Do you trust other players?

[Teahead]

I met a guy in a store I was in today, he was curious about the THD Yellow Jackets I had with me whilst selling my old Hotplate. He said he had been considering a similar Groove Tubes product and the Jackets, and asked if I would mind if he tried them in a shop amp. There was nothing suitable, so, in a rather unusual act of faith, I let him hold on to the YJs so he could try them at home.

 

Obviously this guy wasn't a shady character! He seemed to know his stuff, and the shop owner knew him, so there was little risk in handing over my goods for the proposed test drive.

 

What struck me later was the fact that this was a complete stranger, who I may never see again! I'm sure I considered him trustworthy because he was a fellow guitar player, it had an effect on me that I would not entertain in any other area of my life.

 

Do you think that common bond exists? Have I been stupid? Time will tell, for now it's your turn.

Tea.

[Blue Strat]

Well, I don't know what human relations are like over in Ireland, but I don't trust anyone with my gear. I'm sure that there's thieves on both sides of the Atlantic that know the shop owners real good, and also shop owners that are in on the action. That's the world we live in.

 

Did you get his name and phone number? I believe I would have at least done that, as well as get a 50% deposit.

[DanG]

No way, I've had too much stuff pinched. You are far too trusting Teahead, and you've lost 200 quid today? You could of lost more..

[Caevan O’Shite]

Well, it remains to be seen if your good faith is returned, in kind. (I hope so.)

 

I've found that, yes, I often will be pre-disposed to have a little extra measure of trust towards those who seem to be in any particular "club" that i'm party to, be it guitar-related or otherwise. (Though subjects for the "otherwise" category are leaving me blank, at the moment!)

 

Unfortunately, at times, that trust has been unfounded and the person unworthy. Still, it speaks well of you, even if it reflects poorly on the other party, if you have extended good-will and not received it in turn.

[Hendmik]

I'll admit I've met few shady guitar players. I don't think many of them would steal my gear. But, I have met an overwhelming number of flakey guitarists. They don't set out to steal my stuff, but when I loan it out, good luck ever getting it back. They forget, then just stop caring.

 

Almost as bad as drummers...

[Teahead]

I did get his name and number, and I've seen him in that store before. He's the guy who hangs around all day trying every piece of gear and hassling the guys who work the desk.

 

Funny you should mention the money loss too Dan! I think that may have had an influence on my decision in some small way. I had very little to lose by comparison. So, having successfully sold all the other gear to the shop, I threw caution to the wind.

 

We'll see how it turns out tomorrow I guess. Anyone else want to throw stupid pies at me? Tea.

[Teahead]

Originally posted by Caevan O'Shite:

Well, it remains to be seen if your good faith is returned, in kind. (I hope so.)

 

I've found that, yes, I often will be pre-disposed to have a little extra measure of trust towards those who seem to be in any particular "club" that i'm party to, be it guitar-related or otherwise. (Though subjects for the "otherwise" category are leaving me blank, at the moment!)

 

Unfortunately, at times, that trust has been unfounded and the person unworthy. Still, it speaks well of you, even if it reflects poorly on the other party, if you have extended good-will and not received it in turn.

I knew you'd understand. You always understand!

[Dave da Dude]

I too hope your faith in your fellow man will be reinforced, in a positive way.

 

I have done some simlar "stupid" things in the past that all turned out well. Sometimes it's warming to the heart to find that there are honest people out there. However, I don't go out of my way to find the opportunities.

 

However, when we went to the Bronx to pick up those 27" TV's for $100 a while ago, my "good sense" did prevail (over the other two people) and we went home with our money (but no TV's), not without their money (AND no TV's) like some others (Loong story).

 

I'm not concerned (for you) with you doing what you did, just that you seemed so cavalier about doing it. The risks should have been weighed ahead of time.

 

Dave the Dubious

[Cup]

Instant Karma's gonna get you Teahead!

 

Personally I wouldn't give a pick to a stranger, never mind a perfect stranger!

[Teahead]

Well it seems my faith in my fellow player has been rewarded! I called him at lunch and he's loving the Yellow Jackets. He left the payment in the guitar store where we met, which I verified with the guy who works there.

 

I guess Karma decided that it had given me a rough enough ride with my first financial loss?

All in all, I was down just £20 and a bunch of stuff that I wasn't using anyhow.

 

Tea. to

[Caevan O’Shite]

[Lee Flier]

Glad it worked out for ya Tea.

 

I have to say that I don't share your faith in fellow musicians simply by virtue of their being fellow musicians. I did when I was younger, that's for sure. I figured anybody who was a musician and/or had the same taste as I did had to be cool. Boy was I wrong, I really got screwed over by a lot of people as a result. Of course, this was in L.A. where there's definitely a high percentage of flakes and charlatans among musicians! So I learned to be a lot more careful and not put myself in situations where I'm likely to be ripped off or taken advantage of. I save my kindness for people whom I know deserve it, and/or strangers who are in serious trouble. Setting yourself up to be screwed by people who are bottomless pits of need doesn't accomplish anything for either party.

 

That said, I'm basically a generous person and try to give people the benefit of the doubt IF I'm not shooting myself in the foot. Sometimes I don't care if I "loan" somebody something and don't get it back, but it really depends on how replaceable the thing is and how my financial situation is at the time. If I won't really miss the money, sometimes I'll just give somebody something. If I would have a hard time replacing something, I don't loan it out, period, unless it's to someone I know and trust very well. And my Les Paul doesn't get loaned out to anybody!

[Blue Strat]

And my Les Paul doesn't get loaned out to anybody!

Damn!

[doc taz]

Originally posted by Lee Flier:

And my Les Paul doesn't get loaned out to anybody!

Heh, fine with me. I need more power anyway, "arr arr". (my Home Improvement moment)

[Caevan O’Shite]

Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised recently, to have nothing to be unhappy about when I got my ('96) Les Paul back from an old friend, who had borrowed it for a couple of band practices while his Hamer Diablo was awaiting some replacement parts in the shop. I usually won't loan it out to anybody for more than five minutes with myself present http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/icons/icon12.gif, but I know what it's like to be in a bind and he needed to get a couple of practices in before they had some new gigs this week and next.

 

Sadly, their drummer and good friend, Dan, suffered a head injury from slipping on an old cellar step that left him in bed-ridden condition, now blind, paralyzed, and deaf in one ear and nearly deaf in the other. They went ahead and found another drummer after a LOT of soul searching, and the reassurance of Dan's wonderful wife, Olga. So, they've been through the wringer and haven't gotten a lot of practices going of late.

 

How could I say no? Like I said, I was pleasantly surprised when I got my guitar back, and there was nothing but a slight bit of forearm-haze and a few fingerprints on it. Usually, when anyone else plays one of my guitars, they just plain feel different at first. Someone else's sweat all over it (even if they wipe it down well) leaves a funny tactile feel; and I swear they temporarily intonate differently, even though nothing's been changed!

This time, however, I was gladly surprised and the "different feel" was at a minimum, and there were no real dings or scratches or anything! Nothing a rub-down and some new strings won't easily cure!

 

This Summer, a guy asked me if he could rent one of my two Les Pauls; I told him, it was like this: he could party a little with my girl, but I couldn't let him f#(& her!