Do you use your “best” bass on gigs?

[Stub Mandrel]

Performer diddled with for half an hour, then put into it's case for the first time in a long time (I had to repair the handle, and it's few outings in the last ten years have been in a jazz bass case).

[JoeEvans]

Bass players: I'd never take my favourite bass out to a gig, it might get a tiny scratch on it and that would be really upsetting.

Also bass players: just taking this one out the back to go at it with a rusty bike chain and an angle grinder for a lovely authentic-looking relic finish.

[casapete]

I haven’t used my 63 Precision regularly for a while, although it does get an airing every 

now and then on gigs where I know I won’t have to worry about it. When I was doing 

gigs in the theatre band, I was worried that once we’d soundchecked and then gone 

out for a couple of hours in search of food / drink, there was a window of opportunity 

for someone to steal it. This was further reinforced by our laptop getting nicked from

the mixing booth in one venue, and nobody saw anything! 

Ironically the bass I chose to use on those gigs has now become very special to me too-

it’s a P-Lyte and I use it for most of my electric gig / deps etc. I did around 800 gigs

with it in the previous band, so would be a tough one to lose. 

Just started a rock and roll gig in a local club so will be getting the old Precision out for

that I think. Big stage, nice audience and I’m around all the gig so happy days. 

[bassbiscuits]

Yes I gig all three of my basses. But I don’t take every bass to every gig. 
 

I try not to play $h1tholes where my kit will be stolen, but it’s more about evening out the wear and tear.
 

I suspect a drunken Saturday night pub crowd will not appreciate the tonal qualities of a vintage Fender over a cheap and cheerful Yamaha, so why bother taking it? 
 

[Chienmortbb]

11 hours ago, bassbiscuits said:

Yes I gig all three of my basses. But I don’t take every bass to every gig. 
 

I try not to play $h1tholes where my kit will be stolen, but it’s more about evening out the wear and tear.
 

I suspect a drunken Saturday night pub crowd will not appreciate the tonal qualities of a vintage Fender over a cheap and cheerful Yamaha, so why bother taking it? 
 

I took my newly set-up Aerodyne (both my most expensive bass and the one that means most to me, as I bought it with the money my Mum left me). It was a Con Club so no real issues, but I always take it when it is set upwell (7.5in radius neck so very sensitive to slight changes in temp/humidity).

 

My second bass is a Sire Marcus Miller M2. Cost about £400 including upgraded machine heads (hate cheap machine heads). Once it is set up to my liking, I will take my G4M P bass when I am happy with it. It was £150 but has had a new Bridge (£30) and new Wilkinson machine Heads (£30). 

 

[bassbiscuits]

4 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

 

Good work @Chienmortbb.

While I do gig my old precision bass quite often, my main go-to bass is a Yamaha BB604 that cost me £200 about seven years ago. 

Both sound ace, despite probably having a £3k price gap between them. 

 

[12stringbassist]

I'll take any instrument I own to a gig, as that's what I bought them for.
I don't let people get near them unless I know them, and not always then.
I will fend off people saying 'Can I have a go?' as a matter of course.

[police squad]

7 hours ago, 12stringbassist said:

I'll take any instrument I own to a gig, as that's what I bought them for.
I don't let people get near them unless I know them, and not always then.
I will fend off people saying 'Can I have a go?' as a matter of course.

if people ask me, 'can I have a go' and I tell them 'no' and they get funny, I tell them, 'it's like me asking to have a go on your girlfriend/wife/boyfrien/husband/partner'

they usually get the message

[Chienmortbb]

On 02/07/2025 at 14:18, bassbiscuits said:

Good work @Chienmortbb.

While I do gig my old precision bass quite often, my main go-to bass is a Yamaha BB604 that cost me £200 about seven years ago. 

Both sound ace, despite probably having a £3k price gap between them. 

 

I have gigged a £1200 bass £300 bass and a £50 (SH) bass. None have let me down. Ironically, the £50 one is that only one that has had no hardware changes, only new pots and jack socket. 

Edited Saturday at 15:09 by Chienmortbb

[DJ-MTD]

I play all my ridiculously expensive gear on all my gigs. That's most of the fun of having it! Although I do think I look like an asshole showing up with my 535 (and Vigier Excess backup), big ass rig and high end board. But... it makes me happy and I absolutely play better/easier on the gear I use all the time at home... so I'll keep looking like a corksniffing jackass. 

 

Also from a guy on the manufacturer side of things - we make em to be played!

[Stub Mandrel]

Definite yes Saturday: 

 

[Merton]

Yes

[dave_bass5]

I use my best bass for anything bass related. No point having a best and not using it. 

To me most expensive doesn't mean best, but I use my most expense bass as well (it's the same one in my case).

Edited Tuesday at 11:13 by dave_bass5

[ASW]

On 23/06/2025 at 11:07, dclaassen said:

Thinking about this as I prep for another dep job. My MPV fiver has not been out of the house for a while, but I’ve been playing it almost exclusively whilst practicing. It’s such a joy to play, and inspires me to try more creative kinds of bass lines. I think I’ll unleash it this weekend. Would you take a basically irreplaceable instrument to a pub gig? Why or why not?

 

Apologies for my ignorance, but what is an MPV fiver? 

 

Also, what is your definition of basically irreplaceable?

 

I don't have any basses that are irreplaceable, but I am rather attached to my Custom Shop Precision and would rather not have to replace it. I do use that at pub gigs though.

 

Some people save their "best" for home because they are expensive and don't want them damaged or stolen. I can understand this, but for me, I don't want to use inferior instruments or gear at any gig as I want to enjoy it as much as possible rather than just take a tool for the job that will do. 

[dave_bass5]

19 minutes ago, ASW said:

 

 

 

Some people save their "best" for home because they are expensive and don't want them damaged or stolen. I can understand this, but for me, I don't want to use inferior instruments or gear at any gig as I want to enjoy it as much as possible rather than just take a tool for the job that will do. 

Over the years ive read many posts about how player's MUST have certain spec's, its all they can play etc, and they spend a lot of money to get this 'perfect' bass, but then get a cheap bass to play pubs etc. I get it, but always chuckle when I read things like that. 

My P bass is pretty much irreplaceable, being a very limited edition that would be hard to replace, but if something happened to it id just buy something else. In fact it's me having this bass that has caused me to buy and sell other, possibly better basses. 

I guess that's the advantage of never spending silly money on a bass.

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

Over the years ive read many posts about how player's MUST have certain spec's, its all they can play etc, and they spend a lot of money to get this 'perfect' bass, but then get a cheap bass to play pubs etc. I get it, but always chuckle when I read things like that.

 

Mines the opposite to that. I can play whatever bass, although I don't enjoy it if the string spacing is wide or if it has bits that dig in, or its too heavy, or there is some random piece of metal where I want to put my hand. However, if I am gigging, because I am also singing and playing keys with my feet, if the string spacing is wide, i WILL mess it up, because I don't have my attention on playing as I would have at home. For the same reason, I won't bother with a non 5 string, because I don't want to have to change basses when I am playing live, though obviously at home it doesn't make any difference

[dave_bass5]

5 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Mines the opposite to that. I can play whatever bass, although I don't enjoy it if the string spacing is wide or if it has bits that dig in, or its too heavy, or there is some random piece of metal where I want to put my hand. However, if I am gigging, because I am also singing and playing keys with my feet, if the string spacing is wide, i WILL mess it up, because I don't have my attention on playing as I would have at home. For the same reason, I won't bother with a non 5 string, because I don't want to have to change basses when I am playing live, though obviously at home it doesn't make any difference

Oh down get me wrong, im the same. Dont like 20mm spacing, wide necks etc. Im talking more about those that say they HAVE to spend £1000's on a bass to get something playable, and then play something much cheaper. If you can use the cheaper bass, then you didnt HAVE to spend all that money. Not that it isn't fun, its just the false justification a lot of the time 

 

[Woodinblack]

41 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Oh down get me wrong, im the same. Dont like 20mm spacing, wide necks etc. Im talking more about those that say they HAVE to spend £1000's on a bass to get something playable, and then play something much cheaper. If you can use the cheaper bass, then you didnt HAVE to spend all that money. Not that it isn't fun, its just the false justification a lot of the time 

 

No argument there, honestly on most gigs people really cant tell what bass you are using. A playable bass isn't a price item, I am happy to play my OLP or my Shuker or my Ibanez - hugely different price points. over christmas I played my Aliexpress acrylic bass, its not as nice to play as it is really heavy and the pickups aren't great, but it plays and it lights up with LEDs and people notice that much more than the sound!

I buy the expensive basses for me, because I like them but if I didn't care about that, there is no gig I couldn't have done without a sub £200 bass and a sub £200 amplifier / speaker. 

[dclaassen]

10 hours ago, ASW said:

 

Apologies for my ignorance, but what is an MPV fiver? 

 

Also, what is your definition of basically irreplaceable?

 

I don't have any basses that are irreplaceable, but I am rather attached to my Custom Shop Precision and would rather not have to replace it. I do use that at pub gigs though.

 

Some people save their "best" for home because they are expensive and don't want them damaged or stolen. I can understand this, but for me, I don't want to use inferior instruments or gear at any gig as I want to enjoy it as much as possible rather than just take a tool for the job that will do. 

Pedulla MPV 5 string fretted pj. Would be very difficult to replace, even if I could afford to. 

[crazycloud]

15 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

I buy the expensive basses for me, because I like them but if I didn't care about that, there is no gig I couldn't have done without a sub £200 bass and a sub £200 amplifier / speaker. 

Agreed, but even the modest Ibanezes (SRs and BTB) and my Cort A series are so good, I'm completely stuffed as to why I'd bother with something really expensive again.