LESSON 1
Breaking Murphy's Law On The Gig
Murphy's Law says, “If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong.” The person who first defined Murphy's Law had to be a musician. When you are at home practicing your bass, nothing ever seems to go wrong. You rarely break a string, your batteries are always fresh and life is beautiful. Once you step into the studio or onto the stage, however, Mr. Murphy shows up and throws a wrench into your musical works. Does that mean we should just bow our collective heads in fear of Murphy's Law? No way! There are some specific actions we can take which will allow us to either break the law outright, or at least get a stay of execution.
The most important thing a bassist can do to fend of Mr. Murphy is to put together a Musical First Aid Kit. This kit will need to include tools and supplies that can be used to keep your music alive when things begin to go awry. Putting together this kit takes creativity and foresight. You need to sit down with all of the gear that you take on the job and play the “What if…” game. For example, if your bass has active onboard electronics, you need to ask yourself, “What if my battery goes dead during a song?” What will you need to have to quickly get back up to speed? It isn't enough to just throw a spare 9-volt battery in your kit. You need to look at what it takes to get to your battery. Some basses require a small screwdriver to get to the battery compartment. If your bass is like that, you need to make sure you have two screwdrivers in your kit (because someone will inevitably “borrow” one). Additionally, be sure to have a small baggie with extra screws for your compartment cover plate, because Mr. Murphy just loves knocking one of those vital fasteners out of your hand so that it falls in the abyss that lies beneath the stage. If you want to bypass this battery replacement problem altogether, just buy a bass that has an easy-to-access battery compartment plate, which requires no tools or screws to open and close. 
All active Warwick basses come with easy-access compartment plates that cleanly and firmly snap into place without the hassle of little screws or tools. A basic feature like that can really simplify your life while simultaneously pissing off Mr. Murphy.
When you are putting together your Musical First Aid Kit, there are a few rules to keep in mind. First, have two back-ups for everything that can break, wear out or dry up. Second, if you are going on a tour, pack as many replacement parts and tools that you can. To save space, you may want to look at your tour schedule and find addresses and phone numbers for music stores in every city that you go through. In this day and age, the internet makes that a very simple task. Third, when choosing a bag or a case to carry all of your first aid supplies, find one that you can lock up. This isn't to deter some stranger from stealing your things (it is meant to be portable after all, so they could just walk off with the bag), but it will keep your thieving band mates from helping themselves to your cache without you knowing about it!
While each bassist will have a different list of supplies that they will need to include in their first aid kits, here are some general items that I think everyone should have:
When you first buy a new bass, be sure to get back-up tools. This is key. Most dealers have access to order spare kits, and the prices are usually minimal. All Warwick basses are shipped with a 1.5mm, a 2.5mm, and a 5mm hex wrench, so it is rather easy to go down to your local hardware store and buy a few spares. One day you will be glad you did! (Hint: Try putting different colored tape on each wrench. It will make it easier to quickly get the right tool the first time.)
As you can imagine, the list of emergency supplies could go on forever. Use your own discretion and common sense when putting together your Musical First Aid Kit. If you find that your list is way too long to be practical, you can pare it down by removing items that can be easily picked up from any mini-mart or convenience store. Also, you can prioritize each item by asking yourself, “Could I continue to gig without having this item?” The final decision, and the responsibility, is yours.
It is practically impossible to prepare for every obstacle that Mr. Murphy can throw in your way. As your road and recording experience grows, so should your Musical First Aid Kit. If you find yourself unprepared for a certain musical emergency, get through it the best way you can, then later jot down notes and ideas as to how you could either prevent the situation from occurring, or how you can quickly recover from it. That notebook will be invaluable to you and should be left in your last will and testament to those you love.
If you have any ideas or experiences that you would like to share with us at Warwick, please feel to email them to DaleT@danabgoods.com. We will add all valid suggestions to future web site updates. Now let's all stay safe out there!