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For those that only take one bass to gigs


Lozz196
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1. Broke an E string mid set once, luckily had an old 'spare' one which I quickly changed.

2. Broke a new G string just before a gig when I was replacing the set. Had to use my old one.

3. The first time my battery went it was mid set. Thew me for a moment, then quickly changed it.

Just be prepared and carry all your crucial spares in your gig bag. The other band members can carry it for you if you need to be out of action for a short time. My favourite piece to play if I have to cover someone being out of action is the '[i][/i]Hamlet Cigar'[i][/i] bass line, or Air on a G string. The effect is mildly amusing.

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[quote name='Wil' post='1008689' date='Nov 1 2010, 04:33 PM']I broke a low E mid set once - I just carried on and played the lines an octave higher. Worked out ok, sounded a little odd but not enough for the punters to notice much.[/quote]

No octave pedal then?

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[quote name='flyfisher' post='1008895' date='Nov 1 2010, 07:21 PM']In the end I fixed it for him. It took less than half an hour but he now regards me as some sort of technical genius. :)[/quote]

... and he'll be asking you to fix stuff every 10 minutes now :)

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I posted this in another thread but had forgotten about it.
a couple of weeks ago i took the wrong bass to my gig. By wrong i mean it wasnt in a gigging state. No strap buttons and the pups weren't connected.
I had been doing some work on it and put it in a different gig bag a few days before the gig. I really should have checked before taking it but i thought it was my new bass.

I ended up having to use gaffa tape to connect the pups and to borrow some strap buttons off my guitarist. I had ot plug the holes with splinters from a drum stick. I also had to borrow a strap and even at its most extended the bass was way to high.

It got through the gig though, although i was a bag of nerves.

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[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1008612' date='Nov 1 2010, 03:10 PM']If somebody is paying me £150+ to play at their wedding then it's not just a gig though. I am being paid to provide a service as an entertainer, if i haven't got the required tools for whatever reason then i'm not doing my job and i'd feel guilty about taking the money - rightly so.

Being able to switch basses in a few seconds is much better than standing there like a plonker with a duff bass while the rest of the band carry on playing![/quote]

Depends on the music of course, but I really doubt most of a wedding audience will even notice a lack of bass! But for a decently paid gig like that I'd be taking two basses anyway just for more tonal variation (entirely for my own satisfaction, of course, see my previous comment!).

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[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1009545' date='Nov 2 2010, 12:58 PM']I ended up having to use gaffa tape to connect the pups and to borrow some strap buttons off my guitarist. I had ot plug the holes with splinters from a drum stick. I also had to borrow a strap and even at its most extended the bass was way to high.[/quote]

That's ace! Any pics?


[quote name='LawrenceH' post='1009696' date='Nov 2 2010, 03:39 PM']Depends on the music of course, but I really doubt most of a wedding audience will even notice a lack of bass![/quote]


They do on the intro to A Town Called Malice, trust me!

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[quote name='dave_bass5' post='1009545' date='Nov 2 2010, 12:58 PM']I posted this in another thread but had forgotten about it.
a couple of weeks ago i took the wrong bass to my gig. By wrong i mean it wasnt in a gigging state. No strap buttons and the pups weren't connected.
I had been doing some work on it and put it in a different gig bag a few days before the gig. I really should have checked before taking it but i thought it was my new bass.

I ended up having to use gaffa tape to connect the pups and to borrow some strap buttons off my guitarist. I had ot plug the holes with splinters from a drum stick. I also had to borrow a strap and even at its most extended the bass was way to high.

It got through the gig though, although i was a bag of nerves.[/quote]

Gaffa tape is brilliant for repairs. The singer/guitarist in my band also plays Mandolin on one or two songs including the one we usually end with. He gets a bit excited, bless him, and chucks the poor thing around. I spent about 20 minutes before a gig a while ago sticking it back together. Both the pickups (mandolin with hot rails into a Mesa Boogie sounds awesome, for the record) had fallen through, the screw holes around the scratchplate have de-threaded, the electrics are all in a state. About the only thing that was alright was the neck.

20 minutes and a healthy dose of gaffa and it was ready to be thrown about at the end of the set again.

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Normally I carry 2 basses on the principal that i use both of them, as I play fretless and fretted. However, I could turn up with just the fretless and be able to play a whole set, but I'd still have my backup incase anything did go tits up.

I did one gig without a backup, and I managed to snap a string. No spares, too far from home so the only option was to borrow a gash P copy and sulk. It was that bad, during the sound check I sent a text home begging for help and my dad came out with the Wal for me. Got the better end of the deal I reckon and I've always gigged with the Wal instead of my other fretted bass, until my Warwick turned up :)

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Never taken a spare guitar or amp. Main reason being, I've only ever really owned one at a time :)

One guy I knew always took a spare bass and amp to gigs, but by the time he needed to use them, they were crackling and squealing and cutting-out. He'd gone so long without using them, they needed a damn good service!

It might be tempting fate not having a spare, but you definitely reduce the chances of something going wrong if you use decent cables and look after your gear.

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[quote name='lemmywinks' post='1009711' date='Nov 2 2010, 03:53 PM']That's ace! Any pics?[/quote]

Sorry, no pics and its all wired back now.

The only thing i am going to start taking as a back up is a strap. My normal strap has strap locks on it and these are very well secured. Ive done two gigs recently where i took a bass that had normal strap pins and i had to borrow that very short strap as i cant get the Schallers off, so im going to keep a cheap strap in my amp bag.

Edited by dave_bass5
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I take no backups of anything except a spare set of strings and a small tool kit. But I haven't broken a string for well over ten years. My Warwick Corvettes are super reliable, and my POD X3 LIVE seems to be too. I don't even take spare cables anymore since I got my OBBM :) BUT, if you take this approach, you need to look after your equipment.

I'm as minimalist as I can possibly be, and still sound bigger than the guy with the SVT :)

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