Musicians at gigs with £150 haircuts wanting the borrow everything?

Teetonetal

I don't mind if it's all pre-arranged before hand and even less so if you already know the bands involved.. For example I have played gigs where each band has provided a bit of kit due to space constraints etc.. and that is ok in my book. It also means that I maybe take different gear..

The one time I lent a band an amp, unarranged they blew it up ansd I ended up having to use a GT6 into the PA (horrible).

One thing that always used to concern me was if promoters asked if I could provide PA. I would only say yes if they agreed to pay me. mainly because it always turned everyone else's fun evening into my total stress filled evening. 

the sad one for me though is when promoters promise other bands your gear, in advance, but don't tell you until you arrive.

joeyowen

If someone just turns up and asks to use stuff I generally say no, espcially if they just assume it's ok on the night.

Maybe, if it's my amp... but nevvverrr guitar/pedals.  Which guitarist turns up to a gig without a guitar?

Imagine a pilot turns up and asks to borrow a plane?  Or a fireman turns up to a house fire and asks to use your kitchen taps...

It's totally the same thing

digitalscream

Teetonetal said:

the sad one for me though is when promoters promise other bands your gear, in advance, but don't tell you until you arrive.

That's always a flat-out "no" from me. Promoters have absolutely no excuse - I can envisage situations where somebody's forgotten something on the night (as long as it's something inconsequential) and that's kinda forgivable. Promoters promising your gear to other people without asking just plain pisses me off, and it usually gets them on my blacklist.

Cirrus

joeyowen said:

Imagine a pilot turns up and asks to borrow a plane?

Absolutely, I can't imagine getting into a Jumbo Jet that wasn't owned and brought from home by the pilot. :P

littlethoughts

Depends on the show, I'm not too precious about my amp but I would draw the line at letting an unknown use my bass/guitar. We have done plenty of shows with known quantities in the past and come to a convenient agreement about using each others gear though.

ICBM

I've come across this too.

Borrowing amps at a multi-band gig is one thing and is normal to save stage space and set-up time - and is OK if it's pre-arranged and just about forgivable if it isn't (which is often the "promoter"'s fault) - borrowing a guitar because you didn't bring one is taking the piss.

It's intentional - the sort of tossers who do this are deliberately mocking "boring musos" because they think they're superior and because they know that to the majority of punters a guitar is just a guitar and if you're "precious" about not lending one, it's you who ends up looking like a prick.

It's almost worth taking a really horrible backup guitar with a cheesegrater action and partly-working electrics just to return the favour… and making sure it isn't in tune.

I don't mind people using my amp or cab because I wouldn't take anything I wasn't certain was bombproof to this sort of gig in the first place. The bass cab I used to let everyone use at this sort of thing was tatty, fitted with a steel grille behind the cloth one and a fuse.

johnswiss

bingefeller;637011" said:

What is landfill indie?

I think it's what I play!

DartmoorHedgehog

joeyowen said:

Imagine a pilot turns up and asks to borrow a plane?  Or a fireman turns up to a house fire and asks to use your kitchen taps...

It's totally the same thing

Or a builder wants to borrow a ladder, bucket and broom

(unfortunately that has happened to me!)

johnswiss

Im a tight arse these days. My boy will get the use of anything he wants but anyone else gets a big fat no. Ive had too much hassle in the past from lending stuff out. I never sell stuff to mates now either!

PVO_Dave

It's the assumption that really winds me up and as someone else mentioned, trying to make you look like the bad guy when you say no.

When I first started playing gigs, I let a few people use my amp, but then they started adjusting it and messing around with it, which is very annoying when you have it set up for you and you've set your levels during the sound check etc..

These days it's a flat no, this stuff isn't cheap and I didn't lug it all they way here for your lazy ass to use it!

rash

I had this happen to me once, I lent the guy my amp and in a 30 minute set he managed to break the input jack. It wasn't hard to fix but I've been hesitant to lend anything since.

digitalscream

PVO_Dave said:

It's the assumption that really winds me up and as someone else mentioned, trying to make you look like the bad guy when you say no.

I usually find that a rephrase of J-Mo's "Sure, you can have a go on my guitar - if I can have a go on your wife" often works wonders there. Probably best to have your bandmates around you though, just in case.

BenSirAmos

I don't often feel anything for drummers. But I do feel sorry for them when they are expected to let total tossers hit their expensive kit with all their strength. And smashing the drum pedal down like they are urgently pumping up a tyre. I'd never lend a guitar to someone I didn't know really well.

DefaultM

Had this happen on Friday with someone asking to borrow the bass cab because he didn't own one. He was told no.
I assume he doesn't own one because he doesn't have the money, so if he breaks someone else's he's certainly not going to pay out for a new one is he?

Fair enough if your amp just broke and you're desperate, but don't join a gigging band if you don't have the gear in the first place. An electric instrument is pretty quiet without amplification and you're going to look pretty stupid if everyone else says no.

thomasross20

octatonic;636972" said:

Can't say I've had the pleasure.

I would have made him river dance for an hour before lending him an instrument.

One of our gigs was due to another pulling out. The guitarist of that band let us know about it. He turned up on the day and asked to do a song with my £3k PRS. I let him because of the circumstance but can't say I was overly happy about it!

PVO_Dave

digitalscream said:

PVO_Dave said:

It's the assumption that really winds me up and as someone else mentioned, trying to make you look like the bad guy when you say no.

I usually find that a rephrase of J-Mo's "Sure, you can have a go on my guitar - if I can have a go on your wife" often works wonders there. Probably best to have your bandmates around you though, just in case.

Being 6ft3 has helped with these difficult conversations, they don't know that I'm really not into violence.

After setting up once at a venue, me and the rest of the band went out for food as we had some time to kill before we played, the promoter gave my number to one of the other bands guitarists, he called me up to tell me he was going to use my amp! I had to tell him in no uncertain terms that this wouldn't end well for him. 

I wouldn't dream of turning up to a gig without my stuff on purpose, unless we'd pre-arranged (like a lot of drummers do) to kit share.

digitalscream

PVO_Dave said:

I wouldn't dream of turning up to a gig without my stuff on purpose, unless we'd pre-arranged (like a lot of drummers do) to kit share.

I always tend to try to get hold of the other bands on the bill to sort it out first; oddly, I've never had another band contact me to arrange it.

Even if I'm sharing somebody else's cab, I'll usually take my own anyway. I know it seems a bit redundant, but I had one instance where we arranged to share the headliner's cabs, and it turned out on the night that one of their guitarists only had a Line6 Spider III 1x12" combo.

"What's the problem? Stop being awkward, just plug your amp into it. It'll be fine."

Le. Sigh.

57Deluxe

Reminds me of the scene in The Inbetweeners ep where to get into the club 'Simon' cadges the tramp's shoes.... Like, anyone touching my gear - so Gross

IanSavage

Teetonetal said:

the sad one for me though is when promoters promise other bands your gear, in advance, but don't tell you until you arrive.

I've had that on more than one occasion, total dickhead thing to do as then the whole evening rests on your generosity / willingness to take a chance on some twat not wrecking your gear and you end up looking like a dick if you don't comply. Pisses me right off.

SNAKEBITE

When I was drumming I would usually have to use the kit that was there.

All breakables; cymbals, pedals etc were taken with me.

One time I was asked to lend out my cymbals, I said no but was talked round. Nothing happened to them but it was not something I liked.

As a promoter we supplied the P.A.

All the bands had each others numbers (I made sure of it) and it was up to them to sort it all out. I kept out of it. We did however have a stock of spare cables, a tool kit and a few odd bits just in case.

I remember one kid turning up with an extra tom tom, then got all shitty because it wouldn't go on the kit that someone else supplied. He pulled a pissy fit and refused to play as it was part of his sound. I just said "O.K then, bye"! His bandmates talked him round.

As a guitarist I find it so simple to have a bag with all the spares you could need, I know there is always the chance of a catastrophic failure, but people are more likely to help you if you have made an effort to help yourself.