"Spare" bass?

[Phil Starr]

I gig around 30 times a year and also run the PA. I carry back ups for pretty much everything especially when we are further from home. I carried a spare bass for pretty much the first 10 years but I've never had a failure of a bass or broken a string so in the end I've stopped bothering unless I take my active bass. I have spare batteries for that but never trust batteries completely so a passive bass keeps it company.

[casapete]

15 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

I have spare batteries for that but never trust batteries completely so a passive bass keeps it company.

That’s what I do Phil, main bass is active / passive back up. 

[spacecowboy]

I ended up using my spare bass on a gig and it sounded better and I had more fun playing it than the other one, so, it became my main player. A £260 Squier P Bass… so I don’t know what I’d take as a spare now, another Squier? 
 

Still haven’t had the opportunity to gig the Ken Smith though… definitely can’t have that as a backup to the p bass 🤣

[Woodinblack]

My spare is acrylic and lights up green and blue. So its not really a spare, I swap to it at the half time mark, it is mostly not as good as the other bass I have, and it is way heavier, but it gets a good reaction and looks good. I couldn't wear it for a whole gig, but one 1.5 hour stint is ok.

[casapete]

25 minutes ago, spacecowboy said:

Still haven’t had the opportunity to gig the Ken Smith though… definitely can’t have that as a backup to the p bass 🤣

Do it!

[Merton]

3 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

My backup bass. Good enough to gig, and I have.

 

 

 

Got a great pic of MiniMert with that at the London Bass Guitar show in 2018 😎

 

In terms of backups I always take a spare bass and a spare amp these days. Sometimes the second bass gets an airing but depends on my mood and songs in the set etc 🤓

[chris_b]

13 hours ago, asingardenof said:

Question for those who take two basses to a gig: do you take one just as a spare or do you use both?

 

 

 

I have not had a gear failure in 20 years, but still I take 2 of everything to every gig and they are all #1's. I can use either bass or either amp depending on what comes out of the car first. If one cab goes down the other can cover. I'm currently carrying 3 full sets of leads.

 

IMO there's no point in playing a great #1 bass and then needing to use a POC backup. For me the backup has to be as good as the #1.

[BassTractor]

Not a bass, I know, but I always take a spare fridge - just in case my main one strikes and the beer's warm.

Edited December 26, 2023 by BassTractor

[la bam]

After years of carrying 2 basses I still do. You know exactly what will happen if I don't.... 

 

However, I now use a gig bag (instead of case) for the spare with a really big front pocket, so it acts as a carry for spare cables, plugs etc as well. So all my spares are in one easy carry. 

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, neepheid said:

I take two basses to the gig and if nothing goes wrong, I swap them over at half time.  It took me a long time to work out that I could have double the fun at a gig.  I don't care which bass I play - all my basses sound bassy.  I've never had someone come up to me and say "you sounded better with the other bass".

 

Exactly this! Whats the point of having several basses without the fun of playing them?

[neepheid]

9 hours ago, Bolo said:

Discuss with the band if, when and why you want to switch basses.

 

Why? They only notice me if I flub something or stop playing...

 

[warwickhunt]

I've played bass 'live' for 43 years (30 - 100 gigs per year) and I've never once needed to use a spare bass.  That isn't to say I never take one; for high profile important gigs I'll take a spare but for pub/club gigs I don't.  Saying that, I look after my gear and attend to issues as soon as they show the first inkling and I change batteries regularly in active basses!  

[Norris]

I've never carried a spare bass in nearly 40 of regular gigging. Strings, yes. Batteries, yes. Spare bass, no.

 

The only things I've ever had go wrong apart from very rare string breakages, were amp/speaker related. I don't carry a spare one of those either, for the 2 or 3 failures in 2000+ (conservative guess) gigs

[Reggaebass]

Never taken a spare and luckily I’ve never needed one, and I’ve never broken a string since I’ve been playing 

[dmccombe7]

Yep spare bass to every gig and never used.

I used to play the spare first set but preferred my main Sandberg basses and now just stick with them VM4 for Glam band and MarloweDK for the punk band.

Dave

[neepheid]

I like and enjoy playing all my basses by various metrics so for me there is no underclass of bass in my collection - I happily gig any of my basses. Any that I wouldn't gig, I move on.

[Paul S]

That's the thing with spares - you never ever need them, right up until the time you do  

 

 

[bassbiscuits]

I’ve got a couple of those Markbass Bass Keeper things so I just Velcro my spare bass to the side of my amp. Saves taking up space onstage with a spare in a stand. As I dep quite a lot I find I’m often left with the small space that’s left once everyone else is in place so it comes in quite handy!

[Franticsmurf]

My spare is usually a passive headless Spirit - small, light and reliable. I'll keep it out of sight but on stage and ready to grab with the minimum of fuss. On some gigs, usually the ones with a proper stage, I'll take a different spare with the intention of swapping during the night. That will be on stage and visible. The spare bass is tuned and it's volume is roughly matched with the main if necessary. 

 

I went to see my mate's band last week and he (the guitarist) broke a string at the start of the second song. He had a spare, so the bassist did an impromptu solo while he swapped over. Only to find the spare guitar wasn't tuned and was much louder than his main guitar, which led to howls of feedback as he plugged in. It was as useless as the one with the broke string until he'd fixed it. 

[Staggering on]

When I played EB I only had one bass and never had a problem and never had a spare bass at a gig.

Now that I play mostly DB and a few EUB gigs things have changed. If it's a DB gig I always have my Yamaha SLB 200 with me just in case I have a problem with my DB, they are a lot more delicate than an EB.  It's a bit of a hassle but it's good for my peace of mind since most gigs are at least an hour from home and borrowing a DB on short notice isn't easy, so far I've never had to use it.

If it's a EUB gig I don't take a back up, I've never had a problem with the SLB 200 in six years of gigging and rehearsing with it.

[SuperSeagull]

I always take a spare but the only time I needed it was the one time I chose to leave it in the car! 

[fretmeister]

Spare. I’ll soundcheck with both to make sure all is well. If at the check one is sounding a bit better in the room for some reason, then I’ll use that. But I won’t swap during a show unless something goes wrong with my first choice.

[thebrig]

I only use P basses which are usually my own builds and I always check them over before leaving home, and providing you treat them well and don't knock them around, what can go wrong with a P bass?

 

I always carry a small holdall packed with spare "used" strings, a spare small amp head, a DI pedal, leads, straps, 9v batteries for my Boss tuner, spare clip-on tuner, tool kit, etc.. but I have never needed to use any of them myself, but the guitarists in the band do appreciate my "spares" bag because they never seem to check over their gear before leaving home, or have much in the way of spares themselves.

Edited December 27, 2023 by thebrig

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, thebrig said:

I always carry a small holdall packed with spare "used" strings, a spare small amp head, a DI pedal, leads, straps, 9v batteries for my Boss tuner, spare clip-on tuner, tool kit, etc.. but I have never needed to use any of them myself, but the guitarists in the band do appreciate my "spares" bag because they never seem to check over their gear before leaving home, or have much in the way of spares themselves.

 

Ahh yes, the other, often overlooked role of the bass player in a band - "band parent/guardian"

[chris_b]

44 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Ahh yes, the other, often overlooked role of the bass player in a band - "band parent/guardian"

 

I've carried fuses since the 70's and batteries since the 90's.

 

Need once always carry.

 

Over the years, I've bailed out several guitarists and PA's.