Lending someone your bass

[WinterMute]

33 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

 

You're a braver man than me. My backline's worth more than my bass.

I pay loud and hard, in a 3 piece usually, there aren't many bassists that can push backline like I do, I used Barefaced cabs and power amps when I was gigging, with a variety of pre-amps, usually a Line6 Bass PodXL pro, but now a Stomp HX into a QSC 12.2, it's pretty bomb proof.

[Boodang]

I went through a phase of only taking unlined fretless basses to gigs. Did cut down on the number of times I got asked to lend one out!

[Geek99]

2 hours ago, TimR said:

Your wife? 

Nope, she’s a keeper

[cetera]

1 hour ago, Geek99 said:

Nope, she’s a keeper

For what Team?

[Doctor J]

Brentford Bees?

[Thunderbird]

2 hours ago, SuperSeagull said:

Bought a second hand Status a while back and my son asked if he could use in a church set he was playing in. When he stepped up and and went to strap it on he missed the strap button, bass hit the floor. I remained remarkably calm, he was distraught, being a status it didn’t even need a retune. No lasting damage done but I fitted straplocks right after. 

I hope you beat him sufficiently when you got home lol

[Newfoundfreedom]

3 hours ago, SuperSeagull said:

Bought a second hand Status a while back and my son asked if he could use in a church set he was playing in. When he stepped up and and went to strap it on he missed the strap button, bass hit the floor. I remained remarkably calm, he was distraught, being a status it didn’t even need a retune. No lasting damage done but I fitted straplocks right after. 

 

The church on the other hand.......

[TimR]

That's the difference between lending a bass and letting someone use your backline. Difficult to drop the backline. Although drinks do get spilled. 

 

My speakers are more than capable of handling the amp, it's just a case of making sure the gain doesn't get fiddled with. 

[4000]

15 minutes ago, TimR said:

That's the difference between lending a bass and letting someone use your backline. Difficult to drop the backline. Although drinks do get spilled. 

 

My speakers are more than capable of handling the amp, it's just a case of making sure the gain doesn't get fiddled with. 

I once let a support band use my backline. The amp was somewhat too powerful for the cab but I only ever had it on about 3 so it was never an issue for me. I gave the bassist clear instructions not to crank it and why. When they’d finished and I went on stage to plug in, the amp was on full. I kid you not. I was NOT happy. 

 

When I had my first bass, a new Rickenbacker, while I was at Uni some housemates invited a friend of theirs round. They told me he was a really good bass player and he asked to look at my bass. He’d had a few drinks by then; I reluctantly handed it over asking him to be careful and within about a minute he dropped it, although I managed to catch it. Lesson learned. I’m happy to let people try my basses providing I have faith in them, but if there’s any doubt, nope.
 

In terms of lending a bass to someone on a gig, I’ve done it once I think. I knew a couple of the band members a bit, but not the bassist. Unfortunately his bass, a fretless acoustic with (for me) a fairly high action, crapped out at the start of their gig. I was the only person in the room with a bass - my Azure ‘72 Ric -  so I (somewhat reluctantly, as it was worth over £4K even then) handed it over. Of course it was set up for me, so very low action, and had a tone about as far from his as possible; he had oodles of fun trying to control it. He was a really nice chap though and very grateful for my assistance. 
 

Have to say in most circumstances I wouldn’t let someone use either of my Rics for a gig unless I really, really trusted them, and there’s hardly anyone I know that falls into that category. We do have a song in my current band that I play 12 string on live, where one of the guitarists plays the bass (I played both parts on the recording), but to say he’s careful with bass would be an understatement. He lives in abject terror of the consequences of damaging it and breaks out in a cold sweat every time I hand it over. 😂
 

 

[Guest]

So the lesson learnt from previous threads - always take a backup - can now be refined: always take a pre-battered boat anchor as backup

[Nail Soup]

I've benefited from loans a few times... for example I went to the US with work, and went to an Americana/roots thing  with a few open-mic spots in the interval. I went the the desk t pay and said I'd be interested in the open mic but didn't have a guitar. Without a beat one of the guys said "I'll lend you mine". Happy to pay it forward.

 

In general I'm happy to help out another musician. If there are a few @rseholes out there who will take advantage of that then so be it. Most people are OK.

And it's simply not in my nature to give the "if I can borrow your wife/car etc" type of answer. Just the way I am and not about to change.

 

[gjones]

He broke 2 strings? Ruddy Nora!

 

I always take a set of old strings in my gig bag. I'd prefer to give him the strings than loan such a psycho my bass.

[bassbloke]

Plenty of responses to my original post, so here's my take. 

 

We've played with them before and they're local and the bassist is a good sort.

 

I handed him bass with my strap fitted, with straplocks.  He was reasonably gentle with it, not that he had much choice; i play with a pretty low action.  Actually, I think possibly learnt something, which is play more gently and let the amp and PA do the work.  More dynamics and it just sounds better. 

 

We also got lots of thanks from the stage, a good turn out and credit for being decent chaps. 

 

If he'd been a bit of a pink torpedo I wouldn't have helped him 

[Thunderbird]

24 minutes ago, Nail Soup said:

I've benefited from loans a few times... for example I went to the US with work, and went to an Americana/roots thing  with a few open-mic spots in the interval. I went the the desk t pay and said I'd be interested in the open mic but didn't have a guitar. Without a beat one of the guys said "I'll lend you mine". Happy to pay it forward.

 

In general I'm happy to help out another musician. If there are a few @rseholes out there who will take advantage of that then so be it. Most people are OK.

And it's simply not in my nature to give the "if I can borrow your wife/car etc" type of answer. Just the way I am and not about to change.

 

Its only in my nature to give the wife/car answer if the person asking is a right tosser who is known to take the mick 

[Nail Soup]

10 hours ago, Thunderbird said:

Its only in my nature to give the wife/car answer if the person asking is a right tosser who is known to take the mick 

Might be extenuating circumstances 😃

 

(on Edit: I mean that might the extenuating circumstances to cause you to say that)

Edited November 14, 2021 by Nail Soup

[Thunderbird]

Just now, Nail Soup said:

Might be extenuating circumstances 😃

Sadly there always is buddy 

[MothMan]

Used to lend one of my basses to my bass teacher, cause after the store he worked at shut down he didn't have access to bass of his own. Other than that I've lent The Mothman to a guy I met online so he could do a youtube review on it.

[chris_b]

I was house bassist on a jam night and when I went up, after a friend had finished his "spot", I found a lighted cigarette smouldering away on the side of my cab! It hadn't burnt the tolex but it was close.

 

That was all I needed to make me stick to the "no lending" rule.

[chris_b]

double post !!

Edited November 14, 2021 by chris_b

[Drax]

22 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

 

Could have become very confusing if it was Billy Sheehan you were talking to 😂

 

Been wracking my brains on this but having a slow day. Is it a Scientology thing?

[Thunderbird]

Has anyone ever had gear damaged and the person who damaged it denied doing it or said it was damaged before they borrowed it 

[Doctor J]

57 minutes ago, Drax said:

 

Been wracking my brains on this but having a slow day. Is it a Scientology thing?

Billy calls his battered old Precision his "wife"

[12stringbassist]

My band host a jam night and the rule is own mics and own instruments now, because of covid.
Saves a lot of arguments.
Landed up letting some kid use my bass this evening, but he was careful with it.

[Bassfinger]

On 13/11/2021 at 14:13, WinterMute said:

I pay loud and hard...

Ah, much like me. I too am often found with an erection at a live gig.

[WinterMute]

1 hour ago, Bassfinger said:

Ah, much like me. I too am often found with an erection at a live gig.

That Viagra's a wonderful thing, isn't it?