Dropped my bass for the first time!

[lermgalieu]

What’s with everyone saying it is so important to play standing up? I practice alone sitting or on my back, rehearse and gig standing up, never had any issues. Playing double bass is what can give you back issues if you do it wrong, I know this from experience.

 

[pappabass]

I have had the strap come off a few times. Luckily I was able to save it with my left hand. I think the strap is turned down and you don't know it then it slips off. I try to always keep a hand on my bass

 

[Mustang Surly]

Then there's the Van Halen method: an eye screw into the guitar/bass horn and a swivel snap bolt (like on a dog leash) on the strap:

May not be pretty, but it is pretty fail-safe, functionally.

 

[chuck1073]

It sucks getting that first ding. It's part of what I love about used instruments. Someone else had the pleasure (or misfortune) of starting the "patina". To add to the strap-slippage advise: DiMarzio "clip lock" straps are my go-to. I have them on every instrument. I just leave them attached. About $23 at Guitar Center.

 

[micguy]

Gravity is generally a good thing. Keeps the band from floating away if they jump, sneeze, or fart during a performance. Side effects are dropped instruments, spilled beer, etc.

 

[4sight]

Playing standing up is just good practice for if you start gigging, it might feel a bit weird unless you just take a seat to sit on or something. Might not work well if you're in a high energy rock band.

Those rubber washers work great for me. No need to mod the bass, not had a failure yet.

 

[oZZma]

Gravity is generally a good thing. Keeps the band from floating away if they jump, sneeze, or fart during a performance. Side effects are dropped instruments, spilled beer, etc.

 

[2F/2F]

I will never play standing up again.

That is an absolutely ridiculous response to the situation.

Go get yourself a strap with tighter eyelets, and/or a four pack of Grolsch.

 

[BostonTerror]

Only been playing for about 6 months.
My MIM Fender Noir P-bass is my pride and joy. It's the best decision, hobby, toy, thing I've ever done just for myself in 48 years. I always play sitting down but decided to stand infront of the mirror, on hard tile floor, and try to look at my technique. Strap came lose on the bottom of the guitar and hit the floor HARD! My heart sank but looks like I got away with just a small dent. I will never play standing up again.
Any horror stories to share?

Oh man. This still makes me sick to my stomach - and it's been almost 25 years since it happened. I was jamming with some folks who worked in a furniture warehouse. Place was empty on weekends, so they had full run of the place with the blessing of the owner. So, jam session, right? I borrowed a bud's 76 Thunderbird, plugged it into my SVT, and started making lovely, fat tones.

However.....

My buddy didn't have strap locks on the Tbird. I had them on all my guitars. I put on a borrowed strap on this, and CLANG. Tbird pulled off the strap and hit the floor...

FML.

I explained the situation to my buddy, bought the bass from him, no quibbling on his ask, and hauled it off to a luthier who specialized in making wrongs right again with nitro finishes. And this was a big wrong that needed to be righted. Months later, I got it back. It wasn't perfect, but the damage to the lower horn was mitigated to the point where you'd have to really stare at it to notice.

I later sold it, because I hated the way Gibson's pickups sounded. I still rue that decision to this day.

 

[Evil Undead]

Eh. It’s a Fender, they’re made to handle a lot worse. Play it and enjoy it.

 

[bdplaid]

A speaker cab fell onto my bass one night, after I tripped onstage and pulled the amp over. It bent one of the tuning keys and wouldn't turn. Fortunately, it stayed in tune all night until I could repair the next day. FWIW, I fell offstage and broke 2 ribs.

Then I had a brand new bass, shiny black and all that, I slipped while leaning over adjusting music notes at the mic stand and it swung forward into the mic stand. Gouged the front of the bass and the fingerboard just exactly with the impression of the strings. Still have it 30 years later, still plays great.

Last year, brand new first time onstage G&L, all shiny black jazz bass. Guitar player turns around and smacks my headstock with his headstock. Whatev... I didn't even check it out. It happens.

There are more... I don't even worry about it any longer.

 

[Axstar]

You won't catch me using those rubber washers, had issues with those working the screw out.

The age-old problem with any strap lock solution. You simply move the point of failure somewhere else. Schaller strap locks are great until they explode, or that nut comes unscrewed (all of mine have loosened off over time). Or you epoxy the screw into the body of the bass, and then the head snaps off the screw! Neil Young used big metal washers, and the strap was on his Les Paul for life.

 

[Mike Barrow]

Only been playing for about 6 months.
My MIM Fender Noir P-bass is my pride and joy. It's the best decision, hobby, toy, thing I've ever done just for myself in 48 years. I always play sitting down but decided to stand infront of the mirror, on hard tile floor, and try to look at my technique. Strap came lose on the bottom of the guitar and hit the floor HARD! My heart sank but looks like I got away with just a small dent. I will never play standing up again.
Any horror stories to share?

I've never dropped my any of my bass guitars. But I use O rings to lock the straps on the guitar. Works great. Hard to get off but works great.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I think Peter Steele used eye-bolts & snap-rings:

 

[AboutSweetSue]

I feel sooooo much better once my basses start to get that natural relic’ing. I once gouged the nitro off my Gibson because of my watch being worn on my right wrist, right to the wood. It’s not a big deal now. I also had a cord near pull the input jack out of my Gretsch hollow body. That one was a bit painful.

On a side note, the Fender Noir would probably just look cooler and cooler the more wear it receives.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

It's normally OK if you drop them on the edge. Things get a little more complicated if they face-plant onto misplaced beer glasses...
View attachment 3263805

That’s some low action.

 

[Fender_Bender]

I’ll pile on the “practice standing up unless you can’t physically manage it” bandwagon. I’ve never been able to get everything in the right position when playing sitting down. Most of my basses have a dedicated strap held on by the rubber washers. Never had a strap slip off of them.

 

[Jokei]

If you are using those, you're doing it wrong. Suppose to brew and refill those, and buy the washers at the local hardware store for expedient strap locks.

Grolsch is sold like that over here...

I used two and glued them together with rubber-glue, super solid.

But Fender Music Corp does sell a logo branded version of the Grolsch style washers...

The Fender product doesn't come with a free beer

 

[Killed_by_Death]

It's sad that Fender's strap buttons are so pitiful that there's a product they make to mitigate its crappiness.

That's kind of like paying a guy to wash your car after HE gets it dirty for you.

 

[lermgalieu]

That is an absolutely ridiculous response to the situation.

Go get yourself a strap with tighter eyelets, and/or a four pack of Grolsh.

Uh, hyperbole much?