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have you ever dropped/fallen with your bass?

#61
I started playing bass in fifth grade (seven years ago), and at the time I had a CAR Squier Affinity Precision (the kind that came in the "Starter Pack" box with a 15W combo). At that time I had no idea how cheap and low quality it was, and I loved it like crazy.

So, one day my school's band (I played in the concert band) was waiting in line to get on the stage and rehearse, and I was holding the bass across my chest (like I would hold it if I was playing while standing). My friend was like "why don't do put it across your back so you don't have to hold it?" (like, with the headstock pointing at the floor). I thought it was a good idea, so I did it.

Well, when we started to walk up on stage I stumbled, and my bass fell off the strap and crashed to the floor. I chip a little bigger than a quarter was taken out of the bass, and you could see the wood.

Like I said, at this point in time this bass was my pride and joy; I was devastated...

...fast forward a few years later and I couldn't care less about my POS Squier. Sold it for like $80 store credit at my local music store (which, considering its condition, was quite nice of them).
 
#62
When I just started following classical guitar lessons at the age of 7, I once rested my 3/4 (I think) guitar against a wall. Naturally it slid down, result: the headstock snapped in half, but my teacher managed to glue it back together somehow. Don't remember how long I played it afterwards, but I imagine it wasn't very long since I switched to a 4/4 not long after.

So to answer the OP: no I've never dropped a bass or fallen with one :p
 
#63
"dropped" my jazz bass special the other day. Leaned it against my car in its gig bag in the dark. Reached for it, it slid super slow toward the deck. Hit the ground with a thud. Got it inside and inspected, nothing. Took it like a champ. I haven't fallen with one, yet :bassist:
 
#64
Yes, luckily it was only at practice, I was using some cheap knock off brand strap locks and we were playing Search and Destroy which always gets me riled up, and when we played the bridge, I remember I pushed down on the body and pulled up on the neck, kinda just like lifted it up, and the bottom strap lock just came right off and the strap flung out and my bass did too, but luckily, the strap button hit first on the concrete floor and it completely skidded and I only chipped the side.

I would later go on to somehow destroy all the wiring inside of that bass as it got hooked on the knob and when I turned the knob it pulled out like half the wires. That wasn't even a very nice bass, honestly.
 
#65
I have a story too, my dad was a musician as well, he was with the band napalm beach, they were pretty crazy, but anyways, my dad had just done the thing where you breathe fire, then afterwards he tried to stage dive and the crowd just parted out and my dad slammed right into the floor of the legendary satyricon in portland.

Which reminds me of another story, my dad and his brother were in portland, in this building, dont remember, but my dad was playing on stage with his band, and all of sudden somebody screams "YOU'RE ALL STUPID F***S AND SHOULD GO F**K YOURSELVES F**K" and something else, and someone through a beer bottle on the ground, somebody thought they hit somebody, and suddenly people started just beating the sh*t out of eachother, and my dads brother hopped on stage, and said "THEY'RE FIGHTIN" and jumped back in and suddenly people got on stage and everybody was fighting and yelling and it was complete chaos and turned into a massive riot...

My dad still finishes that story with, "Good times"...
 
#66
Fell with my P-bass once, cracked the finish in one bottom corner thought "oh well, just some character for it.

But my serious falling story: Was carrying the drummer's kick drum (with both upper toms attached) out to her vehicle. came down a set of stairs and hit a puddle on a slippery garage floor. Foot came out from under me, I knew I was going down, there was no way around it. Gripped on to the kit as tight as I could and attempted to adjust myself to fall straight back.

Went down and landed flat on my butt and then back. Drums were still supported by my body and didn't touch the ground. Rest of the band ran up "are you ok? are you ok?" My response was "Forget about me, the drums! How are the drums?" Turns out they didn't take a scratch.

My drummer still talks about it to this day how I put my body on the line to save her instrument. Bodies heal; drums aren't cheap to replace, lol.
 
#67
My bass got knocked off its stand, bounced off the stage and landed on the floor...about 5 feet down, right before the biggest gig of my life. We were playing a huge industry showcase in NYC at a big club complete with reps from big record labels, local media and MTV news. I was using my Guild B-301 and one of the guitards accidentally knocked it off. I had that bass for a while and didnt care about the nicks and bruises, and luckily it only got knocked out of tune. I had a "roadie" lol run back to our dressing room and tune it up for me. Phew!

And, uh, yeah...nothing came from the showcase.
 
#68
I had my Jazz bass on a bad wall hanger a while back and accidentally knocked it off. It fell straight down and impacted the end of the body into the concrete floor of my basement. No damage, but I decided to get away from wall hangers and buy instrument stands. I also have inexpensive but functional Dunlop strap locks on all, as I have had close strap calls in the past.
 
#70
Joebarnes said:
Fell with my P-bass once, cracked the finish in one bottom corner thought "oh well, just some character for it.

But my serious falling story: Was carrying the drummer's kick drum (with both upper toms attached) out to her vehicle. came down a set of stairs and hit a puddle on a slippery garage floor. Foot came out from under me, I knew I was going down, there was no way around it. Gripped on to the kit as tight as I could and attempted to adjust myself to fall straight back.

Went down and landed flat on my butt and then back. Drums were still supported by my body and didn't touch the ground. Rest of the band ran up "are you ok? are you ok?" My response was "Forget about me, the drums! How are the drums?" Turns out they didn't take a scratch.

My drummer still talks about it to this day how I put my body on the line to save her instrument. Bodies heal; drums aren't cheap to replace, lol.
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As a person who has had spinal surgery, and spent countless hours at the Chiropractor's office, I take issue with your philosophy.

Don't ask me to save your instrument. I'm saving my body.

Sorry.
 
#71
it should be the other way round.YOU CAN ALWAYS GET A NEW DRUMKIT YOU CANT ALWAYS REPAIR(HEAL) A BROKEN BODY.
drumkit $1000+
body part treatment (pick a six figure #) +pain possible,loss of livelyhood.you only have one body and you need to look after it.
ps this was not my attitude when young but the bills are comming in now.
pps the figures may be wrong but you get my drift.music stuff is cheaper than medical treatment.
 
#72
As a person who has had spinal surgery, and spent countless hours at the Chiropractor's office, I take issue with your philosophy.

Don't ask me to save your instrument. I'm saving my body.

Sorry.
Click to expand...

Must agree. I have spine issues myself. Given the choice between me or someone else's gear(or even my own gear, come right down to it) I'll vote me every time. Minor stuff heals yes, but really get yourself screwed up, and you may never be 100% again. I speak from experience.
 
#73
Two stories with same instrument.

Once at my Small Group/Home Fellowship right after Worship, we all stand for prayer and I pull off ma Tacoma Fretless Five string and while everyone's eyes are closed and its just getting quiet, WHACK, the headstock takes a shot from the ceiling fan. People jump, I cringe out loud and there's a hairline crack behind the truss rod nut (later to be epoxy injected although nothing ever moved in there).

The other was at church after practice and I'm with a few people in the Cafe and a girl who had recently started playing guitar who incredibly naturally talented was giving some lessons to another girl I gave a Takamine to, were going through a song and I started to play along and she asked me to stop so she could grasp what she was trying to learn, so I flip my bass above my shoulder on its strap, headstock down and start singing along some harmony accents and what, the strap pops off the endpoint and slowly flips off my into the storefront glass wall next to where I we Standing and the acoustic bass slams down on the end pin, bounces on the lower bout and I catch the headstock just before it smacks the floor. Luckily it just got a very small crack off the corner of the preamp control/battery panel. Thank God it didn't get trashed.
 
#74
I've had straps come loose, so I never put myself in a position where I have both arms above the bass. There's always one under it in case I have to catch it.

One night many years ago, I was at a jam where the other bassist had a Gibson SG-style bass. He had been playing, and took it off & put it on the stand so he could sing while I played behind him.

While he was singing, his foot caught either the strap or the stand, and the bass SLAMMED down face first on the wooden floor between us (luckily, I was obviously not in contact with it at any point). We all stopped dead in mid-song. The headstock was snapped almost completely off.

He had it repaired, but it was an ugly job, with the area covered in what looked like thick, black roof pitch. I don't think he ever played it again. Last time I saw it, it was hanging from the ceiling at a local guitar store.
 
#78
I've had an instrument or two get knocked off a stand, and I've dropped a few by accident, and I've had a few strap failures too, leading to some hurt. Thankfully I do have some furniture repair and auto body, and other usable repair skills, so yeah I've steamed out dents in wood and have done repairs big or small when needed. Every gigging musician I know has had their share of " Oh crap! " incidents and accidents. I do my best to keep such moments to a rarity, but they do happen.
 
#79
It was my first band, I had recently bought my first jazz bass. We decided to take a break so I leaned my bass up against the wall as usual. We're in the other room and all I hear is a big loud crack followed by the sound of vibrating strings. I run back into the room and it had fallen. It hit a stone fire place on the way down too. Upon further inspection, there was a huge crack in the head in between the B and E string tuners. Goodbye first jazz bass lol

ALWAYS USE GUITAR STANDS!!!!!!!
 
#80
godofthunder59 said:
I have taken a fair amount of dives onstage. The last one was at a rather large show, about 4000 people. Huge soundstage big fancy twirling spots/lasers at various points on stage. I backed up over one and was flat on my back in the blink of an eye, the whole way down I am thinking about nothing but protecting the headstock of my '67 Thunderbird. Fortunately the bass was fine and I didn't miss a note ;)
Click to expand...

Ha I had something similar happen. Just leaned a little too far back and all of a sudden I'm going back into my amp. Fortunately there was a railing on the side I could lean into and boost myself back up without missing a beat.

On the dropping instruments front, my first Warwick was a blonde thumb. The original "rock bag" that came with it had the cheap plastic adjustment things and I was walking with the bass one day with one strap over my should when bang, it was on the ground. Plastic piece just snapped right off. Took that strap off and started using it with the other side only for it to happen on that side about a month later. I ended up using some carabiners and duct tape to hold it all together after that.
 

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