Back line failure

[Thurbs]

I was at a gig last night modelled around the Later With Jools Holland format. Worked really well, 10+ bands on 6 stages each rotating and playing 2 or so songs before moving on. Each band probably got 4 or 5 songs in total. [url="http://www.laterwith.co.uk/"]http://www.laterwith.co.uk/[/url]

Anyway, the bassist back line for the main stage broke half way though the first bands set and they tried in vane to get it working. As I was only local I offered to go home and grab my gear and they ended up gigging with it the whole night.

As I was going home to pick it up, I was wondering to myself what I would have done in the same situation? I don't carry a spare amp, but usually gig with two speakers, two guitars (or DB & EAB) and plenty of spare leads. I guess I have a reliance issue with my amp!

If I am on the train then I usually just carry the main instrument, IEM gear and hope for a good PA.


BTW, the cab which broke was a Trace Elliot 15" combo and was replaced by a Ashdown ABM 500 & ABM 115. The main bassist using it was awesome and it
sounded really nice. It is the first time I have been stage side listening to my own gear.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Thurbs

[risingson]

My Eden rig died on me last week, luckily I managed to hotfoot it over to a friends who let me borrow this Laney kickback affair that was more than capable of letting me monitor myself for the evening, I just took a direct out to the desk and that was that. Turned out it was a blown fuse, stupid because I should have been carrying at least a spare or two should the eventuality of a blown fuse occur.

It got me thinking as well, I wouldn't mind having a small, ultralight combo just as a backup if things really go badly with my primary setup and I'm not playing locally. Obviously it would have been handy if I'd had a spare fuse to hand as well!

[RhysP]

My Trace Elliot stack died on me once during a gig. I was still coming out of the PA as I was DI'd so I just asked the soundman to give me some more bass through my monitors.

[stingrayPete1977]

I have a Laney head thats quite small for a class A head that I take to the more important gigs but leave in the van unless its needed which ironically coming full circle to the OP's story has only been used when my own Ashdown ABM Failed!

[JTUK]

I gig with a stereo amp and 2 cabs so if the amp went down I could use my pre-amp/DI to one side of the PA into my cabs . If a cab went, I would bleed/DI into the PA and use the single cab for monitor.

[lojo]

I always get concerned about this, but never have a back up (apart from just going into the pa alone)

All the talk about back up basses, but the amp is way more complex and unlikely to be fixed on the roadside

[gafbass02]

I'm always paranoid about it, my multi fx had di and I always carry (for proper gigs) a di box, so I'd hope to be covered. Once had to okay a whole gig with no amp (blown, and the replacement!!) and no monitors!! Just guesswork that was fun:-/

[whynot]

I picked up an Ashdown Superfly on here for about £90 a few months ago. Most of my gigs are PA supported but I tend to leave the Ashdown in my car as backup just in case needed.

[Lozz196]

I always take my Behringer BD121 with me to gigs - well did, when I had a band. Any problems, this goes into the pa - will get me through the gig, and luckily, I can get my sound quite easily from it, so aside from the hearing myself issue, all would be ok.

[ahpook]

[robocorpse]

I have a Sansamp in my pedalboard split between DI to the PA, and signal to my Ampeg.
I am covered either way, if the Sansamp fails, I can DI from the Ampeg. If the Ampeg fails, I ask for more foldback.

[kevin_lindsay]

I had s Trace Elliot rig die on me years and years ago. Had to just DI the bass, and couldn't hear myself through the monitors, had to play the whole gig from memory without hearing what I was playing. No fun!!!

Also remember going to see my friend Paul Turner play at the Astoria with 'Down To The Bone'. His Eden rig went on the blink just before the set and he couldn't hear himself either, even through his monitors. He had to move across the stage to hear himself through the keyboards and drummer's foldback!!! He was pretty embarrassed 'can't believe you came all that way to hear THAT!!'. Hahaha

[Ross]

Always bought an amp to gigs and usually used whatever was set up (the organiser always insisted on using their backline but I think it's rude to show up without a rig)

Where I slipped up, I didn't bring a spare bass one night and I encountered a rare group of bass players unwilling to let me borrow one when mine decided not to work.
Played in silence a whole gig, horrible gig, majorly embarassing but the show must go on and all that.

[jezzaboy]

I always carry my Sansamp with me. That way if the amp goes for a Burton, at least you can shove it into the pa. Or for a much cheaper alternative, as Lozz says, a BD121.

Jez

[mrtcat]

Our band very rarely plays a gig where we dont need to supply everything from backline to pa and as I own the pa I'm uber paranoid about kit breaking down. I maintain the pa really well and as it has multiple cabs there's always a way out of speaker failure. I also have a spare power amp in the rack which adds loads of extra weight but its nice to know it's there. As for bass backline I have a sansamp that stays in my gig bag and it's a very reassuring backup. I think any gigging bass player should carry a di alternative and the sansamp is as good if not better than the real amp & cab.

[dave_bass5]

I do worry about my amp packing up but as i have a BDDI, and a DI out from my radio receiver i hope one of these will be enough to get me through the gig by going through the PA.
I normally DI out of my amp in to our small PA, just for a bit more spread but its a very quick change over to plug in to the Radio receiver mid song if i had to, and then set the BDDI at the next break.

Fingers crossed i'll never need to use this backup plan.

[chrismuzz]

If my head died I'd first very politely ask a bassist from another band if I could plug my pedalboard into the effects return on their's. Failing that I would have to quickly re-jig my board so the sansamp is at the end of the chain, and DI from that to the PA. Only problem with that is I rarely gig at venues with monitors so I'd be well and truly winging it!

[Doddy]

I pretty much always run a DI before my amp anyway,so if my amp goes quiet I'll still be getting something out front and through the monitors.
For a bunch of my gigs I don't use an amp anyway.

[4-string-thing]

About 30 years ago, I bought an Acoustic 220 head and 404 cab..... have never worried about amp breakdowns, til now!

I do carry spare fuses though.

[farmer61]

Our PA packed up before gig on Saturday. I had to drive home 13 miles to pick up my unit and drive back.

We were late going on, our lights failed and I broke a string.

Unbelieveable!

[Bankai]

Cheap pocket sized bass-head a good second option?

Selling my Little Giant 350W if anybody fancies a bit more security

[casapete]

A band I used to work with carried a Crate Powerblock as a spare. Tiny amp that at a push could
be used for bass/guitar/keys/monitors etc. Also had an old Peavey XR600 mixer amp before that which did the same.
Believe the FX box sized Electro Harmonix amp (44 Magnum?) is a handy bit of kit, although not massively loud into
a minimum 8 ohm load. Useful for guitarists though?

I carry a Behringer BD121 DI box as mentioned above - have n't had to use it yet thank god. If so, would be crank up the
monitor and off we go. As lojo says in post#6, can't understand why people carry 2 basses and only one amp....?

[Adrenochrome]

I'd just add a bit of my bass to our monitors and carry on - in fact I've done this before.

[thodrik]

I usually bring an extra head with me just in case my main amp goes, or if another bassist doesn't bring any gear and I am feeling generous. Also I usually bring a Sansamp Bass Driver to a gig.

I usually bring two speakers to a gig, so if one goes I can carry on with the other.

In the event that both my amps die, both my speakers break and the Sansamp breaks down, I would probably just go through the PA, though given the previous events I am pretty sure that my bass would then break too. If my backup bass then broke, I think I would just probably call it a day and go home.

Edited May 3, 2011 by thodrik

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='thodrik' post='1218788' date='May 3 2011, 04:31 PM']I usually bring an extra head with me just in case my main amp goes, or if another bassist doesn't bring any geat and I am feeling generous. Also I usually bring a Sansamp Bass Driver to a gig.

I usually bring two speakers to a gig, so if one goes I can carry on with the other.

In the event that both my amps die, both my speakers break and the Sansamp breaks down, I would probably just go through the PA, though given the previous events I am pretty sure that my bass would then break too. If my backup bass then broke, I think I would just probably call it a day and go home.[/quote]

.....only to find the car wont start :-)