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This guy wants to sit in...

We are a band. We spend hours rehearsing these songs. We carry our gear and set it up. We have a set list with quite a few original songs. It's OUR show. Why the **** do you think you are entitled to play one note on stage with us? We're the band, you're the audience. God has a plan and you're not in it.

On the other hand, I've gladly let a member of another band on the bill use my gear when they had some kind of breakdown and no quick solution. I've made some good friendships doing that. I've let a headliner use my bass amp just to keep the stage changes to a minimum. He didn't touch a single knob on my rig even after I said it was OK. There are respectful players out there. But that drunk dweeb who staggers out of the crowd? Ain't gonna happen.
 
I don't own any basses that cost that much, but I've been in the $1500 zone a bunch of times when someone's wanted to sit in. I can understand others having a problem with it, but I don't. I don't baby my basses, and I've found most (actually every) bassist that's ever strapped my bass on has been SUPER respectful about it. I even loaned my Sterling to kid for an entire set in CBGB once when his bass totally crapped out. No harm done. That bass, at that time might just as well been a $5000 bass to me.

Typical Talkbass.
 
The band got booked for a wedding, with the understanding of all involved, that the groom would sit in and play bass for a song or two. Nobody in the band knew how well he could play, but his dad had lived in Nashville, was in some hall of fame, taught Carl Perkins how to play, yada yada.

So we all pile in the van and my bandmates all start in on how good this guy probably is for the next two hours, giving me a hard time in the process. We get to the venue and the first to meet us is the groom making sure he can play, use my bass and amp. He is very nice and proper about it all, I wasn't thinking at all about my equipment, mostly about how this wealthy guy is gonna wax me in front of my own band, on his wedding day.

It's a great wedding gig, the crowd is chanting his name, here's my bass, and there I go to have a beer with our sound man, who's is a bassist as well, to take my lumps. The number called was Good Hearted Woman, he hit four correct notes the whole song, we counted. The crowd goes wild, the band scowls, gives me the look, and plays another song. Its obvious the groom cannot play bass, the bandmates are getting upset and the crowd wants more. I let him have one more, mostly for the crowd, then took my bass back. The crowd moaned, but we played real good the rest of the night, and the ride home was fun.
 
None, no sit in's. Agreed upon by all members in advance so no one speaks for anyone else.

IMO, this actually begs the question, WHY would you bring along a backup bass for someone else to sit in?
Somebody said it earlier in the thread. Plus, I was sort of playing off of the recent number of "backup bass threads".

Nobody plays my basses, unless they are intending to buy it.
 
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Somebody said it earlier in the thread. Plus, I was sort of playing off of the recent number of "backup bass threads".

Nobody plays my basses, unless they are intending to buy it.

I thought I was the only one who didn't let anyone play my basses, except my friend the guitarist. And then only because he lets me play his guitars and I know he's trustworthy.
 
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