Paranoid?

[RandallFlagg]

I understand both sides of the story here. I must admit that I'm EXTREMELY anal about the care of instruments, amps, recorders, etc etc.....

My basses are in flight cases (all 4 of them), My amp is in a flight case (SVT5Pro and PR4X10 X2) and my recorder (Yamaha AW16G and Mics) are kept in road cases.

It's an expensive proposition. However - I sadly recall the day back in 1985 when the truck carrying our equipment was hit by another truck (killed our sound guy) and destroyed everything from PA Gear to guitars, basses, B3, Leslies, lights, etc etc....In an instant, I lost not only one of my dearest friends but also nearly $8,000 in "personal" gear.

By doing the ATA thing, *hopefully* I have narrowed the odds a little bit.

Yes, instruments are made to be played. Couldn't agree more. However, a couple of "precautions" might mean the difference between playing that bad boy and not.....

Just an old guy's $.02

 

[ggunn]

have a friend that collects action figures/Matchbox cars etc. I always want to take them out of the packages when I'm at his house (and I'm 34!). He has a hissy anytime I joke about it. Doesn't interest me but it's soley what he spends his extra cash on. More power to him!

Seinfeld? ;^)

 

[leftymike]

Seinfeld? ;^)

HA! Totally forgot about that.

 

[dhagler]

I have two basses but, alas, only one stand, so one bass stays in the bag. I am a church musician and my Sunday morning ritual is (1) practice the set, (2) tune, (3) wipe down with a cloth, (4) put it in the bag and go wake up the kids. That at least keeps most of the dust off.

 

[Baird6869]

90% of the time it survives with only the most minor cosmetic "damage".

I guess you have never had a Les Paul or most other Gibson guitars and basses fall off a stand and hit the ground.

I would say that 90% of the time the headstock snaps is conservative. It has happened to me 2 out of two times.

I agree that most basses are pretty solid though. My basses have a few scratches here and there. I don't go out of my way trying to kill them but stuff happens.

 

[blipndub]

Thus the joy of relic'ed basses. It just doesn't matter if they get beat up and in fact only adds to their appeal

 

[spade2you]

I baby my guns and my instruments. If I take good care of them, they tend to take care of me.

I tend to keep my action as low as possible, which means I need to stay on top of things and tinker with stuff. If I don't, stuff either gets too high or starts buzzing. I live in an area with dramatic seasonal climate changes.

Yes, I am a boutique player, mostly for tone and feel. The nice top and finish is simply a perk. As much as I spend, I keep 'em nice.

 

[thumpbass1]

If the guitar players in my band can gig with their very
pricey Gibsons and Gretsches at bar and club gigs I ain't
gonna bitch and whine about a few dings here and there
on my Fender basses. It's those battle marks that add to
the mojo of a well played axe imho.

I say play em!