neepheid Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1336647531' post='1648808'] (If a glass gets knocked on a cab you'll need a j-cloth, not the end of the world.) [/quote] Pfft, melodrama. No-one is saying it's the end of the world - it's not the end of the world if one of my basses gets smashed to smithereens. It's not the end of the world if I die - doesn't mean I'll be happy about it, and if it's caused by stupidity, negligence or carelessness then it's utterly inexcusable in my book. Regarding the gig you mention - if only life was as perfect as that. You don't have to look far on here to find stories of complete lack of respect for gear that has been shared "for the good of the gig" (which could be interpreted as making up for people's shortcomings - you can imagine that I would view with some suspicion a tradesman who came to do a job for me asking to borrow some of the fundamental tools for the job because he didn't have them with him). But gear sharing is another "hot tattie" topic altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1336649005' post='1648834'] But gear sharing is another "hot tattie" topic altogether. [/quote] Oooh - err don't go there! There is no way another musician is going anywhere near my bass gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='risingson' timestamp='1336642689' post='1648725'] There's a lot of stuff that dictates whether or not you 'take care' of your gear, I think what it usually comes down to is the type of music you play, the image you wish to project and finally, just the kind of person you are. Me, I like my gear relatively clean looking, that's just the kind of person I am. [/quote]Your bridge saddles would suggest otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I suppose it comes down to the difference between used and abused. If you take reasonable care it's easy to move most things without knocking the corners off, but if a cab occasionally meets with a door jamb I'm not going to be bothered about it. I doubt any of us unloads a van by standing inside it and pushing stuff out of the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Bolton Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1336649191' post='1648843'] Oooh - err don't go there! There is no way another musician is going anywhere near my bass gear. [/quote] If a musician pitches up at a gig asking to borrow your gear, then a musician they certainly ain't. I've loaned amps and basses out to friends who I know would take care of them, but if some snotty-nosed kid comes up to me at soundcheck and asks to use anything, they'll be politely but firmly be told to do one. Any gig I've played, I've always known which bands I'm playing with, and with the likes of Facebook and Myspace it's easy to send a message to the other bands asking if it's ok to share equipment, which I've been happy to do in the past, especially in small venues. I just don't agree with the expectant attitude of some people I've played with in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrenleepoole Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Even when I was starting out playing at the age of 16 or so I never put stickers on my bass or my amps. I did on one or two of my hard cases, but that was it. I was at the time an art student, so you could call it youthful exhibitionism. If you do that sort of thing, stickers on basses and such, you're proclaiming an affiliation to a certain idealism - such as punk or rock or goth etc. You telling people that you're part of a stylised ideal. Now that I'm older, maturer and more boring, I don't feel the need to do this anymore. Who cares if I listen to this or that! Also, I've never been flush with money and have always had to work hard to buy my gear. So looking after it makes sense. Look after your gear and it looks after you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Yeah but a good sticker is a good sticker. I wouldn't plaster a bass in them but if it's a good sticker why not. Everybody likes good stickers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewrx7 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Firmly in the used but not abused camp, in line with what others have said above. (I also don't like letting others use my gear, not that I am asked much anyway, but on one shared gig, the bassist was using my rig, and unplugging his bass without turning down the volume etc - very loud pops and bangs. None too happy!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1336649191' post='1648843'] There is no way another musician is going anywhere near my bass gear. [/quote] What about another bass player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musophilr Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1336647531' post='1648808'] I think we should try to avoid extremes, it isn't between treating like glass or abuse, or between putting a glass on a cab and pouring beer down onto valves etc, no-one is going to do that, just being much more precious about the gear than we used to. (If a glass gets knocked on a cab you'll need a j-cloth, not the end of the world.) [/quote] ... until the beer dribbles in through the air vent and shorts the HT rail to the signal input, or causes a valve to shatter. That's why you take such precautions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 when i was younger i had a more relaxed attitutde to gear, but as ive got older ive been a bit more conservative when i was younger i had a lot more disposable income so could splash out on gear. now i have houses and cars to pay for, and the gear i have accumulated i could not replace with if broke it or lost it. certainly dings and bangs will happen, its not worth being precious about, but i think people have less money spare now to fix things if they broke hence why gear is looked after more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1336652667' post='1648919'] What about another bass player? [/quote] Depends on who it was and if they seemed "responsible". I am getting old... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='Jono Bolton' timestamp='1336650279' post='1648864'] If a musician pitches up at a gig asking to borrow your gear, then a musician they certainly ain't. I've loaned amps and basses out to friends who I know would take care of them, but if some snotty-nosed kid comes up to me at soundcheck and asks to use anything, they'll be politely but firmly be told to do one. Any gig I've played, I've always known which bands I'm playing with, and with the likes of Facebook and Myspace it's easy to send a message to the other bands asking if it's ok to share equipment, which I've been happy to do in the past, especially in small venues. I just don't agree with the expectant attitude of some people I've played with in the past. [/quote] i hate this. i run with the standard rule now that i will only loan out my cab, and that has to be arranged before hand. i would never turn up to a gig and expect the bassist to lend me his rig ive been in the situation where i have due to the lack of planning from bands and the ineptitude of the promotor had to loan head, cab, and even cables (which i never got back by the way) as well as having speakers blown etc. the best one ive had a snotty teen come up to me and say "your amp is better than mine, can i use it" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Ha, this thread is timely - I was watching a band the other day, and the bass was a real beater; but it sounded great, and it was getting an absolute thrashing in the course of it. Did make me wish I could have a little of that; a little of that rock and roll magic, where you zone out and let it all go with the music... instead of worrying about bumping your bass into the mic stand; or someone dragging the fur off your cab on that nail you can feel under your toes onstage... Ah well. I'm 30. Maybe I'm too old, [i]too middle class[/i], for even this little taster of the life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 That's notwithstanding the lending issue, mind - just some nostalgia on my part Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1336649005' post='1648834'] Pfft, melodrama. No-one is saying it's the end of the world - it's not the end of the world if one of my basses gets smashed to smithereens. It's not the end of the world if I die - doesn't mean I'll be happy about it, and if it's caused by stupidity, negligence or carelessness then it's utterly inexcusable in my book. Regarding the gig you mention - if only life was as perfect as that. You don't have to look far on here to find stories of complete lack of respect for gear that has been shared "for the good of the gig" (which could be interpreted as making up for people's shortcomings - you can imagine that I would view with some suspicion a tradesman who came to do a job for me asking to borrow some of the fundamental tools for the job because he didn't have them with him). But gear sharing is another "hot tattie" topic altogether. [/quote] Extremes again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 My basses are in very good condition and I try and keep them that. I am not that worried about dinging them here and there... as I could easily get them refinshed IF it really worried me, but then I don't invite damage either. My newer amp and cabs are Mint and I intend them staying that way as long as poss.. as I can see me selling them sooner than the basses and I don't want to throw money away just because I couldn't be bothered to look after the gear sensibly and reasonably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1336650179' post='1648858'] I suppose it comes down to the difference between used and abused. If you take reasonable care it's easy to move most things without knocking the corners off, but if a cab occasionally meets with a door jamb I'm not going to be bothered about it. I doubt any of us unloads a van by standing inside it and pushing stuff out of the back. [/quote] No, of course not, and you have the nub right there. If my cab hits a door jamb I get a frown from 'er indoors who's trying to keep our place looking nice. I'm more worried about the cab. Secondly, you're absolutely right, this isn't about abuse, hence my extremes comment. Its about not taking the gear out the room in the first place, or getting upset if anyone goes near anything. I'm not worried about a dig on a door jamb, why on earth would I take a crappy advertising sticker from the top of my amp and put it underneath? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted May 10, 2012 Author Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='Jono Bolton' timestamp='1336650279' post='1648864'] If a musician pitches up at a gig asking to borrow your gear, then a musician they certainly ain't. I've loaned amps and basses out to friends who I know would take care of them, but if some snotty-nosed kid comes up to me at soundcheck and asks to use anything, they'll be politely but firmly be told to do one. Any gig I've played, I've always known which bands I'm playing with, and with the likes of Facebook and Myspace it's easy to send a message to the other bands asking if it's ok to share equipment, which I've been happy to do in the past, especially in small venues. I just don't agree with the expectant attitude of some people I've played with in the past. [/quote] This isn't the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I'm not particularly careful when moving gear around. My basses will always be in cases though, unless they're on a stand, so they tend to avoid much damage. My amp is pretty beaten up but I don't care, it still sounds the same. I do have a rule to keep the top of my amp clear of any liquids. It's nothing to do with being precious and everything to do with avoiding serious electrical problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EskimoBassist Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 There's always a fine line between use and abuse and I'm all for preserving the longevity of my gear. I mean it cost me a lot of money and as a student I don't have much to spend to replace it if it goes wrong. I'm not going to deny someone else borrowing my bass if they reaaally have to at a gig or proclaim that no-one else can use my amp, but there's definitely a certain amount of etiquette within gear sharing which kind of rules out the cab/pint glass stuff the OP wrote about. I love my gear, knocks and bruises are always eventually going to happen no matter what, but I try to respect it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 The cabs from my smaller bass rig (which is the one I use most often) are starting to look a bit scruffy now after 3 years of giging - in and out of vehicles venues and rehearsal rooms. I've been thinking of stripping them down and painting them some ridiculously bright colour and having graphics printed onto the grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 (edited) [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1336640488' post='1648663'] Years ago equipment used by bands I used to see was always pretty tatty, well used and often had the band name stencilled on and plenty of stickers on guitars, amps etc. Nowadays, despite the relative cost of the gear being much lower, we seem to be much more materialistic and frightened to even pull off clear plastic protection [/quote] To answer the first part of the question - no, I don't think we've changed over the years. Touring gear has always taken its share of knocks and bands still stencil their rigs, flightcases afaik. On the other hand, most amateurs tend to keep their gear in virgin condition, partly because it's a toy not a tool and partly because their stuff doesn't leave the house that often, when compared to a pro's schedule. Hence they have both the desire and the means to keep their gear pristine. I think that's always been the case once one acquires some decent kit. Thinking back to serious amateurs and semi-pros I worked with 35-odd years ago, they mostly all cherished their gear. As for beverages on amps, my chum has a story about getting a JCM 800 head in for repair that had 'stopped working, dunno why'. The cabinet interior and chassis were covered in vegetable soup. . Edited May 10, 2012 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1336654524' post='1648969'] I'm 30. Maybe I'm too old, [i]too middle class[/i], for even this little taster of the life. [/quote] Pah! Yer nobbut a young strip of a lad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1336660192' post='1649088'] As for beverages on amps, my chum has a story about getting a JCM 800 head in for repair that had 'stopped working, dunno why'. The cabinet interior and chassis were covered in vegetable soup. [/quote] There's only one thing worse than vegetable soup & that's regurgitated vegetable soup, which was it? hard to tell I suppose Lovely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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