Good thing my BL doesn't feel the same way about letting someone use his guitar. Two weeks ago Zac Brown sat in with us for 3 songs using the Bandleaders Gibson acoustic.
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A stranger asked to use my gear...
- Thread starter Texan
- Start date
And that's where using Relic Basses to play comes in handy guys 
I don't mind a few more scratches or dents on my Hardcore relic Sandberg LOL
Buckle Rash yeah anytime ? Here's an example lol
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I don't mind a few more scratches or dents on my Hardcore relic Sandberg LOL Buckle Rash yeah anytime ? Here's an example lol
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I always refuse and never give a reason. I'm not learning sets, loading kit, driving hours to a gig, setting up, breaking down, driving hours home and unloading again for someone else to jump on the fun bit in the middle.
I'm not precious about kit and would certainly lend gear if another player was in trouble, but party guests asking to do a few songs can walk.
I'm not precious about kit and would certainly lend gear if another player was in trouble, but party guests asking to do a few songs can walk.
So if someone walks up to you with no advance arrangement to your knowledge and says, "let me play your bass", you just hand it over?
That's apparently what happenned here.
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And I'll bet it was all agreed upon beforehand and he was polite about it.
Sitting in is a privilege for the person siting in. Don't care who he is.
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Ah, the age-old conundrum. This is an utterly personal decision, and any player who doesn't realize that is hopelessly self-absorbed. For me, I decide who can play my bass on a case-by-case basis, and I'd never begrudge anyone who decided they didn't wanna let me get my hands on their bass.
I guess perhaps I'm a mean person. I don't value relationships with random rude folks. And I view someone asking to use my stuff, play on my stage, and putting me on the spot about it in public as a rude person. The answer is no. Even if my bass is a $10 SX from the pawn shop, the answer is still no. And if that's going to embarrass the other guy in front of the crowd... Well, they should have asked privately and not embarrassed themself by being rude in front of the crowd.
Are you amazed that I would?
If some random drunk guy, with a cigarette in one hand, approaches and asks for it, I might politely refuse without the heroic "No one touches my guitar" pose. But this is a situation where an old friend of his band-mates and a fellow musician wanted to play a piece on stage. Even if I preferred he didn't, just out of politeness, I'd be glad to go along and not embarrassing him and my friends.
It's not exactly like that though either. The singer was out of touch with his friend for 20 years, and his friend was never the bass player's friend.
The singer embarrassed everyone when he arranged something without everyone's consent or knowledge.
I let others play my basses, guitars, etc, but I know who they are and more significantly, how they take care of their own instruments.
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Sounds fair. Either case, I tend to accommodate people in low-risk situations like this, without having to get all the details about who they really are and what they might have been doing for the past decades. I understand the sentiment of a dude getting up on stage wanting to play a number. I'm happy to give him the chance. Others may act differently, fine.
I was once at a recording studio where an internationally recognized composer was present to oversee the recording of his string quartet. I saw him later trying to explain a passage to the second violinist and leaned closer for a second to take the violin to show the kind of bowing he had in mind... The violinist firmly held her instrument and said with a uniquely foolish smile "I'm sorry, but I don't let anyone touch my instrument." This prolific composer of string music, this gray-haired kind man, had to apologize and sit back in his chair, looking down to the floor and biting his lips.
Now, I don't care if this was a f-ing Stradivarius! How she was able to sleep that night is beyond me.
Now, I don't care if this was a f-ing Stradivarius! How she was able to sleep that night is beyond me.
I would also be happy to give someone a chance who was starting out. When I was starting out, I had a few opportunities to sit in. I had to bring my own bass and amp because in these cases the keyboard player was playing bass normally. Can't say I helped the song, but I was certainly appreciative for the opportunity. But I would still be careful to make sure anyone using my bass treated it as well as I did.
But again this was different; he was not someone starting out hoping for an opportunity to play; he was a "pro in Nashville". This would not be helping someone out, but a courtesy.
Also, you always have to take past expriences into account. People have had their instruments damaged by others playing them. That can make some quite hesitant to loan them out.
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This reminds me of open mic/jam nite being we were the house band, just for kicks I used to leave my 5 string unlined fretless on stage sometimes, you should see the looks, reactions and turn aways
although not the same situation, it helped weed out the good from the hackers. I used the excuse- ''oh I forgot to switch out basses''
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although not the same situation, it helped weed out the good from the hackers. I used the excuse- ''oh I forgot to switch out basses''.
I approach each instance individually. In this case, I would probably have done the exact same thing as the OP. You can't teach people to be classy, polite, or even civil sometimes. Big egos and the entitled attitudes they bring along with them are enough of a turn off to make you want to fire even the best drummer. The singer may have been backed into a corner in this situation and didn't know how to handle it properly. Let's assume that's the case and give him/her the benefit of the doubt, especially owing to the fact that they cleaned up the mess with aplomb. Now, Mr. Nashville should have been a real pro and introduced himself before the show, inquiring if it was alright to use the gear for a specified number of tunes and exchanging business cards. He was probably hurt because you didn't recognize him as a famous Nashville pro and ask for his autograph. No need to be a jerk. You meet all kinds.
Amps, sure. I actually prefer to provide the backline. Then I know I will sound good.
My no.1 Bass. Hell no.
My no.1 Bass. Hell no.
Tough one. First up, I'd hate to embarrass both the musician and myself. I don't hold with loaning gear but if it was a bass that I regularly gigged and wasn't too expensive I'd maybe relent. But I'd chew the singer's head off later for being presumptuous.
Secondly, I had an horrendous experience years ago when I was pressured, by several people, into handing my new Status Series II to a bassist who's Wal had packed up. I reluctantly let him have it with the proviso that it was cared for and returned to me personally at the end of their set. It wasn't: it took me an hour to track teh bass down and I finally found it in a darkened room, covered in little scratches and the control knobs twisted off.
Secondly, I had an horrendous experience years ago when I was pressured, by several people, into handing my new Status Series II to a bassist who's Wal had packed up. I reluctantly let him have it with the proviso that it was cared for and returned to me personally at the end of their set. It wasn't: it took me an hour to track teh bass down and I finally found it in a darkened room, covered in little scratches and the control knobs twisted off.
Definitely a situation where we all have been or will be on one side or the other. I think its important to realize whether we are the one with the gig or the one sitting in that either a "yes" or a "no" to sitting in is a valid outcome.
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That said, there's a famous story about Ray Brown refusing or at least balking at Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen who wanted to sit in using Ray's bass at an Oscar Peterson gig. Ray Brown basically told the musically and technically formidable NHOP "you're not doing that s--t on MY bass!" This underscores the personal relationship great -- in Ray's case LEGENDARY(!) -- players ascribe to their instruments and also the deep sense of competitiveness and perhaps insecurity...
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That said, there's a famous story about Ray Brown refusing or at least balking at Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen who wanted to sit in using Ray's bass at an Oscar Peterson gig. Ray Brown basically told the musically and technically formidable NHOP "you're not doing that s--t on MY bass!" This underscores the personal relationship great -- in Ray's case LEGENDARY(!) -- players ascribe to their instruments and also the deep sense of competitiveness and perhaps insecurity...
LowNloud1
Commercial User
- Jun 11, 2012
- 711
- 1,100
- Disclosures
- I am a hobbyist making stone picks that I sell but mostly give away. They made me do this anyways.
You have every right to refuse. I have back up basses that I would allow someone else to use but not my main performance basses.
My experience has been that people who toss around the word "pro" in any field have doubtful resumes.
