Dropped your bass/Knocked your amp over stories

[Baron Von Vik]

The other night, we were setting up for a show. As I was threading the cord in behind the strap, it snapped and the "Red Rocket" began to fall... I didn't have my hand on the neck, but somehow I managed to reach out and snag the E string with my thumb. I watched in horror as the body, suspended by that string like a bow, pendelumed down and crashed into the monitor. It made a nice chip, but thank god nothing else happened. I loved that strap cause it had pink flamingos on it, but it was a cheapo and pretty old too. The chip :



My Kustom 1200 fell off the stage during a party once, and I thought it was a goner, but the things are built like tanks. A year later, and it gigs proudly and loudly.

I'm sure this has happened to a lot of people. Hopefully I'm not repeating a thread.

[OOZMAN]

Fans. I hate em.

[brokensilence11]

Well, this story isnt a big deal, but one time i was at practice and put my squire J by this sliding door(the ones that are like windows), and our singer opened the door, not knowing it was there, and knocked it down...i was a little anoyed, but it didnt really do any damage...for amps I dont believe anything has ever happened to mine

[EdHunter]

Dropped my basses, bled on them, spilled beer/cider on them, hit them agianst the ceiling.

[NielsBass]

Everytime I hit the wall/ceiling or something else with the head of my bass i die a little inside

[doctorpunch]

First gig ever, my strap broke during the last song and the bridge volume knob cracked off from hitting the floor. Luckily it was a big, slow, doomy ending so I played it like an upright.

[Axtman]

I got a good one that just happened. I was practicing at my computer in my home office. I stood up and took my bass off. The headstock hit the light fixture and shattered it. To avoid the shards of glass I ducked to my left. A large shard then sliced my right cheek open. I put my bass down and immediately ran to the bathroom.....dripping blood the whole way. I grabbed a handful of toilet paper put it on my face and ran next door.

My neighbor Fritz, a physician's assistant, was outside scrapping his bbq grille. He saw me and said, "Oh no. Let me guess, you have a tooth abscess." "No! Worse!" I said and showed him my wound. He took me into his bathroom were he and his wife cleaned me out, took a small sliver of glass out and used surgical glue to "stitch" me back together. At one point I sprayed him in the face with blood and he said, "I hope you don't have HIV or Hepatitis." "Nope!"

After surgery he slapped a large bandage on me and off I went to the gig, war wounds and all.

After the gig, Fritz cleaned the wound again and put butterfly bandages on me.

I am going to have a nice 3 inch scar. I might have to change my alias to "Scarface"

[Axtman]

Don't worry. I protected the bass with my face. My Lakland did not get a scratch on it!

[THORRR]

When virtually the SAME THING happened to me, my bass slammed into the concrete floor and a big chunk came out of an otherwise perfect Dakota Red finish.

I was so bummed, I put it on Craigslist and sold it.

Bought a Fender Active Deluxe 2 weeks later.

[Redfx2]

My kids had a few friends over down in the basement and they were singing into the PA when I heard my son plug in my old Univox "Les Paul" bass, Smoke on the Water starts and all of a sudden BOOM......Zooooom. UgH, I went down stairs and the bass was literally spinning in circles strings to the ground 10 feet from anyone.

The strap came loose and while trying to catch it my son ended up launching it across the room, there was tuner marks in the ceiling tiles!! good lord.

the bass still rocks, minus some paint and wood.

[M0ses]

I had set my bass down on it's stand on stage (during a show) to pick up the euphonium for a crazy weird polka-rock song we did in that band (people really liked it, actually), and I turn around and BAM it just lands face down in front of me. No one kicked it or anything, just went down cause it felt like it. The stand is still upright. Luckily there was no damage, but every string was around half a step flat.

Before that very same gig, my fretting hand had been bitten by a dog: I played for three hours with blood almost running down my hand, and without the use of my thumb, which as it turns out is a very helpful finger. Had to change bandages between each set.

[walker rosewood]

Saw a guy in an old metalcore band I liked bust the strap off a ltd 5-string. Dude was saw ripped it didn't even phase him, he held it up with his left hand while fretting and wailing away.


I was running sound for a band on a crappy outdoor stage that wasn't exactly level. The bassist had his Stingray on a cheapo stand. We all watched in horror as it ever so slowly began to tip, went passed the center of gravity, and off the stage. 4 feet later it face plants on the asphalt.

[chimpbass]

I once stuck a treble guitar into a moving ceiling fan. Luckily, it was a Les Paul, so the only damage was to the fan. Every one of the blades snapped off.

Also, my amp head has to sit on the floor now since it vibrated off my cabs twice. (Both times at the same venue. I'm pretty sure the stage is haunted.)

[Terracite]

You carry a 40 lb trumpet around with you for just one song?

THAT is hardcore!

[voodoobassist]

My first bass, a 62 or 63 jazz, not really sure which, I was a youngster and had no clue how good I had it. Anyway, she popped loose from my brand new strap, fell to the floor, headstock first, and snapped the head right off. It was hanging by the strings only. The HORROR! I was playing in a church group back in those days, and we were out of state for a week long revival. Had to borrow a cheapo violin shaped bass for the rest of the week that had the ski slope from hell for a neck.

Several years later, playing a BC Rich Eagle, one of the early ones, a really nice instrument. During my big solo, I chimed some harmonics, did a push/pull on the body/headstock to bend the notes,...and you guessed it,..strap failure again. This time with straplocks! Bass crashed to the floor, I fell to my knees and finished the solo, trying to save face by doing some God awful slap stuff with it lying flat on the stage. We took a break and I discovered a rather long crack behind the headstock. End of the road for that fine gal.

I now superglue my basses to my stomach before taking the stage. It's a bit painful to take them off,...but haven't dropped one since.

[wshines1892]

had basses tip over and fall face first all the time, just a slight retune and they're fine. You've got to love Fender style basses, built like tanks.

[Dr. Love]

My worst one was when my Mesa Boogie Bass 400+ and other rack gear in an 8 space anvil style flight case fell off of a loading dock. Like an idiot I grabbed it out of reflex as it fell.

Since the case was approximately 2/3 my body weight and already had a running start, the laws of physics and and gravity were not in my favor. The rack kept going and took me with it. That hurt.

[LowDown Hal]

Originally Posted by EdHunter

Dropped my basses, bled on them, spilled beer/cider on them, hit them agianst the ceiling.

no ceiling, but.......


I was taking my "new" Fender Jazz '75 Re-Issue off by lifting it, and the strap, over my head. What I didn't account for was the ceiling fan.

Jammed the headstock right into it

[lousybassplayer]

Originally Posted by chimpbass

I once stuck a treble guitar into a moving ceiling fan.

Did this during a practice while taking off my Elrick NJS. Only mark on the thing was the gouge in the beautiful headstock. I nearly vomited, but I kept it in making some comment about "character" to show the other guys I was so flush with cash that this didn't bother me. I am not sure they were convinced. This guy had the most impossibly low ceilings I had ever seen, so I blame him.

[baileyboy]

Stuck my 10.5 lb '79 Fender P in a moving ceiling fan once- other than a scuff on the headstock, all was good. The fan didn't fare as well...