"Spare" bass?

[asingardenof]

Tonight's overthinking episode...

 

Question for those who take two basses to a gig: do you take one just as a spare or do you use both? I ask because I've started taking my second bass as a spare, being somewhat paranoid about equipment failure having had an amp blow on me mid-gig, but so far I've just left it in the gig bag.

 

I've been wondering if it's worth it, mainly because carrying two basses about is heavy and a faff, and if I'm taking both anyway whether I shouldn't just try swapping out for different songs, as there are some that would definitely sound better with one or the other.

 

Is it more of a faff to have to change over instruments potentially several times, especially if you don't have much time between songs? And, crucially, would it only really be me that notices or cares about the difference in tone?

[casapete]

Always have a spare with me, but never use it. My spare isn’t as good a bass as my main one,

but good enough to use should it ever be needed. I probably subconsciously chose it to 

be like that to stop me being tempted to swap around during the show! I get using two

or more basses if they are varied ( 4/5 string/fretted/fretless etc), but as I only use a 

standard 4 string I couldn’t be arsed to mess around on stage with similar instruments. 

 

[mr4stringz]

I’ve taken a spare for a long long time, and have had cause to use the spare maybe three or four times ever. For me (though I don’t gig often these days) it’s still worth it for peace of mind, regardless of the very low likelihood of needing to use it. Think that comes down largely to your personality. I’d be fretting (pun very much intended) the whole night if I didn’t have the spare with me.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I take two Fender Mustangs — Usually a black JMJ & a blue JMJ, but possibly two blue JMJs. They're set up identically with Chromes & I either play one for both sets or do one set with each.

[itsmedunc]

Always carry a spare again now. Haven’t had a need to use it yet and hope I never do. I went through a phase of just carrying spare set of broken in cut strings (doddle to change and tune quickly), as I’d carried a spare bass for years and never needed it. It’s better to have peace of mind on the night.

[BassTractor]

Only played live twice, but my takes are:
- main bass (possibly one of those 18V thingies from San Luis Obispo)
- cricket bat (Hohner B2B, which is not only tiny and passive, but also very stable and trustworthy).

Peace of mind.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by BassTractor

[Lozz196]

It depends, in my last band when I used to tour I’d take 2 US Precisions but for  regular gigging it would be a US to gig and Mex as a backup. Now in my current band I’ll be taking 2 Squier Mustangs and gigging whichever is the same colour as the guitarist is using.

[markbunney]

I only take one bass to gig, but I only currently have one bass.

 

I am always paranoid that I will have an issue and so hope to get a spare of some sort in 2024.

 

I am not sure if that will be a cheap spare, or one that is equal to my main bass.

 

In 25 years of gigging I have only had problems twice, albeit with the same bass. I had bought a second hand Spector bass and the internal wiring came loose, I got through the gig by keeping completely still so the contact maintained. I took it back to the shop who soldered the problem, only they didn’t fix it properly and I had the same problem the next time i gigged with it, and it cut out completely. Luckily the guitarist at the time lived close to the venue and owned a bass so I was able to use that.

 

The shop fixed it again, but I never trusted that bass again so moved it on.

[itu]

A spare string set and few batteries are always with me. But two instruments only if I need two (fretted 5 with a fretted 4 / fretless 4 / eub 5).

 

If I needed a spare bass, another cab, and amp, as well as an fx board would be a must, then. But who would carry them?

[Ed_S]

Having witnessed a few different versions of what goes on when an instrument fails mid-gig and not liked any of them, and also having had a near miss myself when I only had one bass with me (a passive P - nothing fancy), I now take two basses whenever it's feasible. Since making that decision, I've somewhat predictably never needed the spare and always just left it in the bag. It's either a cheapo that would just get me through rather than being any kind of pleasure to play, or it's essentially the same as the one I'm playing just in a different colour, so ultimately there's been either no desire or no benefit respectively to swap them over.

 

When I used to take two basses to some gigs because one was in a different tuning with heavy strings on it, changing instruments always broke the flow of a relatively fast-paced set regardless of how well it was done. We eventually all switched to using Drop pedals because whilst they didn't sound quite as good (especially on bass) as a dedicated instrument for the lower tuning, the instant switch and very slight loss of quality was infinitely better for the performance and maintaining the attention of the audience than faffing about changing instruments. We always tried to keep it to a single physical change, too - swap to the alternate tuning and finish the set in it - so the pedals also allowed us to put those songs anywhere in the set.

 

Personally, if I was considering swapping back and forth multiple times per set for reasons of tone, I'd first be spending some quality time with an EQ pedal seeing if I could get both instruments to sound close enough to the other that I didn't have to.

[TimR]

Backup bass stays off stage in its case.

 

Backup is the operative word. 

[neepheid]

I take two basses to the gig and if nothing goes wrong, I swap them over at half time.  It took me a long time to work out that I could have double the fun at a gig.  I don't care which bass I play - all my basses sound bassy.  I've never had someone come up to me and say "you sounded better with the other bass".

[jimmyb625]

If I ever take a spare to a gig, it's always in the bag backstage (or on the side of the stage). 

[Bolo]

Never needed a backup so I won't bring a spare.

Discuss with the band if, when and why you want to switch basses.

[Burns-bass]

If I’m being paid (which is why I gig most of the time) I’ll have two of everything. Two basses, amps, a selection of leads, spare strings, power cables, and a load of spares that may be needed.

 

Having had some spectacular gear fails, it’s not something I enjoyed and don’t want to happen again.

[Mykesbass]

I used the need for a backup bass on a tour as an excuse to get something different from my main bass, so 5 string fretless P with flats was backed up by a 5 string fretted Jazz with rounds.

My thinking behind this is that the vast majority of punters would not care about any slight change in tone, and it gave me variety for playing at home and recording.

[Jackroadkill]

I use two basses anyway, one tuned to E and the other tuned to Eb.  We have about five songs that are in the latter tuning in our set so we play them one after the other, and then change instruments to return to standard tuning.  Whichever bass I'm not using at any given point becomes a de facto spare.  They're both Player Series Precisions with the same pickup, wiring loom and strings, so they sound pretty similar to my ears, and as mentioned above by @neepheid, no punters have ever mentioned any difference in sound regardless of which I use.

[Paul S]

I always have a back up bass with me but it stays in the gig bag or, ideally if there is space, on the stand next to me.  I generally pick one to play and stick with it although I've been known to change at half time if I'm feeling adventurous.  But never mid-set.  I was in a band once when I used to swap about from normal bass to EUB but that is a different scenario.

[JohnDaBass]

9 hours ago, BassTractor said:

Only played live twice, but my takes are:
- main bass
- cricket bat (Hohner B2B, which is not only tiny but also very stable and trustworthy).

Peace of mind.

+1

1 hour ago, Burns-bass said:

If I’m being paid (which is why I gig most of the time) I’ll have two of everything. Two basses, amps, a selection of leads, spare strings, power cables, and a load of spares that may be needed.

 

Having had some spectacular gear fails, it’s not something I enjoyed and don’t want to happen again.

+1

Hofner shorty ( LaBella DeepTalking flats), stays in its gig bag and backup TC BAM 200  6ins combo stays in the boot of the car.

Just-in-case , Peace of mind.

[MacDaddy]

My backup bass. Good enough to gig, and I have.

 

 

 

[T-Bay]

Backup stays in the bag, I used to have it in a different tuning for a few songs we did but swapping is a pain so now just retune quickly while out singer introduces the song.

[bassbiscuits]

Yeah i usually take two basses but touch wood have never needed back up. 
 

Ironically some of the biggest gigs I’ve done have been festivals, support slots and/or abroad where I’ve travelled light and only been able to take one bass anyway (a reliable one). 
 

But for my own gigs here I’ll also generally bring a spare amp head, spare cables and batteries etc. For a long time I was the only person in the band who thought to bring any spare bits. 

Edited December 26, 2023 by bassbiscuits

[Rayman]

Like most people, I always have a spare, that never leaves its case. I haven’t broken a string in decades. To be honest, now I’m making the move to tiny class D amps, I’m more likely to carry a spare one of those than anything else. I’ve had more trouble with amps than basses over the years.

[White Cloud]

I think a spare is good, professional practice to ensure 'the show must go on' and extenuate circumstances. If stinky poo can happen, then it probably will at some point.

 

Oh, and in my experience literally nobody cares what bass you play. 

Edited December 26, 2023 by White Cloud

[Simon C]

I take 2 - usually a fretted and a fretless. If I don’t need the fretless then I take my fretted short-scale as a spare to the main fretted one.  A couple of times people have asked me what the difference (other than the colour) is.

 

I have both basses plugged in to a switch on my pedal board.  I also change the compressor settings, but that is quick.  So a bass change is quick and non faffy.  I do need to balance the volume of the basses in sound check as the fretted bass has higher output than the fretless - other than carrying more kit that’s about the closest I get to a faff.

 

 For Jam Night I only take the shortscale, but as there are 4 or 5 other bass players there I assume we’d just offer each other use of our basses in the event of one breaking mid gig.

 

 So yeah, I’m a have a spare man.