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Providing Your Amp as the Backline for a Gig

jmattbassplaya

jmattbassplaya

Supporting Member
Jan 13, 2008
11,843
9,860
#1
This is becoming ridiculous...

My guitarist got a call from the guy running the charity event we`re suppose to play at this Saturday. Apparently the guy running the show asked him if I would mind providing my amp as the backline (Markbass 106HR + SD800). My guitarist told the guy he`d ask me and would get back to him about it... of course I was in the room while my guitarist was on the phone with the guy and heard everything that was said, but my guitarist barely even mentioned it to me or would even talk about it when I asked what the guy had said :eyebrow:

Anyways, I don`t want to be a total butt munch but I feel like either flat out saying no or asking for a deposit to cover the expense of the amp in case it were damaged (which I would return after the gig if no harm was done). I hate to be this way, I really do, but I hate how people are constantly asking to use/borrow my rig as if it`s no big deal. I also wouldn`t necessarily mind letting them use my rig if I were there to watch it at the place, however, a few things are stopping me from this:

1. My amp would be at the place from 2pm-2am for sound checks and the actual gig... and there`s no way I`m sitting around all day for that without being payed.
2. My band performs second out of five bands and I don`t want to have to wait around all night to get my amp at the end.
3. I simply just don`t trust other people with my stuff. I`ve been burnt too many times in the past to be easy going about this kind of stuff.

Anyways, I want to hear some opinions. Should I just say no? Should I suck it up and lend it out? Should I ask for a deposit on the amp if I do lend it? etc... This would be my first gig using any sort of bass amp backline so I`m not sure what the regular protocols are.

Thanks
 
#3
Just saying "no" would be the easiest. If they ask why you're saying no, just be cool about it and tell them the reasons you just told us. They should understand. Backline rental is a business for a good reason.

Even charities can afford (you'd be surprised to find out how much they pay for other services such as the catering, etc.) to rent the backline or ask a company to donate it to the cause. You're a musician, not a music store/rental company.
 
#4
this should be a great thread. I'm very interested. I don't like letting other people use my rig, because often it is the 'brought a 10w peavey combo to 500 seat room' guys who want to use it. And they always want to crank it to 11, mess all my eq's, and put their beer on it. I think your deposit idea is a good one, but the question is who is paying this deposit? The promoter? The venue? The sound company?

I just refuse to offer my amp in this way. Every now and then I'll let other guys use my amp IF i've played with them before, and they have respectable gear of their own (and respect it), and it's a matter of stage space or time, and I'm there to keep an eye on it. I definitely wouldn't let it sit there for 12 hours as you described.

If the venue, soundstaff, or whoever insist on sharing BL, I'll use somebody else's amp, or just go DI through my sansamp.

Oh, and never share your nice rig at a battle of the bands. Maybe that's a d-bag move, but it's all about winning isn't it?
 
#5
This question seems to come up about once a month......

Tell them no, unless they want to pay you a signifcant rental fee and an even more significant damage deposit. Nothing good comes from lending out gear to perfect strangers.
 
#7
I work for an audio company that does everything from bar installs, to national tours and festivals. I do backline mostly. I'll share this.. a typical backline rental, say a drum kit, keyboard, two guitar amps, and bass amp is around $700 per day, give or take a few hundred based on the company.

and a story... I did a BL rental where I just dropped off and set up all the stuff, showed everybody how to use it and behave, then come back for it at the end of the convention. On call for any problems. So the 2nd day of the convention I get a call saying that the bass amp was broken and I needed to come fix it immediately. They said it was distorting and muddy.

So I get my butt out of bed and drive 30 minutes to the venue expecting to replace the SVT Classic Tube amp with the SVT-4pro backup I had there (8x10 cab btw). When I get there.... they had the Bass knob and the Master Volume knob at 10!! Gee, muddy and distorting you say? So I eq'd things correctly and turned down the volume for the moron. Then things sounded great! I must be a genius.
 
#8
Don't do it. If you WERE to do it, even with a deposit, you'd be a nervous wreck all day long. I just played a local Blues Fest with the Blues band that I'm in that had a couple of big name main acts and when my band leader first asked me if I wanted to do the gig, even though it was a paying gig (although not that great), I said I would do it if the promoter supplied a backline bass rig which is what they should have been doing to be expedient with time time between changing acts. The hall had a real nightmare of a circular staircase that was the only way to get your amp on the stage. They did supply a bass rig as well as a drum set so it worked out. But if they hadn't, I wouldn't have done that gig, even though it was a paying gig. Some gigs just aren't worth the trouble.
)-(
 
#9
Let me paraphrase a recent conversation with my wife.

"Honey, would you mind providing backline for the festival on April 24th?"

"...............OK. $240"

"It's five bands in six hours and you're in one of the bands"

"I know. That's why it's only $240."


And that's my wife asking, not a stranger.
 
#11
Oh man you are absolutely right to not let your amp sit anywhere used or not used and especially if you are not there.
I had a similar situation happen one time and I flat out told them NO! I NEED MY AMP! If someone has a show that lasts for more than 12 hours and they need a backline bass amp then they should have the means to GO RENT ONE!
 
#12
I offered my amp for a night, cause I like it more than the other two rigs (All three bands shared a rehearsal space, and the three bands had a show together).

The last bass player had my Eden wt-800 clipping to the point it shut down on him.....twice, before I got onstage to turn him down to bearable levels.

He had lights firing up on that thing I had never seen before in the ten years I'd been using it.:rollno:
 
#15
Thanks for the input everyone! I guess I`ll just tell my guitarist to pass the word on to the guy that I`m saying no. Again, I really hate to be this way but it honestly isn`t worth the hassle. That, plus I still think it`s amazing how complete strangers can have the nerve to ask things like this of someone. I never in a million years would ask a total stranger to provide the backline without at least offering some sort of compensation upfront (even if it is a charity gig).

Thanks again!
 
#16
Good call!
I was in the same situation one where the guitarist/singer actually said "yes" without my consent. Let me tell you, the other bands were called back within the hour being told to that an amp would not be supplied. In the end, they did manage to somehow scrape together one of those 300watt Fenders - and they were looking to grab my Mesa, lol.
That NEVER happened again, needless to say.
 
#17
Well it's definitely a red flag that your guitarist would barely acknowledge it with you or divulge the conversation to you. It may sound like high school, but damn if it ain't true: He is supposed to be on your team.

It should have been: "I don't know, let me talk to him about it and I will get back to you. By the way, can I have the contact info for the other bass players who would be using his amp so he can talk to them?"

You paid for your gear, probably worked hard to get that cash you had to fork over. Don't be shy about looking after it. If your places were swapped and you did it to him, you can be sure you'd hear about how guitar amps are this or that and some random guy playing it could turn out badly.

And you're right - it's bush league to ask someone you don't know to provide their amp for everyone to use. It's something that has to be offered by the owner. And appreciated by everyone else. Not some assumed load of B.S.!
 
#18
Here's what I would do. I would ask for a fee. For twelve hours, $400 sounds good to me.
I'd also ask for a deposit. Enough to cover the entire rig and a half.
I'd give them very specific instructions on how to treat my gear. They would be written and attached to the rig in a way that you couldn't even plug your bass in without having to see them.
I'd speak with everyone scheduled to use my rig, and tell them what they are and are not allowed to do.
I would not allow anyone to use my rig without speaking with me some time beforehand.
I'd check in periodically to make sure all the knobs are in acceptable positions. If they're not, money is coming out of that deposit and going into my pocket.
When it's all done, I would take it straight to a tech. He would make sure that it's in 100% great and perfect condition. And if it's not, the deposit pays to make it better. If it straight out doesn't work, the deposit is mine, all of it.
Then, once I've made sure I've got my rig at 100%, they get the deposit back.

And if they agree to all that, why not? There's nothing to lose as long as you protect yourself adequately. If it's a well run charity, they're going to do their best to protect their deposit and make sure that everyone treats your stuff real nice. And I just pocketed a nice $400 rental fee. That's worth a bit of trouble for me.
 

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