So, my neighbor is angry...

[DanAleks]

At this point he goes into an incoherent babble about how I should just move out to the country and stop being a menace, etc.

Excuse me, but... you're in Marinette, WI. You ALREADY live in the country.

Just kidding.

 

[robzie]

I had a similar issue. The old man was belligerent and rude. I ensured everything was okay with my direct neighbours, and then checked with the city - after all clear - I told him to shag off next time he came by, and he was too intimidated to come back in person. He had the city send an inspector months later, and after explaining the situation to the inspector and painting the old man out to be crazy and unreasonable I was left alone. I'm pretty sure the city stopped responding to him.

Morale of the story - fight back, until you are forced to stop playing then get a rehearsal space.

 

[todd0864]

I had a situation with a neighbor years ago. We ended up moving the drums and the amps and made sure they were pointing away from his house. He never said anything after that. My basement is wide open and all blocks. I believe the sound was going through the ground and into his house. It also helps that I live on a corner and only have the one direct neighbor. Good luck.

 

[40Hz]

Find out what the ordinances are but also keep in mind it's not akways that simple. In my town there is no noise ordinance (or leash law) much to the surprise of many people who live here. But there is a pretty broad "disturbing the peace" law that gives the police a lot of leeway when it comes to exercising some discretionary judgement about what that is. So it's good to take the earlier suggestion you get in front of a possible complaint by talking to the people who are going to come visit you if there is one.

Note: Fortunately for me, our local PD is easy to deal with and reasonably fair minded when it comes to dealing with complaints from irate neighbors. We actually have a lot of respect for the cops in my town. And my neighbors are all very cool about most things that go down around the block. So it's never been a hassle for me. Depending on where you live, it may be different.

 

[BAG]

as others have pointed out, bass freqs are tough to tamp down.

Look into some bass traps on the corners of the room.

 

[Plectrum72]

You can't reason with a drunk.

 

[packhowitzer]

Lee Marvin would just kick his teeth in, but I guess that was a different time. Cest la guerre.

 

[Tbone76]

To the OP - was your neighbor unshaven, wearing a bath robe with dress socks and shoes and smoking a cigar?

 

[jwilson67]

View attachment 840289

S**tters full Clark!!

 

[Ironbar]

The guitar player from my band came over today and we were doing a little freestyle jamming (beer drinking) and having some laughs in my basement. We kept the volume low enough to here each other say "Go to C" or "I need a beer" or what-have-you, when suddenly my neighbor whom I rarely see is pounding on my window screaming "you're driving me nuts!". Then he stormed off and slammed his door. We immediately stopped our little jam session and I walked over to apologize. He answered his door and I could tell right away he was quite intoxicated. I said "I'm sorry, were we making too much noise?" He says "Yeah! All day long it's boom boom boom! I can't even watch TV!" (It wasnt all day. It was about an hour) So, I say "Well, my wife is watching TV in the same house as me and trust me, she'd let me know if I'm being too loud." He responds with "If you want to make so much edit noise why don't you move to the country? I'll be d*mned if I'm gonna spend my retirement listening to this crap!" I say "I'm sorry. Tell you what, how about I give you my phone number and if we're being too loud give me a call and I'll try to quiet down. But, I'm in a band so this is gonna happen now and then. It's only 5pm. We never play for more than an hour or two and never passed 7pm." At this point he goes into an incoherent babble about how I should just move out to the country and stop being a menace, etc. I respond with "Well, I tried. Next time, call the police and let them sort it out."

Like I said, we were playing pretty quietly. I was playing through a 2x10 cab, guitar player was playing through a 1x12. We could still hear ourselves talking and laughing. And, we were in my basement while my wife was watching TV right above us. She's not shy about telling me she can't hear the TV over us and she said it was fine.

Damn neighbors! Now I'll be nervous about playing at all. And we have rehearsal with the full band tomorrow! The way I see it, we were not playing loud, I apologized immediately and offered a solution to the problem (my phone number) and he continued to be unreasonable. My guitar player even said I was much more patient and courteous than he would have been.

How to proceed? We do not have an alternative place to rehearse. Our drummer plays with Hotrods to keep volume down and we only use one PA speaker for vocals while we practice. I don't want to make enemies with my neighbor. What to do???

If what you say is accurate, then you were justified. Now all you need to do is learn the difference between "passed" and "past."

 

[Cap'n Redbeard]

If what you say is accurate, then you were justified. Now all you need to do is learn the difference between "passed" and "past."

Quite internet-like of you to agree with someone and still feel the need to point out a grammatical error most likely caused by my cell phone's auto-fill. Well done.

 

[Cap'n Redbeard]

Being in compliance with the bylaw doesn't necessarily mean freedom from prosecution - there may be county or state statutes that can be applied.
Everyone is entitled to peace and security in their own home and your right to make noise essentially ends as soon as your noise disturbs someone else.
The police act on complaints and if they receive enough complaints could charge you with disturbing the peace, with mischief, or under some other legislation.
If it is a bylaw infraction it usually means a ticket and fine, but if it is another charge, it is usually a criminal charge and requires a court appearance.
If it goes to court and the judge hears that you have been uncooperative and told your neighbor to f**k off, it could go badly for you.
If you can show that you have been reasonable and taken steps to limit the noise, such as getting cabs off the floor, soundproofing, reducing volume, etc., that will be taken into account and the court may find in your favor.
Hope you are able to resolve the situation before it goes too far.

I haven't heard from the neighbor since the incident. I have insulated my basement windows and have been keeping the volume in check despite the drummer's complaints that now he can't hear anyone. I gave the neighbor my phone number and told him to feel free to call if it's too loud. Around here we usually get a warning or two from the police before they issue citations. They're usually pretty cool about noise unless they can hear it at the street or its passed 10pm

 

[Ironbar]

Quite internet-like of you to agree with someone and still feel the need to point out a grammatical error most likely caused by my cell phone's auto-fill. Well done.