Rant/Pet Peeve: Sharing Bass Gear with other bands on the bill...

[lefty_400]

I'm sure we have all felt this issue at one time or another...

For example, on an upcoming gig of mine...Quote some band in an email whose name I will not mention :
"Our bass player, however, is playing through one of the first Yorkvilles ever produced, which may collapse if we attempt to move it, so if someone [hint, hint, meaning myself, as the only other artist on the bill is a solo guitarist singer songwriter] doesn't mind volunteering a bass amp, that would be great."

My question: Is that my problem you have an ancient artifact of bass amplification???!!!

Like many here, I worked hard to assemble my main gig rig...a Mesa 400+ matched with either my Mesa or Eden cabs. Researched, purchased, and hauled by yours truly !

Now I don't mind if it is somebody I know who wants to trade off for a show....maybe offering to buy drinks that night etc...But some jack*** off the street, who I don't know, who simply can't be bothered to haul his 14 lbs. GK400RB so he bums off others is just totally unacceptable [True story...don't even get me started!...I had mercy and let him use my cab at least].

*** is the story with these guys? If you want to be a lazy sod then run a SansAmp and rely on monitors....

Opinions...?

Lefty

[ebe9]

Your gear is your gear, if they don't bring theirs they must make alternate arrangements.

[mvw356]

I can feel you on this one, your gear is your gear. people who are in a band need to have equipment, otherwise it's all pointless. this mentality to bum off other people gets on my nerves, our first rythem guitarist used to do that, he only had a small 10w practice amp, but assumed just like that that i would bring my 30w valve amp to every rehersal and gig so he could use it. i stopped doing that and the **** hit the fan, he left the band........

[liquid-dream-ex]

I don't have a problem with sharing my stuff ever. And i'm so incredibly grateful when i can play through someones bassrig when playing away from home, so we don't have to carry it with us.

[BassChuck]

This comes up about 3-4 times a year with me. We're the house band and are 'host' for the Big Shows where they bring in 3 or 4 bands. All of the bass guys use my rig, I think they bring theirs but keep them in the car. I have Eden head and a Hartke 4X10 cab, and we play through the PA, so it works well.

In 2 weeks we're going to a Big Show in another venue and I'm not sure if I can use my rig there. Should I trust that the stuff on stage will be OK? Should I bring my head and use the cab, if possible?

[guy n. cognito]

While I would never lend out a bass, I would let someone use my rig, with one caveat: I set all the knobs and then the other bassist doesn't TOUCH THEM during his set. I make sure that he know that if he does touch them, I will pull the power cord and walk away.

[NickyBass]

That is pretty normal around here. Alot of clubs have a bass cabinet, so bands are only responsible for bringing their heads. This $500 investment makes it so much easier on everyone. The bands, the soundguy...even the club benifits because the change over time is cut, and the hallways are less crowded. I would rarely let someone use my bass, but, my rig is open. The only problem is when I have to wait around all night to get my rig back. I'm usually more aggresive now, and will tell people that I have to work the next morning so if you're not directly after us on the bill, I need to go.

[Pbassred]

Should I trust that the stuff on stage will be OK?

Thats the other side of the coin. I don't trust someone elses gear either. I've been bitten by crapness. Incidently that particular 10 year old amp blew up on stage at that very venue taking out 4 drivers and the output trannies.

"who blew up the amp" is not a question that I ever want to get into.

Incidently, most of you guys sound very particular about your rigs and so does this guy with the Yorkville. If the Yorkville is "his sound" what would he even concider using a Mesa Boogie rig?

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by Pbassred

Thats the other side of the coin. I don't trust someone elses gear either. I've been bitten by crapness. Incidently that particular 10 year old amp blew up on stage at that very venue taking out 4 drivers and the output trannies.

"who blew up the amp" is not a question that I ever want to get into.

Incidently, most of you guys sound very particular about your rigs and so does this guy with the Yorkville. If the Yorkville is "his sound" what would he even concider using a Mesa Boogie rig?

Good point. When I have been forced to use someone elses, I make sure that they are involved with the setup and that they approve of the setting before I start playing. That way, they can't say that I set it wrong or that I overloaded their amp.

[VanillaO]

We played a show with my singer's little brother and 2 other bands from their town in August. We had to show up at this bar at 5pm to setup because none of the other bands had good enough equipment (except 1 of their drummers) to play anything loud enough. We weren't going on until 9 and it was 33 degress celsius INSIDE the bar (was like 40+ that day)... we were all sweatin buckets before we were even playing.. And then not even a 'thanks for your amps and stuff guys' from the other children (aged 14-18 or so)... Me to my singer: I hate your brothers' friends.

[jive1]

I'm an opportunist. I carry a spare DI in the car with me. If they don't have a rig, I offer to sell em my DI. No cash? a credit card will do just fine.

That way they don't mess with my rig, I don't have to wait for them to finish before I can pack up and go home, and if they blow anything up, it's not anything of mine.

[MichaelVee]

Originally Posted by jive1

I'm an opportunist. I carry a spare DI in the car with me. If they don't have a rig, I offer to sell em my DI.

Jive, might that spare DI happen to be a Radial JDI, perchance?

[fourstringdrums]

I have never been a bass player in a band or played any gigs as a drummer where I've had to share equipment. But my view on it is if you have your own stuff, you have to bring it (Unless we're talking about a PA that all the bands agree to share) Unless something happens before or during the gig and you have to borrow something. (ie. drummers snare throw-off breaks and he doesn't have replacement parts, he borrows another drummer's snare)

[liquid-dream-ex]

I seriously can't believe what i'm reading, i mean, sure it sucks if the other band doesn't say thanks but that's natural to me if i can use someones gear.And if something gets broken, i'll make sure that my insurance covers it. Or if they bring their bassamp but leave it in the car.

On top of making it easier for other bands, you also reduce Set-up times and/or space on the stage.

Aren't we suppossed to help each other out? I'm disappointed with the responses so far.

[fourstringdrums]

Originally Posted by liquid-dream-ex

I seriously can't believe what i'm reading, i mean, sure it sucks if the other band doesn't say thanks but that's natural to me if i can use someones gear.And if something gets broken, i'll make sure that my insurance covers it. Or if they bring their bassamp but leave it in the car.

On top of making it easier for other bands, you also reduce Set-up times and/or space on the stage.

Aren't we suppossed to help each other out? I'm disappointed with the responses so far.

Helping out yes, lending to someone who doesn't "bother" to bring their own gear, that's a different story.

[invader3k]

Well, in regards to the first post, it sounds like the band in question is being more lazy, than anything. His "amp will collapse if moved???" Just a weak excuse for him not to bring his rig, IMO. Or worse, their bass player doesn't want to risk breaking his own gear, but he's probably fine with wrecking someone else's.

Like someone else said, being in a band means having your own (gig-worth) gear. Yes, sometimes it can be a pain hauling cabs around, but most bass rigs can be assembled in a few minutes. If you actually coordinate with the other bands on the bill, during setup and teardowns, it's not a big deal.

[chaosMK]

I'd let someone I've known for a while jam through my cabs.

As for the head (Mesa Bass 400 with KT-88's), probably never unless it was a dire emergency and I knew the person pretty well.

In this particular scene, I've never had anyone ask to use my stuff.

[cheezewiz]

We rarely play gigs with other bands, but I've two experiences with sharing gear recently, and they couldn't have been more different.

First gig, a summer festival type gig. We are playing first, another band after us. The day before the gig, their band leader emails our bandleader, saying his bass player's rig is in the shop, and would it be possible to use mine. These guys are old semi pros, just like us, and they don't play at insane volumes or anything, so I said sure.

The next night at the gig, the bass player who used my rig never even thought about saying thank you, and bitched he didn't like the sound of the rig. (Mind you, this was an Eden WT550 into a Sadowsky 410...his usual rig was a friggin hartke). I won't make the same mistake twice with this guy.

The second time I had an experience with sharing, was just a few weeks ago. We were recording for a PBS Television show, featuring music at a local coffee house. There were 4 acts, my band being last. I saw the bass player from the second act, coming in (we were already set up), hauling a big SWR Combo.
(WM 15 maybe?) This place was pretty small, and was made even smaller by the TV Cameras being set up, so I went up to him, introduced myself, and told him he was welcome to use my rig which was already set up. He asked what I had...which I don't blame him for...he doesn't know me from Adam. I told him Eden/Bergantino and he got a big grin on his face. I told him to go ahead and set it how he liked, since I use the head almost completely flat, it won't be hard to get my settings back.

He used the rig, told me thanks about 4 times, and said he didn't need to tweak at all, because it sounded great just as it was.

A little consideration goes a LONG way.

As far as lending a bass, unless it was Tom Bowlus, Tim Cole, or another bass player I know well both personally and professionally, I wouldn't even consider it.

[spectorbass83]

I am usually pretty good with letting other bassists use my rig, provided that I have met them before and I trust that they will not break anything...

It does get very annoying though when other bands always mooch or have some stupid excuse like "my bassist has a small amp that barely works"...yeah, the rental store is down the street. Go rent a bass amp for the night and leave me alone.

[vindy500]

Originally Posted by cheezewiz

As far as lending a bass, unless it was Tom Bowlus, Tim Cole, or another bass player I know well both personally and professionally, I wouldn't even consider it.

but youd lend it to me a cheeze, coz ya know, i recognise u by your avator!