Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Technical issues and can't play the gig... ever happened to you?


CamdenRob
 Share

Recommended Posts

I was thinking about this the other day when I was playing a gig without PA support... After I'd refused to let a great lumox of a support bands bass player use my rig, were mine to go down I would be screwed as I couldn't really ask to use his as a back up!

I can only take one bass to gigs as I usually travel on foot, so if I had a bass or amp issue we literally wouldn't be able to play. I always take spare strings and can DI when there is full PA support, but on gigs where the whole bass sound is reliant on my own gear, we'd just have to cancel, wouldn't really have another option.

Has this happened to anyone? Room full of people come out to see you and you can't play the gig?

I should add that I'm not in covers bands to make money, if I was a professional gigging for my job I'd always carry a back up bass and micro amp. I'm just doing originals for fun and occasional beer money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep, gigged with a new amp and fried it. PA just didn't cut it. Barely did vocals.

Lucky it wasn't a paid gig, but it was our singer's birthday party so there was lots of people there. Very embarrassing.

Have also snapped an A string only to realise I hadn't brought my spares. I had to restring the D to A and the G to D and play with three strings. Sort of got away with that, was the last song before our break which was fortuitous. To be honest, I don't even think about snapping strings (though I do carry a spare set). I use flats and play fingerstyle. Did have a patch of snapping Thomastik A strings though. I ended up changing to LaBellas.

Edited by bigjohn
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always take a spare bass and a spare head (small 2u unit to cover for any Ampeg tubes that might go pop) to all gigs, sometimes if there's room a spare cab also. These days you can get decent amps that will sit happily in the pocket of your gig bag so there's no excuse for not having a spare other than not wanting to spend the cash on one, which is fair enough as long as you're happy to leave the band bassless in the rare but still possible scenario in which your amp fails :)

Only time I had a major amp failure at a gig was when I forget I was using a shorter than usual cable and managed to pull the head off a stack in the sound check....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1429203103' post='2749222']
...so there's no excuse for not having a spare other than not wanting to spend the cash on one...
[/quote]

Well, there is not being able to afford one...

Edited by ahpook
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1429204250' post='2749245']
... which amounts to the same thing, really. :rolleyes:
[/quote]

Does it ?

I was trying to point out the difference between not wanting to and not being able to. One may have the money to buy one and still not wish to - a choice on the part of the individual concerned. Not having the money to buy one renders that choice an academic one.

Someone who has [i]chosen[/i] not to buy a backup amplifier when they could have done and then finds themselves with an amp that won't work at a gig is entirely at fault for their lack of bass amp.

Can another person, who doesn't have the resources to buy a second amplifier in the same situation to be said to be at fault ? I'd say no. It may be that they simply don't have enough money, or have spent it on something more pressing.

Edited by ahpook
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1429185589' post='2748868']
Has this happened to anyone? Room full of people come out to see you and you can't play the gig?
[/quote]

Yes, back in the day when having live drumming was seen as old-hat. Our electronic replacement lost its memory and we had no way of sorting it out. Personally embarrassing for me as I'd gone to great lengths to ensure a good crowd. 'Real' drummers have their faults and will also forget things to a certain extent, but generally not so badly as to be unable to play at all! :)

Put me right off using programmed beats or backing tracks or click tracks or any of that mularkey to this day.
I say if you can't play it live then don't do it!

Edited by discreet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never happened to me until, luckily, the last song of a gig, where my amp just stopped. Turned out was a loose fuse. Nowadays I always take my trusty Preamp/DI pedal along, so I could connect up to the PA and at least get sound that way. Also take a spare bass, spare set of strings and a spare of each lead along too.

And so that any breakages/thefts don`t interfere too much, I`ve three similar basses (2 US Precisions, 1 backup Korean Squier) an Aguilar Tonehammer 500 & 350 (plus afore mentioned Tonehammer DI) and two Barefaced Super 12Ts. Though I`m not taking 2 expensive basses and both amps to gigs. There are limits. I`m also yet to need both Super 12s at a gig.

Edited by Lozz196
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1429206206' post='2749277']
Yes, back in the day when having live drumming was seen as old-hat. Our electronic replacement lost its memory and we had no way of sorting it out. Personally embarrassing for me as I'd gone to great lengths to ensure a good crowd. 'Real' drummers have their faults and will also forget things to a certain extent, but generally not so badly as to be unable to play at all! :)

Put me right off using programmed beats or backing tracks or click tracks or any of that mularkey to this day.
I say if you can't play it live then don't do it!
[/quote]

Sounds like that drum machine was at the wrong gig?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only had an amp go once so just went through the P.A which unfortunately had the worst sound guy I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Adding distortion via the desk to Motown songs...that kind of thing.

Did have the drummer put his foot through his kick drum once and another drummer snap his kick pedal. We just carried on without kick.

Edited by Cameronj279
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At a biker festival, during setup, water dripped through a tarp "roof" into the mixing desk. Finally, when all the gear had been brought out of the van and powered up....... Pop, fizzle. -silence-
When it was figured out what had happened we realised that being an oufit with bleeps and beats we had no hope of playing. We got out alive, I reversed for a a good few hundred yards up a one track lane between dry stone walls ( talk about high anxiety!) to let an ambulance into the site. I have a permanent knee injury due to trying to push the van out of the mud too.
I wouldn't play a biker do nowadays unless it was a rock or blues band. The organiser was a mate who worked in electronics, when he heard what had happened the desk his head was in his hands. Still, they were entertained by some dude bending blues notes into the wee small hours. Just a disaster for us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I once did a gig where we'd had to rearrange the stage at the last minute due to jobsworth venue management and literally finished soundcheck, the venue opened and we started straight off without a break. Halfway through the first song my bass cut out. My amp was on, so I figured it was the lead. I spun around for my gig bag with spare leads in and realised it was over the other side of stage with no hope of reaching it thanks to the last minute reshuffle. Whilst the song was carrying on without me, I unscrewed the jack at the guitar end. In the dark light of the stage, it looked fine to me, so I put it back together and plugged up wondering what to look at next but hey presto! it all worked! I did the rest of the gig without an issue, and wondered what the fault had actually been. It wasn't til I checked my gear after the gig that I noticed the connection in the plug I pulled apart had snapped at the solder joint - somehow when I put it back together I must have wedged it back on the terminal. Someone was obviously smiling on me that day!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...