How many basses do you bring to a gig

[heinpete]

...one for each song it's always my Ric !
No kidding, sometimes I have a 5-String with me if certain songs demand that.
Backup because of feared string break! Never!

[sloop_john_b]

I've only taken one forever, but this year I started taking two. I've never broken a string and I feel like I MUST be due (especially considering I use really old & worn strings).

[fatcat]

One. No spare anything.
Have never ever broken a bass string.

[s4001]

One. Heck, I'd play a gig with just a direct box if I can get away with it. If a string breaks, I'll play the others. If the amp goes out, I'll go direct. This attitude is sure to bite me in the arfe someday.

[Badanovski]

I bring 2 basses. I play with a pick & love the sound when I dig in. I used to break strings a lot. Not so much these days ( getting old). Unfortunately I only have 1 Ric. I broke a string at the last gig & had to switch to my 51 reissue P bass. It was a let down after 3 hours of 4003S. Looks like it's time to sell some other basses & get another Ric.

[jps]

It varies, depending on the venue and what i feel like bringing, sometimes just one Rick, sometimes one Rick and one Martin Keith, sometimes only a Martin Keith, sometimes two Ricks and a Martin Keith, sometimes two Mar...................

[stanislav]

3++

I only ever broke a string once, while we were tuning up. The A string, and I didn't have a spare. At least half of our songs are in A or E, so it was a bad night.

So now I take a 4004Cii and a 4003, usually the Blackstar. Depending on what songs we play, I'll need the 4003FL or the S8. I play guitar for one song, so the 480 comes along, and mandolin for one song, the 5002V58.

...one keyboard, bass pedals, a computer, and a 20 space rack...

[Kronborg]

I always bring at least two, but depending which band I play with/what kind of gig it is I normally use one or two on stage.
One of the bands is an old-school blues-rock band where I tend to only use my Fender Jazz strung with flats, though I normally carry my Rick 4001 or my other Jazz as a spare.
The second band I play in, I always use at least two basses on stage, because the music (which is original and not cover) needs a variety of different sounds. There I still use the jazz for most songs, though the Rick gets at least three songs, two of them with a pick, and the last with fingers.
My third band is a part cover part original music (in the sense that we've taken some known hard rock songs and mixed them with what we in Denmark call "Dansk-top" which is what the elderly usually listen to) and I tend to bring whatever bass I think deserves stagetime. Typically I will play one set with my Jazz and the next set with my 4001 or the other way around.

The rest of the smaller projects where we only play a few songs in small gigs or in the studio I use whichever bass fits the song. I did a record with the above mentioned band number two, where I used 5 different basses on 7 songs, and I only played on 6 of the songs

[Baker69]

I always tend to take 2 basses, whilst I love my Ric it is not suitable for all the material our band plays and I swap & change as the sets dictate.

My 'main' bass is active and I have had a few 'surprise' battery exhaustions mid-song so a second bass is essential to me. (Should check my batteries more often really).

Having 2 basses on stage looks cool as well!!

[teeder]

I used to take two basses all the time, but have never broke a string. For the past few years I only take one bass and an extra pack of strings.

[T28]

This has been very enlightening. Thanks to everyone for their responses.
Looks like I might start taking a spare.....one with flats and one with rounds.

[jps]

When I take more than one it is not a spare, it is one with rounds one with flats, or 4 and 5 string basses for different requirements. This past Spring I took three basses to use for a gig (4004L - flats, 4001V63 - rounds, Elfin 5 - 5 string-rounds).

[coolingitdown]

One. Never had a problem, which means I probably will next time now.

I only play in church these days, and for that I just use a DI. One bass, one case of pedals, cables, etc... Nice and simple, and the sound guy loves it! I just have to stay on him about EQ here and there.

[electrofaro]

One. Never had a problem, which means I probably will next time now.

I take none, which means I don't have problems at gigs either

[kiramdear]

I bring two, use the lighter one.