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Do you take your valuable basses to gigs?

#21
Depends on the gig. On the road, I take good but less expensive - usually CS '64 jazz and CS '55 Pbass. Covers a lot of ground and as I bought them used for a good price I would be upset if stolen but not devastated.
My more valuable basses (original '60's) gig locally, in good venues where I know I won't be having to deal with a bunch of drunks too close to my gear. We usually avoid these situations, but now and then you get surprised. And yes, I watch my instruments closely.
 
#22
Insure, insure, insure... Don't rely on your homeowner's - they'll disavow anything they can claim you were paid to use (though so many gig fees are debatable as "pay" :smug:). Go through a broker who handles musical instrument coverage for musicians. I used Heritage (in Ohio someplace IIRC - no relation) and was happy enough (never had to make a claim), but there are a few others out there. Cost was between $2-300/year for about $25K of coverage on all my gear (no need to identify particular instruments, amps, etc). Maybe a more limited policy would cost less (?)

I played all over the place for about 4 years with my Alembic and other (not as) pricey basses. Common sense goes a long way as other posters have indicated. I recently saw a "guitar lock" (called a "Rocklock") online that lets you lock your ax to anything big and heavy. It might discourage an idiot. By and large, keeping your pride and joy within your line of sight and assigning somebody to watch the gear while you pee, etc should be enough (if not, what are you doing there?). I never had an incident, but I think I'd have been able to intervene in most encounters should they have happened. But if all else failed, I always knew I was insured against the worst possibilities.
 
#25
+1 to "a 'gig' can mean a lot of things."

joshua bell plays his stradivarius exclusively, and i'm sure he has more gigs and recordings to do than anyone here. his violin is valued somewhere over 3 million dollars.



electric basses by nature rarely cost more than $4-5k. i've had several fully-custom handmade electric basses, none exceeded $5k.

but in the world of musical instruments, $5-15k is really not the top of the market. we all know that a really fine double bass will run you $50,000 and up... didn't pattitucci sell his bass a few years back for $125,000? he played the hell out of that thing probably 6 nights a week for years..

i'm not calming that $15k isn't a lot of money, but i don't think theres any reason not to bring your good instrument to be played. keep your eyes on it, dont throw it around. treat it as if its irreplaceable and there will never be a problem.
 
#27
Okay, to me the most "valuable" bass that I have is the one that I like to play the most. It isn't the one that cost the most. I have a couple of really expensive basses, and why I bought them, I just don't know. But by far my most "valuable" bass is my Lakland Skyline 44-02. I only paid $800 for it used in minty condition from another TB'er. I take it to every rehearsal, every gig, and every recording session. It is my every day bass. It really works for me. Great action, no dead spots, lots of sounds, and super comfy to wear for hours on end. I value it highly, but if it were lost, stolen, or somehow destroyed, I could get another one tomorrow, put on some flats, do a quick set-up, and be good to go. No worries.
So yes, I take my most "valuable" bass to gigs.
 
#29
M.R. Ogle said:
"Gig" can mean a lot of things, everything from a well-lit, carpeted stage in front of a church... to a dark dive bar with barbed wire across the front of the bandstand and broken beer bottles on the floor.

You must choose the appropriate-ness of taking which bass to which situation.
Click to expand...

This seems about right to me if I had really expensive instruments(all mine are in the sub $1k range). Plus I'd probably look into insurance if I were gigging with anything above maybe $5k-ish.
 
#30
My expensive basses are in the 5-600 dollar range so about 25 of my bass = your bass. But nonetheless, 600$ would be a lit for me to lose yet I take my most expensive basses to any gig...the only place I would hesitate is if I knew it was outside in bad weather. Having said that, if I had a 15G bass I would be the only person that ever handles it!
 
#32
M.R. Ogle said:
"Gig" can mean a lot of things, everything from a well-lit, carpeted stage in front of a church... to a dark dive bar with barbed wire across the front of the bandstand and broken beer bottles on the floor.

You must choose the appropriate-ness of taking which bass to which situation.
Click to expand...

+1...

headband said:
Depends on the gig. On the road, I take good but less expensive - usually CS '64 jazz and CS '55 Pbass. Covers a lot of ground and as I bought them used for a good price I would be upset if stolen but not devastated.
My more valuable basses (original '60's) gig locally, in good venues where I know I won't be having to deal with a bunch of drunks too close to my gear. We usually avoid these situations, but now and then you get surprised. And yes, I watch my instruments closely.
Click to expand...

This is an approach commonly used by pros - I find it odd that it's such a foreign concept here at TB... I have basses I'll take to some gig, and leave home at others - I gig alot, and they all get stage time - so, I don't see anything wrong with doing things that way...


- georgestrings
 
#34
And gear does get stolen - unbelievably a friend of mine had his bass and a pf500 stolen out of his car while loading out from a recent show, in a good venue. It was a drive by, stop and snatch. Thieves had to have been watching him and knew what they were after.
Everyone be careful.
 
#35
Which bass I take to a gig depends on the gig, venue, staging, etc. I am fortunate to have a variety of gear so low end gigs = a 2nd hand Fender RW - P. High end gigs with good staging = Sadowsky NYC P or J. But I also carry insurance thru Clarion on all my gear which provides for replacement due to any loss or damage, for any reason, worldwide. Plus, for festival and concert staging, our rider stipulates specific security during load in, performance, and load out.
I HAVE lost gear a couple of times, due to theft, which turned out to be by stage hands. But once it's gone, it's usually gone despite your best efforts to get it back. It's a pisser but it does happen.
If I had a $15K bass I'd definitely have Clarion coverage for it. Then I'd enjoy taking it to gigs a lot more.
 
#36
Jefff said:
Many mandolin players think nothing of taking their 200,000.00 Loyd Loars out.

They just don't leave them laying aound.
Click to expand...

Right, and just like the Strad that was previously mentioned, both examples are likely heavily insured, and in very controlled environments with security - besides being much easier to stash out of harms way than an electric bass...


- georgestrings
 
#37
I don't see the point of not playing it out. Admittedly, I would never spend that much on a bass though, my expensive basses are a few grand.

On the note of insurance, I recently started reading Bass Guitar Magazine, it is a British based publication. Their issues are always loaded with ads about getting insurance for your gear, I never saw a single ad for instrument insurance in Bass Player. Bass Guitar Magazine also highly touts the Musicians Union, I can only imagine the hate letters Bass Player would get if they started promoting the MU.
 
#38
Steveman said:
If the gig is safe enough for your body, it's safe enough for your gear.
Click to expand...


I've heard the same thoughts during these discussions before, and here's the problem with that: during my 35 or so years as a gigging musician, there have been several incidents of theft or accidents that were very unfortunate - BUT, no one's personal safety was at risk at any of those times...

Also, anyone who has played outdoor gigs will understand that weather conditions can sometimes play a part in gear selections before a gig...


- georgestrings
 
#39
In addition to theft, gear can get knocked over, drinks spilled on it, or a drunk knucklehead could fall into you.

I'm pragmatic, so I gig with a MIM JB. It does the job very well, and if something bad happens, I'd be sad but not totally devastated.
 

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