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How Anal are you with your rig?

#41
I take care of my stuff, but don't baby it. I figure if it's survived since the 70s there's not much I can do to hurt it apart from dropping it. Then again, it's probably been dropped already. I guess I pretty much always make sure my heads are set to the right Ohms, but other than that I put beers on top of my stuff, mics have fallen into my cabs, I slide the cabs into the back of pickups and hatchbacks. Normal stuff, I guess.
 
#43
I am very particular about my stuff. That's how I have been able to play through the same stuff for over twenty years and almost a thousand gigs and it still looks and sounds pretty good.

One time I let my guard down and it was nearly tragic. I used to live in Oregon and we played a gig during the monsoon season. The loadout was during a typical downpour and I let a friend carry my cabinet down to my truck and load it in. The truck has a tonneau cover and it leaks. Unfortunately, my cabinet was loaded in with the speakers facing up (which I never do) and I when I got home I was so tired that I decided to leave my stuff in the truck. The next morning when I went to unload the cabinet I found about two inches of water in each speaker cone. It's a Hartke cabinet with aluminum cones and, thankfully, the water did not get inside the voicecoils. I dumped out the water, cussing the whole time, and tested the cabinet and it was still working fine. This was six years ago and that cabinet still sounds good. I have been much more careful about the loadout since then. I am sure glad I have those aluminum cone speakers.
 
#44
RDUB said:
They're all tools. They need to be in good working order, because I PLAY them, a lot. I don't have the time or inclination to put them on pedestals and worship them.
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+100

I certainly don't intentionally rough up my gear (and my 26 year old Ibby is testament to that), but I didn't buy it as furniture or decoration. It gets used all the time, and it consequently does get worn. It's looked after and maintained well, but it certainly wouldn't pass for new (or even near new).

This is more so with my amps/cabs than basses/guitars, which I tend to look after better (I like the workmanship of an instrument - a cab is just a box really).

If I felt like the OP, I sure wouldn't give my gear to roadies to stow, but having said that I haven't had a crew member ever really damage a piece of gear substantially. For me, "Does it sound good" means much more than "Does it look good" I guess.
 
#47
I am really anal about my gear. I keep Clorox wipes and wipe down my cabs and cables after every gig. I keep micro fiber cloths for my bass and amp knobs. I also have separate gear (I call it the B rig) I use whenever I do an outdoor show. In between sets I always keep my bass in the case. And don't get me started on how to properly roll cables......and how angry I get when it is done incorrectly!!!!!
 
#49
masterFlash said:
Not anal at all.
My bass cost $75, I'll knock the cymbals once and a while with the headstock just to annoy the drummer.

My cab is a $200 craigslist carvin 4x10, It gets beaten up and stored in my garage.

My amp is a GX backline 600 I bought at a resale shop for $100. I take the best care of this thing, which means I don't throw it in a puddle.

If I had expensive gear I would prolly treat it all better.
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This... my bass cost $60 and my amp was a gift... i take care of the amp when it's out but right now it's sitting in my home studio and probly a bit dusty, except for where there are CDs stacked on it :-) It came with some scratches because it was on sale because it was damaged in a previous shipment so i'm not all OCD about it like i might be if it was pristine.
 
#50
Not anal about my cab or amp at all you need it for your set before or after me... Go for it... My bass is another story, it's plenty dinged and has a nice wear spot from my thumb. But no one is touching it and it stays in a case when I'm not holding it never even on a stand.

Where my main analocity shows is in cords.. They must be set up nicely and excess must be out of the way.... It drives me crazy to see guys walking all over cables.
 
#51
Somewhere in my 30's I decided not to worry about the little things, and it has been totally worthwhile! When my Geddy Lee fell and nicked the headstock I was only upset for 4 minutes. Then I didn't care anymore. I bang cymbals with my basses, I never wipe the strings ever, and I play in coastal towns outside. When I remove a pick guard to repair a jack or pot, I chuckle at all the dried up beer and whiskey under it. My amps get slightly better care but my giggin cabs have some road wear. Now my front of house PA gets put in cases and never scratched. I've seen bands with just crappy eyesore mains up front and its just a distraction to me so I try to keep a neat stage. I used to use gig bags but after a car wreck, I can vouch for hard cases. To sum up my anti-analness, I bought my last bass from GC because someone ran out the door with it and I liked the way it looked after the cops tackled the guy. Literally "road" worn!
 
#54
JaamE said:
This... my bass cost $60 and my amp was a gift... i take care of the amp when it's out but right now it's sitting in my home studio and probly a bit dusty, except for where there are CDs stacked on it :-) It came with some scratches because it was on sale because it was damaged in a previous shipment so i'm not all OCD about it like i might be if it was pristine.
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Can I interest you in a couple of great items then??
 
#56
I used to be pretty anal about keeping my guitars, basses and amps pristine. Now I make sure they earn a scratch on the first outing, if I don't I'll be obsessing over them staying perfect until that first scratch. Then again, I also put stickers on most of my stuff. I'm guessing that would get me ran out of town around here lol
 
#58
I take care of my stuff as far as keeping it in working order, but I know it will get a bit beat up after a lot of use. Saying that, I do have a few rules:

1. My bass cabinet is not a table. Any percussion items, or drummers found on it will be swept to the floor.
2. Don't touch my basses unless you ask me first, and then I might say okay.
3. If you're strictly a guitar player, don't even ask me to play my basses. I will say no.
 
#60
I dont mind lending stuff if i'm right there. I'll let people try my bass, but i stand right there with them. My amp I've let other groups use, but i know them and they're adults and not drunk. I don't let anyone else put anything on my amp and i only do it with a poptop water bottle and a coaster.
 

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