Here's a story from another angle. I did a gig opening for a headlining group; the word was that I could use the bass amp that was already set up for the other band. Got to sound check and the sound man said, yes, go ahead and use the amp. So I am happily playing away and here comes the bass player from the other band, AND HE WAS PISSED!  I told him that the sound man said it would be OK, but he was, shall we say, unimpressed, even though no damage was done. I bring my own amp nowadays....

Well i broke with my own tradition last night. One of the 'really good' bass players in my local area has an essence 4 string which i have seen him using on a number of gigs in recent years.  Anyway he has expressed an interest in buying my Europa that i have just put up for sale. So when i found his blues band 'The Steve Ajao Blues Giants' were  gigging not too far from my home, i took the bass along for him to try out.
He used it for the whole gig even though he had his essence with him and loved it. He said the neck felt natural and didn't have to adjust his playing at all, loved the sound, well everything about the bass. However he didn't think senior management would approve since he already has a good number of basses. On the upside it gave me the chance to hear it out front. It did sound really good, though his tone choice is completely different to mine since he uses effects to get that edgyness which i hear in all blues band bassists except Richard Cousins of the Robert Cray Band.

There were a few heart attack moments for me when a couple of really drunk punters were staggering much too close to the bass on it's stand, so i got up and moved it closer to the bass rig and out of the way. I was glad to get it back and he has some seriuos thinking to do.  hahaha.

You guys got me started. I do let people play my bass, but they are respectable people I know and sometimes I let them play my series 1 so I can stand back and hear how it sounds.

My stress is the A-type arrogant drunk A--hole who likes to show off and act like a crazed-out maniac. Imagine that type taking your bass and running around with it acting like a rock star. He can't play because he's not a musician, just a drunken fool who you can't reason with. We know this type: the one who THINKS he is popular and knows everyone fears him. He's the big guy on Campus who walks around with an Aire about him, and HE is the one who picks up your bass and breaks it! Walks away. You know you can't do anything to him, yet after the damage is done, the stupid girlfriends and buddies still laugh and joke with him. No care, no remorse. Then later tell you "Sorry I'll get you a new bass for $300.00! He doesn't know he just broke an $8000.00 bass. People Don't understand. Most people THINK the bass is the FUN TOY instrument that anyone can pick up and jam with! No respect. This is the typical college campus situation.

Oh no. Did this actually happen, or is it (hopefully) a hypothetical?

It didn't happen, but ive known people like that. They are sociopaths, pycho or just idiots. Beware of those types. They're usually drunk or high.

I typically keep bass in its hard shell case between sets.

Everyone I play with have a rough idea how expensive my S1 is so no one really Fs around my Alembic 😂

Quote from: Picure on May 16, 2023, 09:18:58 PM
Everyone I play with have a rough idea how expensive my S1 is so no one really Fs around my Alembic 😂

Same here, in fact since my regular band can see how careful i am with it, they have become quite protective about it.