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Double Bass do you loan your bass out ?
- Thread starter WillieB
- Start date
alembicguy said:
+1
had a double bass for a short while. Would only let others use my DB but only of I was around. When I went home the bass came with me.
Only rented it out once and wasn't to happy to find out it sat on it's back for an 8 hour drive to back from Fairbanks. I gave specific directions for transporting but I guess whoever loaded the truck didn't get them.
I have lent my bass out on several occasions. I have rented it out, when appropriate, as well. In every instance I was able to obtain written agreement, underwritten by an academic institution (college/university) that assumed any and all liability if the bass was returned in anything other than condition it was in when it was loaned out.
I work on the campus, and our institution sponsors a cultural arts series. There are times when the bassist will know in advance that he needs a loaner, and then they contact me. There have been occasions when a rental bass has been deemed unacceptable, and again, they call me.
I've met some fine musicians through this process, and never been burned. Kristin Korb borrowed my bass for a gig once.
They have borrowed my amps more times than I can recall.
If the college didn't have my back? prolly not
I work on the campus, and our institution sponsors a cultural arts series. There are times when the bassist will know in advance that he needs a loaner, and then they contact me. There have been occasions when a rental bass has been deemed unacceptable, and again, they call me.
I've met some fine musicians through this process, and never been burned. Kristin Korb borrowed my bass for a gig once.
They have borrowed my amps more times than I can recall.
If the college didn't have my back? prolly not
To the OP, in the situation you described, NEVER. I dont even let people I dont know sit-in on my bass. But, if I knew the player and how they treat their bass and I knew the venue wasnt a dive, sure.
I've loaned out my bass on two occasions, and enjoyed the experience. Both times it was a case of a player I respect and admire, touring from out of town and in a small, informal venue (house concerts, actually). His group was vouched for by my friends organizing the event, and the terms of the agreement were that I would a.) attend the show, and b.) take the bass home afterwards.
He got to play his music on the instrument it was composed for, not on a slab. And I got to hear what my bass could sound like under the hands of a talented player. A win for both of us.
In the OP's scenario--a gig an hour out of town--he doesn't mention if he plans to be there, or if he'd enjoy the music. Important factors, by my lights. But he does convey the sense of not entirely trusting the people and/or context, to which my reply is: go with your gut.
He got to play his music on the instrument it was composed for, not on a slab. And I got to hear what my bass could sound like under the hands of a talented player. A win for both of us.
In the OP's scenario--a gig an hour out of town--he doesn't mention if he plans to be there, or if he'd enjoy the music. Important factors, by my lights. But he does convey the sense of not entirely trusting the people and/or context, to which my reply is: go with your gut.
great input on my question from all .... I love this site.
JSN .... I won't be at the gig. I'm sure I'd like the music. If I was going to attend
I would deliver the bass and take it home after the show. That would be a plus.
JSN .... I won't be at the gig. I'm sure I'd like the music. If I was going to attend
I would deliver the bass and take it home after the show. That would be a plus.
I am the grateful recipient loaner basses. I like to play in workshops for chamber groups. The only workshops that include basses are in Europe, 6000 miles from where I live. Several times, I have been able to rent a bass from a musician in Italy and Germany.
The rentals have always been good quality, hand-carved basses set up for classical music. I bring my own strings. I take the same care of this instrument as I do my basses.
I have never been asked to loan out a bass but I would be happy to do so, if I knew how the bass was going to be used and had confidence that the musician was serious about the instrument. Yes, my basses are insured for their replacement costs.
Shipping large instruments is becoming more costly and less secure. So if we want travel to play music, the music community is going to have to find a way to share. We have learned to share other things, like cars and homes. Can't we learn to share instruments too?
The rentals have always been good quality, hand-carved basses set up for classical music. I bring my own strings. I take the same care of this instrument as I do my basses.
I have never been asked to loan out a bass but I would be happy to do so, if I knew how the bass was going to be used and had confidence that the musician was serious about the instrument. Yes, my basses are insured for their replacement costs.
Shipping large instruments is becoming more costly and less secure. So if we want travel to play music, the music community is going to have to find a way to share. We have learned to share other things, like cars and homes. Can't we learn to share instruments too?
Hells No. Exceptions might be if you can meet with the person first. Look for examples of his work. Be at the gig yourself. Find him a rental center.
- Oct 7, 2000
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- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
I'll never loan my bass to anyone, although from time to time I'll lend it to someone.
Sorry, the english teacher in my comes out from time to time.
But I will lend a bass if someone needs it. I have more than enough to go around, and I have a few I really don't care all that much about. I do have a handful that nobody's touching, so I guess if I only had those basses my answer would be different, but as things are now I'm grateful for what I have and would be happy to lend a bass to someone in need.
EDIT: OOPS! The ads just told me I slipped accidentally over to the other side again. I do own a DB. And there's no freakin way I'd lend it to anyone.
Sorry, the english teacher in my comes out from time to time.
But I will lend a bass if someone needs it. I have more than enough to go around, and I have a few I really don't care all that much about. I do have a handful that nobody's touching, so I guess if I only had those basses my answer would be different, but as things are now I'm grateful for what I have and would be happy to lend a bass to someone in need.
EDIT: OOPS! The ads just told me I slipped accidentally over to the other side again. I do own a DB. And there's no freakin way I'd lend it to anyone.
- Sep 14, 2009
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- Endorsing Artist: GullanskyLab pickups
NO.
I'm always ready to satisfy (for free) my friends or my old teacher when they have gigs around my hometown, and they do the same for me when I can't carry my bass on a plane. We're friends, and colleagues. We must do this.
But if it's people I don't know, I wouldn't, even if they pay me. I'm quite jealous about my old bass.
Sometimes I loan my EUB, but that's a different story.
When I was younger I lent my bass (my favorite one) to a cuban band: i was kind of irresponsable, then, but everything went ok.
Anyway, NO.
I'm always ready to satisfy (for free) my friends or my old teacher when they have gigs around my hometown, and they do the same for me when I can't carry my bass on a plane. We're friends, and colleagues. We must do this.
But if it's people I don't know, I wouldn't, even if they pay me. I'm quite jealous about my old bass.
Sometimes I loan my EUB, but that's a different story.
When I was younger I lent my bass (my favorite one) to a cuban band: i was kind of irresponsable, then, but everything went ok.
Anyway, NO.
I don't loan my instruments to anyone I don't know.
Every player I know has his own instruments.
I did let a member of a well known Beatles tribute band use my amp once. But that was arranged in advance and I knew the rig would be in good hands. And we were opening for them. They requested to use our amps for a quick change of the bands.
Every player I know has his own instruments.
I did let a member of a well known Beatles tribute band use my amp once. But that was arranged in advance and I knew the rig would be in good hands. And we were opening for them. They requested to use our amps for a quick change of the bands.
This is about where I stand on the "borrowing" issue as well. It goes past a 'faux pas' into "taboo" land almost. The first and ONLY time I loaned out my electric bass to someone, it came back showing some minor (but noticeable) damage on one of the knobs.. I insisted he replaced ALL of the knobs.. which he did. No more lending out of gear for me. After that, he got his own Fender bass, which I happily set up for him and made it gleam like a new penny too.
(we get along just fine now)
This response is closest to my own position and what I was trying to illustrate that I observe. He did a better job than I have of explaining it, despite saying "NO" very clearly twice, his answer wasn't really "no". Again, while EBGs are less fragile than doublebasses, the realities of our instrument force us to be supportive one another within a closed circle. For some that circle is more closed than others, which is personal and to be respected, but I find that our community is more open to this than even this thread indicates, probably because 1/2 of the respondants to it are bass guitarists, which has skewed our results, as frequently happens with TBDB threads of every variety.
That would be not loaning your bass to "just anyone." If I say, "I will not loan my bass to anyone," then, logically speaking, it is the inverse of "I will loan my bass to anyone," which is the logical equivalent of, "I will loan my bass to no one." (But see below.) Sorry, the symbolic logician in me (not "my") comes out from time to time.
Of course, English construction often does not follow symbolic logic. So, to disambiguate whether the emphasis is on "any" in anyone, we'd say, "I will not loan my bass to just anyone." That means there are some to whom the bass would be loaned.
I wanted to find any excuse I could to get this thread off topic, given the pages of the same basic statements. Thanks for helping!
We now return you to the regularly scheduled
I loan out my kid's Squier Affinity. $50.00 at a pawn shop, I'm not too worried.
If I like it, and if it's a player that I depend on, then no, I do not loan it out. And that applies to all the other basses in my stable.
If I like it, and if it's a player that I depend on, then no, I do not loan it out. And that applies to all the other basses in my stable.
