"Can I have a go on your bass, mate?"

[Master blaster]

Ive only had one guy ask to play my bass at a gig. There was no chance as i saw him in the local paper before for vandalising cars. I would only let friends and band mates have a go.

As for my amp there always seems to be a re-occuring problem. I get booked in my band quite often where theres like 4/5 other bands playing. And in 98% of them ive been the only guy to turn up with my amp. Usually i know the other guys and they ask if they can use it whcih if fine as long aas they dont play with any EQ settings etc. Theres always one guy there that asumes they can play it without asking. After this happening on many occasions i now just turn the amp off before they play and take the kettle lead out. If they arnt profesional enough to bring an amp and they dont ask then they should either go through the pa or they can simply not play. May make me sound like and arse but its not my problem.

Does anyone else have people turn up to gigs and assume that your amp is a comunal amp?

[Clarky72]

[quote name='Master blaster' post='756029' date='Feb 24 2010, 01:04 PM']Ive only had one guy ask to play my bass at a gig. There was no chance as i saw him in the local paper before for vandalising cars. I would only let friends and band mates have a go.

As for my amp there always seems to be a re-occuring problem. I get booked in my band quite often where theres like 4/5 other bands playing. And in 98% of them ive been the only guy to turn up with my amp. Usually i know the other guys and they ask if they can use it whcih if fine as long aas they dont play with any EQ settings etc. Theres always one guy there that asumes they can play it without asking. After this happening on many occasions i now just turn the amp off before they play and take the kettle lead out. If they arnt profesional enough to bring an amp and they dont ask then they should either go through the pa or they can simply not play. May make me sound like and arse but its not my problem.

Does anyone else have people turn up to gigs and assume that your amp is a comunal amp?[/quote]


If people assume my amp is communal I ask if their wife is. That usually stops them touching my gear!

[51m0n]

[quote name='Clarky72' post='756032' date='Feb 24 2010, 01:06 PM']If people assume my amp is communal I ask if their wife is. That usually stops them touching my gear! [/quote]

Great until she is, and a syphalitic m*nger to boot....

[neepheid]

[quote name='Master blaster' post='756029' date='Feb 24 2010, 01:04 PM']Does anyone else have people turn up to gigs and assume that your amp is a comunal amp?[/quote]

I've not had people assume that the amp is communal - I've either been asked first, or some kind of balanced gear sharing has been arranged beforehand via the promoter or myspace communication.

If anyone does make that assumption in future I will correct them

[josh3184]

[quote name='Master blaster' post='756029' date='Feb 24 2010, 01:04 PM']Does anyone else have people turn up to gigs and assume that your amp is a comunal amp?[/quote]

Happenned in my third gig, was standing at the bar near the stage and turn around and there he is playing through it. Just assembled my first head/cab setup so I was not happy to say the least! Cue "Oh I thought that it was the venue's". He could have asked the tech who was right by him if it was or not! Sigh.

[quote name='LeftyJ' post='755760' date='Feb 24 2010, 06:59 AM']Sometimes it has its advantages to be a lefty [/quote]
[quote name='leftybassman392' post='755256' date='Feb 23 2010, 05:49 PM']Sometimes it's just sooooooo cool to be a leftie! [/quote]

One of the few advantages of our condition My views of it are- if they know what they're doing (a bassist in another band say) then I'm very happy for them to try it out. I was lucky enough to have the cash and find the deals that got me my equipment, want to spread the love! Besides, you can't find Warwicks or Musicmen in a lot of music shops these days so it might be one of the rare occasions they get to try such briliant instruments. If they come away thinking "that's what I want when I have the money" then I feel I've helped

On the other hand, randomers are a biiiig nono. Get to utter the immortal line "Well I would BUT I'm left handed. Sorry!" Gets more difficult when they insist that they'll play it upside down. No you won't. You'll stuff it up somehow. I know how these things go down and I saw the getaway car outside. Be gone from me demon.

Edited February 24, 2010 by josh3184

[martthebass]

A couple of weeks back I was at one of the local Jams and took my new (to me) Ray 30th for a bit of a tryout. After our 'stint' the next guy up asked to have a go on my bass, I just pointed to the house bass (a respectable fairly new Squier Jazz CV) and indicated that was a free-for. He did a bit of an 'harumpf' and comment about he lent out his gear and how he was super careful etc but I let it pass with a smile.

2 minutes into his band's set he was flailing around so much that he managed to un hook the bass with it falling to the floor and picking up a sizeable bit of damage. I didn't feel the need to say anything......

[thisnameistaken]

I don't let randoms touch my basses (except this old orange Jazz I had years ago but I'd butchered that thing) but I don't mind other bands using my amp, especially if they're younger guys - I remember when I couldn't afford a half-decent amp and having to take my 1x15 combo to gigs on the bus.

[Clarky72]

[quote name='51m0n' post='756042' date='Feb 24 2010, 01:17 PM']Great until she is, and a syphalitic m*nger to boot....[/quote]
Oh cr*p.... yeah that would not be a good result; some numpty breaks my bass and I get to cop off with the some flea-ridden bike. hmmm

[LeftyJ]

[quote name='josh3184' post='756049' date='Feb 24 2010, 02:30 PM']I was lucky enough to have the cash and find the deals that got me my equipment, want to spread the love! Besides, you can't find Warwicks or Musicmen in a lot of music shops these days so it might be one of the rare occasions they get to try such briliant instruments. If they come away thinking "that's what I want when I have the money" then I feel I've helped [/quote]

Agreed.

When I buy or sell secondhand basses with local pickup, I always ask the seller or buyer if there's anything else in my arsenal they're anxious to try out. Everyone is always curious about my Rickenbacker 4003. I was at Arni's Lefty Bass Day at CMS Music in Duisburg, Germany, and everyone drooled around it. But unlike at your bash, nobody dared picking it up and playing it unless I encouraged it (which I happily did).

[Doddy]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='755617' date='Feb 23 2010, 10:50 PM']Unfortunately, by their nature (i.e. they're made of metal and you hit them) cymbals have a limited life.[/quote]

If you play them correctly though,they can last for years.I play with people who regularly use cymbals
that are 30 or 40 years old,and sound great.

As far as letting people play my bass.... If I hand it to you,you can have go,if I don't you can leave it
alone. A drummer I work with regularly(who has a nice Stingray too) knows he can pick my bass up if
he wants,but still always asks. It's the same if I want to play his drums. That's how it should be.

[artisan]

[quote name='firmo' post='754833' date='Feb 23 2010, 01:30 PM']Once at a gig my bass was on it's stand right at the back of the stage (behind the curtain) when the support bands bassist bust a string. I was stood there and saw him put his bass down and disappear somewhere, I assumed he'd gone to grab his spare only to find him come back out from behind the curtain with my bass! Cheeky little f***er[/quote]


LOL that exact thing happened to me a few years ago but the cheeky little f***er was none other than Norman Watt Roy
we were supporting Wilco Johnson at Fibbers in York when Norman broke a string & sent the big ugly mofo guarding the dressing room to fetch my P bass.
it was a laugh to watch his first couple on notes though as we were tuned down a half step
mind he played like a demon all night without retuning my bass & i got a nice big thank you from him & Wilco over the p.a. plus a good chat afterwards,bloody nice blokes the pair of them.
my bass was a real sweaty mess when i got it back though,ive never seen anyone sweat so much.

[OldGit]

[quote name='artisan' post='756140' date='Feb 24 2010, 03:00 PM']LOL that exact thing happened to me a few years ago but the cheeky little f***er was none other than Norman Watt Roy
we were supporting Wilco Johnson at Fibbers in York when Norman broke a string & sent the big ugly mofo guarding the dressing room to fetch my P bass.
it was a laugh to watch his first couple on notes though as we were tuned down a half step
mind he played like a demon all night without retuning my bass & i got a nice big thank you from him & Wilco over the p.a. plus a good chat afterwards,bloody nice blokes the pair of them.
my bass was a real sweaty mess when i got it back though,ive never seen anyone sweat so much.[/quote]


Did it play differently after that? John Dankworth used to tell a tale of lending his sax to Charlie Parker who had turned up to play wthout his as he'd hocked it ... he said it was totally different ever after...

[artisan]

[quote name='OldGit' post='756191' date='Feb 24 2010, 05:55 PM']Did it play differently after that? John Dankworth used to tell a tale of lending his sax to Charlie Parker who had turned up to play wthout his as he'd hocked it ... he said it was totally different ever after...[/quote]

not in the slightest,i just had to spend a couple of hours cleaning & restringing it but it was worth it just to watch Norm playing it.

[OldGit]

[quote name='artisan' post='756211' date='Feb 24 2010, 04:16 PM']not in the slightest,i just had to spend a couple of hours cleaning & restringing it but it was worth it just to watch Norm playing it.[/quote]


Pictures?

I'd love Norm to sweat all over mine. I wonder if he offers that as a service?

Herbie Flowers once played a P bass I owned (I was playing his famour blue jazz at the time)

Edited February 24, 2010 by OldGit

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='Doddy' post='756080' date='Feb 24 2010, 01:52 PM']If you play them correctly though,they can last for years.I play with people who regularly use cymbals
that are 30 or 40 years old,and sound great.[/quote]

That's a fair point, but its also unlikely that a new (Non faulty) cymbal would break however hard you hit it with a drum stick (assuming he did use a drum stick and not a mike stand or something!).

[gjones]

If it's a eejit drunken punter I just say NO! If they're persistant I say to them, in a not so light hearted manner, ' If I can have a shot of your wife/girlfriend - you can have a shot of my bass'. They usually get the point.

Nobody has yet shouted ' Hey Doris get yer arse over here! This guys gonna let me try his bass guitar!'

Edited February 24, 2010 by gjones

[Paul_C]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='755617' date='Feb 23 2010, 10:50 PM']To be fair to the bloke the crash was probably going to split pretty soon anyway, and he wasn't necessarily abusing it, so you could hardly expect him to replace it with a new one.
Unfortunately, by their nature (i.e. they're made of metal and you hit them) cymbals have a limited life.[/quote]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='756305' date='Feb 24 2010, 06:12 PM']That's a fair point, but its also unlikely that a new (Non faulty) cymbal would break however hard you hit it with a drum stick (assuming he did use a drum stick and not a mike stand or something!).[/quote]


. . . do you know, I'm now convinced you must be the most knowledgeable man on the planet as regards cymbals - I shall make sure to put all my cymbal-related questions your way in the future, and refer anyone who might ask me anything about cymbals to you, so you can share your wisdom with them too.

Thank you for your insights on the subject.

*bows deeply*

[Deep Thought]

The bassist with a band we were suporting last year (Al from Larry Miller's band) was kind enough to offer me a go on his Fodera Monarch, which I thought was very good of him, but if it's another bass player I think you should be OK (unless his is a battered, mojo'd wreck, in which case think twice).

[Commando Jack]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='756305' date='Feb 24 2010, 06:12 PM']That's a fair point, but its also unlikely that a new (Non faulty) cymbal would break however hard you hit it with a drum stick (assuming he did use a drum stick and not a mike stand or something!).[/quote]


This isn't entirely true - if a cymbal is hit the wrong way it is possible that it will crack. Hitting the edge with a perpendicular stick (usually because the cymbal is too high) can easily crack a cymbal. Other incorrect setups can put more stress on the cymbal, shortening its lifespan (e.g. tilting the cymbal at extreme angles etc...).

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='Paul_C' post='756626' date='Feb 24 2010, 11:21 PM']. . . do you know, I'm now convinced you must be the most knowledgeable man on the planet as regards cymbals - I shall make sure to put all my cymbal-related questions your way in the future, and refer anyone who might ask me anything about cymbals to you, so you can share your wisdom with them too.

Thank you for your insights on the subject.

*bows deeply*[/quote]

Yor welcome

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='Commando Jack' post='756993' date='Feb 25 2010, 12:51 PM']This isn't entirely true - if a cymbal is hit the wrong way it is possible that it will crack. Hitting the edge with a perpendicular stick (usually because the cymbal is too high) can easily crack a cymbal. Other incorrect setups can put more stress on the cymbal, shortening its lifespan (e.g. tilting the cymbal at extreme angles etc...).[/quote]

In my post I did say 'It's unlikely' and you say 'It's possible', so I don't actually see any disagreement between us. It can be 'unlikely but possible'.

However as you say, and I hadn't actually considered this, incorrect mounting could/would shorten the life expectancy' cos you'd end up hitting it in a more stressful way. I would still have thought however, and may be wrong, that the older/more used the cymbal the more likely it is to fail if hit incorrectly, simply due to fatigue and work hardening.

Any full blown metalurgists out there to give a technical view on this?

Is there a 'Cymbalchat' anywhere?

Edited February 25, 2010 by Count Bassy

[josh3184]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='757001' date='Feb 25 2010, 12:57 PM']Is there a 'Cymbalchat' anywhere?[/quote]

That would be a delightfully specific forum

[Stylon Pilson]

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='757001' date='Feb 25 2010, 12:57 PM']Is there a 'Cymbalchat' anywhere?[/quote]

There's a sub-forum of drumchat.com called "Cymbal Chat", if that's enough to satisfy you.

S.P.

[wolldav]

I usually NEVER let any one play my bass. I play in a Gospel church band so its real hard to tell folks no. Myself and another bass player had a 4 day convention to play at. He did a couple days and i did the other. We both practiced the song sets together, he had his bass and i had mine. Day before the convention started he called to say his bass is acting up and if he could use mine. I felt a way but i told his yes. I was there at the days that i wasn't playing and he treated my bass with respect. He plays a Bass Collection and i play a Ken Smith, hence the nervousness.

Another time recently i bought the New Shuttle 9.0 Genz. I was in church playing and after church the band usually jams, one of the drummers that weren't playing came up and said WOW thats a small amp but yet so power full... As i was jamming with the band he bends down and starts to turn buttons, volume, bass, treble, etc. he then started to puss of the 3 buttons to the right.... My blood was boiling because i was in a church setting i could'nt re-act in an inapporiate way... I then stopped playing, packed up my stuff and went home. My head is sweating now just thinking about it.....

Now, i would not lend out my gear or let anyone play my bass unless i was 100% sure that they could afford to replace it.

[throwoff]

I love being a lefty!
When people do ask to play im almost always cool with it unless they are drunk in which case no way are they touching it!
Although as a lefty I know that its not everyday you see a Stingray or a 50's reissue Fender P the 'right' way round! So im cool with people having a go.

The amp thing though - dont get me started!
I was in the same band for 4 years maybe and both guitarists had big half stacks so I had to buy something plenty loud for even small gigs. I ended up with an Ampeg Cab and Ashdown head and the amount of gigs we did where people wouldnt bring amps was stupid. I had one bassist admit to me at a gig (who had 'forgotten' his amp again) that he didnt bring his Peavey Combo to gigs we were playing because he knew I would have my nice rig.
I dread taking my Markbass 8x10 and head out for the first time. I know im going to suffer the same curse of 'I just turned up with my 100W 1x15" combo (which is plenty loud for this venue) but im going to leave it in the car to play with someones 4ft tall pile of pound notes'
Not happening with that amp I will not share unless it happens to be a friend I trust in the other band.