Why are Are you scared to take your bass to the bar????

[oniman7]

Murphy's Law.

I was raised by an Irish mother who doesn't know she's borderline pagan. One of the things I've learned about fate and superstition is to just acknowledge it, and I try to live by the rule "don't tempt fate."

What can go wrong, will. If not today, then tomorrow. If not to you, then someone else.

Playing Devil's Advocate is all.

If I'm still playing bars by the time I can afford an awesome expensive bass, I could maybe see a case for it. But it would be the exception rather than the rule. More like "I won't take my 8 string Brazillian Rosewood bass with real gold hardware and diamond fret inlays down to the local hellhole where the diner got shut down for hundreds of violations and people get stabbed."

I plan on gigging the new Stingray I'll be receiving soon as a gift.

[Stilettoprefer]

Originally Posted by Lo-E

It's said that Carl Perkins chose a Telecaster because you could hit somebody with it without doing any damage to the guitar.

Telecasters are borderline indestructible. You could throw one down a set of stairs and it would still be in tune! I once had a dream that I used mine to beat a burglar to a pulp, then played the guitar at church:P. I remember seeing a picture of a telecaster floating in a pool haha.

None of my instruments are worth more than $300, so I don't mind taking them anywhere. My acoustic guitar is going to Mexico with me this summer.

[Joe Nerve]

I think it's a very small minority that's afraid to (or just doesn't want to) take their favorite or most expensive bass out. I believe they get a different kind of joy out of their instruments than we who play the crap out of them and take em anywhere. Different things make different people happy. Crazy, right?

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by DiabolicLow B

I didn't pay over 3K on a bass for it to stay home and look pretty.

If I don't feel too safe at a gig it goes in the case between sets and someone in the band is never too far from the stage.

Well, yes, this is the point. Why have a cool bass and put it in a glass case? So I have often gigged dive bars with my Alembic, the Modulus, the Carvin, etc.

But there is also the other side of the coin: Why ask for the opportunity to earn that $3k all over again to shop for a new bass? Point is with an expensive bass you DO have to be paranoid. Someone RELIABLE (reliable musician? oxymoron?) from the band has to be watching at all times. And not just from staggering drunks falling into instruments, but the proverbial disappearing guitar during a trip to the John. This HAS happened to several guitarists in the VERY same bars I've played, though it's never happened to me. But then, I'm pretty paranoid when an expensive bass is on stage.

So the other side of the coin is why punish yourself. Hey I really enjoy many of my cheapo basses. I love showing class on stage with an SX or Squier. And I can take a break outside without assigning a band member to guard the stage. Hey these gigs are not Carnegie hall or something. If the gig was important enough to need my highest end bass, it sure wouldn't be held in the dive bars I play!

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by 2behead

Is it resale?

Yes.

And theft risk.

And the crowd isn't worthy.

Any other questions?

[bootsox]

I have one this doesn't go to the bar bass. Not because it's expensive, but because it's hilariously fragile. It's got a hollow Masonite body so if it hits the ground it's pretty much ruined

[lowphatbass]

I look at it like this: If you are careful, prudent and use common sense a gig is a gig in terms of wear and tear on your bass, and nobody can steal your bass unless they have the opportunity to do so. If a venue were to be so rough that I felt like I couldn't keep my bass safe then chances are I wouldn't feel safe either.....BUT.....if you plan on having 6 beers and 4 shots on your bar gig then I can see the logic in not wanting to bring a $6K bass.

[nostatic]

If the gig is safe for me, it is safe for my bass. And vice versa.

I have instrument insurance, I don't drink at gigs, and my instruments never leave my sight. As for resale - I'm not saving my instrument for the next owners. If I own it, I gig it. Wherever.

[Bard2dbone]

For the most part, I had always bought cheap-ish basses and modded them until they were perfect for me.

So my choices for gigs for a long time were a Spector NS2a, a MIJ Fender Jazz, and a MIJ fretless Fender Jazz. Theoretically the Spector was supposed to be my main bass with the fretted Jazz as its backup, and the fretless just for songs that really needed it.


Usually the fretless ended up getting the most use. One night we're loading our gear and the fretted Jazz is gone. Someone stole one of my basses right off the stage I never did get it back. That's why my most expensive gear stays home. Those MIJ's were just the equivalent of today's MIM's. So they were the cheapest Fenders to replace.

[bassie12]

Except for my '59 P-bass, all my basses are fair game for gigs.

[Jools4001]

My main bass is a '73 Ric 4001 that I bought aged 21, in 1976, after saving for it from Saturday jobs that I did through school and college from the age of 14 - helped by a chunk of cash from my Mum and Dad for my 21st birthday. It was my only bass for about 20 years, helped me put food on the table in tough times and survived being sold when times got really tough by the skin of it's teeth. It has huge sentimental value to me.

I'm in a bar band playing classic rock and some of them can be a bit shady - most of our regular followers have said they won't be coming to next Saturday's gig because of the area that the bar is in.

Do I get scared that my beloved vintage Ric will be damaged or stolen? Hell yeah. Will that stop me gigging with it? Hell no!

[BigRedX]

Originally Posted by nostatic

If the gig is safe for me, it is safe for my bass. And vice versa.

This. My bass can get refinished, repaired or replaced as required. My body not necessarily.

[carlos840]

I'm not...

[wcnewby]

Maybe a better question than the original one is "how many people have had an instrument ruined at a bar?" If there are loads of people who have, it is a legitimate concern. If there are not, it is an emotional concern; you can beat those into rationality.

[nickbass79]

I take my Carl Thompson and my Fodera to the bar. I just don't let anyone play them and I watch them like a hawk. Not scared though, they are my basses. What's the point?

[jerry]

I gig all my basses, that's why I buy them.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

(when I take my easily replaceable basses to the bar I watch them just as I watch my other basses)

[jarrydee]

Originally Posted by Baird6869

No point owning a $2000-3000 bass to hang on the wall and not gig with IMO.

I gig all of my basses. I have a good sturdy Hercules dual guitar stand for the stage and we ensure drunks don't go near our stuff.

I know the type..I have a good friend that's a guitar player and has a great job so he can afford the most expensive guitars and rigs, but he plays like s***. I get the feeling that at least 50% of these people have the old "flashy sports car to compensate" syndrome, or at least they have all the symptoms! ....

[SLaPiNFuNK]

On a side note... One of the main guitar players I play with has a '59 strat... He plays the heck out of it...

[jumbodbassman]

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

That's funny. I played in a bar last night with about 6 grand worth of bass and about 3 grand worth of rig, as I do every time I play out.

same here. Fodera and Alembic and Eden rig. although when i go to an unknown /new venue i sometimes will tyink twice about nwhat i bring plus i makewsure one bass is self grounding pups