Oops...Did I really do that to his guitar?

[Bass-sic]

Hey, any roadies, guitar/bass players or otherwise well intentioned helpers, have any funny or stupid stories about gear catastophies? Could be anything taking place between setting up and sound check, during gig, to tearing down and loading.

Here's one: I was helping a certain guitar player who happens to be on this forum(I won't mention any names) unload his "stuff" from the car for his gig. Him and I were busy setting the things on the cement where he would be playing. I was grabbing the lighter things and the guitar stand was one of them. Instead of lying it flat on the ground, I thought I would open it up for him and put it where I thought he would be placing his guitar. So, after we finished unloading everything and setting up the amp, he then goes to get his guitar out of his case. He places the guitar in the stand that I had put up for him, and as I was looking on, all of a sudden......(no, this couldn't be happening!!)....his beautiful, new, expensive guitar goes crashing face first, flat onto the hard cement.

My hospital stay was nice though....

(side note - always lock guitar stand after opening )

Any other stories to share and laugh about (now)???

 

[Abiatha]

After practice one night, I had my gear behind my car, and loaded my rig in. I left my bass on the ground, and as my guitarist watched, I backed over it! He had a look of shock on his face, and was about to speak, when I put the car in gear, and drove forward over it!! His look of shock deepened, and widened, and we both exclaimed, "F**K!!" Luckily, I only ran over the edge of one end of my case, but it was the original SR5 case, and it eventually failed. I replaced it with a new plastic one, but it just isn't the same. Bass was fine, never went out of tune.

 

[Bass-sic]

Wow Abiatha...that is cutting it close. I could just see the look on your buddies face. Good thing you had your Bass in a Musicman case. If they weren't made so strong, that would have been the end of your Bass.

 

[Kristopher]

In high school, I had a guitar class and was borrowing a friend's electric to use. Well, I had to haul the thing around with me all day and during one class I accidentally stepped on the neck. It didn't break, but it did crack (back of the neck near the nut area). Well, I was young, and the neck was painted black, so I thought it would be a great idea to magic-marker the cracked area so it would match and the guy wouldn't know what happened. The magic marker thing looked fine from far away, but when you got close up it was obvious what happened. I gave the guitar back and got yelled at.

 

[jchalas]

Abaitha,
It looks like you're local to us. If you're not otherwise occupied on Thurs. night, stop on up to the Hilltop Crabhouse Restaurant off of 41 just 2 miles over the DE/PA line from Hockessin (on the southbound side). Forum member, Tommyindelaware, will be playing guitar there 7:30-11 with his 'girl band', Blue Bayou. Oh, and the seafood is pretty good too. Introduce yourself if you go.
Janice

After practice one night, I had my gear behind my car, and loaded my rig in. I left my bass on the ground, and as my guitarist watched, I backed over it! He had a look of shock on his face, and was about to speak, when I put the car in gear, and drove forward over it!! His look of shock deepened, and widened, and we both exclaimed, "F**K!!" Luckily, I only ran over the edge of one end of my case, but it was the original SR5 case, and it eventually failed. I replaced it with a new plastic one, but it just isn't the same. Bass was fine, never went out of tune.

 

[TNT]

Hey Kristopher,

The good news is that that guitar had "ONE GOOD DIVE BOMB" left in it, had your friend played it!!!! LOL

Yeah, I always feel MORE stupid when I do something that screws up someones gear (not as bad when it's my own, and nobody's watching').

Actually, I've done so many stupid/silly things throughout my playing career it's hard to remember just one! Yeah, steppin' through speakers, steppin' on cables & snapping off ends, many times hitting my fellow bass player with my headstock (they deserve it), knockin' over cymbals (they deserve it too), etc.. . . . . Settin' up our gear at the wrong club, playing the same song all night (we didn't know anymore), having your wife help you set up your guitar stand and then your guitar falls over in front of the crowd, etc. . . . . . . It's all fun!!

Oh well, I'm still playin'!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I had a guitar accidently knocked off a guitar stand by a drummers Dad. He pulled up a cable and it fell flat on its face. Snapped the headstock clean off! The drummers Dad had some kind of heart complaint and went a purple colour! I tried to re-assure him it was only a guitar and not to worry! Took him some time to get over it though!

 

[TNT]

. . . fell flat on its face. Snapped the headstock clean off!. . . .

Tim, What a sight that must have been!!! Snapped it right off on the spot??? So much for THAT guitar! LOL

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Tim, What a sight that must have been!!! Snapped it right off on the spot??? So much for THAT guitar! LOL

It was the guitar that I am playing in this video:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bZXOOxTBI4"]YouTube - Utopia - Lampton School 091092 - Crazy Little Thing[/ame]

It was an Aria RSX-80 guitar. It was 1992 after all! I had it repaired, and later swapped it for a Hank Marvin Squire Strat... Those were the days!

 

[TNT]

Tim,

What a "cool" video!!! I wish I had taped mine from "those" days!!! Seems like that was a fun band too. Oh, just added note, I hope you still don't keep a "magic marker" on hand! LOL

 

[Spudmurphy]

Good one Tim !!!

We loaded gear into a lift (elevator) in the Top Rank Cardiff after supporting Medicine Head, The lift had no side walls to it - all ya saw was the brick built lift shaft.
We had an acoustic guitar in it's case propped up against the wall - as the lift went up the case snagged on the wall and snapped like a carrot!!