How Many Basses Do You Take To A Gig?

How Many Basses Do You Take To A Gig?

  • 1

    Votes: 117 43.3%

  • 2

    Votes: 150 55.6%

  • 3

    Votes: 12 4.4%

  • More than 3

    Votes: 3 1.1%
  • Total voters
    270
#41
For 35+ years I only carried one, and never had a problem. It's better to be born lucky than smart....LOL. The last 5 years before I hung it up I had a $100 Squier "trunk bass" as a back up, but never needed it. I did gig it on occasion...it is that good.
 
#45
More often than not I will bring my passive Warwick as a back-up for one of my two basses that have on-board pre's. I have never once in over 40 years of playing bass had a bass fail in any way at a gig, but it's always nice to know that someone's event won't be ruined because the band members weren't prepared with back-up gear.
 
#46
Depends.

Club gig doing covers - probably not. My main player is active but I can bypass in an emergency and it will still work. If I bust a string I'm really fast at changing them - it can be done while the singer talks to the crowd.

Jobbing gig or original music - always.

Recently I've been getting calls for a jobbing band that does everything in weird keys. I'm not a natural 5 string guy but I bring a 4 and a 5'er for this gig. Otherwise I tune down. Anyone else out there tune down to Eb regularly?

(Spare head - always)
 
#47
Two basses for me, always have, always will.

I've only had a bass fail on stage a few times over the decades, but each time it was in a situation where stopping the show or making the band carry on without me would have come at great cost to me personally and professionally.

The fast-paced gigs I play won't tolerate even changing out a string. If I can't reach for the spare and get back in the song within seconds, my goose is cooked.

For you folks who don't play such high-pressure gigs, my hat is off to you. Bring one bass. Why over-prepare if it doesn't matter?
 
#48
Two, for a simple reason. I've been a radio and TV guy for 50+ years, and there's nothing more frustrating and embarrassing then being at a job of any kind without tools. Spares are your guarantee of having the tools.

Batteries? Always have spares.
Guitar cables and speaker cables? Spares.
Power cables and multiple connections? The band has them, I bring spares.
Amp? I have a highly portable 100W spare.
Bass? Spare.
Took kit? Always.
Outlet checker? Always.

I usually don't have a spare speaker cab but that's a calculated risk, and the exposure is minimal.

When you act like a pro, you're prepared like a pro.
 
#50
I take one if I’m playing in my hometown locally, if I have to play out of town I take two, never know what might happen to your one bass. I remember not too long ago I pulled my bass out of the case after we were done setting up for the gig, I plugged it in and the strings were buzzing , I guess the altitude and temperature change made the neck bow out a little, I didn’t have time to reset it so I pulled out my backup and did the gig with it...
 
#51
At least two, since I have a fear of breakage or string shenanigans or the such. The Ric is the mainstay. Usually the backup is chosen for its usefulness during the show; I've got two coming up that will need something more for metal, so out comes the Schecter. For regular classic rock, the Jazz with flatwounds gives me a nice '70s funk sound. Some day I'll bring the PJ for more fun, beach-style tunes.
 
#57
For my old Rush tribute project I used to take 3... a GL Jazz, a Rick, and a Wal.

For my old originals project I used to take 4 identical GL Jazzes in different tunings.

For my current covers project, portability figured in but redundancy is still king. Two identical GL Jazzes with Hipshots in a Mono gig bag, pedalboard with a Digitech Drop among the rabble.
 
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#58
I only get to play at church. I bring one or maybe two if I want to play fretless on something. They have one that stays in the building so there’s always a backup. The kicker is that mine are 5 strings and the one at church is a 4 string. I think I could adjust but have never had to test it (yet).
 
#59
I keep two stands on stage. On one is the Ric and the other is the Fender Jazz. Many years ago, I found it was handy if I ever break a string, I can quickly switch without anyone noticing (assuming their actually listening)! The two bass thing started in the early 80's when I had my Ric and an older P Bass on which I switched to play the Police and Pretenders tunes.
 
#60
Never had a bass break on me, and we don't change tuning. So, I only take one. Which one depends more on how crowded we are, and the weather.

Jammed in tightly, I take the 38 year road worn pbass as nicks, bumps, and scraps are not going to matter at this point. Raining... it's the pbass as well. Good weather and not many other musicians will be there, I take the Kiesel. In between, I take the EBMM Sterling.
 
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