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Damage report

Bredian

Bredian

Apr 22, 2011
916
158
unlicensedtherapyband.com
#1
Subbed into a gig Friday night the old band. Set up and left the 4 string on a stand (which I set out of traffic and backing to a stationary object to protect it) and left to run an errand....

Got back and the BL says "the wind blew over your bass" ... we were playing on a large gazebo at a winery. I checked it, retuned it and surveyed damage. knobs off kilter, broken inside at the attachment point, but the pots were OK. set it back down as there was little wind. Well it happened a second time as someone had lowered the blinds on that side and it caught the wind, knocking over my bass.

I pulled my 5er from the car and set it on the stand for a backup,... this group plays mostly 60s with some 50s and 70s, so a 4 is adequate.

Ultimate damage so far includes a large dent in the A string at the 10th fret, which is unplayable, often fretting up a 1/2 step.... had time to buy strings but didn't get them on before last night. Played the 5 for half the gig, the 4 for the other and had to work around. ug.


What did I learn?

1. I don't leave out my instruments when I'm not there to survey and manage the situation...especially in a sub situation.

2. there is a true cost of gigging.... gotta cover the costs.

The 4 is a Precision Lyte, that wasn't expensive ($300-400) but just sounds awesome with its active pups. The 5 a Spector Korean and is my first "training 5" but its also pushing 10 lbs and the pups are not active (active tone pre) so it's output is not as robust in flat settings, loosing my love.
 
#7
My bass is the last thing out of a case and the first thing back into a case at every rehearsal and gig. Assume every human being and mother nature will conspire against you every second that your bass is anywhere but on your person (and even when it is). If not, you've lost nothing. If so, you've protected your bass.

Not pointing fingers - I did a Mozart Mass at a UU church about 12 years ago, and when trying to get my double bass back into its bag (DB hard cases start at $2,000), a rather rotund singer managed to step on the neck, knocking it on its face and costing me $300 for a new bridge (which it needed anyway).

I can't post what words came out of my mouth at the time, but needless to say they weren't exactly appropriate for the venue.
 
#8
I had a $1500.00 Lakland bass blow off a flatbed trailer last year. Took 2 chunks of wood out of if down buy the tone controls and a little scrape on the headstock. It still plays well but isn't as pretty as it use to be.
 
#9
FretlessMainly said:
My bass is the last thing out of a case and the first thing back into a case at every rehearsal and gig. Assume every human being and mother nature will conspire against you every second that your bass is anywhere but on your person (and even when it is). If not, you've lost nothing. If so, you've protected your bass.

.
Click to expand...

^Words of wisdom, ignore at your own peril^

:D
 
#13
GlassOnion said:
These are solid. I switched to the locking mechanism once my little girl was in the house. I was more worried about her yanking a modulus off, mashing her little head. She actually now smashes the strings occasionally doing her best impression of me and I never need to worry about it falling out.

http://www.herculesstands.com/guitars/guitarstands.html
Click to expand...

Big +1 to Hercules. I have the double stand, and it has never fallen over, even after being bumped by careless drunks and my cats tearing through the house.
 
#15
My bandmates give me a hard time for this but I always keep my bass in the case until RIGHT before we play. Why? Because I had a really nice custom bass take a face plant when a sound guy knocked it over with an XLR cable (totally on accident and he felt terrible). I may be a little OCD but that's how I roll now. Set up the amp and pedal board, take the bass out and tune it, then right back into the case until show time.
 
#17
BBox Bass said:
Big +1 to Hercules. I have the double stand, and it has never fallen over, even after being bumped by careless drunks and my cats tearing through the house.
Click to expand...

I also own the double Hercules stand. It was what I was using when my Lakland fell off the flatbed. I had grabbed my modulus out of the stand to tune it and the wind caught the body of the lakland and shifted the weight causing the bass and stand to fall off the trailer.
 

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