how many basses do you bring to gigs and why?

[nofi]

my take on multiple basses, three or more is that you had better be damn good. otherwise people may see you as a poser wannabe or something else just as horrible.

[gweimer]

my take on multiple basses is that you had better be damn good. otherwise people may see you as a poser wannabe or something else just as horrible.

When I was playing for a living, I only had one bass.  I used to break E and A strings so regularly that I could actually break a string, change it, and tune it before the song ended.  There is an irony in becoming too good at doing that.  My band forced me to buy a second bass, which wasn't easy for me then.  Since then, I have always brought a standby for just such a need, and for the occasional tone switch on specific songs.

[hieronymous]

my take on multiple basses, three or more is that you had better be damn good. otherwise people may see you as a poser wannabe or something else just as horrible.

Trust me, I'm only taking two!    Any more than that and I would need a different car and a roadie.

[gweimer]

Trust me, I'm only taking two!    Any more than that and I would need a different car and a roadie.

You have more than one roadie??   

[Pilgrim]

I am my wife's roadie, but she doesn't play an instrument.  This is, I think, the Order Of Things.

[hieronymous]

I actually had a roadie once - in 2002 I got back together with the band I had left in '95 - I was living in my parents' house after they passed away and let a friend live there with me, in exchange for roadie services. I would walk into the club carrying my bass - everything else was taken care of! Nice while it lasted... 

[Highlander]

... This is, I think, the Order Of Things.

Why do you think they're called SWMBO...? 

my take on multiple basses, three or more is that you had better be damn good. otherwise people may see you as a poser wannabe or something else just as horrible.

Nofi... you are my psychiatrist...!

[ilan]

An upright and an electric because I need both. Having a station wagon helps.

[7615]

Two - whichever one I am going to play and I have a cheap Squire jazz that stays in the car in case I break a string.

Don't play different basses for different music. Have 4 electrics 3 Gretsches, 1 Pbass and 2 uprights (1 plain gut string, the other  metal wrap on synthetic core)

Usually takes a song or 2 before I settle into the bass I am playing and adjust my approach to suit the bass.

[veebass]

Two always, in case of a problem with one.
It's usually two out of a P Bass, Asat, T Bird or ES 335.
If we are doing an amplified acoustic set, the Ripper comes along.

[Pilgrim]

I always take two - usually something like my ThunderJet and my '64 EB-0. When we play Sunshine of Your Love as part of the set, I love to use that old EB-0, as it sounds perfect.  it's a good backup too, even if it sounds different than the Gretsch.

[lowend1]

Zombie thread!
Two basses - typically a Thunderbird and a something Fender-ish, although it's usually an Epiphone/Squier pairing so if a loss is incurred it's not something irreplaceable. If I am forced to carry only one bass, in order to have everything covered I will bring the Frankenstein P-Bird (P-bass with Gibson TB Plus at the bridge). There are, of course, specific situations where I don't adhere to the standard, and anything is possible.

[40Hz]

Live gig: 2. The one I expect to play plus a backup.

Recording session: as many as I think I might be asked for, although I'll always bring my Ripper and a PBass along. 85% of the time, all I'll be asked to play is the Precision. However, the Ripper has been gaining more attention and interest of late. Small wonder considering they record like a dream. I'm starting to see a few in studio instrument collections too. Maybe these producer types are waking up?

[patman]

Sixer and electric upright for me...sometimes a Dano Longhorn just because it's so much fun to play.

[slinkp]

I bring whichever I'm going to play (90% of the time it's the Gibson LPB-1), plus usually a cheapo Danelectro DC circa 1999 as a backup in case I break a string.

When I was in a more proggish band that did material I could barely play, the Dano became my main gig bass for a while because it weighs nothing and has a skinny neck and the sound worked for the band. I'm not sure it looked the part (too surfy) but nobody complained - people occasionally complimented me on it too.