This guy wants to sit in...

[40Hz]

There was once a time when I might not have had an issue with it depending on who was asking.

However, after having met my share of inebriated morons over the years who want to “sit in” (i.e. wank on stage with a band) I now have a major issue with it. I’m there to play a gig. Not cohost an amateur hour.

Maybe my attitude stems from going to see far too bands where you’ll get at least one jerk in the audience continually pushing to “sit in” - and then copping an attitude (and occasionally causing a disturbance) if it doesn’t happen.

I’m paying to hear the name on the marquee, not “some guy” who wants to jam. So unless the name of the guy asking is Pino, Leeland, or Vic, don’t even ask me.

Just because you're a sub for the gig doesn’t mean the BL has the right to be grandstanding or doing the noblesse oblige routine with your gear.

Two words for your BL: piss off.

 

[wraub]

Nobody asks to play the horn guy's horns...

 

[travhop42]

this was the comment I was looking for (I don't care if my bass was worth $50)

We just don't do it, rule for all. The person may have all the talent in the world but we did the practice, hauled the gear, and will haul all the stuff home afterward.

No disrespect, but please find your own gig.

 

[micguy]

The bandleader (your employer) has already vetted the situation and is okay with it.

If the bandleader is providing the bass, that's sufficient justification, but if I'm providing it, no, I'd have to understand more about the situation before saying yes.

Anyway, a corporate gig is different than a bar gig, If the owner's son, or one of the prominent people on the organization want to sit in, and you sense the vibe is OK with that (it's a laid back kinda thing), then OK. But a random person walking up unannounced at a corporate gig? NO.

 

[Mushroo]

You’re assuming that the BL will pony up if sit in guy damages the bass. I would assume exactly the opposite.

Don't assume you know what I'm assuming.

My assumption is that my basses might get lost, stolen, or damaged on any gig. With that in mind, I am willing to accept the risk of other people playing my instruments.

My role model for this behavior is Michael Manring. When I was just a 14 year old kid with acne and a mullet, he let me noodle around on his one of a kind Zon Hyperbass. Since that day I have tried to pay it forward and be generous if someone wants to try my bass.

 

[dheafey]

Not in a million years would I let this happen. There's a certain amount of professionalism that needs to be maintained at a paying gig and people swapping in and out, unless previously arranged as a guest musician, violates that rule, IMO.

Most bassists I know would NEVER ask to sit in at a gig. It's not a jam session or an open mic, it's a gig and they respect that. Quick story: my daughter was having surgery and I scheduled a sub just so I wouldn't have to worry about the gig during her recovery. Turns out I was free and stopped by for a few beers. The fill in bassist asked if I wanted to sit in and I declined. It was HIS gig that night.

 

[Michedelic]

Have them fill out a whole bunch of forms.

 

[BurnOut]

I don't baby my basses

Definitely this. I knocked my headstock into the ceiling yesterday at rehearsal. All the guitar players looked like it was the end of the world. I wasn't considered in the least. I only get used gear that comes pre beat. That way I'm not worried about dings. I do own a couple I take good care of, but my favorite players are made for taking a beating.
Our drummer came from Open Mic land, he'd constantly want people to sit in with us. One show a guy was supposed to play a song and get off the stage. He ended up staying the whole show. Ever since I won't allow someone to sit in any longer. Singers are the exception, but only for a couple songs.

 

[logdrum]

I have lent it before and my fear was they'll do a botched job of the tunes and usually they are fine specially if it is just 1 4 5 blues progression. Many times, I've seen some really talented people, meaning they can play Chick Corea's Spain and solo as well, fearlessly.

 

[glocke1]

Did a sub gig last night, corporate event. Brought a couple of my basses as I usually do, this time a couple of Brubaker customs; a KXB5 Custom and KXB6 Xtreme. BL approaches me on break and tells me a guy asked to sit in on bass and wants to use mine. This is on a tight stage, cymbals to my right, horn section's music stands to my left. I said if he's going to be responsible for a bass with a replacement cost of $6k or $8k, cool. Apparently it worked out that he wouldn't play. Cool.

This caught me off guard, it's been years since anyone's asked to do that. Next time, with an unknown player, I'll just say no.

Theres one BL I play with from time to time that will ask me if another bass player can sit in...I really don't like it at all, but the guys he has sit in are usually high profile...so I grudgingly allow it.

In my main band the BL had this reggae guy come up on stage, a singer..Im not familiar with the tunes he wanted to play, and quite honestly am really not even a fan of reggae. (Nothing wrong with it, just stylistically it's not something I'd listen to much less want to spend time learning how to play). Since I didn't want to be up on stage figuring out songs as they were happening I let the guitar player use my bass since he knew the tunes. 1 song turned into 4 tunes...and 30 minutes. I was more than a little irritated.


Generally Im really not a fan at all of sit-ins where a band member has to step aside and relinquish his instrument. It interrupts the flow of the music and the set, and in most cases it takes at least a song for the person sitting in to settle into a groove.

I understand the part that it's a "community courtesy" but IMO it's really pretty lame.

For myself, I'll always turn down an offer to sit in. I don't want to play someone else's instrument, and I don't want to interrupt the flow of that bands set.

 

[Yango]

Back when I first started out, we played at an outdoor event where all the local recording, touring and top level musicians were in attendance. These guys were all incredibly talented. We were out of our league, for sure, but we were pretty good.

I had my brand new Ibanez Roadstar RB850 with me, and while it wasn’t a top of the line custom bass, it was as much as I could afford at the time.

We played our set, and when we were done I put my bass in it’s case, and ran off to use the bathroom. When I came back, there was one of these studio aces sitting on his drunken ass in the middle of the knocked over drum kit playing my bass.

Was my bass damaged? Yes. A couple of nice gouges on the back of the neck, a couple on the fretboard, and some decent dings and scratches on the body. Did he or anybody else offer to pay for these damages? No. Did he ask to borrow my bass? No.

I was pissed. I’m one of these guys that takes care of his gear, and my bass was messed up by some turd who didn’t know when to stop drinking. And he was a very talented drunk too—the guy could play his ass off... even sitting on his ass.

So in this situation, I wasn’t given the opportunity to say no. But it certainly was a learning experience for me.

If I don’t know the person. I say no. If I know the person and he’s drunk,? I say no. And generally, in clubs people are drunk to some degree.

I guess what I’m getting at here is, it doesn’t matter how nice the guy is, how famous the guy is, how talented the guy is—there is ALWAYS the possibility that something can happen to your bass.

I usually tell people that, yes, they’re more than welcome to sit in if they have their own instrument.

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

There was once a time when I might not have had an issue with it depending on who was asking.

However, after having met my share of inebriated morons over the years who want to “sit in” (i.e. wank on stage with a band) I now have a major issue with it. I’m there to play a gig. Not cohost an amateur hour.

Maybe my attitude stems from going to see far too bands where you’ll get at least one jerk in the audience continually pushing to “sit in” - and then copping an attitude (and occasionally causing a disturbance) if it doesn’t happen.

I’m paying to hear the name on the marquee, not “some guy” who wants to jam. So unless the name of the guy asking is Pino, Leeland, or Vic, don’t even ask me.

Just because you're a sub for the gig doesn’t mean the BL has the right to be grandstanding or doing the noblesse oblige routine with your gear.

Two words for your BL: piss off.

I don’t know if I’d be that confrontational with the BL, but other than that? My thoughts exactly. I don’t come to your work and ask to “sit in”.

 

[Knavery]

I find even being asked that by the BL, or anyone else in the band, is extremely unprofessional.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Definitely this. I knocked my headstock into the ceiling yesterday at rehearsal. All the guitar players looked like it was the end of the world. I wasn't considered in the least. I only get used gear that comes pre beat. That way I'm not worried about dings. I do own a couple I take good care of, but my favorite players are made for taking a beating.

Ya know... I feel I gotta sorta fess up here. I REALLY don't baby my basses, but I had to eat crow a couple of weeks ago regarding that...

I have too many basses, and finally sold a few last week to a friend. Because I had so many basses I ran out of stands, gigbags and space. For a while I though, no big deal. I started just sticking my Fortress One in the closet with the rest of the gigbags and cases.

Gotta admit this stings a little. Not so much for the damage itself, but because I earned it for being an idiot.

 

[Manticore]

It's quite rare when someone asks to sit in. On the other hand, when we see musicians in the crowd they are usually invited up, simply because we don't get to play with these folks often. Either way, I will virtually always allow someone to play my bass. I play Alembic basses, and people are really curious about them. Alembics aren't seen in the wild very often, so I let them give it a spin. Over the decades of doing this I've never once had anyone treat one of my basses with anything but respect. A solid-body bass is an amazingly durable critter built to last through decades of use night after night.

 

[dan1952]

No. No. I have never had anyone whom I would actually want to sit in, ASK if they could sit in. If someone I know is there, migght ask that person, but someone who comes up and wants to sit in. No.

 

[glocke1]

I guess what I’m getting at here is, it doesn’t matter how nice the guy is, how famous the guy is, how talented the guy is—there is ALWAYS the possibility that something can happen to your bass.

The bottom line is no one, and I mean no one, cares as much about your instrument as you. I've come down hard on people who see fit to just pick up my basses and play them without asking permission, and I've said no to people who I think are inherently careless. In the latter case I've seen how some of those people treat their own belongings and there is no way I'd let them near my stuff.

 

[Manticore]

The bottom line is no one, and I mean no one, cares as much about your instrument as you. I've come down hard on people who see fit to just pick up my basses and play them without asking permission, and I've said no to people who I think are inherently careless. In the latter case I've seen how some of those people treat their own belongings and there is no way I'd let them near my stuff.

I've never seen anyone pick up another's instrument without permission. That is beyond poor manners...

 

[BurnOut]

Ya know... I feel I gotta sorta fess up here. I REALLY don't baby my basses, but I had to eat crow a couple of weeks ago regarding that...
I treat my Jackon nice, mostly cause the pointy headstock. Also my Hamer Kip Winger Impact bass because it's such a rare bass. Otherwise I'm not too concerned about dings on my others.

I have too many basses, and finally sold a few last week to a friend. Because I had so many basses I ran out of stands, gigbags and space. For a while I though, no big deal. I started just sticking my Fortress One in the closet with the rest of the gigbags and cases.

Gotta admit this stings a little. Not so much for the damage itself, but because I earned it for being an idiot.

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[edro]

OPie was a hired gun and not part of that band. OPie was hired to play one job.
OPie brought his tools necessary to perform job. Tools were NOT provided for OPie.
Nawt. No discussion.

May be just me but if I am playing a gig and I see a guy I don't know, walk in carrying his instrument expecting to sit in, hell will freeze over twice before that happens... To me that is tacky as hell.... Walk in uninvited with your instrument and bounce up to the stage and tell folks you don't know, you are there to play. What kind of mental diptish would think that is ok?