Lending someone your bass

[ubit]

I used to go to guitar lessons from a guy who is an amazing guitar player. He told me he had got this gig with the band Coast. He is now their guitarist but at that point he was doing the tour as bass player, We were talking about my gear and I said I will give you a shot of my Geddy Lee Jazz. He took it and toured all around Europe with it and when he returned it he told me how the rest of the band loved it and always asked was he using it on particular nights. The point is, I trusted him implicitly as I know he looks after gear. Trouble is he returned it with the same strings that I had put on before giving it to him. This was after he had said I will put new strings on before giving it back. He never even gave me a free guitar lesson. He is an incredibly talented musician but he a selfish twatt too!🤣

 

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by ubit

[fretmeister]

Found these....

 

 

[TheGreek]

6 minutes ago, ubit said:

I used to go to guitar lessons from a guy who is an amazing guitar player. He told me he had got this gig with the band Coast. He is now their guitarist but at that point he was doing the tour as bass player, We were talking about my gear and I said I will give you a shot of my Geddy Lee Jazz. He took it and toured all around Europe with it and when he returned it he told me how the rest of the band loved it and always asked was he using it on particular nights. The point is, I trusted him implicitly as I know he looks after gear. Trouble is he returned it with the same strings that I had put on before giving it to him. This was after he had said I will put new strings on before giving it back. He never even gave me a free guitar lesson. He is an incredibly talented musician but he a selfish twatt too!🤣

 

 

 

Some people just don't get balancing the books...

[TimR]

53 minutes ago, ubit said:

guitar player.

 

...

[BreadBin]

On 11/11/2021 at 12:54, SteveXFR said:

If it wasn't for a work mate lending me a bass I never would have got started. Not just one either but a pair of basses. I bought one of them and kept learning. 

Yeah sorry about that!

[tauzero]

On 13/11/2021 at 22:34, 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 

 

And with a really gorgeous wife/car?

[Thunderbird]

Just now, tauzero said:

 

And with a really gorgeous wife/car?

Don't remember what that car was but his Mrs was very nice lol

[jazzyvee]

It has never been common for me to allow other musicians to use my instruments basses or guitars. I had one multi-band gig where we were headlining and the band before us (blondie tribute band) came and asked to use my bass. I was polite and declined saying I don't allow anyone to play my basses. Few minutes later he was back on stage playing his own bass that sounded fine to me. My band know that and have told me a number of times when people have asked them if I mind them using my bass or gear and they have told them it won't happen.

The last time anyone other than me played them was at the midlands bass bash in 2019.
Never had a string break on a gig but I always carry spare strings. One used and one new set. If a string broke I would prefer to replace it with a used string as it is more likely to balance better tone wise with the existing strings. Then when I get home, change the strings for a new set.


 

Edited November 18, 2021 by jazzyvee

[Stub Mandrel]

Last night my brother told me how he lent a strat (strung as a lefty) to a friend from an up and coming band who were second on the bill at a festival but hadn't yet got 'pro' gear.

 

It didn't come back for a couple of weeks as the guy was away, but my brother got a message to collect from the guy's mum - as well as an apologetic note, it was cleaned, setup and with brand new strings.

[StickyDBRmf]

I used to play at CBGB's. Haha. No.

[Jeffb28451]

Let's see, he "broke" his bass and had no strings or back up and now wants to visit his tender touch to one of mine?  Is that right?

I always take extra strings and back up bass, even to "birthday party" gigs.  Unless that guy was your very close bud, just no.

 

Otherwise, you're a better man than I, Gunga Din. 

[chris_b]

Many years ago, I was in the house band for a jam and a friend got up to play. After his session I got up to check the gear was OK and found he had left a lighted cigarette on the top of the cab!! Luckily it hadn't caused any damage but would have if I hadn't got there in time!

 

No one treats your gear as well as you do and most don't care what they do to it. For that reason, no one "borrows" my gear.

[TimR]

I was always taught to treat other people's possessions better than you'd treat your own. 

 

Unfortunately the standard some people treat their own things is so low that doesn't make any difference. 

 

Have just remembered lending someone a book. Wasn't an expensive book, but when they returned it they told me they'd been reading it in the bath and dropped it in.

 

Honestly, don't bother returning it, apologise and offer to buy a new one. I'd probably have said not to worry. I threw it in the bin anyway. 

 

I'm not sure I know anyone who would practice bass in the bath...

[knirirr]

24 minutes ago, TimR said:

Unfortunately the standard some people treat their own things is so low that doesn't make any difference.

 

Indeed!

Though relatively trivial, I recall lending my instrument to someone who within seconds of starting to play it struck the wall beside him rather firmly with the headstock. Presumably he saw my look of dismay, for he immediately informed me that there was no need for concern for "they're made for getting a bit beaten up, aren't they?"

 

Though not bass related, I can't resist mentioning that I have a fencing text from 1707 which gives instruction on who must pay for a broken foil (answer; whoever is holding the handle at the moment it breaks). Perhaps jam sessions ought to operate a similar rule.
 

[TimR]

1 minute ago, knirirr said:

Perhaps jam sessions ought to operate a similar rule.

 

Certainly would make anyone doubly cautious about borrowing any amps that looked on their last legs. 

 

Cue lots of tech savvy bass players with remote control self destruct timers fitted to decrepit amps. 😆

 

 

[Waddo Soqable]

One of the few occasions I let some other band on the same bill use my bass amp, they somehow managed to blow the tweeter on a 600w 1x15 cab, as it happens I didn't miss it (and just pulled the wires off) but that's not the point. 

I'd absolutely never lend a bass guitar. 

[Ralf1e]

On 14/11/2021 at 09:49, Thunderbird said:

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

How about just never returned it. Tools for example

2 wheel barrows

2 custom made hardwood saw horses

A brand new hydraulic engine crane

2 electric car polishers

A sanding machine

Car ramps

Numerous small hand tools alen keys, spanners, measuring equipment etc. 

Vehicle service tools including spring compressors both valve and suspension. Plenty more I can't remember right now.

Plus instrument cables. Wireless instument sets. Shure headset microphone.

Yamaha reverb unit and Mackie digital quality 12 channel mixer (got stolen)

S**t I must be a mug.

Could buy a very nice bass to lend out with that little lot 😂

 

[Rich]

Last time I lent a bass to a "mate" (an old Columbus Jazz) he promptly moved house, left no forwarding address and dropped off the world. Mike Hague, I hope it exploded in your stupid hippy face.

[jezzaboy]

A few years back I sold a Epi Tbird to a guy I knew slightly. It was an old bass with some battle scars that I picked up cheap. When picking it up, I explained about the battle scars on the Epi, "don`t worry about that, the way I play I knock the sh*t out of my basses!"

 

Note to self, never lend this man a bass 

[Mokl]

2 hours ago, Rich said:

Last time I lent a bass to a "mate" (an old Columbus Jazz) he promptly moved house, left no forwarding address and dropped off the world. Mike Hague, I hope it exploded in your stupid hippy face.

He must have really wanted that bass to go to such lengths!!

[Phill]

Only ever lent a bass to someone I didn't personally know once. All the kit was stolen sadly & the management team called me up looking for a bass for a funk band playing in Cardiff (found out it was AWB when the manager dropped their name very casually on the phone)  Gave me £20 a free ticket (sadly I couldn't go) and a signed album

[uncle psychosis]

Back when i was playing in my originals band at some toilet circuit in Glasgow I snapped the E string on my bass on the first note of the first number (no, me neither - I've never snapped a string before or since). 

 

The song was a sub-three-minute punk rock effort. I spent most of it desperately trying to work out how to play the riff in a different position. 

 

As the song ended, and the rest of the band were looking at me going "what the flip happened there then?" some kind soul from one of the other bands appeared in front of the stage with his bass in hand and just handed it to me. 

 

Being a sensible person, I absolutely babied that man's instrument and remain eternally grateful to him cos he rescued the gig.

 

Yeah, I could have had a spare - but in 25+ years of gigging on various instruments thats literally the only time I'd have needed to use it. If I was playing weddings or proper pro gigs, I'd carry one, but I'm not so I don't. 

 

 

[AndyTravis]

I had a mate who’s rehearsal room got emptied - lent him a jack casady for a bit.

 

He babied it.

 

But, I also played with a lad who’d borrowed a friends Martin D-15 and treated it so roughly he knocked the back off it.

 

played some gigs with the back Duct taped in place and was shocked when the owner was a tad miffed his £1300 acoustic was goosed.

 

Some people just need to be swerved.

[nilorius]

Maybe i am bad, but never lend my bass, even on 3 string loose situation. Go where - go there !!!

[Lozz196]

A few years back in my old band we played a festival in Athens. The headliners were our singer/guitarists favourite band ever, The Partisans. At their level they generally specify what instruments they want and the promoters provide them. Shall we say the specs must have been lost in translation. So they asked us if they could borrow ours. No problem, and for the whole evening after we’d played & then handed them over they sat with them in the dressing room and wouldn’t let them out of their sight.