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"your rig or the gig is cancelled"

#201
maxgrant said:
If your rig can't do the job, you shouldn't have taken the gig. I always take this into account when I am deciding whether to play a show. However, I do not play for a living. If I don't like the terms of a gig I just don't do it.

It's about how I feel about my sound. I am painfully aware that 80% of the audience can't tell if I am playing a Rickenbacker or a circular saw. That's not the point. The point is whether I am pleased with the sound I can hear myself making. It affects my entire mood for the gig. If the sound is weak, bad, crazy loud, whatever, I am conscious of it. I can't control FOH -- I am playing for the other two guys in the band so that we can all groove together.

And that is the only reason I do this. I'm very particular. I hardly ever make money doing this. It's a calling for me, not a career. So I just don't do gigs like that, where unreasonable requirements for the convenience of whoever are imposed on me.
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Why would you want to deny yourself lots of fun gigs just because you haven't mastered a few skills of equipment use and stage craft that just aren't that hard?

Why do you do gigs rather than just rehearsing if the only other guys you want to please are your band mates?

Why do you dismiss common professional practice as "unreasonable requirements for the convenience of whowever?

Not trying to have a go at you, but I don't understand what you are thinking.
 
#202
satchmo said:
I think it's probably the difference between cover bands and original bands. Around here covers are one band shows but originals are multiple
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It's probably the type of gig, too. I play mostly weddings and corporate functions, where it's just us for 3 sets. Occaisionally we work with a DJ inbetween sets, or a piano player for dinner music. OTOH, there are gigs where it's mostly young, just starting out bands trying to get noticed, and wind up playing venues that used to be called " raves " , or . back in my day " jams ", with a couple of other bands. Equipment is usually shared at these gigs with no pay, and the sound guys usually rule the roost. Still, I don't think I would let anybody use my gear that I, at the very least, did'nt know, or knew what kind of player he/she was.
 
#205
I play mostly wedding/corporate gigs. A few times a year, someone in the audience will approach me and ask can he play my bass. I never say yes. If they blow my rig or scratch my instrument, I am the one left holding the bag as they walk away saying "sorry". Sometimes they get downright rude, and say my rig is garbage. I say, "whatever" and move on. I too would not have allowed the club owner to tell me that I had to let someone else use my rig. You work hard to get your gear, and have every right to say no to their request.
 
#206
If the gig was a really good one I would consider letting other bands use my rig but only with certain terms. The main thing I would do is make the club owner or promoter or whoever is insisting they use your rig sign a written agreement. In that agreement the person who signs it would be responsible for repair or replacement cost if something is damaged. If they won't sign it then there is no gig!
 
#207
And oh...just read the post about the bass being GRABBED from his hands....
Your rig takes a Cleveland Steamer right there on the stage....OK, I'll help a brother out, just be respectful.
Your bass dies?? If I don't know you or at least had a chance to chat with you and get a feel for who you are.......you might not have a gig that night. And you can be damn sure if you're a "national act" I'll have your road managers number, management office number, tour manager's number and addresses for them as well.
Damage something and you're getting a bill.

Walk up to me and just take my bass and go play???.... That will never happen.
I'm FAR from being a tough guy (but on the web EVERYone is a badass don't ya know), but I'm a fit 225 pounds, 6', bald, earings in both ears, tattoos.....not many would just walk up to me and try to grab my bass from my hands.
I might run off crying like a little school girl, but at least I look mean! :D
 
#208
groooooove said:
thats right. was asked to do a local bar gig with 5 or so acts. was asked if they could all use my amp (brickhouse cabinets and markbass heads. not an inexpensive rig.) i politely replied that im sorry, but nobody but me uses my rig.

i was then brigaded with rude text messages about how far the one band has to drive to get to the gig, and how if i don't let them use my rig the gig is off.

i've gotten heat for my "my amp = just me" policy over the years, but this is by far the worst.

looks like i dont have a gig that night..
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You handled this the right way. Five or so acts? I don't think so. If I was sharing a gig with another bassist and his rig broke down, I would help him out. Only after a lesson on db ratings of amps and cabinets. I remember gigs when someone used my amp and the first thing they did was turn it up "to 11!!" Not these days. I've gone through many rigs to find my "sound". Most of my friends know how fanatical I am with keeping my amps in great condition. And let's not even go into the basses. I'm like Nigel, "Don't touch it, don't even look at it". As far as the band that was traveling so far, if they didn't have enough sense to bring their own equipment, then they should have been canceled. Jam session, or not. It would be like calling a plumber, and he shows up at your house and asks you "would you have any wrenches?"
 
#213
Nothing worse than being asked to share gear. Can't blame anyone for saying no or wanting some money up front in case something goes wrong. Played a ASCAP Showcase and the last acts bassist supplied the rig,the only stipulation was do not touch the gain or horn settings. The bassist before me changed the settings enough , that when I went on and hit one note it blew four JBL 15's and it's horns ! I think that says it all .
 
#215
I know this ain't quite the same, we have a practice space where sometimes the guitarists' other band comes to practice. in the beginning I was like " yeah sure he can borrow my gear, let him try it and see if he likes".... one day after their rehearsal, I came down there to play around with some new settings and stuff... what an awful sight.

first off he took my grounded powercable ( only one in there). the settings where all screwed... gain was set to at least 4 o'clock. there was half a beer on my amp head, with the other half on the floor infront of the cab.... IN ALL MY CABLES!. seemed like they threw a party in there or something instead of rehearsing, smelled like weed and old beer all over.

turns out 2 of my cables had been used for a skipping rope (don't ask...).


this was the last time I lent my amp to anyone. these people are usually pretty nice, so what to expect from complete strangers...
 
#216
Find a different gig man. lf they dont have a backline everyone should be bringing their own gear, and if the other bands dont have an amp to bring, they shouldnt have taken the gig in the first place. I for one dont mind letting a friend use my amp as long as Im there to watch that he doesnt mess anything up. At a gig though, with strangers? Nooo.
 
#217
it's kind of redic to lug that kind of equipment around for jamming at a buddy's bar if you ask me. i agree it's not your job to backline the gig and it's pretty bogus for them to expect you too.

most of the gigs we play i try to share either my amp, or the other bands just to eliminate breakdown and set up time to make more time for rocking!

some dudes are cool, some are dicks. can't tell which you are but come on man, that's some heavy duty gear for bar gigging. it's no wonder everyone wants to play your rig.

ain't no place in town rents gear? i like ol' dudes style. rent some cheaper gear then charge those other fools for it to recoup your funds and then some.
 
#218
Anytime I loan my stuff I reserve the right to un tweak anything at any time, as well as take back my gear. If I see someone doing something to my gear in the middle of a song, I'm up on stage undoing it as quickly as I can get there. Bassist doesn't like it? Guess who's done for the night?

I haven't had to take it that extreme (usually I'll turn them up!) but I reserve the right to maintain MY equipment at all times. They're borrowing my sound, not making their own thing.
 
#219
Virgil said:
I play mostly wedding/corporate gigs. A few times a year, someone in the audience will approach me and ask can he play my bass. I never say yes. If they blow my rig or scratch my instrument, I am the one left holding the bag as they walk away saying "sorry". Sometimes they get downright rude, and say my rig is garbage. I say, "whatever" and move on. I too would not have allowed the club owner to tell me that I had to let someone else use my rig. You work hard to get your gear, and have every right to say no to their request.
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You are completely right, but I have an opposite story. I was a guest at a wedding, and was admiring the band's bassist. This was a traditional Jewish wedding, for this the band's gotta groove. And he's playing a beautiful Ritter to boot. When they break I tell him how much I liked his playing and asked about the bass. He asked me if I wanted to sit in. lol.
 
#220
I have run into this several times. Usually in other cities where they have local bands opening the show. Now, with all humility, I tend to use pretty monster rigs (ie Ampeg SVT-7Pro / SVT-810e, Genz Benz STLMX 12.0 / 2 X UB410-t etc) and I dont let anyone else use my rig unless I know them personally and know that they understand how to use it properly....

Two pretty good examples stand to mind:

Last week we played a medium size venue with a National Touring package including DIRGE WITHIN and KITTIE.... The whole tour were awesome guys and we had a great time travelling with them. So we showed up at this venue and the promoter had scheduled 3 local openers... not at all out of the ordinary. The one band looked very young and it was clear that all of their parents and grandparents were there. A couple of the kids approached me and told us they like our new album etc.. smalltalk etc... and then the one kid says:

"So hey man, I need to use your rig tonight. Cool?"

I was kinda taken aback.... mainly because it was posed as more of a blank statement than a question... I said that I was sorry but I dont let anyone use my rig. He immediately got snotty and said that anyone who was "cool" would let him use a rig and what the F*** was the problem.... Now bear in mind... we're on the edge of fighting words coming from a 5'2" 14 year old... I'm no toughguy but this kid was pretty bold.... I told him hey... we're here to play and we dont want to cause trouble, but I just dont let anyone use my rig.... Then, like OP's situation, he started complaining that this is his first big show and it's being ruined because I wont let him use my rig.... I told him that HE ruined his gig by not arranging for his own rig.... and that he caused his own problems. Later, I went inside to check the band out and sure enough... the kid had his own "rig" the whole time, an older Peavey combo amp.... he just wanted to use mine.... And as soon as this middle school band was done playing, they and all their mommies took off immediately and didn't stay to support the other bands. Disgusting.

A worse example was a few years ago when I was on a major tour and we were playing this gigantic Skate Park in Buffalo, NY. The Promoter had set up one of these all-day affairs with like a dozen locals.... which can sometimes be cool but is more often a logistical nightmare. At the time, I was using a very complicated component rig with a two different preamps, a stereo compressor, power amp and a couple of signal processors. Again, some obnoxious little snot from one of the local bands struts up and asks to use my rig. I asked him why he was playing a sold out show in front of like 2,000 people without a rig, and why not just run direct to the PA? Again, I was educated on how "uncool" I was being....and I managed to fend the kid off. Later, I saw that he had actually gotten someone, or more likley several someones, to lend him gear. He was up on stage with a Sansamp BDDI, with every knob literally dimed, a chorus pedal.... again with every knob turned all the way up, An SVT-4Pro with, you guess it, every knob and slider turned all the way up, all plugged into a GK 410. Obviously the kid was a complete tool, and as I'm watching him hammer away at his beat up ibanez (with a quarter, not a pick), I see what looks like bright lights flashing inside his borrowed GK cab. Many cabinets have a small bulb on the internal crossover to soak up excess wattage... and this kid was taxing it to the max. I couldn't suppress a little laugh as the light stopped flashing.... and shortly after smoke.... thick black smoke started blowing out the ports.... let me tell you boys and girls..... there is nothing so "Metal" as the sight of flapping speaker cones backlit by flames from a melting crossover. Soon, there was literally flames licking out of the ports, and they had to stop the show to put the fire out..... Toolbox bass player thought this was awesome.... being that it wasn't his gear. Later while we were loading out, I overheard the heated argument between toolbox and the cabinet's owner.... tool is screaming that the owner's cab was a POS and that's why it fried..... I was left with absolutely no questions as to why this kid no longer had his own rig....
 

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