Others playing barefoot on-stage don't befront me... if you wanna be dumb more power to ya. Just don't come crying to me when you get hurt.
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My gaffe, "the risk of electrocution" I should state. Sorry. But I still wonder how on earth you can get electrocuted/or jolted when something comes from the feet up. Current doesn't goes upward. And if you have a dodgy grid, and get a jolt from the microphone, you bet your *ss that no shoes or socks would help or mitigate the current flow. The current seeks its way down anyway. People gives a false security from wearing socks, or even shoes with rubber soles. The gap there is between the rubbe sole and the ground isn't enough to protect. See if this pic can give you ca clue, since there still is a false assumption that it is the rubber tyres on any car that protects you from lightning when sitting in a car...
So if you sing into a mike and feel the static electricity in your lips the current has already made contact and "felt" the ground no matter if you're barefoot, or have shoes on. John Wetton went to wireless for the rest of his life, once jolted on stage. Greg Lake stood on a huge persian carpet for posh luxoury but underneath it was all protective shielded rubber. He wore boots, shoes, whatever. It was for the same reason. You have to wear pretty thick rubber boots or stand on a pretty thick carpet in order to avoid it. However, you may be barefoot inside the rubber boot or with socks. The current couldn't care less about that.
Verdict: if lightning - as shown in the pic above - can find all the distance from the cloud down to the car, the little distance from the hubcap down to the tarmac is of absolute no concern. People forgets about the faraday cage principle. All of the time.
So if you get a jolt from a dodgy venue power grid, the small distance a shoe sole or sock is exactly the same as if your were barefoot. Not only that, pressing the switches barefoot means that you don't get that instant on/off due to the squashiness of your barefoot feet, or toe. You just have to have some flat harder surface to make it kick in at the right moment. Your skin is too soft to provide enough force for the footswitch to react. Even if you violently try to kick it with the heel part of your foot where the skin is hardest.
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Emerson, Lake and Palmer Rug
"When asked about the rug, Greg has said "I don't know whether you've ever noticed that I wear plimsolls on stage, which cuts down the chances of an electric shock. The carpet's there for the same reason. Altogether it means I'd still feel it, but I wouldn't die. Also it means it's like you're playing at home every night, almost in the same surroundings - which is nice. When I decided to buy a carpet I thought I might as well get one that was worth something. To be honest I never thought anybody would notice it." He not only uses the rug to prevent being electrocuted, but also as decoration to make him feel at home, as he still has it in his London home."
Plimsolls, well, hear here.
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Yes, but I bet that ms Barbara Weldens held something in her hands too while stepping on it. A cable microphone or guitar. I doubt she would get electrocuted if she didn't hold onto anything, and just stepped on it. I e I think that if anyone else climbed on that stage and stepped on the faulty wire (or whatever it as) they would get a jolt too, regardless of shoes.
The thing is that current then goes from one leg to another. It may be a very unpleasant one, nevertheless, but as fast as it finds ways through any arm it passes the heart and THAT's the only thing that kills.
I am not sure but if I was Weldens record company, or relative I would sue the production company to the moon and back. They wouldn't stand a chance. It was not only a hazard to her, and I bet you would never be able to take it to court and claim it was just because she was barefoot she got electrocuted. I would be scared working in the production nevertheless, as a backing musician, roadie, techie, stage hand... whatever.
First, they're no different wired or grounded than any of the basses. It's whether they use totally active pickups or not. But yes. All basses and electric guitars are grounded the same, basically. Some exotic solutions has been carried out with a earth wire going through the neck up and connect to the brass nut, OR the zero fret. But that's so rare I can't even give you any example. Maybe Rolands first guitar synth controller GR-500 which was a beast all of its own.
Actually my use of EMGs if because of that. No hum, no risk of jolts or static. Can play any dump in the outback, and still survive.
Funny no one stated how hard it is to step on and press pedal switches while barefoot. Even in the confines of a studio, or newly vacuum cleaned home.
The electric shocks comes way down on my list. I think it's something of a stage antic or show off, moreso than anything else. Like they have "hard hat area" on construction sites...whatever. You just have to dress for the occasion. This is your work area, and as far as this thread goes, I've not read any topic or post which states any real advantages to playing barefoot, than any kind of hippy-trippy like "feeling free" mumbo jumbo, arty-farty, fairy-hairy dust thing.
I do think there is ONE exception though...but this is the only one I've seen that gets that exemption:
The electric shocks comes way down on my list. I think it's something of a stage antic or show off, moreso than anything else. Like they have "hard hat area" on construction sites...whatever. You just have to dress for the occasion. This is your work area, and as far as this thread goes, I've not read any topic or post which states any real advantages to playing barefoot, than any kind of hippy-trippy like "feeling free" mumbo jumbo, arty-farty, fairy-hairy dust thing.
I do think there is ONE exception though...but this is the only one I've seen that gets that exemption:
I dont even walk around the house barefoot. The wife, Ms. 12 Toes otoh, rarely has on shoes. And then she cries when she walks into stuff and busts open the webbing between the extras.
Like the Stones said..... "when the Lord starts callin'......... you gotta go.................."
There are so many reasons not to perform barefoot.
Beyond the obvious safety issues like heavy equipment, broken glass, electric cables everywhere... there's also a more mundane reason.
Stages are disgusting. People spit, spill drinks, and worse on them. They're basically like the floor of a movie theater.
Beyond the obvious safety issues like heavy equipment, broken glass, electric cables everywhere... there's also a more mundane reason.
Stages are disgusting. People spit, spill drinks, and worse on them. They're basically like the floor of a movie theater.
I remember holding down the bass in the Jr high jazz band in 72-73. The guitar player and I learned that we could hold our guitar string's in the one hand, place our palm on the metal light switch cover and get current to flow into our arm. The obvious question became who can hold the the longest? Harmless fun or Dangerous stunt? I have wondered. Safety aside, I wish I still had that rig. Epiphone Coronet bass and Silvertone model 1466 head and cab. Where did Mom and Dad get such cool gear?
are you talking about
1. Flip flops
2. No helmet
3. Steering with feet
4. Two wheel vehicle
5. Short sleeves
6. No pants
7. No colors
Ozzy also bit the head off a dove at a meeting with his record company.
I member the game of rubbing my feet on a carpet then walking up to somebody's ear and zapping. Emerson's rug isn't going to protect any one if it's a lightning strike.
Sock as protection, my feet sweat, electrolyte and water, humm they conduct electricity
Leather soles, not the best solution but an improvement.
Dodgy venues, we Americans play it safer, our power is 120v RMS
Tyres, at the voltages of lightning, current is skin effect, say there is 6 inches between the rim and the tarmac, it's not just rubber in the tyres, there's carbon black, a nice conductor of Zues juice.
Since this is a bass forum, your ground path could be lips through fingers to bass to amp. There more than one path to being zapped. I don't much about European wiring, but there's a fifty fifty chance maybe a sixty seven thirty three chance that the mic amp and your bass amp have different hots in America. The mic and bass are not at equal-potential, I would also suspect the grounds are not equal-potential even though code does it's best to do so. A difference in cord length, differences in wire path between recpts, not including phantom power if used.
Bottom line, we play with electricity, pun intended, so we owe it to ourselves, to learn about the hazards.
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