musicians not owning any gear

riotorgun · #1 03-22-2010, 04:02 PM

Has anyone else come across this?
I had a reply to an add i had up looking for a drummer,this fella didnt own a kit or kick pedals

wasted my time and his.

s_mcsleazy · #2 03-22-2010, 04:05 PM

yes ive came across this alot... i mainly find it with bass players who say "i had a bass, sold it and now i just see if i can borrow anyones... oh mate can i borrow yours"

Floyd Eye · #3 03-22-2010, 04:05 PM

That is an oxymoron. You cannot be a musician without gear.

peterwsmith · #4 03-22-2010, 04:07 PM

Yeah. Just about every highschool kid around here that "plays bass" in a band. I can't tell you how many times I get hit up by people wanting to borrow my stuff.

riotorgun · #5 03-22-2010, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

yes ive came across this alot... i mainly find it with bass players who say "i had a bass, sold it and now i just see if i can borrow anyones... oh mate can i borrow yours"

to which i reply "nope" how can people expect to gig or be in a band with no gear i just dont understand it.

lunarpollen · #6 03-22-2010, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floyd Eye

That is an oxymoron. You cannot be a musician without gear.

Depends on how you define "with" or "without"

Ideally, a musician should own his or her own gear. But sometimes they rent gear. Sometimes they are lent gear. Sometimes they do own gear but it gets stolen or destroyed. Of course, a musician not in possession of any gear should NOT be answering ads that are seeking musicians, unless the ad explicitly says "no gear required, we have _____ for you to play"

ksandvik · #7 03-22-2010, 04:15 PM

With today's prices of low end gear being quite useful if not great, no need to be without a bass (or even an amp.) For me someone not owning the instrument is the first filter concerning looking for band members.

Sahm · #8 03-22-2010, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floyd Eye

That is an oxymoron. You cannot be a musician without gear.

So that means, at various points throughout Bird and Jaco's careers, they stopped being musicians?

Oren Hudson · #9 03-22-2010, 04:18 PM

Worst ones that I've experienced are lead singers. I've had some that didn't even own a mic. But don't think about paying them any less for using my mic, my stand, my monitors, tambourine, etc. etc. Something would hit the fan.

ksandvik · #10 03-22-2010, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahm

So that means, at various points throughout Bird and Jaco's careers, they stopped being musicians?

Those are indeed tragic cases. Need to feel pity about musicians who are so low they can't hang on to their instruments. At least the health care bill now will help some of those tragic cases of selling all equipment just to pay health care bills.

riotorgun · #11 03-22-2010, 04:22 PM

my singer once wanted me to buy him a mike lead when he works and i dont.I told him we'll just do the set instrumentally then he then managed to find the money and got himself one

BigOldHarry · #12 03-22-2010, 04:24 PM

I was in a band recently where the guitarist played through the PA. Sounded like crap... He was nudged out of the band after I got in...

s_mcsleazy · #13 03-22-2010, 04:27 PM

yeah a singer wanted to do that with the mic i use for mic'ing my bass

its a yoga em-286 (i think) and its really only good for mic'ng amps... he took one look at it and said "i aint using that"

it looks like a chode

wideyes · #14 03-22-2010, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahm

So that means, at various points throughout Bird and Jaco's careers, they stopped being musicians?

This is an extreme case, and I agree, very sad. But with Jaco anyway, he was a living tragedy, and plagued by many problems. I'm guessing the OP is talking about your nose-picking, mooching, can't-get-a-decent-job-and-save-a-few-hundred guys. And in that case, I agree 100% with the tone of the thread: no instrument, no musician.

I mean, you're not even dedicated enough to put two pennies together?

not_jason · #15 03-22-2010, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksandvik

Those are indeed tragic cases. Need to feel pity about musicians who are so low they can't hang on to their instruments. At least the health care bill now will help some of those tragic cases of selling all equipment just to pay health care bills.

...this is going to get ugly.

s_mcsleazy · #16 03-22-2010, 04:30 PM

ok can we get back on track

riotorgun · #17 03-22-2010, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wideyes

This is an extreme case, and I agree, very sad. But with Jaco anyway, he was a living tragedy, and plagued by many problems. I'm guessing the OP is talking about your nose-picking, mooching, can't-get-a-decent-job-and-save-a-few-hundred guys. And in that case, I agree 100% with the tone of the thread: no instrument, no musician.

I mean, you're not even dedicated enough to put two pennies together?

exactly what i mean,is he hoping id have a kit?or would somehow procure him one for practice and gigs?if he cant take his gear seriously how can i take him seriously.

baalroo · #18 03-22-2010, 04:32 PM

It's a bit silly to respond to an "musician wanted" ad when you don't have the proper gear, but then again it never hurts to ask. I know some guys (like myself) who play A LOT of different instruments pretty well and could hang in most bands on about anything you handed them, and in those cases sometimes you have to make sacrifices and choices about which gear to own and which gear to let go of. Currently I've been playing bass in a band for the last few years and a lot of my other instruments and non-bass related gear has hit the ol' chopping block, but if the right opportunity came around looking for a drummer/guitarist/keys/mandolin/banjo/etc player I might go ahead and just inquire as to whether or not they have the gear setting around already in their space. Heck, If I needed a guitarist in a band I know I've got enough gear sitting around that someone in a similar situation as myself could pop in and play my gear until the band got up off the ground and make some cash.

basically, the gear you own has very little to do with your level of ability or your musical knowledge and not every guy who says he's a <insert instrument> player is full of BS just because he doesn't happen to have a <insert instrument> setting around his house at the moment. If your band doesn't have the gear sitting around for someone else to hop onto then obviously you need someone who happens to have the right gear on hand, but if you DO it really doesn't hurt to give someone a shot on it if they seem to be in all other aspects a well adjusted and musically minded person.

(p.s. for the sake of full disclosure/clarity I have to mention that I'm actually a lefty, so some of what I said was hypothetical, since in reality most people wouldn't be able to just pick up one of my guitars and start jamming)

Floyd Eye · #19 03-22-2010, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahm

So that means, at various points throughout Bird and Jaco's careers, they stopped being musicians?

If you sold your bass for crack, you're a crackhead, not a bassist.

derridiandrift · #20 03-22-2010, 04:43 PM

I'll get us back on track...

I know a drummer who has toured internationally with two major label artists. He had an endorsement deal with Ayotte and got a kit from them. When the tour ended, he sold the kit to pay some bills. A while later he was picked up for another big tour. He ended up with an endorsement deal with Pearl this time and bought a kit from them. He sold that kit when he came off the tour so he could pay some bills. In both cases he needed to ask for advance on his pay for the tour in order to buy the kits at the massively reduced endorsement deal price.

When he's not touring the world, this guy is scraping together enough money to pay his rent. He owns virtually nothing. His priorities are different. Anyone who hires him seems perfectly willing to advance him the cash he needs to buy a drum kit. He rarely plays near in his home town unless the band that hires him has a drum kit.