Spare bass .. do I really need one

[BassAdder60]

Still on the fence about if I should be taking a spare backup bass to gigs ?

I really like my PBass and if I got a backup it would be mostly unplayed as I would only buy a cheap bass.

So who never takes a backup bass to gigs or practice ? 
 

[Stub Mandrel]

Not usually to practice.

Drummers never take spare skins and they break more often than bass strings...

Gigs, always. I don't want the blame...

[SPHDS]

I have rarely taken a backup to practice, but always (well, as soon as I had more than one.....) taken one to gigs (albeit the backup is not the same as the 'Main' bass.....)
I have had to swap out (mid song......) due to snapped strings/loss of signal (dodgy jack, as it turned out) more than once, so always going to keep doing it......
Currently Epiphone Explorer/Squire P (quite like the OP sig pic, actually) in rotation
Previously Epiphone Explorer backed up by an Ibanez JTKB JetKing,
Before that, JetKing backed up by No Name Jazz Copy
I did manage to break strings on both Main and Backup in one day......(A on the Main at a festival in the afternoon, E on the Backup at pub gig in the evening (luckily on the encore.....!)
 

[Lozz196]

I never take a backup bass to rehearsals but always to gigs. 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I never go to a rehearsal or a gig with less than two basses.

[paul_c2]

My band has enough variety in its set list to justify taking a fretted and fretless for gigs. So, I'll have both with me; and one can cover for the other if something happens to either.

For rehearsals, just the one though (sometimes I'll take either/or).

[Skybone]

You have to ask yourself a number of questions:

What sort of band are you in, and what sort of gigs you do.

Are you playing 30-45 minute sets down at the local? Or are you doing 2-3 hour stints at functions (weddings etc.)?

If you're doing the first option, then no. You don't need to buy and take a spare bass. Make sure your main instrument is looked after, strings, batteries, plectra, etc. and you'll be fine (always carry spare strings & batteries if you need them though).

If you're playing in a function band and doing a couple of long sets per show, then yes, you do need a spare instrument, as it's a completely separate premise. You're being paid decent sums of money to provide entertainment, so you need to be professional and be prepared for any eventuality. And if that eventuality occurs, then the switch should be as quick as possible.

I would assume that the first option is the case, and you don't NEED to take another bass to rehearsals & gigs.

[Steve Browning]

You don't need one until the time your only bass doesn't work for some reason. Only you know if you're ok with the odds of that happening.

[JapanAxe]

10 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

...

So who never takes a backup bass to gigs or practice ? 
 

Not I. As with most things, it depends on the circumstances.

[DylanB]

Never in my 15 years of playing have I ever broken a string or had a bass crap out (battery, jack, etc) mid gig. In fact I’ve never broken a string, period.

I never used to take a spare to gigs because of this reason. But I have started to now. It feels slightly ridiculous, and means a longer setup (gotta make sure the backup is ready and in tune). But as my gigs tend to be functions, I don’t want the blame if something goes wrong.

Trouble is you can go down the rabbit hole. Spare amp, spare cab, spare suit, spare car...

[neepheid]

I don't take a spare bass with me.  Spare strings, spare batteries, spare leads, sure but I'm confident in the quality and maintenance of my basses.  I'm not playing at a level where it would be a disaster if I had to change a string/battery/lead.

[chris_b]

I've never broken a string either, but I take my backup gear whenever I'm playing. . . . just in case. Two weeks ago I had to switch basses because the jack plug socket on my Jazz started to crackle. That's the only time I've ever switched basses because of a problem. We were recording a live video, so it was a good job I had a second  bass on hand.

 

. 

[uk_lefty]

I always take a spare to a gig. Even if it's left in the boot of the car, I'd rather go and get that than have to faff with fitting a new string or worse trying to find out why output has gone completely. As for a spare amp, I don't bother, I always have a DI capable pedal in case the amp develops a fault. 

[NicoMcJ]

I take a 4 and a 5 to both rehearsals and gigs.  It’s unlikely that both will fail during a rehearsal or gig, so I can wing a 4 string song on the 5 (or the other way round) if I need to.

As for amplification we have a good PA, so if needs be I can just go direct.

Edited June 1, 2021 by NicoMcJ

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

I'm not playing at a level where it would be a disaster if I had to change a string/battery/lead.

I think that’s the reason why we get so many varied responses in these ‘spare bass’ threads. People’s circumstances are different. As much as I would advocate always taking more than one bass, if I was doing a pub gig with a passive bass, I might be persuaded to take just the one and a set of spare strings. Theatres and dedicated music venues can be a different animal. I think it would be universally frowned upon to stop a theatre show for five minutes whilst one of the guitarists potters offstage to find some new strings/batteries.

[gjones]

I take spare batteries and spare strings, which have come in handy.

I have started taking a spare amp head to gigs, after one of my heads went a bit weird on me at a rehearsal.

But, at the level I play at, it's just too much hassle to take two basses to a gig.

 

Edit: Although you jinxed me now haven't you? My bass will probably explode in flames at my next gig

Edited June 1, 2021 by gjones

[Lozz196]

3 hours ago, chris_b said:

I've never broken a string either, but I take my backup gear whenever I'm playing. . . . just in case. Two weeks ago I had to switch basses because the jack plug socket on my Jazz started to crackle. That's the only time I've ever switched basses because of a problem. We were recording a live video, so it was a good job I had a second  bass on hand.

 

. 

I had similar at a gig, only the jack was completely gone and I didn’t have a backup. Lesson learned, especially as I’d checked it was working before I set off. 

[paul_c2]

Its worth mentioning to those who might not have gigged: strange things happen at gigs. It might be as straightforward as a poor electrical supply revealing an otherwise normally okay grounding issue, or the heat from nearby lights, or a lack of space meaning something gets knocked over; or as complicated as you find yourself immersed in a jacuzzi full of donkey's milk with two Swedish 19 year old twins, while the guitarist is tied naked to a streetlamp 3 miles away and the drummer has given away 1/3 of the tour van in a rigged poker match.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

4 minutes ago, paul_c2 said:

Its worth mentioning to those who might not have gigged: strange things happen at gigs. It might be as straightforward as a poor electrical supply revealing an otherwise normally okay grounding issue, or the heat from nearby lights, or a lack of space meaning something gets knocked over; or as complicated as you find yourself immersed in a jacuzzi full of donkey's milk with two Swedish 19 year old twins, while the guitarist is tied naked to a streetlamp 3 miles away and the drummer has given away 1/3 of the tour van in a rigged poker match.

That's a fairly close description of our last gig in Hartlepool 😂. Due to the distance involved (from Essex) an overnight stay was necessary - that's where it went downhill.

[neilp]

If I'm being paid for a gig, then yes, I always have backups (bass and amp). Mind you, the gigs where I would play one bass throughout by choice are pretty rare, so I normally have a fretted and a fretless at least. Spare batteries and strings too. I don't think it makes a difference what kind of gig it is, if you're being paid then it's a professional engagement and you should be prepared as best you can.

Having said that, I've never broken a bass string and I can only think of one occasion when a battery died!

[AndyTravis]

I always take 2, 3 if I have a fretless tune to play.

I’ve had moments where I’ve bounced a string too much and needed to swap basses…

mostnof the active basses ive owned have had passive modes - but only once has the crackle dead battery happened and that was at a soundcheck so managed to nip to a nearby Tesco for a new one.

Ive had an amp Die onstage at the Deaf Institute in Manchester. That was grim. 

I don’t gig anywhere near as much now so don’t carry a spare amp.

[jezzaboy]

The way I look at it, if you are being paid for a gig you should always have a back up. £80 odd quid for a Harley Benton PB 20 just to leave in the car or in a corner. It might never happen but if something goes wrong with your bass and you can`t repair it (and it can happen no matter how well you look after your gear), you will look like a right plonker without a back up.

I even take 2 to a rehearsal in a Gator double gig bag.

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, jezzaboy said:

The way I look at it, if you are being paid for a gig you should always have a back up. £80 odd quid for a Harley Benton PB 20 just to leave in the car or in a corner. It might never happen but if something goes wrong with your bass and you can`t repair it (and it can happen no matter how well you look after your gear), you will look like a right plonker without a back up.

I even take 2 to a rehearsal in a Gator double gig bag.

Yup, double bag - I always double bag…🤨

[paul_c2]

55 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Yup, double bag - I always double bag…🤨

I don't need to.

[fretmeister]

I always take 2.

I don’t think it’s a professional approach to not have spares at a gig.