when people act weird about your gear...

[delta7fred]

I think they might be yanking your chain about the pedal board, but criticising your bass that is right out of line.

If I am donating my time and services then I will play whatever bass I like. If you pay me (enough) money you can specify what I bring.

 

[SirMjac28]

If I had to dress three notches below my current pastor, I'd look like a homeless person.

Nice

 

[MegaSwing]

If you specify the bass I have to play at ANY gig that isn't my own bass, you had better have some WORLD-CLASS bass playing creds. Otherwise, you're just a boob.

 

[tr4252]

I went to a Catholic school, and learned a lot about Jesus. He said some memorable things like "Let he who is without guilt cast the first stone", and things like that. Christianity, as I see it, has lost sight of the spirit of Christ, I think, and concerns itself with lots of frivolous worldly matters. Deacon was probably intimidated by some pompous ass of a religious leader in his childhood, and decided that was the way it is done. I've seen this many times.

If Jesus were to visit some of the congregations I've visited, the leaders might see him as a threat to their authority and chase him away with pitchforks and torches. He wouldn't conform to their definition of how a proper savior should behave.

Tom

 

[nnavarro]

Sorry to hear about your experience, friendlybass. I've been an active member of worship teams across the country for over a decade; some with strict dress policies (suit and tie), and some with more relaxed attire. I would be understanding if they asked me to look a certain way, or move certain gear to follow the vibe of their congregation. No, I wouldn't buy a new bass, in your case.

I encourage you to tell the pastor/team how their actions made you feel. Maybe even reference Proverbs 15:1-2 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly." Whether or not they are paying you, they do need to respect you. The church is supposed to be a place of worship and fellowship. If they're not willing to do that, I would look for a new home church after telling them why I'm leaving.

Blessings,
Nathan

 

[Foz]

So initially a deacon/associate pastor comments on my bass pretty rudely, calls it a kid bass...

Smack him in the jaw with it and ask him how much bigger a bass he'd like you to have.

 

[Tony In Philly]

No pics, no pastor....sorry, just had to throw that in there

 

[Fishyfishfish]

Learn the rules, play the game. I'll be an old guy for a minute: the skateboard is awesome idea, but I would think it might be a distraction/safety issue on stage. Everything else looks fine. I would schedule a meeting with the worship pastor and senior pastor to discuss other comments made to find out what and why they were said. Other than that "Go forth and sin no more."

 

[Bear From Delaware]

I Play in a praise band and the best way to describe the leaders is square.
Don't go over their heads with fancy pedals and flashy gear, it just brings out their ire and after that just creates more pressure.

A typical scenario at Atonement:
Our guitarist showed up with a bunch of petals, he was accused of performing and that is a no-no.
"It's all about praise and worship". The poor guitarist would get a tongue lashing from the worship leader and his holier than thou singers about "performing on the platform" to the point where he quit the group (which he did).


I got one (about all things) for showing up with a wireless unit.
A week or so ago, I walked backward and almost tripped on a cable so I invested in a wireless unit.
Hooked it up, felt good to move around a hair and no cables to trip on or hold me down, I played my hiney off that day.
After the service, I get accused of being showy over a wireless unit of all things :/.

It's funny at the traditional services, the old folks get perturbed when they see a drum set and a bass amp on the platform.

 

[tubedude]

Now that's the kind of Christian I'm familiar with. Overly concerned about appearance and weak on substance. For that type of gig, they might have their knickers in a twist about the board because of its messy look, not the skate punk association. You know, multi colored pedals, cables etc. Maybe a thin 6"x18" dark wood or plastic piece proped up in front, perpidicular to the pedal board, taped in place to hide the pedalboard will relax their sphincters. You could even put or paint a cross on it.

 

[dbase]

A friend of mine asked me to play bass at a 9:00 clock catholic church mass many years ago. I felt funny rolling my Ampeg B15 (sold it like a fool) and electric bass into a church. The musicians play acoustic guitars and I thought I would be too loud for them. Actually it worked out OK because they never heard an electric bass in a church setting. That little amp fliled that big church with all marble floors so I had it turned down extra low as to not stand out.. They equated the bass soound to that of the pipe organ pedals that they usually hear which is loud.. Nice gig, I didn't get paid so God owes me one.

 

[Gyver]

Then the whole worship team gets to talking about my pedalboard (a skateboard with pedals mounted to it) and asking if I really needed to use it or if it could be positioned out of sight.View attachment 711846 View attachment 711847

That skateboard / pedalboard is fantastic. I would be afraid I would kill myself trying to stomp a pedal on it though.

 

[el murdoque]

how do the bits of you that are not covered by the suit look?
The skateboard and choice of effects suggest possible tattoos, flesh tunnels and extreme hairstyle. Maybe that dude was put off by you and took a weird approach by insulting your bass.

I mean - bringing a Fender to a church gig. Nothing wrong with that.
I'd say, of all basses out there, the most suitable ones would be any boutique model with plain wood finish (except maybe the more extreme designs by Carl Thompson) or one of the classics. Fender - copy of a Fender or maybe a Gibson/Epiphone hollowbody or a Höfner violin bass.

 

[Pyrat]

wow. judgeMENTAL.

 

[kenneffdupriest]

ditch the board and show up in a Thrasher Mag T-shirt. What?!?!

 

[Texan]

Screw them, they should have been happy that you took the time to help them spread their beliefs. The gods will smile upon you even if the mortals don't.

 

[Kragnorak]

The skateboard, OTOH, that's never a good thing. Someone accidentally steps on it and it rolls out on them and they break something...lawsuit. So ditch the skateboard for any of your gigs regardless of what you do with the church.

On the other hand, I've seen unruly people (not at a church!) trample someone's pedalboard and break stuff, so I really like the idea of a rolling board that gets revenge!

"Waaah, I fell down and am going to sue!"
"And why were you stumbling around drunk on the stage again?"

 

[danosix]

Okay, let's take a look at this situation without the religious element, hopefully before we cross a line and the Mods are forced to close this thread. What would our responses be if:

The OP was asked to play at a family friendly bar & grill that has live blues music one night a week. It's his first gig at this particular venue and the only info he got from his bandleader that booked him was a setlist and and time for soundcheck. As he's setting up his gear one of the line cooks is walking around and notices his bass, remarking that it "Looks like a kid's bass." Later the bar & grill manager asks him to move his pedalboard out of sight since it's appearance clashes with the venue's theme. The OP complies and plays the gig without any further issues from the staff at the bar & grill.

Should the OP never return to that venue again for one off-hand comment from someone that doesn't have any regular interaction or decisions with the band's they hire or over a miscommunication from his bandleader about the nature and theme of the bar & grill? Or should the OP decide whether or not the overall experience was worth returning again and adjust his/her approach accordingly?

I'm simply saying that many responses seem to be filtered through our perception of what a church SHOULD be and not what it actually sometimes IS.

That being said...if I were the OP and had this or a similar experience a second time at this church I wouldn't be back unless the pay was worth the hassle. YMMV, IME and all that jazz...

Of course, if the OP was playing in a family friendly bar, he'd be getting PAID, so the people in the bar would have a little credibility.
And again, he didn't show up with something out there, he showed up with a Fender that looks like it could have existed in the 1960s (ie it looks just like a Jaguar which came out in 1962) I don't think anyone would have an issue with a Jaguar guitar - it's one of those guitars which can get away in nearly any setting - old fashioned enough for oldies and the blues, eccentric enough for rock and alternative. As far as the pedal board. If the audience doesn't want to see "equipment" they shouldn't be coming to a church with a non-acoustic band (or the pastor should not invite non-acoustic players).
Also, being rude to a player who is showing up for free when it is not their organization (church, club, favourite bar it doesn't matter - he's not a member) is just plain bad form.
So I stand by my (and the many others') suggestion to not show up again, see if they prefer the look/sound of the band with NO bass.

 

[MDBass]

I had a church gig yesterday and thought I did everything right. It's a suit and tie sort of church so myself and the other musicians (my dad on drums and the pastor who I do most of my work through on keys) dressed nicely but the usual protocol for this circle of churches is the band dresses down from the pastor like 2-3 notches. Here's where this gig went odd.
I play very non gospel instruments typically cause its not really my thing usually, which I've taken crap for but my gear is what I've got, and having nice shirts for these gigs is one thing but a bass I use exclusively for this is not what Im about. So initially a deacon/associate pastor comments on my bass pretty rudely, calls it a kid bass and asked if that's all I've got to play. It's an MIJ jaguar bass in oly white, I didn't exactly show up with my SG bass or Jr. Jet. Then the whole worship team gets to talking about my pedalboard (a skateboard with pedals mounted to it) and asking if I really needed to use it or if it could be positioned out of sight. I did so to prevent a scene cause it wasn't my church, and I didn't really need the pedals, I brought it because I dislike unmounting my sansamp, vibe, chorus, and delay or removing my OD's and fuzz just for one gig.
So what's etiquette like in this situation? Do I acknowledge my less than professional appearing gear and back down like I did? Or should I have used what I use tastefully and do my thing regardless of what others say/think? Can we all agree the deacon was out of line to diss my bass?
Thanks for listening to the rant TB. I attached pictures of the gear in question for your scrutiny.View attachment 711846 View attachment 711847

I'm sure you can see why at a "suit and tie sort of church" they'd want the pedalboard, though obviously very cool in it's own right, out of sight.

I'm assuming of course that it's a hired gig, otherwise they should just be thanking you for serving.

The deacon calling your Jaguar a "kid's bass" is obviously just ignorant; Jazz basses are undoubtedly one of the standard gospel basses and aside from differently shaped horns, and a few added switches, that's exactly what a Jaguar is.

 

[rufus.K]

Screw that snob.