- Feb 10, 2006
- 379
- 14
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Aguilar Amplification, Mike Lull,MXR,Gruv Gear, Mono
The plan was simple:
Fly to L.A from Oakland at 9:30. Arrive at 10:30 or so...
Rehearse for four hours, take a break, go to sound check , do the gig, sleep and then do it again the next day.
I get there, luggage, including bass does not.
Southwest baggage dept in Burbank unsympathetic...except one, Charisse.
Bass is in "limbo" from the time I dropped it at the check in until around 7:00 am the next morning .
4:30 or so they let me know - after I call THEM (at this point I'm calling once or twice every hour) that my cloths have arrived in Burbank. Ok, that's awesome but where's my axe?!???
because the description of a guitar case does not match their chart; You see, my case isn't in that universal acoustic guitar shape. "We're now looking for a rifle case" .
The last statement from SWA comes 10 minutes before I'm to hit the stage with a rented p.o.s Fender P bass.
I put on the game face and play the show with this crap. And all is ok outwardly. On the inside I'm balling like a two year old.
<b>(I DO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE WELL WISHERS AND POSITIVE THINKERS AT THE MINT ON FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!) </b>
They call me at around 8:00 am saying that they'd located my bass and that the flight would be in at 9:30, bass would be in a cab by 10am and, because of the 4 hour window I should have by 2)
Ok, big sigh.....until 1:30 rolls around.
I call again. "ummmm where's my bass?"
"Ummmm, what are you looking for sir?"
"My bass that I've been missing since YESTERDAY?"
"Oh, it's sitting here....."
(like it sat in Oakland.....just sat for anyone to do anything with....)
"**** it, I'm coming to get it"
and boy oh boy was it a good thing that I did because the picture below is what I found
Now, nothing just laid on this bass. This case was either dropped for a great height or purposely thrown against something.
(side note...there was a young bassist in the office looking for HIS bass.....hope that young man has better luck than I)
Luckily, despite such reckless treatment of MY precious instrument, Rhonda was pretty much unscathed.
Sharon, the supervisor was called and she bent the rules in a big way.
Although I could not get reimbursed for the rental I 150 dollars in travel vouchers (which I gave away) and she said that once she got a fax of the receipt would write me a check for the replacement of the case.
I never let the bass out of my site and played Saturday night's gig at Levitt pavilion and all was well.
I gate checked this morning and we are both home
We should have driven.
<b>what I have learned:</b>
1. NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. Unfortunately, a lot of people in these
low (but still a f/n paying job) paying jobs don't give a **** about anything , ESPECIALLY not what YOU worked hard for (which is probably why they can you rock that kind of job) .
<b>You have to handle your gear like they were your kids</b> for a lot of us, it's all we got.
2. SKB bass case can not i repeat CANNOT take a big beating
3. GATE CHECK if you can. Even if you can't bring it on you have a btter chance of it at least getting on the same plane with you.
4. What I used to do and will do again if for whatever reason item 3 doesn't fly.
Have the TSA take you and the bass to the Xray machine, do their tihng while you watch and then put TSA tape around it showing that it's already been inspected and it doesn't need to be opened again. This has worked for me in Oakland, L..A.X and JFK
Charisse and Sharon in Burbank, thank you for not meeting justified anger and frustration with hostility. Thank you for keeping your heads cool and focusing more on what you CAN do instead of what you can't.
Fly to L.A from Oakland at 9:30. Arrive at 10:30 or so...
Rehearse for four hours, take a break, go to sound check , do the gig, sleep and then do it again the next day.
I get there, luggage, including bass does not.
Southwest baggage dept in Burbank unsympathetic...except one, Charisse.
Bass is in "limbo" from the time I dropped it at the check in until around 7:00 am the next morning .
4:30 or so they let me know - after I call THEM (at this point I'm calling once or twice every hour) that my cloths have arrived in Burbank. Ok, that's awesome but where's my axe?!???
because the description of a guitar case does not match their chart; You see, my case isn't in that universal acoustic guitar shape. "We're now looking for a rifle case" .
The last statement from SWA comes 10 minutes before I'm to hit the stage with a rented p.o.s Fender P bass.
I put on the game face and play the show with this crap. And all is ok outwardly. On the inside I'm balling like a two year old.
<b>(I DO WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE WELL WISHERS AND POSITIVE THINKERS AT THE MINT ON FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!!) </b>
They call me at around 8:00 am saying that they'd located my bass and that the flight would be in at 9:30, bass would be in a cab by 10am and, because of the 4 hour window I should have by 2)
Ok, big sigh.....until 1:30 rolls around.
I call again. "ummmm where's my bass?"
"Ummmm, what are you looking for sir?"
"My bass that I've been missing since YESTERDAY?"
"Oh, it's sitting here....."
(like it sat in Oakland.....just sat for anyone to do anything with....)
"**** it, I'm coming to get it"
and boy oh boy was it a good thing that I did because the picture below is what I found
Now, nothing just laid on this bass. This case was either dropped for a great height or purposely thrown against something.
(side note...there was a young bassist in the office looking for HIS bass.....hope that young man has better luck than I)
Luckily, despite such reckless treatment of MY precious instrument, Rhonda was pretty much unscathed.
Sharon, the supervisor was called and she bent the rules in a big way.
Although I could not get reimbursed for the rental I 150 dollars in travel vouchers (which I gave away) and she said that once she got a fax of the receipt would write me a check for the replacement of the case.
I never let the bass out of my site and played Saturday night's gig at Levitt pavilion and all was well.
I gate checked this morning and we are both home
We should have driven.
<b>what I have learned:</b>
1. NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. Unfortunately, a lot of people in these
low (but still a f/n paying job) paying jobs don't give a **** about anything , ESPECIALLY not what YOU worked hard for (which is probably why they can you rock that kind of job) .
<b>You have to handle your gear like they were your kids</b> for a lot of us, it's all we got.
2. SKB bass case can not i repeat CANNOT take a big beating
3. GATE CHECK if you can. Even if you can't bring it on you have a btter chance of it at least getting on the same plane with you.
4. What I used to do and will do again if for whatever reason item 3 doesn't fly.
Have the TSA take you and the bass to the Xray machine, do their tihng while you watch and then put TSA tape around it showing that it's already been inspected and it doesn't need to be opened again. This has worked for me in Oakland, L..A.X and JFK
Charisse and Sharon in Burbank, thank you for not meeting justified anger and frustration with hostility. Thank you for keeping your heads cool and focusing more on what you CAN do instead of what you can't.
