How many of you would let...

Tym2cu_bass · #1 12-23-2004, 12:29 PM

... someone else touch your bass?

Ok, is it just me, or are a lot of people here finiky about people touching their bass? Personally, i dont like people touching my bass, i don't know why, it's almost as if i feel that anyone else that touches it will damage it if they use it... is anyone else here like that? i hope there is... cuz otherwise i might have to see a shink about it :O

And just for the hell of it, i'm going to include a poll with this, mainly because i haven't seen a poll on talkbass for a long time

_j_ · #2 12-23-2004, 12:38 PM

People rarely touch my Warwicks and when the do I watch them close - one of those "I don't finger your girlfriend, you don't finger my bass" type things... The beaters that I take to bar gigs I don't really care about. People could play them, but they don't because they don't look to pretty (they play pretty sweet though).

**cheezewiz** · #3 12-23-2004, 02:06 PM

My friends who I know are competent players, and who I know take care of gear, are welcome to touch my basses. I have an "open agreement" with 3 or 4 area bass players (including TBer TCole) where we would always lend any gear needed to each other. As far as strangers...nope..no one touches.

Suckbird · #4 12-23-2004, 03:12 PM

Anybody can touch my cheapo bass wich now is even more screwed up than before, now the bridge is destroyed so i cant put on the e-string.
When i buy my new bass then only somebody who takes care of it can play it.

BlasphemyArise · #5 12-23-2004, 03:20 PM

there's only a couple of my close friends that I will allow to touch my bass and that's cuz they are musicians and know how to respect an instrument. Hell I dont even let my wife touch my bass

Hollow Man · #6 12-23-2004, 03:30 PM

Since I don't have any particularly nice basses, people are allowed to touch, albeit under tight supervision. When I get my Peavey Cirrus, however, the walls are goin' up, and only my trusted musician friends will get to play.

Figjam · #7 12-23-2004, 03:31 PM

My bandmates can touch my bass all they want. My drummer plays it often. Random friends, yes but id watch them.

Steve Clark · #8 12-23-2004, 03:42 PM

I voted for depends on who it is and what bass it is. I was playing at a jam the other night and at about 1:00 am a guy wonders up to the band stand and ask if I want to take a break. I say, "sure". He says, "I didn't bring a bass, can I use yours". I look down at my Sadowsky, look at him, "I guess I'm not taking a break".

nicoli · #9 12-23-2004, 04:11 PM

I'll let almost anyone play my backup, a cheap Yamaha. I'm a bit more possessive of my main bass - only trusted musicians and friends are allowed to use it, and only under supervision other than a few cases.

I jokingly asked a guy I was engineering for if I could borrow his Gibson Thunderbird for a couple shows next week and he actually said yes. Now that's trust... only problem is I'm too freaked out to let it leave the house in case something were to happen to it at the gigs.

canopener · #10 12-23-2004, 04:48 PM

I've let two of my friends who play drums and guitar and my father play my bass, but I don't think I'd let anybody else play them.

FenderHotRod · #11 12-23-2004, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Clark

I voted for depends on who it is and what bass it is. I was playing at a jam the other night and at about 1:00 am a guy wonders up to the band stand and ask if I want to take a break. I say, "sure". He says, "I didn't bring a bass, can I use yours". I look down at my Sadowsky, look at him, "I guess I'm not taking a break".

Err... So how did the rest of the conversation turn out? Did he get mad or look at you crazy?

I know some people will give ya strange looks when you don't let them touch your bass.

Tyler Hole · #12 12-23-2004, 04:59 PM

Only people that touch mine are either fellow bass players or people I've know for a long time.

gazman_res · #13 12-23-2004, 05:03 PM

I don't mind, while i do own a very nice bass (spector euro neckthrough), basses to me need to be played..

That being said.. i dont own fifty bazzillion dollars worth of basses.
So i cant comment for all the cats on the forum with very nice botique stuff.

Sundogue · #14 12-23-2004, 05:18 PM

No matter how many basses I've had over the past 25+ years, I never let anyone touch my basses. Just a personal quirk of mine and nothing personal.

I'm quite meticulous about keeping my bass clean and I don't know who has what on their hands. I don't need grimy paws grunging up my strings.

But I have let my sons play it, under close supervision...if they've washed their hands first. NOTE: I am not a clean freak, or a germaphobe, by any means...but I keep my strings pretty clean.

srxplayer · #15 12-24-2004, 01:48 AM

It doesn't bother me at all if the person is a fellow player and treats his / her equipment well.

The guys I play with at church are cool and I have no problem with any of them picking up my bass and playing it. They all treat their gear nicely and do the same with everyone elses gear.

I hate it when my daughter plays my basses. Her basses all have scratches and dings on them because she has really bad "situational Awareness" She never remembers that she wears belts that scratch the back of the bass and she is always banging into things with her bass.

I get all nervous when she picks up my gear and I'm all over her about scratching them. Doesn't stop her from picking up my basses though.

Dan Molina · #16 12-24-2004, 02:17 AM

I picked on "depends on who it is." My basses may not be expensive but I trust it with a few people.

Naturekev · #17 12-24-2004, 08:08 AM

I don't mind someone touching my basses as long as I'm right there and they ask first. I don't like it when someone just takes it upon themselves to start messing around with my basses, or any of the other band member's instruments, without asking if it's ok.

We haven't encountered a whole lot of that, but we have a friend of the band who's really bad about it. Haven't seen him much since he moved out of town, though. One restriction I have on people touching my basses is that I won't let anyone touch them until we're completely finished playing. I don't want to take a chance on something getting detuned or dialed in differently once I have everything set for the performance. We play for teenagers at summer camps a lot, so I don't mind at all if they want to hang around after a set and try their hand at playing. If it inspires one of them to join the musician ranks, (especially as a bassist) it's worth it.

Nino Valenti · #18 12-24-2004, 09:22 AM

To me, a bass is a tool. It wood & metal & some other stuff that I use to make music that inspires me. I would never compare a bass to my wife. I’ve gone thru at least 10 basses this year I plan to have one wife for the rest of my life.

I have no problem letting people play any of my basses unless they are obviously drunk or stoned.

A lot of people are worried about nicks, scratches & what not. If that were the case for me, my basses would stay in the cases & I'd never play them. I’m a very aggressive player if I worried about that, I’d have to change my whole way of playing my bass. All of my basses from my cheapo white MIM with Geddy Lee neck to my 3 Sadowsky have wear & scratches. Just a part of them being played.

I really don't like to lend my Cabs out but if I have to, I do. The 1st 2 times I lent out a cab, it was to 2 close friends. Each time, the cab came back with a blown speaker. It was under warranty both times, thankfully & the speaker was replaced with no cost to me.

haujobb · #19 12-24-2004, 09:48 AM

No one outside of my band touches my bass, unless they're a real good buddy or a girlfriend.

Absolutely no one touches my stack, mostly because no one can figure out how to turn it on, I guess some people don't know what a power conditioner is

**IvanMike** · #20 12-24-2004, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nino-Brown

To me, a bass is a tool. It wood & metal & some other stuff that I use to make music that inspires me. I would never compare a bass to my wife. .........................A lot of people are worried about nicks, scratches & what not. If that were the case for me, my basses would stay in the cases & I'd never play them.............................I really don't like to lend my Cabs out but if I have to, I do. The 1st 2 times I lent out a cab, it was to 2 close friends. Each time, the cab came back with a blown speaker.

Amen bro.
I chose it depends upon who it is. Right now I'm down to one bass, which is admittedly a collector's item of sorts (1986 4 string tobias, you know, when mike made them). I'm careful about who i let play it, but i encourage other players to check it out all the time. If it's soemone i really trust, i dig going out in the audience and hearing how my stuff really sounds out front.
Speakers? Man I dunno. there is some unwritten law that when a speaker is not yours, you must turn it up to a million. When We've done sound and been one of several acts I've let other cats use my rig or cabs, but i'm always really picky about who i let do that, and i'm around to hear if they are being abused.