too nice to gig

[lojo]

Just posted on the Ps are fantastic thread and it got me thinking

Is anyone put off playing a bass they would love to gig because its in to good nick to risk

I wont take my Ric out unless there is some separation between me and the punters and its not to crowded within the band space, which is a shame because id love to play it at pub gigs and parties, but its likely to get dinged

Also I really want a 62RI P, but if I but a nice one id have the same issue

Seems my MIM P is going to take all the stick

Does anyone else have this issue?

Edited April 26, 2010 by lojo

[OutToPlayJazz]

The only one I'm very careful about is the Myrtlewood Status. It goes out occasionally, but the main five-stringer I gig is the bolt-on S2.

I used to be very precious about my KingBass Artist 5 as well - So much so that I ended up selling it.

I do different types of gig now, anyway. No more rowdy pubs & clubs for me. (Famous last words!)

[peteb]

I do find it difficult to understand this - surely the reason for buying a great bass is so that you can play gigs with it??

One of the reasons that I would never consider buying something like a 60s Fender (even if I could afford it) is because I would be too scared to take it out!

[Lfalex v1.1]

All but the Streamline have been gigged (and that's only because I'm band-less at the mo')
The Vigier usually gets used for Studio work, as it truly excels there.

Gigging mainstays?

2004 MIA s1 Jazz
10th Anniversary Attitude Sheehan Signature
2002 Warwick Infinity SN4
Ibanez SRX 700 (gets the most mileage due to comfort and punchy low-mid tone)

Personally, I think it's right to have one or two super-nice instruments to use on selected occasions. If you're playing HUGE gigs where you're not going to get grief from punters and/or gear nicked, then that's great. For many of us, that's a very real issue on a regular basis, so limiting the exposure to risk of your "good stuff" makes good sense. YMMV and all that.

Automotive analogy: I'm not taking my Aston Martin banger racing, therefore I think I ought not to take my Alembic down to the local spit & sawdust tavern to have the locals pour beer over it.

[wateroftyne]

Nah... I've got three of Leo's finest '71s, all in pretty good nick, and they're out all the time.

That's what insurance is for...

[MythSte]

Aye, insurance and the fact thats what theyre made for!

I suppose its easier with fenders as replacement parts can be easily found if the absolute worst happens, that said, Even if i had a ritter/60's P im pretty sure they'd be taken out all the time.

[JTUK]

All my basses are too nice but that is why I have them.

I figure that a new paint job or neck refin is only money.
If one gets stolen I have insurance.

I'd hate to replace one but then I'd find another one.
They are only money and basses.

[ThomBassmonkey]

There's a train of thought about instruments that they're works of art, to be kept in a glass case and never used. Frankly, I don't get it.

To me, basses are a tool. Their whole reason for being is to be played, at gigs, in recording, in your front room, wherever.

Lfalex, I disagree with your analogy. I think having a bass and not using it around other people is like having a car and not driving it on public roads in case someone else dings it. And why bother with a nice car if it's not going to be used?

[Buzz]

*Too

You're referring to what I call the first big ding conundrum. Before you get that ding you're aware it'll take a big chunk of the value of the instrument, so you don't take it out to get dinged. After you get the ding it's a case of "sod it, it's damaged now, more won't make any difference" so you go out and use it.

[Doddy]

All my instruments have been gigged,but I do take into consideration what the gig is when deciding what
bass to take. I don't want to use my Roscoe in a dingy little pub where some drunken prat might knock it on
the way to the toilet,and I wouldn't use my Shuker in an over crowded pit where the trombone player might knock
it or something gets thrown off the stage and may hit it. On gigs like that I'm more likely to favour my
Fenders.
I was doing a theatre show last year(using my Ibanez BTB 6),and during the first night,some prat on stage dropped
a cup filled with blackcurrant juice into the pit,splashing myself,the drummer and guitarist.As you could expect,none of
us were happy-especially the guitarist,who now had a wet and sticky PRS!!! That's why I keep my 'boutique' basses at
home for those gigs.

[throwoff]

I think my feelings on 'museum quality' have been made clear by other threads!

Play it, break it, burn it. Thats its soul.

[tom1946]

I too have some nice basses, luckily for me I mostly play in churches up high near the organ pipes so we're pretty much out of harms way.
The down side is that after the service small children tend to race around everywhere so it can be a tad fraught.

I put our gear straight into the car after we finish so not a problem really.

I am from the school of thought that says your basses are for using, that said I do have one or two collectable instruments that stay at home.

[xgsjx]

Basses are for playing! The wife doesn't buy a really nice pair of shoes & then say "oh, they're too nice to wear on a night out", same difference.

If it's precious, pop it in a hard case as soon as you're done playing.
My Ibby is worth loads to me, but it's got more chips than the Golden Fry.

[Clarky]

[quote name='xgsjx' post='820245' date='Apr 27 2010, 08:50 AM']The wife doesn't buy a really nice pair of shoes & then say "oh, they're too nice to wear on a night out"[/quote]

Unfortunately mine does! She has a pair of Vivienne Westwood vintage platforms (just like the ones Naomi Campbell fell over in) that adorn our mantle-piece. She views them as art


On topic, I also pick and choose which bass to play depending on venue but I do play them all live

Edited April 27, 2010 by Clarky

[k-sad]

I have 2 Fodera NYC
One is a 98 with 3T sunburst, has a couple of dings on it, i take it everywhere... i bought a "spare" bass but i'm now trying to get rid of it as i LOVE the Fod necks...
I also have a stunning spalted 08 one, wich i upgraded with the Pope 3 band pre, and this one is too fragile (=spalted) for small gigs, and too "decorative" to be played in most bands... but it has a killer B and is the best sounding bass i ever owned, so i work with it and take it to the studio (it's way more versatile than the other one, might be due to mapple, plus it's a 24 model...)
Here is a pic of both, so u'd understand : [url="http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=434942090&albumID=599210&imageID=15472530"]http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?...mageID=15472530[/url]

The 98 is "just" a regular jazz, whereas the other has the butterfly one it... i don't fell i'm missing anything, it's just the way it is (last week musicians asked me if it was an Aria or a Yam )

[tayste_2000]

I'm funny about my Ric too I won't take it out to gigs in the 11 years I've owned it I took it to one gig where I played it for 20 minutes.

Oddly though I take 5k-6k's worth of overwater's with me to every gig and the more expensive of the two gets thrown round like I'm a crazy person.

Maybe you just need to get that initial ding out of the way

[thisnameistaken]

I suppose some people buy basses just to have them. there's nothing wrong with that. I would move on anything I'm not using though, I don't like dusting.

[Bilbo]

I only have one bass - discussion over

[Musicman20]

I am also a worrier with basses.

Two fine examples are the two stingrays I just sold to get two more stingrays, (albeit more varied models).

They were ding free...but I should have used them more.

If you have your own transport and the pub isn't too tightly packed, take a nice bass and don't drink!

Stands are the best idea, or straight into a quality case.

My problem now is I don't have a backup or workhorse. One of my Ps was going to take that place, but they are both too lovely to be heavily gigged, IMO.

That's why I'm getting a Squier CV Jazz or Precision asap.

[BassBod]

It all depends on the venue. I find the hardest scenario is small tours, where you can be playing a "nice" place one night and a toilet the next, and you just know that the gear is going to spend nights in vans and venues. That's where I use basses that are easier to replace.

[alanbass1]

The only bass I 'won't' take to a gig anymore is my '62 P Bass as I have owned it since '75 and would hate it if it went walkies - not so much the value but more that I'm so attached to it. But it is still my go to bass for recording. I have a stack of expensive basses and take these out to gigs without thinking - after all, nothing like a bit of natural relic'ing

[martthebass]

I don't believe any bass is too nice to gig, but it's best to select sensibly. If I'm playing a fairly big venue where I can easily swing a cat then I'm happy to use my pristine MM - not much chance of damage or a punter knocking it flying. For small venues then a nice compact bass. The only time I get cautious is for Jamnights, I've seen too many accidents with drunks and expensive basses - a nice Epi EB0 is fine there!

[paul h]

Dare I say it but this is one in favour of a relic job!

[BigRedX]

No bass is too nice too gig. If it picks up one ding too many you can always get it refinished.

Not a problem at all.

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='821163' date='Apr 27 2010, 08:59 PM']No bass is too nice too gig. If it picks up one ding too many you can always get it refinished.

Not a problem at all.[/quote]


+1

I don't see what all the fuss is about. My Zoot is my main bass, i wouldn't have bought it if i wasn't going to gig it all the time! No point in spending all that money to look back when you're an old man and think "I wish i'd gigged the hell out of that bass, wonder what it would have sounded like at gig A,B or C" etc.

Years ago when i bought my first Warwick i couldn't wait to gig it, same with the Zoot. If yo want a bass to hang on the wall get an Encore with a knackered neck, nobody will know the difference!