Hard Rock Cafe Basses

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Mrs.HKH and I are staying at the Hard Rock Hotel in Tenerife at the moment and as a regular visitor to Hard Rock establishments, I’m always drawn towards the basses on display.

I thought it might be a nice idea to share the basses in cafes/hotels worldwide and what might be known about them.

I’ll start with this one which is the first instrument I saw whilst checking in today which is in the main lobby at the HRH Tenerife.

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by hiram.k.hackenbacker

[Crawford13]

In Glasgow

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Another one from the HRH Tenerife. Tim Skold’s double bass. Nice paint job.

[PlasmaZombies]

Cool thread! 

I too am drawn to the basses anytime I am in a Hard Rock cafe!

Here's Sam Rivers from Limp Bizkit in Hard Rock Cafe Budapest. (2017)

[uk_lefty]

From Louisville, Kentucky... 

They also had a Timothy B Schmidt Carvin but I didn't get a photo sadly

[BigRedX]

I can't see the point. Instruments are meant to be played.

[BrunoBass]

  On 28/11/2019 at 08:58, BigRedX said:

I can't see the point. Instruments are meant to be played.

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Totally agree.

[Muzz]

Good luck getting a tune out of the Limp Bizkit one...

[paul_5]

[steantval]

  On 28/11/2019 at 09:07, Muzz said:

Good luck getting a tune out of the Limp Bizkit one...

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They probably got that one out of the cheap broken bizkit bag.😀

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Here’s one from Nice taken earlier this year....

[uk_lefty]

  On 28/11/2019 at 08:58, BigRedX said:

I can't see the point. Instruments are meant to be played.

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I see your point but I consider it to be like a museum. A lot of people obviously do enjoy it, hence the successful global business. I know some people think having a hard rock cafe t shirt or whatever is a bit naff but if I'm near one while on holiday I always have to go in and have a quick look at the memorabilia and the shop even if a lot of the merch is very expensive for what it is. 

[PlasmaZombies]

  On 28/11/2019 at 11:33, uk_lefty said:

I see your point but I consider it to be like a museum. A lot of people obviously do enjoy it, hence the successful global business. I know some people think having a hard rock cafe t shirt or whatever is a bit naff but if I'm near one while on holiday I always have to go in and have a quick look at the memorabilia and the shop even if a lot of the merch is very expensive for what it is. 

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Agreed. It's like a museum and I find it interesting to go in and look at the instruments, grab a beer and maybe some food. I usually only visit them when travelling with the missus and we both love a look in.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Forgot to add this one from HRH Tenerife. On close inspection this Stingray looked completely knackered. The saddles were all at different heights and there were chunks missing out of the fretboard. It is also kept in a glass fronted cabinet which gets a proper full on dose of sunshine throughout every morning. Bit of a shame really.

There were no basses of note in the HRC Tenerife (different place altogether). There were a few that had been 'signed by', but had no history with the artists named.

[SH73]

  On 28/11/2019 at 09:18, paul_5 said:

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Poor Newsted. There are enhanced bass songs on You Tube. derrière  didn't want the bass to be heard on the album.

[BrunoBass]

I looked into the HRC in Dubai airport yesterday while I was waiting for my flight home. Got my son a t-shirt but no bass related ephemera on display, just a tatty old sweater worn allegedly by Christina Aguilera and a jacket owned by some bloke off of Korn. 

[NancyJohnson]

Basses aside, I remember when the HRC was just at the one location on Piccadilly and it was more about getting a decent burger, banana split and a few bottles of Schlitz, rather than this behemoth of a restaurant chain, hawking horribly bland food.

Ne'er shall I return.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

  On 14/12/2019 at 09:24, NancyJohnson said:

Basses aside, I remember when the HRC was just at the one location on Piccadilly and it was more about getting a decent burger, banana split and a few bottles of Schlitz, rather than this behemoth of a restaurant chain, hawking horribly bland food.

Ne'er shall I return.

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The first time I went there, many years ago, there was a lady there who had been working there since it opened. The tales she could tell believe me and a lovely warm genuine person. I actually quite like the food. The wings we had in Tenerife were divine.

[NancyJohnson]

  On 14/12/2019 at 09:27, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

The first time I went there, many years ago, there was a lady there who had been working there since it opened. The tales she could tell believe me and a lovely warm genuine person. I actually quite like the food. The wings we had in Tenerife were divine.

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The two I remember were Rita and Myra.  I think Rita was there when it opened in 1970.

When I was at school - mid-70s - the father of a friend of mine was a commercial artist...he had little studio in a mews in Mayfair.  Among his work, he was the creator of the Esso Blue Man, logos for the Open University, C&A and interestingly - keeping it local - the original Hard Rock Cafe logo.  About once a month, I'd get a phone call on a Friday evening, my mate would just just say, 'Dad's working on Saturday, up for lunch at the HRC?'  We'd pile into this little Mini and he'd drop us off at the HRC.  He had some kind of card that got us in to the front of whatever queue there was, we always got a booth and we never paid.  Down Home Doubleburger, Banana Split and even in our mid-teens, there was a beer.  Myra always looked after us, 'You boys eaten enough, or can you squeeze in a second dessert?'

Full bellied, we'd saunter across the city on foot , go to HMV (I don't believe the Virgin store was open at that point), then go and drool over the guitars in Denmark Street, before sprinting back to the studio for the ride home.

Happy, happy times.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

  On 14/12/2019 at 11:42, NancyJohnson said:

The two I remember were Rita and Myra.  I think Rita was there when it opened in 1970.

When I was at school - mid-70s - the father of a friend of mine was a commercial artist...he had little studio in a mews in Mayfair.  Among his work, he was the creator of the Esso Blue Man, logos for the Open University, C&A and interestingly - keeping it local - the original Hard Rock Cafe logo.  About once a month, I'd get a phone call on a Friday evening, my mate would just just say, 'Dad's working on Saturday, up for lunch at the HRC?'  We'd pile into this little Mini and he'd drop us off at the HRC.  He had some kind of card that got us in to the front of whatever queue there was, we always got a booth and we never paid.  Down Home Doubleburger, Banana Split and even in our mid-teens, there was a beer.  Myra always looked after us, 'You boys eaten enough, or can you squeeze in a second dessert?'

Full bellied, we'd saunter across the city on foot , go to HMV (I don't believe the Virgin store was open at that point), then go and drool over the guitars in Denmark Street, before sprinting back to the studio for the ride home.

Happy, happy times.

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Great memories mate 👍

 Yes, I think it was Rita. My wife would remember. She’s great with names. I’m better with faces 😀.

[NancyJohnson]

  On 14/12/2019 at 12:06, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Great memories mate 👍

 Yes, I think it was Rita. My wife would remember. She’s great with names. I’m better with faces 😀.

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There was a very attractive blonde waitress that worked there early-80s; she used to look after the raised bar area at the back near the cooking area.  I remember we were all a little besotted with her.  Three of us were sitting at the bar one time, the desserts arrived and she caught the bottom of the dish on said bar, it flipped over, depositing the entire dessert into my mates lap.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Mrs.H and I are currently at HRC Dominican Republic and there is a dismal selection of basses on offer here.

The first one I saw was in the main concourse and is probably one of a thousand that Gene Simmons has played @cetera.
The second was on display in the HRC shop and isn’t a celeb bass - just a bit bizarre. I’m still not sure what’s going on here.

 

 

 

[SumOne]

There's something that makes me feel a bit sad about it. Also, vinyl records being put on walls. Has a similar vibe to stuffed animal heads on walls. Trophies no longer doing what made them good. 

[uk_lefty]

  On 10/07/2024 at 06:21, SumOne said:

There's something that makes me feel a bit sad about it. Also, vinyl records being put on walls

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While I see what you mean... It's cheaper for me to buy a vinyl reissue of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain than it is to get a decent picture of the album cover to go on my office wall. Mad, isn't it?

[TimR]

  On 28/11/2019 at 08:58, BigRedX said:

I can't see the point. Instruments are meant to be played.

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I agree, however, there are exceptions.

 

No one should be touching Lemmy's bass. Ever. We are not worthy.