Has your Alembic suffered damage at a Jam session?

[rjmsteel]

I hav\nt even got my custom yet, although soon enough, and you guys are making me have second thoughts about letting the guys I was going to have a try!  
 
 
Ok MAYBE 1 or 2: 1 already has an Epic & the other is just a great player and is laid back.
 
Rich

[bigredbass]

No, Pete, REAL roaches.  See, I really played a lot of those places your mother warned you about !
 
J o e y

[811952]

I have yet to say no when someone wants to play my Alembic.  I have mentioned to a couple of folks over the years just what the replacement cost would be should they break it, and I don't let it out of my sight or too far from my person (except at the Chicago gathering, but you understand...).  No regrets thus far.
 
John

[cozmik_cowboy]

Yeah, me too, Joey - hey, this sounds like a thread; What's the worst place you ever played?
See you over in Misc.
 
Peter

[edwin]

My philosophy was pretty much identical to John when I had my '78 Series I. It was so beat up and yet so indestructible that I had confidence that unless the person was an obvious sociopath, it seemed safe. It was pretty awesome how many times I was able to blow people away when they came up and asked Is that an Alembic? and I'd reply Yes! and thrust it into their hands! I also try to get my Starfire into people's hands if possible as it's unlike what most people play. However, I'm not sure what my policy is going to be on my new Series I.
 
I should mention that the last time I went to a jam session was probably 1998. These days it's pretty much all people who are on the same bill, so at least they've been vetted to the point where they are competent enough to get a gig.
 
At the end of the day, my basses are tools meant to be used, so they go out into the real world with me and are exposed to whatever is there. Plus, they are insured!

[george_wright]

As long-time members will remember, my main instrument is a baritone sax.  At first you might think, Well, no worries about people asking to play somebody else's reed instrument.  But at sax get-togethers, folks bring their own mouthpieces, so it's feasible.  The usual practice, in my experience, is that you don't bring an instrument you wouldn't mind somebody else playing.

[toma_hawk01]

Right on George, thanks for that message...
 
Peace and Love,
 
Hal-

[tmoney61092]

if i'm going to a jam session, i'm NOT going to bring my favorite/best bass. i'm going to bring the neck best thing or really anything that if it got knocked a couple times i'm not going to be killing the person who did it. but injuries do happen on stage, i was playing infront of my high school for all the seniors when our guitarist was soloing and brought his guitar up in the air real quick without paying attention and hit my brother(lead singer/guitarist)on the eyebrow, potentially fatal situation barely avoided...
 
~Taylor

[briant]

At the end of the day, my basses are tools meant to be used, so they go out into the real world with me and are exposed to whatever is there. Plus, they are insured!
 
Thank you.  My thoughts exactly.
 
Some time ago I realized that only my Alembic basses were making that sound happen for me.  As a result they are all I ever bring to any musical situation I involve myself in.
 
However just because I bring them doesn't mean other people get to play them or check them out.  There have only been a handful of people who have played my Alembics (or any of my instruments for that matter).  All have been trusted friends/bandmates.

[charles_holmes]

Well,
The only player that will touch my Alembic (if I choose to do so)will be a bassist that I have known for years and I know that will respect my axe. But check this out, about 25yrs ago in the rehearsal hall in South Philadelphia where I rehearsed with a group called Sparkle, I had my double bass proped up against the wall, there was this dumb assed girl that sang in the band that thought she could fit in the gap between the bass and the wall, needless to say she knocked the bass over and broke the scroll of the bass off! It cost a couple of hundred bucks to fix (she said she would pay me and never did...jerk!)

[DaveD]

Here's a story about something I reluctantly subjected my poor Exploiter to. I'm ashamed but I learned a lesson. It's the 1st article at the top of the page.
 
http://davedemarco.homestead.com/bizarre.html

[terryc]

Had that once done to me..I told him to f*** off!

[gtrguy]

I think it's a good idea to decide way ahead of time what you will do if someone asks to play your instrument. That way you are never surprised or at a loss for words. Alembics are so rare they always seem to bring out odd reactions in people, from the 'you must be a Barbie-Bass snob' to 'Wow, that's soooo pretty'.

[benson_murrensun]

Here's a funny one, along the same lines: Last night my sweetie, a neophyte bassist, purchased a brandy-new Danelectro Longhorn; and right from the music store we went directly to a bar where I was scheduled to play a set with some guys I know. We let her sit in on the last tune, so she got to use her new bass. Right after that a woman we don't know came to our table and announced that she had an upright bass and wanted to try the new Dano. Even though the new bass is an el-cheapo masonite guitar, it IS brand new, and my sweetie wanted no part of it being in a stranger's hands. She was at no loss for words, and told the woman, Sorry, I just don't do that. The woman left in a huff... Well, excuuuuuuuse me!

[terryc]

My drum buddy who has an expensive array of kits once let a guy play his Craviotto Pro Kit(extremely expensive, inlaid ebony, solid maple shells, an Alembic to drum on really)
Anyway when the band started up and he seen his kit getting the 'death metal' thrashing, went up on stage and took the sticks off the guy and told him go away..the band was dumb struck..I wasn't as I have seen him do this before..now he doesn't let anyone(except me and a couple of others) near his kits.