Spare bass .. do I really need one

[neepheid]

Just save your "I told you so"s until after I fail, kthx.

[BassAdder60]

Decided to get a backup / basic bass 

Ordered a Yamaha TRBX174 in Red and gig bag

I will use it at home, practice and take to gigs but play my Fender PBass for gigs in the main 

Total cost £250 for backup and piece of mind sorted

[kristo]

Out of interest, do function bands have spare PAs at gigs?

[fretmeister]

29 minutes ago, kristo said:

Out of interest, do function bands have spare PAs at gigs?

That's False Equivalency.

 

Taking a spare bass is not the same as needing another van full of kit.

PA failure falls into the same bracket as a complete power failure - nothing you can do about it.

 

But you can do something about a bass failing - use a spare.

[kristo]

Ok, cheers.

[Al Krow]

 There was a recent BIG debate on the related subject of amps which went on to include spare basses, batteries, strings, you name it:

This seems to have split the BC community right down the middle, with plenty of experienced gigging bassists in both camps.

But I'm assuming the OP will be very familiar with that thread 😁

[jrixn1]

58 minutes ago, kristo said:

Out of interest, do function bands have spare PAs at gigs?

I'm in a wedding/function band.  A PA is modular so you don't need literally double of everything; e.g. we normally use two subs anyway, so there's some redundancy there.  But yes we have a back-up mixer in the van, and enough powered speakers that the gig still can go ahead if the main mixer or a couple of speakers die - even if that means someone has to sacrifice their monitor to be used as FOH.  It's happened I think once in the eight years I've played with this band.

[kristo]

1 minute ago, jrixn1 said:

I'm in a wedding/function band.  A PA is modular so you don't need literally double of everything; e.g. we normally use two subs anyway, so there's some redundancy there.  But yes we have a back-up mixer in the van, and enough powered speakers that the gig still can go ahead if the main mixer or a couple of speakers die - even if that means someone has to sacrifice their monitor to be used as FOH.  It's happened I think once in the eight years I've played with this band.

That makes sense, thanks. 

[neepheid]

Am I being oversensitive if I pick up a sanctimonious "if you don't take a spare bass (and whatever else) to the gig then you're an inferior bass player" vibe in threads like these?  Some of you might just want to rein that in a little - some people can only afford one bass.  Some of us don't take it as seriously as you - I regularly play in an originals band which hasn't "made it" and therefore gets a derisory token gesture of renumeration for our troubles, so excuse me if I lift a finger to that in my own lazy way because I don't particularly feel "professional" in this scenario.

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

25 minutes ago, neepheid said:

Am I being oversensitive if I pick up a sanctimonious "if you don't take a spare bass (and whatever else) to the gig then you're an inferior bass player" vibe in threads like these?  Some of you might just want to rein that in a little - some people can only afford one bass.  Some of us don't take it as seriously as you - I regularly play in an originals band which hasn't "made it" and therefore gets a derisory token gesture of renumeration for our troubles, so excuse me if I lift a finger to that in my own lazy way because I don't particularly feel "professional" in this scenario.

You’re being over sensitive.

[paul_c2]

1 hour ago, kristo said:

Out of interest, do function bands have spare PAs at gigs?

We have a mixing desk, 2 mics, 2 mains, 1 monitor (and lots of XLR and power cables etc). If any one of those components completely fails, we can reconfigure around the problem. Obviously if the mixing desk goes, we have reduced function but can put a mic into the back of a main and then daisychain the other main and monitor off it if needs be. The PA is only really needed for the singer(s) but sometimes the guitar bass and keys go thru it too for the singer's monitor or faded down but ready to go up if a backline amp fails.

[neepheid]

11 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

You’re being over sensitive.

Phew.

[paul_c2]

38 minutes ago, neepheid said:

Am I being oversensitive if I pick up a sanctimonious "if you don't take a spare bass (and whatever else) to the gig then you're an inferior bass player" vibe in threads like these?  Some of you might just want to rein that in a little - some people can only afford one bass.  Some of us don't take it as seriously as you - I regularly play in an originals band which hasn't "made it" and therefore gets a derisory token gesture of renumeration for our troubles, so excuse me if I lift a finger to that in my own lazy way because I don't particularly feel "professional" in this scenario.

 

I think it comes down to the difference between amateur and professional. (And I could include semi-pro in the professional group but obviously, funds are tighter). 

An amateur DIYer might well potter around doing a few hours a day on jobs which stretch over a period of time, with basic hand tools - but taking care and pride in their work. A professional builder would have a number of other jobs waiting, so time is of the essence. They'd bring a van full of tools which don't make sense for a DIYer to buy but are time-saving or useful if you're doing it day-in day-out. And they might tackle the DIYers week-long job in half a day, but rely on their experience to do it quick and right first time, but its "just another job" to them so no particular emotional attachment to the work.

The two approaches may very well produce the same result.

[Stub Mandrel]

I'm more worried that some people think the answer to "spare bass - do I really need one?" is no!

Clearly you need lots, for all sorts of reasons, regardless of gigs.

[fretmeister]

How would we all feel if the guitarist’s guitar failed and we couldn’t play the gig?

 

Same as they would feel if we let them down in a way that was easily avoidable 

Edited June 2, 2021 by fretmeister

[PaulWarning]

I take a spare bass and an amp (if we're the only band on) to gigs, not practice, in the back of my mind we could use it as a PA amp in an emergency, once the guitarists amp packed up (or so he thought, in the end it was just power light bulb that had blown 😂), he had to use my spare, not ideal but got him through the gig.

We were on a multi band gig once, 30 minute sets, the bass player in one of the other bands broke a string, refused the offer of another bass, spent 5 or 6 minutes replacing it, completely ruined the momentum of the set

[neilp]

2 hours ago, neepheid said:

Am I being oversensitive if I pick up a sanctimonious "if you don't take a spare bass (and whatever else) to the gig then you're an inferior bass player" vibe in threads like these?  Some of you might just want to rein that in a little - some people can only afford one bass.  Some of us don't take it as seriously as you - I regularly play in an originals band which hasn't "made it" and therefore gets a derisory token gesture of renumeration for our troubles, so excuse me if I lift a finger to that in my own lazy way because I don't particularly feel "professional" in this scenario.

 

Yes, you are being over sensitive! I think it's about how you view the whole thing. Being unprepared certainly doesn't make you an inferior musician, but it might make you a less reliable, flakier band member. I make no judgement, but I would be pretty whizzed off if my guitarist or  keyboard player didn't have spares and it ruined the gig....wouldn't you? At the absolute minimum spare strings, batteries, leads, DI box and some tools. If you really only have one bass and can't afford another one, fair enough, but be as prepared as you can be, surely? The lazy one finger says it all, really....

[chris_b]

Never mind if you are being paid or not, if there is an audience the right approach is to provide redundancy. Stuff happens and most of it is predictable, so it's not a question of "professionalism" but ensuring that the show goes on.

I take spares for myself. I am ensuring that I am never the one responsible for stopping the show. After my Marshall developed a fault in the early 70's I've carried several dozen assorted fuses to every gig I've done since. So far I've never needed them, but I've given them out to guitarists and for the PA several times. I've also provided batteries for guitarists pedals. This is all just part of the job.

I don't see the point in buying a cheap "backup" bass. I have 2 "proper" bass and I take both. At the gig I decide which one I'm going to play.

[Woodinblack]

I don't think it makes you less of a player that just comes down to your playing, just sometimes it is a bit more hassle. I have been in groups where one of the other players takes no spares to anything and has generally unreliable equipment, so always having to borrow spare leads, straps etc. I have had big delays in gigs because of these, I don't think it looks very good. I have the spares so can lend them but if noone did, what would we have done.

I have seen a lot of bands in pubs faffing around with leads and things that have broken. Mind you, I have also seen the same with Iron Maiden, Motorhead, etc!

Obviously some luck plays into this, you could go through a whole career of playing and never have anything break.

 

[Guest]

When I was 15, playing with a band to an audience for the first time, just before I stepped on stage the bottom E string of my guitar literally unravelled. Since I was on the higher guitar parts, playing the set with only 5 strings wasn't the end of the world, but my half of memories of that performance are of jumping back and forth, playing whatever needed transposing up an octave. Yeugh.

[jrixn1]

I've attended a gig, i.e. as an audience member, where the guitarist's amp died (btw I didn't know the guy) and he had no idea what to do; it ruined the experience for me to the point where I eventually went and retrieved a powered speaker from my van and lent it to him for the rest of his gig!  He even complained that it made his guitar buzz!

[Stub Mandrel]

My brother had a Gibson with robot tuners. He strummed it and it literally unwound one of the strings so it fell off 🤣

He got it to do it again at home and videoed it, for some reason Gibson kept deleting the video off their facebook page...

He converted it to manual.

[Lozz196]

43 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

My brother had a Gibson with robot tuners. He strummed it and it literally unwound one of the strings so it fell off 🤣

He got it to do it again at home and videoed it, for some reason Gibson kept deleting the video off their facebook page...

He converted it to manual.

A luthier I know loves those robotic tuners as they give him so much work converting them to manual.

[Lozz196]

I would never think a musician inferior if they only took one instrument to gigs if one instrument was all they could afford. I would think them to be maybe underprepared and unprofessional if they only took one to a gig and had others at home as I was on the day that my bass decided to not work when all my others were at home. Had it not been for the decency of another bassist we would have either had to play just guitar & drums or cancel - neither being that good a deal for the people who had paid for tickets & travelled to see us. And it would have been solely my fault.

[12stringbassist]

If I was to go anywhere without a backup, sods law dictates that is when an expensive catastrophe would happen. It takes less than 5 minutes to pack and unpack another bass and so I never get screwed onstage.

"Hang on lads, stop the song - I have to dig into my bag for my spare strings and change one of them. We'll take a quick break."

I think not.

People who don't take a spare (when they have the option) deserve it when stinky poo happens.

I still wake up sweating sometimes, remembering when that bloody awful Blackstar bass rig I had crapped out on me (again), 5 minutes before we were due onstage, meaning I had to go home and get my Hartkes and we had to start 45 minutes late.

Edited June 2, 2021 by 12stringbassist