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"No, you may not use my amp."
- Thread starter Fawkes007
- Start date
At least you guys usually get ASKED first...
I played a Christmas house party in December. During the set break, I felt ill (turned out to be food poisoning, not booze-related!!!) I was busy praying to the porcelain goddess when I heard my '75 P-Bass being cranked at full volume. Since I couldn't move from my position my wife went and packed up my stuff. When I finally recovered the next morning I noticed that, yup, all of the amp settings were at 10. I never learned who had "borrowed" my stuff. At least they didn't steal anything!
I played a Christmas house party in December. During the set break, I felt ill (turned out to be food poisoning, not booze-related!!!) I was busy praying to the porcelain goddess when I heard my '75 P-Bass being cranked at full volume. Since I couldn't move from my position my wife went and packed up my stuff. When I finally recovered the next morning I noticed that, yup, all of the amp settings were at 10. I never learned who had "borrowed" my stuff. At least they didn't steal anything!
I have been on the other end of the spectrum. My band played with a bigger well know band the other night, and they asked if I wanted to use their Mesa 400+ & Ampeg 8X10. I politely refused and told them I use a lot of effects and don't want to be responsible for his equipment.
I once opened for Rick Derringer in the early 90's. I came back from eating and Rick's bassist decided to somehow integrate our systems together. I was a bit leary and wondered as to why, but I rolled with it after his lengthy explanation. Bottom line is it sounded incredible!! Plus I had no problem letting Rick Derringer's bassist (name unknown right now) using my rig - hey, I used his rig too!
Among good friends, this is definitely no big deal. People I don't know anything about should not assume that they can use my stuff for anything at all. They need to have something to offer me besides a handshake.
The one time I borrowed someone elses rig was at a benefit show about 7 years ago where there was about 10 bands and everyone played on the borrowed backline.
It was a Hartke head running into 2 Ampeg cabs, a 2X10 and a 1X15 if I remember right. About 3 songs into our set I blew the 1X15. To this day I have no idea why, but I had to play the rest of the set with just the 8 ohm 2x10 and zero stage volume.
Moral of the story: If I'm going to blow something up, I prefer to own it!
It was a Hartke head running into 2 Ampeg cabs, a 2X10 and a 1X15 if I remember right. About 3 songs into our set I blew the 1X15. To this day I have no idea why, but I had to play the rest of the set with just the 8 ohm 2x10 and zero stage volume.
Moral of the story: If I'm going to blow something up, I prefer to own it!
Something like this didn't happen to me, but to a friend (who is a phenomenal guitarist). When my friend was a sophomore in high school he salvaged an old amp that was going to get thrown away. He ended up spending nearly two years re-vamping it, fixed the speakers, cleaned it up, and got new tolex and mesh. It was literally his baby, his creation, and for a while he didn't even want to use it playing live shows because he was afraid of damaging it. Well his band broke up for about a year and a half, and after that time, the band got back together and started playing shows again. Since they were gone for so long, they had to stick with being an opener band with a 15 minute time slot. They got invited to open for a local band who had gotten signed and were have a release show for their new EP. Now my friend's band had gone the whole way through, with his Franken-amp. The main band of the night started, and in the middle of the set the guitarist blew his amp. The manager of the band came out all disgruntled and came looking for my friend and asked him if he could lend his amp to the guitarist of the current band. If it weren't for the the situation at hand he would have said no, but ended up loaning it to him. Granted, he was on the side of the stage and made sure that nothing went wrong, or else that would be two years of hard work and money down the drain.
Cause they are cheap, loud, reliable, bulletproof.... and weigh too much to walk off with
I wouldn't want to use one as my main amp, but as a stage monitor they are perfectly adequate.
- Feb 27, 2005
- 3,218
- 125
- Disclosures
- Full disclosure, I'm a certified Fender technician working in a music store that carries Fender, Yamaha, and Ibanez products among others.
This is why I gig ampless whenever possible. If there aren't any wedges or they're on their last legs, I go out of my TD100 to the input of my IEM pack and monitor myself that way.
I don't think I've ever had anyone ask to use my bass, aside from musicians I trust at church or drunken bar patrons who are easy to turn aside (bouncer, this man has had way, way too much to drink and is about to violate club policy and void its insurance by stepping on stage. Please remove him, we've already said 'no' the nice way, etc). I can't imagine even gigging with someone who just flat didn't bring their axe. The mind boggles.
I don't think I've ever had anyone ask to use my bass, aside from musicians I trust at church or drunken bar patrons who are easy to turn aside (bouncer, this man has had way, way too much to drink and is about to violate club policy and void its insurance by stepping on stage. Please remove him, we've already said 'no' the nice way, etc). I can't imagine even gigging with someone who just flat didn't bring their axe. The mind boggles.
I mentioned this thread to a buddy of mine who was a drummer. He reminded me of a time where his band just finished their set. There is a 20 minute set up between bands so he helped his guitariest (x2) carry their half stacks off stage. When he was coming back to take the drums apart the other bands drummer was on stage doing a sound check with them. He asked "What the F#&@ are you doing with my drums?" The guy replied "Your drums, I thought these were the ones from the club?" - The moron thought there was a drum kit already on stage and every band gets to use it. The fool didn't bring his kit.
My friend loaded everything up in the van, including his drums, and they got out of there. The next band went on stage, without a drum set because no other band would let him us theirs. What an idiot
My friend loaded everything up in the van, including his drums, and they got out of there. The next band went on stage, without a drum set because no other band would let him us theirs. What an idiot
I am nice to those who I know and trust, but in those cases where a bassist blew a speaker or broke a string, I have lent them my gear, and they all have this sort of respect as to not touch anything but the on switch. On my really nice days I'll even eq for them. But never do I randomly loan gear to some **** who didn't bring anything or just wants to use mine because "itll sound better"
I have never needed to borrow gear but in the event that I may need to. I hope karma remembers me...
I have never needed to borrow gear but in the event that I may need to. I hope karma remembers me...
And that's now! I did similar in '71 with just the bass, guitarist just his axe, keys and drummer w/no equipment and it was standing room only in the train. The club had a house band, our guitarist/vocalist was a semi-celeb and we played using the house band equipment. Nice gig. And it was still standing room only on the densha on the way back home. Toho picked us up for a one-off promo for Suntory beer (new to market in '71) and we did a festival on the roof of a Fukuoka department store for a couple days. Killer. We packed 'em in. Toho took care of all transfers to and from. We used our own equipment, they handled it all. Great memories.No wayI'm using an iAmp800 and 2 Aggie GS112s. Still a pain to take even a small amp and a bass on the train though.
in fact so bulletproof that they will be around in house backlines for many years to come, torturing numerous further generations of bassists.Cause they are cheap, loud, reliable, bulletproof.... and weigh too much to walk off with
I wouldn't want to use one as my main amp, but as a stage monitor they are perfectly adequate.
Ive offered both my guitars and my basses to others to play. Only problem is I"m a south paw, so it usually doesn't do them much good.
Other than that I've had guys use my amps before but I had them hand over collateral, hell even one guy offered up his girlfriend which I thought was a fair trade... then again I always was a sucker for a redhead.
I watch them very carefully and help them set it up, and make sure they dont do anything stupid to it. I'm sure I'll continue to be a nice guy until something bad happens then I'll crack down on the rental of my amp.
Other than that I've had guys use my amps before but I had them hand over collateral, hell even one guy offered up his girlfriend which I thought was a fair trade... then again I always was a sucker for a redhead.
I watch them very carefully and help them set it up, and make sure they dont do anything stupid to it. I'm sure I'll continue to be a nice guy until something bad happens then I'll crack down on the rental of my amp.
I used to be The Good Samaritan of Gear-Lending (business cards and everything); ****, I even leant this one ****** who was playing before us the E string off my beloved Spector and watched him mindlessly thrash the crap out of it for the duration of his band's terrible set.
That same night, I cheerfully leant my cab and head to some fringe-fest emo band and then went on to watch one of their 80kg vocalists jump up and down on top of it several times during the night.
Never again.
That same night, I cheerfully leant my cab and head to some fringe-fest emo band and then went on to watch one of their 80kg vocalists jump up and down on top of it several times during the night.
Never again.
I've let people borrow my old Peavey combo before, but only because I knew where they went to school (my school) and that it's very difficult to break, even on purpose.
I let some kid at my old college borrow my Carvin BX500 for a Jazz band rehersal. (We had the school's Ampeg already set up on stage.) I don't know what he did to it, but the poor thing had to make a trip to Carvin the next day. 
Fawkes007 said:
Did lend my trace Elliot rig to a friend once as they followed us, usually enjoy their set but after watching my clip light flash for first two songs had to sneak on and adjust! If clubs and pubs want fast transitions simple answer is buy good quality pa and gear and we can all use theirs! Dream of a gig with no haulin gear. As borrowing your bass......no ones ever been brave enough to ask yet!
With all the gigs I've played it's usually up to the bands on the bill to sort out between them who brings what gear and what is shared. The venue owner or promoter rarely organise this, unless the venue has a house kit or cabs or something.
Here's the deal with most of the gigs I play.
Usually the drum kit and guitar/bass cabs are provided by the headline band, since it's their show, they wanna use their own gear obviously.
Supporting bands are expected to bring their own drum breakables and guitar and bass heads.
We have played a couple headline gigs out of town and have been unable to provide kit and cabs since we don't have our own van, but this is sorted out beforehand and usually the band most local to the area provides the big stuff like drum kit and cabs.
I personally don't have a problem with people using my guitars/basses, purely because when I play them I beat the hell out of them, I can't imagine anyone playing harder than I do!
As for heads, we've rarely played a venue where they didn't mic or DI the bass rigs, so they didn't have to be cranked right up, if that's the case I don't mind letting others use it.
This reminded me of this one time we played a show and the bassist of the band on before us broke a string, his low E actually and didn't have a spare. I ran to where all the gear was and hooked him up with my bass mid song. It took him a few seconds to realise it was in a completely different tuning to what he played in but he got there in the end! That's the only time I've had to lend my bass during a gig. I've had friends in bands ask if they can borrow gear for some of their shows though, again I have no problem with that.
Here's the deal with most of the gigs I play.
Usually the drum kit and guitar/bass cabs are provided by the headline band, since it's their show, they wanna use their own gear obviously.
Supporting bands are expected to bring their own drum breakables and guitar and bass heads.
We have played a couple headline gigs out of town and have been unable to provide kit and cabs since we don't have our own van, but this is sorted out beforehand and usually the band most local to the area provides the big stuff like drum kit and cabs.
I personally don't have a problem with people using my guitars/basses, purely because when I play them I beat the hell out of them, I can't imagine anyone playing harder than I do!
As for heads, we've rarely played a venue where they didn't mic or DI the bass rigs, so they didn't have to be cranked right up, if that's the case I don't mind letting others use it.
This reminded me of this one time we played a show and the bassist of the band on before us broke a string, his low E actually and didn't have a spare. I ran to where all the gear was and hooked him up with my bass mid song. It took him a few seconds to realise it was in a completely different tuning to what he played in but he got there in the end! That's the only time I've had to lend my bass during a gig. I've had friends in bands ask if they can borrow gear for some of their shows though, again I have no problem with that.
