the glove box! I kid you not Lol

Anyhow, herein lies another ++ tale for taking spares. A couple of weeks back, we played a school fete, and our violin player was told he could plug into the DJ's mixer. We get there and there's no spare input on said mixer! So I swapped heads for the EA and plugged him into my 2nd channel..... sorted in 2 mins

Edited June 21, 2017 by Marc S

[MikanHannille]

This is a rule that I follow: I play active basses, I take spare/backup. I play passive basses I'm happy with one. It's the electronics that I don't trust more than anything. But I do like the flexibility of an active bass. Also a good excuse to buy a backup bass!

[Marc S]

I've heard of dodgy solder joints in the electrics of both passive and active basses playing up. Though such an occurrence is indeed rare, it could happen to anyone, and I rather not take that risk, especially if someone is paying for me & my band to entertain their crowd / audience. Given the current weather, I'd be surprised if this heat didn't affect electrics for someone too. Also known one incident, and heard of other people's pickups just going dead mid-gig

Any reason is a good one to buy a backup bass surely MikanHannille?

[MikanHannille]

Of course! And not to mention you need a backup for your backup.

[Dropzone]

I always take two as I have had some issues with cheap basses and the thought of a joint going at the start of a gig and not having a back up scares the pants our of me. I would have to sing the bass lines.!!! No one wins on that one???

[MoJoKe]

Would you think of turning up without a spare cable? I have been playing live since 1978, and I have never NOT turned up at a gig with a spare bass. Wouldn't even dream of it. If its a small stage it'll stay in its gigbag, but otherwise it is kept within reach. Whether the audience is 10 or 10,000, there is no excuse for having to stop a show because of a breakdown. In all honesty I could probably still count on both hands how many times I have needed to swap, and that is mostly down to luck and trying to keep my gear in good order, fresh strings, batteries, wiring, cables, checking strap-lock screws etc.

This is a no brainer subject.

[bazzbass]

some of you who only take a backup bass and spare amp to a gig are taking far too many chances, fart oo many !

I pack a spare amp and a backup bass in my car before every gig. BUT I also pack a spare backup CAR with an amp, cab and backup backup bass , you can never be too careful

[Dad3353]

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1498193231' post='3323016']...BUT I also pack a spare backup CAR with an amp, cab and backup backup bass...
[/quote]

... as does your backup dep, whose been booked just in case you've an accident before or during the gig. He, too, has a suppliant; [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]you can never be too careful[/font][/color]

[Adrenochrome]

I take a backup to almost all gigs, the exception is possibly some multi band line ups where I am sure I could borrow a standard-tuned 4 string if I had to.

Edited June 23, 2017 by Adrenochrome

[gjones]

I think people who bring more than one bass to a gig in the Dog and Duck, probably have OCD. If you're touring with The Who, okay I'll let you off but if you aren't, you probably have checked that you didn't leave the gas on,3 times,before you left the house today.

[Monkey Steve]

I just remembered that an old band of mine once made a point of bringing all of our instruments along to a shared bill gig purely to annoy another band.

This was a few years ago (like 20+) and I can't remember the exact details but they'd done something to annoy us ahead of the gig and we thought they were dicks. I can't remember if it was just to take up as much time as possible at the soundcheck so they couldn't get theirs done in time, or if they had much worse gear and were really sensitive about it.

Because clearly the best response to somebody being a dick to you is to be a bigger dick in response.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1498215808' post='3323166']
I think people who bring more than one bass to a gig in the Dog and Duck, probably have OCD.
[/quote]

Why? It doesn't take any extra effort to throw an extra bass in the car does it? I don't always, if I am close enough to nip back home, I do sometimes though. If I do, I don't even generally bring the bass in, but its there if I need it, I normally bring the cricket bat bass, takes no space.


I have never needed one, but I have seen when people have.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1498234438' post='3323350']
Because clearly the best response to somebody being a dick to you is to be a bigger dick in response.
[/quote]

Always!

[paul_c2]

I must be doing something wrong. I sit there, playing the only bass I own, through the one amp I own.................

[size=2]while alongside me are two other bassists playing exactly the same as I am.[/size]

[Pea Turgh]

I broke a string mid-gig once. Now I take a spare. Only have the two these days.

[Dan Dare]

A bass player I used to work with (in a band I played fiddle for) turned up with just 2 strings on his bass and was surprised when we expressed displeasure

[funkgod]

Depends on the gig for me, in the soul band its one bass, Dont need to change my sound all night
But if its the funk band then its two basses.
1 reason is, i use a Qtron pedal and for some reason i cant get the wah sound i want out of it with an active bass,
even in passive mode ( with humbuckers)
For some reason it loves single coil, a jazz sounds great through it, but it seems to be struggling with the input power of a humbucker ( in my case a G&L or the wal).
i even put a input vol pot on the side of it which helped a bit, but still not as good as the jazz through it.
So.. its 2 basses for me, so while they are there i may as well use them both for what ever fits best.

[Marc S]

[quote name='MoJoKe' timestamp='1498056327' post='3322253']
Would you think of turning up without a spare cable? I have been playing live since 1978, and I have never NOT turned up at a gig with a spare bass. Wouldn't even dream of it.......Whether the audience is 10 or 10,000, there is no excuse for having to stop a show because of a breakdown.....

This is a no brainer subject.
[/quote]

A good pal of mine runs a lot of open mics & acoustic sessions. He always carries a spare everything (pretty much)
He knows a lot of venue owners, and knows them really well. His argument is that if a band member couldn't play due to equipment failure, then that band would never play that venue again....

Another pal of mine witnessed some ugly scenes when his guitar electrics failed mid-gig. The crowd were all up for it, and dancing when his guitar gave up the ghost - they started getting quite aggressive during the extended lull. Luckily for him, a mate who lived not too far from the pub nipped home and loaned him his guitar. The landlord wasn't too happy though, and refused (rightly) to pay them the full fee, as they'd only played just over half the agreed time....

All this talk about "spare cars" "spare deps" etc is nonsense. These are things that you can never plan for (aside from AA membership, of course) But you CAN carry a small, lightweight spare - just look at the link below. There really is no excuse. Sure, you may never NEED the spare, but there is peace of mind knowing that you have a backup bass. That may indeed make me, and others who carry a spare bass a bit "OCD" - fine... but you only need one failure of electrics / pickups etc to potentially spoil your chances of not getting repeat bookings...

Equipment failure & string breakages may be rare, but they can happen. As Woodinblack says - "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]It doesn't take any extra effort to throw an extra bass in the car does it?" Especially when they're as compact and light as this - it really is no additional effort.....[/font][/color]

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Anygig-AGB-Full-Scale-Length-Portable-Traveler-Bass-Guitar-Black-Brown-Cherry-/142321952968?var=&hash=item21230ca8c8:m:m20SrJEO2chUpjhTpep9_VA"]http://www.ebay.co.u...2chUpjhTpep9_VA[/url]

Edited June 28, 2017 by Marc S

[6feet7]

At our last gig my active bass packed up (new battery just died), amp head died and one head to cab speakon cable must have had a poor connection too (so cut in and out). Luckily I had my spare, passive, bass on stage, spare amp head sitting on top of the other head and some spare cables in a bag at the back of the stage. Between the soundman and I we managed to swap things around mid songs with hardly a note missed (luckily I was also running FOH via an MXR M80 pedal, so the punters could still hear me when the amp and cable were being sorted).

I always take spares and have never had an occasion like that one, but if it can happen once it can happen again.

[Marc S]

[quote name='6feet7' timestamp='1498638807' post='3325986']
At our last gig my active bass packed up (new battery just died), amp head died and one head to cab speakon cable must have had a poor connection too (so cut in and out)........

I always take spares and have never had an occasion like that one, but if it can happen once it can happen again.
[/quote]

Wow! Talk about "bad luck" - I've had a string snap (admittedly years back) a cable just suddenly give up, and a battery in an active bass suddenly die - despite it being fairly new. A local bass playing pal had his pickups die, in a fairly new bass too! My son's first 5 string suddenly started cutting in & out (electrical fault). As you say, if it can happen once, it can happen again - just bad luck... or was it good luck / good practice, that you had plenty of spare gear. I'm sure many would have just gone straight into the PA, but as I've mentioned previously, I usually carry a really tiny spare (EA) head with me....

Edited June 28, 2017 by Marc S