Other bands asking to use your gear

[bhakan]

I'm very open to others using my gear for shows. I was apprehensive at first, but other members of my band and I have had to borrow others equipment and it's really a huge help to have someone willing to let you borrow gear. Overall it's so much better to make friends and be helpful to the other bands you play with. If you go to shows distrusting and avoiding the other bands you're making things harder for yourself.

My guitar I'm more wary of lending, but I play in a alternative/rock band with mostly other punk bands and such, so luckily for me most people would rather not have to use a baritone 7 string, so that's pretty safe. My amp and cab I always lend out. If someone forgot something it's a lifesaver, and for a lot of basement shows I just backline it and let everyone use it. Most bands in the scene I play in just use a clean amp with a pedal board, and my Mesa has a fantastic clean channel and not having to load in an entire band through a crowded basement makes shows run so much smoother. I just stay nearby to make sure everything runs smoothly.

 

[scottro202]

Well, most folks don't wanna borrow my 7 string so I'm good there

And as far as my amp and board goes, it's cool so long as they don't go hogwild on changing my knobs and whatnot. I loaned a bandmate the 6 string guitar I use in our band and just used the 7 string for the rest of the set cause he broke a string, but that's a bandmate and not another band.

As far as my drumkit goes, I beat the hell out of it so I'll let anybody else do the same

 

[Orgalmer]

A while back an old band of mine played a show and actually left a guitar at the venue. Stupid, I know, but there you go.

We had a show the next day and someone was kind enough to lend us their six string at that show, they also lent us their bass rig which was really nice. They sort of provided backline for that show which is not uncommon here.

If you don't mess up people's gear then I find people are accommodating most of the time. Some people like to re-arrange the settings on other people's gear like they know what they're doing (they don't) and that annoys the owner for sure.

I've also lent out my rigs to people who needed them, I've even brought my rig to a show I wasn't even playing but was happy to help out. Only when other people started using my rig and not taking care of it was I getting pissed off. From memory, literally nobody had a bass rig except the one I had brought so I took it off them after the second band - they didn't treat it as well as I'd have liked.

I've only ever once lent my bass to someone and that was a fvcking bad idea. They actually loaned my bass out to other bands for recording without telling me. That shit is not okay. I will never lend my guitar to anyone else, unless I know they can buy me a brand new one in the event that they break it.

 

[Mprinsje]

I've never had anyone ask me to use my guitar but people have used my amp and i have used other peoples amps.

Most of the time i'll ask if i can use their amp/cab at least a month before the gig. bands here often know each other one way or another so a lot of times it's all pre-arranged that one band will take a drumkit (although almost everyone will use the venues kit if there is one) the other will take an amp and so on.

 

[The Q]

They actually loaned my bass out to other bands for recording without telling me.

I'm sorry but this deserves a punch in the face, for being a person that loans an ALREADY LOANED instrument without even asking. I don't think I could have held my temper if I were in your shoes.

 

[robare99]

We rarely play with another band. (We are a cover band) when we do, we share gear. For NYE we will be splitting sets back to back with another band. Instead if tearing down drums etc each time they will be using our drum kit, our bass amp. They are welcome to use my guitar rig (1984 100W JCM800 head and 212 cab) we are all professionals and I have no doubt they will treat our gear accordingly.

Same with my guitars, if needed. They are on the ball and bring their own. If they want to try mine out for a few songs, no problemo. I've ran sound for them a few times, and consider them friends. They know what they are doing, so I have no concerns.

For multiband gigs I try to get the bands to share a kit, again, it saves a lot of time.

 

[cardinal]

Folks in scenes need to help each other out in order to thrive, especially these days.

This whole "oh no, you might scratch my guitar" mindset is so counter-intuitive to gigging regularly. Just like bringing all kinds of boutique gear to local shows and acting like the secret service.

Someone needs something, help them out. Chances are they'll repay the favor at some point and as a whole it'll bring the bands in the local scene together.

That doesn't mean that you shouldn't have nice things, or that you should be careless, but accept that things will get scars, that's the nature of playing live at small venues.

Generally I agree with this, but it's a bit of a chicken/egg problem: the local scene should have people that respect each other. If a guitar, amp, or cab comes out, I generally don't mind a ding or scratch or whatever, that's just "mojo" or street cred for my gear. Something that I'm really worried about just doesn't come out of the house for something like this.

But it is possible for someone to jack something up easily and very quickly. Turn up an amp too loud and it could blow some speakers. Guy messes with some stuff on the back of an amp and accidentally turns up the amp with no cabinet plugged in at all. Guy whips a Gibson-type guitar around and bangs the headstock into something (bassist's instrument, an amp, etc.) and cracks the headstock. Etc. If the guys in the scene know what they're doing, none of this stuff is likely to happen. But a drunk jerk could pull off any of these things in the blink of an eye and your gear is kinda screwed.

 

[Orgalmer]

I'm sorry but this deserves a punch in the face, for being a person that loans an ALREADY LOANED instrument without even asking. I don't think I could have held my temper if I were in your shoes.

Yeah, dude. I don't think he knows that I know. One of the guys who used it thanked me and I was like "whoa, this is news to me dude, what the hell?" I'm sorry but you never ever do that, ever.

EDIT: Should also mention the poor guys who borrowed that bass weren't even told it was mine. They just assumed he owned it. Poor sods.

 

[Axewield31]

Personally, I don't really mind lending gear.
I play in a small town(s) usually in small venues and the gigs are really a team effort from all the bands. Everyone just puts in where they can so things go as well as possible. Cabs are always fine to lend, particularly to touring bands. Most gigs every band uses the same bass rig plus whatever pedals and stuff the particular bassist uses. It's usually me who provides the bass rig too because I lend it to the bassist in my band and it's nicer than any of the other local bands' stuff.
Guitar amps I'm also pretty flexible to lend. On a few occasions I've seen a kid about to start a set playing through a 30w Line 6 Spider or whatever and offered him my rig. It reflects better on everyone for each band to sound good, so it's really not an issue and I don't see anything happening to an amp during their set that wouldn't happen while I'm using it. It's pretty hard to mistreat an amp.
Guitars aren't something that I've ever really been asked to lend out. Only one time when a band that we were good friends with travelled up from about 4 hours away and one of the guitarists forgot his guitar and the other was having massive setup issues with his trem. We just had a laugh about it and they borrowed mine and the other guitarist in my band's guitar. Was all good.
I've never been asked at a show for someone to use my guitar, but if I were it would depend on why they were asking to borrow it. If they were having issues with theirs or just generally forgot it, which does happen sometimes, I wouldn't be too worried and wouldn't have an issue. If someone just liked my guitar and wanted to try it, I don't think I would be as happy to give it to them, especially if they were down to play before me.
Generally, I'm pretty flexible with gear lending. It often makes everything easier and sound better, which benefits everyone. At small hardcore shows everyone tends to be looking out for each other and just wants what's best for everyone.
I also don't see much going wrong with my stuff when someone else is using it as opposed to myself. While I look after my gear pretty well, I don't baby it and am not worried about a scratch or dent here and there. There's just as much chance of that happening when I'm playing than someone else.


This would probably be a little different if I was gigging with an ultra high-end guitar as well. But I wouldn't do that, through fear that I'd fvck something up.

 

[Andromalia]

As a rule, from me, it's no.
Then, I can make exceptions if someone has his gear crapping out mid-show and they were nice people beforehand that didn't behave like assholes or royalty during soundcheck and their gear looks like it's reasonablu maintained etc.
But to people coming empty handed, no way. To people with beat up epiphones, no way. To dirty people, no way. etc. I can lend my gear, but I'll do so by seeing how you took care of yours.

Also, note that this is about impromptu gear changes. I have done shows where gear sharing was planned and have no objections to do them.

 

[TeeWX]

IMHO I really have a hard time thinking of a situation where it's justifiable to ask someone else for gear. You should play gear that you trust, and in the event that it fails you should have a backup or be prepared not to play.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

IMHO I really have a hard time thinking of a situation where it's justifiable to ask someone else for gear. You should play gear that you trust, and in the event that it fails you should have a backup or be prepared not to play.

A smaller touring band's back up of a backup dies and they're playing back to back shows and don't have the spare cash to throw at a music store in a small town nor the time to seek a replacement.

Idiot roadie drops [anything].

Super small stage at a venue in an area with strict noise ordinance, bands need to share gear in order for everyone to play a proper set.

Someone's gear is stolen while on the road.

The list goes on. Like I said, there's no reason to be stupid about who you lend your gear to, but shit does happen no matter how much preparation you take.

 

[Ancient]

A smaller touring band's back up of a backup dies and they're playing back to back shows and don't have the spare cash to throw at a music store in a small town nor the time to seek a replacement.

Idiot roadie drops [anything].

Super small stage at a venue in an area with strict noise ordinance, bands need to share gear in order for everyone to play a proper set.

Someone's gear is stolen while on the road.

The list goes on. Like I said, there's no reason to be stupid about who you lend your gear to, but shit does happen no matter how much preparation you take.

These are definitely situation's where I would do what I could to help somebody out, there are always variables that deserve helping them out. My big quarrel is with guys who literally show up with nothing expecting someone else to provide gear for them (they also tend to ask for a better spot in the process...), refuse to bring out their gear because they bought a tiny lil sports car to impress the ladies but it can't haul their gear, or want to play through or with something better than what they own (I personally feel its not my job to make you sound good as nobody ever extended that to me). I'm very rigid in my no lending policy due to the specified and unique nature of a lot of my equipment, but I will do what ever I can to get them gear to use and even help them ask other bands or contact other local musicians I know, especially if they let us know ahead of time (which sadly at least in this area is a very small percentage of the time except with touring bands).

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

In the wise words of Patrick Bateman: "Just say no"

I haven't let anyone take any part of my gear on stage or out of my sight, but I've let a few cheap bass players use my tuner or some tools for a last minute setup adjustment before going on stage.

I'm lucky enough that all of my gear is in road/rack cases with all of my pedals in a shelf controlled by a GCP, so most people wouldn't be able to figure out my rig anyway

 

[rectifryer]

I feel like if I take enough care to be responsible enough to always have a backup, that I shouldn't be inconvenienced by another's lack of preparation. Lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. All it takes is for the cab cable to come unplugged and then you are looking at a toasted output transformer. If someone jars your amp, it could easily damage hot tubes. I see sharing guitars as a matter of hygiene, really.

 

[sage]

I have been the fortunate recipient of an amp loan when my amp gave up the ghost in our first song.

As much as I agree with the "Lack of prep on your part..." philosophy, I'm usually the first guy to offer a loan. Granted, all my guitars are Floyd equipped and tuned to Drop B, so they're not as useful as they could be for most folks.

 

[Ancient]

Lack of preparation on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

 

[MrPowers]

Generally speaking I try not to lend out gear anymore, specifically the smaller stuff like power strips, power cords, speaker cables, etc... And I really only avoid it because I'm familiar with myself enough to know that, if I lend something small out, I WILL forget it and it will be gone. I've lost too many power strips and power cables.

That said, I don't really mind people using my amp. The only stipulation is that they HAVE to use my cab (unless I am familiar with/trust theirs) because I don't want to have to worry about impedance mismatches or anything of the sort. Other than that, everything is marked and it's no problem.

Guitars as a rule I don't lend because I can't stand having other people's sweat on the necks. That said, I'm not completely opposed to it and would probably give someone the benefit of the doubt under the right circumstances.

 

[Dayn]

Never. Whenever I loan anything it always come back in worse condition (if at all).

I don't know how people do it. How the .... do people ruin things so easily?

 

[Orgalmer]

I don't know how people do it. How the .... do people ruin things so easily?

You'd be surprised how often people just go through gear because they treat it like shit. I take fairly good care of my instruments but a lot of people still would consider my playing style "rough" but some people wouldn't care if their entire rig went up in flames if it looked cool onstage. Bonus points if someone got it on film!