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Post subject: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 12:36 am
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I typically don't drop by the forums that much, but I reached a conundrum today and needed some more or less unbiased opinions.

I have a new band that's just getting off its feet and I enjoy the music we play. Our lead guitarist however, is without an amp, his old solid state fender crapped out on him after rugged use. He has a bunch of other unused gear that accumulates to ~$600 in resale value, but won't sell it (or get some cash from some sort of job) in the likely option that he can fundraise for it from a few people we've done gigs through before. So basically, we do some gigs and all the money goes towards his amp. I'm not %100 on whether or not we should do this. Has anyone done something similar before or should he just 'be a man' and get his own stuff himself?

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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:08 am
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If he wants to be a lumberjack, he'd better have his own tools.

Tell him to man up and get with the program. Failing that, bid him adieu and look for a no alibis, no excuses replacement who believes in investing in his own gear.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 2:31 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
If he wants to be a lumberjack, he'd better have his own tools.

Tell him to man up and get with the program. Failing that, bid him adieu and look for a no alibis, no excuses replacement who believes in investing in his own gear.

Arjay


+1


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 5:28 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
If he wants to be a lumberjack, he'd better have his own tools.

Tell him to man up and get with the program. Failing that, bid him adieu and look for a no alibis, no excuses replacement who believes in investing in his own gear.

Arjay


Exactly!!!

As a player, he is 100% responsible for maintaining his gear, no one else owns this. It's on him. With the cost of things today, he can replace that amp for not a lot of money. Buying used, even less. There's also reparing what he's got. He could be looking at less than 100 bucks to get it running again. If he's refusing to do anything, send him on his way. To me, that is a sign that he will only be the cause of larger problems down the road.


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 5:40 am
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I'm all for fundraising for gear.
For those who can't afford it, like youth from poor families, veterans, or others suffering from misfortune.
But if you make the choice of begging, you're a wart on the bum of society.

If he won't budge, tell him "Sure, but then the amp becomes property of the band, not you. If you leave, the amp stays. And you better treat it nice, because if someone causes damage to the band's property, repair costs come out of that member's share."


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:02 am
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I agree with helping people who need a leg up

but I'm not sure I can go with it on this one. I have plenty of $$$ invested, last thing I need to do is invest more for someone who doesn't seem to want to try. (maybe I miss read the actually problem)


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:16 am
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I will help people I know, my family, my friends , never a stranger.


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:32 am
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Thanks for the input guys. When it comes to music, I can be a tad bit controlling and since I'm a guitarist, it's important for me to keep my ego in check. Just trying to be as democratic as possible. I'll draw the line on this as I know he can afford it (he has hundreds, maybe almost a grand invested in pedal stuff and buys those $10 dragon heart picks). Thanks again, I'll let you know what he says if you're all curious.

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Music is proof that whatever you love to do, it's f***ing expensive.

Gear:
Mesa Express 5:50
Fender 2003 Highway One Strat
Fender FSR MIM Tele
Korean Epiphone Dot
Taylor 114e


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:54 am
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I think you're right to draw a line here. Doesn't sound like there's a good reason for this to even be a problem.

and I would like to hear how this ends if you are ok with sharing


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 8:55 am
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There have been two times in my life where I felt obligated to do something unkind to another muso.
Twice I kicked a bassist to the curb even though both times they played quite well.
One guy didn't own a vehicle and lived in a rural area outside town.
He needed a ride every gig or rehearsal and it was about 40 minutes of driving, one way.
No public transit to where he lived.
The other guy had no amp.
He wanted to plug into the board, which was fine but then he wanted the singer's monitor because he couldn't hear himself.
Understand the P/A is my gear and I don't have any stage monitors.
The monitor was the singer's property.

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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:04 am
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There was that pic floating around social media a couple years back.
It said something like:

Musician:
Someone who puts $5000 worth of gear
Into a $500 car
And drives 100 miles
To a $50 gig.

According to that, you gotta have at least $5000 in gear and at least a $500 vehicle and at least enough gas to drive 100 miles or more to be a musician.
Your guy is clearly a poseur.

:wink: :wink:

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:13 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
There was that pic floating around social media a couple years back.
It said something like:

Musician:
Someone who puts $5000 worth of gear
Into a $500 car
And drives 100 miles
To a $50 gig.

According to that, you gotta have at least $5000 in gear and at least a $500 vehicle and at least enough gas to drive 100 miles or more to be a musician.
Your guy is clearly a poseur.

:wink: :wink:


Lol, I think I'm doing it right. Except the gig was in the town I live and we never got paid, cause the same guy failed to turn in the contract for us to get paid :evil:

_________________
Music is proof that whatever you love to do, it's f***ing expensive.

Gear:
Mesa Express 5:50
Fender 2003 Highway One Strat
Fender FSR MIM Tele
Korean Epiphone Dot
Taylor 114e


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Profile
Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:13 pm
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I'm probably late to the party here. But I'm of the opinion that each person should be responsible for his own gear, period. Discussions on sharing funds for purchases like the PA are reasonable but that guitar or drum set you lug around, it's a personal choice on what you want, so it should be a personal choice on what you purchase. Not someone else's responsibility.

Here's my horror story. First band I was in that was getting popular enough to regularly gig, we had nothing as far as PA or lights. We had our own individual equip but nothing to play out with. So we came up with this grand plan to rent the necessary equipment and put ALL the rest of the gig money toward the PA, lights, etc. We would keep track of the finances so we knew how much was spent and that each member had a share in it, with a gentleman's agreement that a buyout would take place if a member chose to leave. After about a year and a 1/2, we ended up with a pretty decent PA, lights, and an old school bus to get to haul it all in and get to gigs.

So I had made plans months in advance and had blacked out a Sat that I couldn't play, no biggie. Except they decided to play it anyway and found a replacement bassist for the night. Things went well and they decided to ask him to take my spot and I was kicked to the curb rather unceremoniously. When I inquired about my share of the $$$ I was told, tough luck, but the rhythm guitarist had been the one to actually make all the purchases so everything was in his name and I had no legal right to it or way to prove that I did.

I figured I lost over $1500 in money I had worked for, after that I put the bass away and didn't play it for a couple years. I'd lost the desire big time. So bottom line, work your finances carefully and know what you're getting into in a band situation.


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:50 pm
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WI KISSfan wrote:
We would keep track of the finances so we knew how much was spent and that each member had a share in it, with a gentleman's agreement that a buyout would take place if a member chose to leave.

The problem with gentleman's agreements is that they require gentlemen.


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Post subject: Re: Fundraise for Gear?
Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2016 3:30 pm
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arth1 wrote:
The problem with gentleman's agreements is that they require gentlemen.


+1

A disappearing breed, I'm afraid.

:(

On the bright side, I do know a few who frequent this very forum. I won't mention specifics (they know who they are) but each commands my respect and admiration whenever we happen to interact. I raise my glass in salute to them.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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