How good is your back up bass

[bonzodog]

As I have more and more gigs coming up its time to invest in a back up bass, and it begs the questions do you have a back up bass just to get you through the gig if your main weapon of choice lets you down or do you alternate between basses. I play an epi thunderbird pro and could quite easily just buy another standard thunderbird as a back up. However as money is a bit tight I have been looking on some well known auction sites. I am looking at getting a Jazz bass and decided to look at other makes as well as Squires. Its surprising how many I have seen very cheap (sub £50) but in good condition ,where I do not recognise the make and upon investigation they are relatively cheap to buy new. As this is predominantly going to be just a back up do you think basses of this quality would suffice or would you suggest putting the money towards something a little better. In an ideal world, I would have a selection to choose from for every gig but until then I need to be careful what I spend

[xilddx]

Never used one. If I was touring or playing some big dates I would though. If it's just an emergency back up in case you break a string or the electronics fail or whatever, I'd get a cheap version of the main bass. What's important is that it sounds similar and has a very similar output level to your main bass. But do you really need one? If you treat a bass nicely it shouldn't need a backup really.

[Mog]

Ideally it should be a good quality instrument that doesn't hum, click, fart and buzz every time you use it. If its back up then something cheap and cheerful is perfect. Personally I'd go like for like and get another T-bird but theres plenty of low-cost basses that sound fantastic. Look for VMJ's and CV's from Squier. Tanglewood Rebels also pop up dirt cheap and are solid basses. An Ibby SR300 would definitely be worth a look as would just about anything from Yamaha.

[Lozz196]

Main bass = Fender US Precision
Backup bass = Fender CIJ Precision

Not much in them, the US edges it in the main areas, playability, sound, and weight, but not by much.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1371047921' post='2109082']
.... In an ideal world, I would have a selection to choose from for every gig but until then I need to be careful what I spend
[/quote]

I think part of the answer to your question lies in the bit I've quoted.
It would be nice to have a choice, and every mediocre instrument you buy will actually only serve to delay you in reaching your objective.
It'd be funds spent on instrument/s that are only OK or passable (in your opinion, that's the only one that counts!), rather than saving for a better bass you actually want.
Can you foresee a point at which you may own something "nicer" than your current T-bird? Would you then relegate that to back-up status? Maybe that's something to aspire to if you so desire.

Just as an aside, are you in a "pro" band or is it a hobby?
When I've been in gigging (good, but non-pro) bands, I've never felt the need for a spare. In a decade of gigging, I've never had need of one. If I were doing it as a job in a function band, I'd carry a spare.

Edited June 12, 2013 by Lfalex v1.1

[Dingus]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1371048316' post='2109089']
. What's important is that it sounds similar and has a very similar output level to your main bass.
[/quote]

If , for whatever reason, you decide that you need a backup bass then this is very good advice . If your main bass fails you want to be able to plug in and go with the backup with no fuss or extra hassle - you will have been having enough grief already by virtue of your main bass choking .

Edited June 12, 2013 by Dingus

[SpaceChick]

I have my Ibanez family

I gig using both my Sr300 fretted and SR300 fretless as different tracks demand a different bass, so in a worst case scenario I would do all the gig on either the fretted or the fretless.

If you are looking for a good back up bass though, I can't rate the SR300 highly enough.... Although I'm getting a bit of a reputation on here as an Ibanezphile.... I swear if I ever hit the big time (which I won't) every other manufacturer would know not to give me a sponsorship deal

[Spike Vincent]

I usually have a back up bass. When the question is "who's got a left handed Precision I can borrow" gets asked,the answer is usually "me" so I might as well take it with me in the first place.My main bass is a 1978 Precision,my back up is either a Tokai P or a Squier. Although I suspect a back up bass is really an excuse to get another bass....

Edited June 12, 2013 by Spike Vincent

[ezbass]

I never used to take a backup and although I take 2 these days, it's because I do some fretless numbers.

[fretmeister]

My 2 favourite basses are interchangeable.

Dingwall ABZ5
Marleaux Consat Custom 5

I'm happy for either to be main or back up. They are both tremendous.

[Gust0o]

My back up bass is the exact same bass, give or take - I play my '95 Stingray as first choice, and the second compartment of my Mono will have one of my other two Stingrays in it.

Settings are consistent, no need to fiddle or worry if I have an issue. Unplug one, plug in another

[Paul S]

I broke a string once and have always carried a spare bass since. If we are playing somewhere small I take my Hohner B2A as it takes up a ridiculously small amount of space. If I have a little more space available to me I take two normal sized basses that are similar to each other.

[mike257]

I used to take two Stingrays out, had strings break more than once in my fast-n-heavy days. Traded one for the Sandberg and that's become the de facto first choice for its versatility, but quality wise there's not much in it.

Its nice to have options, and I never go anywhere without a spare (especially now I do this for a living) but there's nowt wrong with the budget stuff and I've happily gigged my Squier before now.

[winterfire666]

live dangerously, who needs a backup anyway, if you are happy with you main axe and service it now and again you shouldnt need anything else:^)

[KevB]

Never seem to have room on stage to actually have a backup bass handy if anything happened to the mian one so I stopped taking one. Oddly enough there always seems to be enough room for the guitarist to have 2 with him In terms of quality there's not much in them. Current main is US P, backup is US jazz S-1. If I go to a jam session I'd usually take the jazz as it is in a smaller case than the P, it gives a fair approximation of a P with the S-1 button depressed.

[SteveK]

It doesn't matter how well [b]you[/b] treat your instrument (oh, matron), there will always be big footed stage crew ready to drag your 'beloved' out of its stand by its cable. It's happened to me on two occasions, both times requiring major repair. More recently (about 4 weeks ago) one of the strap-locks failed necessitating a speedy swap of basses. Having said that, if I were playing more local pubs and clubs I probably wouldn't bother with a spare.

Edited to answer the question:
At the mo I'm using a Warwick Corvette custom as my main bass, and a 1985 Warwick Streamer (ex main bass) as spare.

Edited June 12, 2013 by SteveK

[chris_b]

I only use 1 tuning and no road crew, so I just take 1 bass to a gig. Added to that, I have never had a bass fail on me; ever! [/fingers crossed]

Currently I take the Lakland if I'm using the TH500 and the Lull if I'm using the Thunderfunk.


ps I unplug my basses, even the passive one, when I'm not playing them.

Edited June 12, 2013 by chris_b

[Mog]

In most cases the only time you would require a backup is when a string breaks. A far cheaper option is to carry a set of pre-cut spares in the gigbag/case. You can change a string and tune it up in 90 odd seconds.

[Dingus]

I would contend that you are actually far more likely to have your amp fail on you than most basses , but very few non - pros have a back -up amp .

[Ziphoblat]

I've never had a need. At times I've only owned one bass. I currently own two, but neither are back-ups, I couldn't afford to spend that on a back-up, which I bring to a gig simply depends on my mood. A bass "breaking" is a freak occurrence. At worst I can imagine breaking a string (never managed that either) but I carry a spare set with my gig stuff. Far more likely to run into amp/pedal/speaker problems (which has still never happened critically in hundreds of gigs), in which case I've had it anyway because there's no chance I'm going to lug a replacement for everything around.

Edited June 12, 2013 by Ziphoblat

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1371053280' post='2109214']
In most cases the only time you would require a backup is when a string breaks. A far cheaper option is to carry a set of pre-cut spares in the gigbag/case. You can change a string and tune it up in 90 odd seconds.
[/quote]

90 seconds is almost a whole song for my band and would IMO be unacceptable dead time in the set. Swapping to my spare bass takes about 10 seconds and can be done without breaking the flow of the songs.

My two main basses are both Gus G3 5-strings, and although they have different pickup configurations which make them sound slightly different from a playing POV they are identical, and in the context of the overall band mix the sound difference is not worth worrying over. Occasionally I'll take a different bass as my spare, but I do have a tweaked set of Pod presets to compensate for the differences in volume and tone so it's doubtful anyone in the audience would notice any change in sound.

[KevB]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1371053454' post='2109217']
I would contend that you are actually far more likely to have your amp fail on you than most basses , but very few non - pros have a back -up amp .
[/quote]

And just as well the pro's do. Went to see The Animals with Steve Cropper early this year and the bass players main amp went up in a very impressive looking haze of blue smoke. Roadie hastily sent back to the dressing room for a spare!

[Gust0o]

[quote name='Mog' timestamp='1371053280' post='2109214']
In most cases the only time you would require a backup is when a string breaks. A far cheaper option is to carry a set of pre-cut spares in the gigbag/case. You can change a string and tune it up in 90 odd seconds.
[/quote]

I know I could... But I wouldn't.

I don't know how others play, but we've a set of short-ish, pacey songs; and normally under instructions to not drag our feet!

I just wouldn't want the time out, hence my carrying a spare.

[JTUK]

Both of mine are equal in quality. The reason I start with one over the other is just a preference on the day.
They will be strung up with the same set of strings and I decide whether I want a vintage sound or a typical MM sound..

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1371053454' post='2109217']
I would contend that you are actually far more likely to have your amp fail on you than most basses , but very few non - pros have a back -up amp .
[/quote]

I carry a DI box for this reason. OK, it's not exactly the same, but it would get me through a gig.