Too Good To Play?

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:56 am

Well, hope that pro musicians rarely face the troubles i've described in my 1st post to this thread...

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:06 am

Amen to that Sheena.....

If I was ever in the position where I had to compromise my sound & performance due to the threat of violence or lack of safety, then I would have to wonder why I was there & why I had worked so hard all my life to try & better my musical competence & develop my individual style! I know it happens, but as a pro, you have to have the trust & confidence in your promoter to avoid such circumstances.

I have earned my living from music for over 25 years & in that time, I have seen two acts of minor violence.....not bad, considering the odds!

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:51 am

Fine & let it never happen. You have a band, and you have a promoter, and you're strong enough (a big guy, so to speak). I remember, when some guy took my guitar (a cheap "piece of wood", but still) and crashed it over a mate of mine's head, all i could do was squeal (very loud, and it scared that "bad guy" away, in fact.

Didn't save the guitar, though). Ehm. That was long ago, anyway, and i used to be a real "trouble magnet" back then.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:17 am

A big guy? You said that I was smaller than you imagined.....

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:32 am

Well, everything is relative, you know.

bitzerguy · Post by **bitzerguy** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:18 pm

I agree entirely with both Kevin and Tony. The sound I have is one I have been developing as a hobby player since 1968, when I first started plucking out a natural E scale on a Riviera LP copy. The sound I have at this point in my playing is uncompromisable for me.

But common sense must prevail when playing out. I never leave any guitars on-stage or not locked away (car or available room with key). And I never let them out of my sight when they are not locked away. It's a pain in the keester, but I'll pay that price.

In the end, everyone is different, with different levels of comfort with their gear.
Honestly, if I was a "collector" I would have a very different opinion. But I am a player, and if I don't sound like me, what am I doing the gig for?

...Dean

j_gary · Post by **j_gary** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:19 pm

Tony, I hear you loud and clear, and I respect your firm grip on your integrity, but I fear not all is well here in the colonies.

I play in several groups around the Metro Detroit area. 90% of the time all is good. 10%, police with dogs searching the stage and equipment, brawls spreading to the stage, promoters that do not pay nevermind worry about your safety, large humans (I think) joining the band on stage to play and sing, ex's firing objects at one party and hitting another, fires, roof leaks, drunks & drunks & more drunks who would not know if you were playing a Rick or a Rhinoceros.

Your advice about staying home is often seriously considered at times, usually too late. I also often have wondered why I've spent so much time and energy to perfect my "sound" while being exposed to the human condition. It seems it's primarily for my ears I work so hard, and that's fine with me. As such, I often don't take a Rick to a Rhino gig.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:48 pm

Dean, I'm with you on never taking your eye of your pride & joy.

Struth Gary!!! Remind me never to play in the Detroit area! Old blighty is a walk in the park compared to that.....

kcole4001 · Post by **kcole4001** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:54 pm

My experience is mostly from local clubs where we know the staff very well & my guitars are kept well back from the barrier formed by the front monitors.
Also, our lead singer is a rather large lad who's day job is being a prison guard. This puts my mind at ease whenever trouble may start to brew. He can certainly handle anyone who gets too "enthusiastic". He's trained & quite an "in your face" kind of guy, & he also has his guitar on stage, so he's well aware of the dangers involved.

Every time I only took non-Ricks to gigs for any reason, I spent the whole playing time thinking how much better it would sound if I was playing one of my Ricks. That's not much fun, and fun is the reason I do this.
If the gig is that bad or hazardous, we don't go back.
But then, everyone's parameters aren't the same.
You just have to do what feels right. Constantly worrying about your property is no fun either, & a locked car isn't much of a deterrent to an earnest thief.

Of course, playing rough clubs in bad neighborhoods would deter me from taking my 4080, but my trusty old 4001 has taken many knocks before & would certainly be along for the ride.
My 5 string is just a cheap Peavey, so I wouldn't be concerned much about that.
Mic stands, Peaveys, & clunky Fenders make excellent weapons in an emergency.

myfretless · Post by **myfretless** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:26 pm

Just get an additional generic 330, 360 or 4003 in Jetglo as a backup and play the heck out of it. Seems like a good excuse to get another axe. Then you have something quality to play but if something happens to it, it's not your 'baby.'

myfretless · Post by **myfretless** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:28 pm

And by "generic" I mean a RIC, but nothing special about the year or extras that would elevate it beyond the most commonly found product.

I mean seriously, how many of you are going to actually gig with your 75th anniversary model when you get it? I'll bet we could count them on one hand.

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:21 pm

Good call Brad, apart from the fact that if you played the heck out of it, it would gradually over time, become your 'baby'!

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:47 am

There are many thoughtful responses here from people who have faced the elements with their favourite instruments. When I posed the question I was thinking of those -40 Celsius gigs that I performed in which I took my beater instead of my Rickenbacker. There were no complaints from those in attendance but I found myself unsatisfied with the tonality.

While I am an amateur with a limited budget, I confess that I am surprised to hear from pros that take their Aria 12 string on the road when they used their Rickenbacker 12 in all recordings.

j_gary · Post by **j_gary** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:01 am

Peter, I've never been a pro on the road, but I would think the worry of transporting a special instrument about the country, out of your sight and control, might prevent me from doing so.

Seems over the years multiple stories have come out telling of signature instruments stolen from major players. Scary stuff.

jdogric12 · Post by **jdogric12** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:09 pm

Let's not forget the air conditioning vents dripping water drops on the forumites' guitars and basses at a recent confluence. Luckily it was caught in time (to the best of my knowledge) and no damage was incurred (to the best of my knowledge). And don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the meeting room at all. My point is, anything can happen, even in the unlikeliest of situations. So the 4080 stays home. ALWAYS. That's why I will never fix the case handle!