How can people be so naive and stupid?

[Indie P Bass]

So, the guitarist in my band Sekin has an Epiphone Special SG, he think's he's hot-sh*t and god's gift to music, but, he's definately not. So, anyway... every practice his guitar would short out a bit, at shows, too, and he never did anything about it. He thought it was normal, so, yesterday and practice the guitar stopped working and he was like, "it's just my output," and he kept trying to turn the screw on it, I was like, "doing that won't help, it doesn't matter," and he had the audacity to tell me, "this is MY guitar, YOU don't know what will work or not," suprisingly, it didn't work... :smack: and I ended up taking the guitar home.
I popped it open and saw that it definately wasn't the output, it was the selector switch. I decided to take it out of the circuit, since, my friend's curiosity got the best of him one day and he tried to cut the tape around the neck pickup and cut wires in it. (I tried to fix the humbucker, but, the wire's were too taut to reach each other) I fixed the guitar after an hour of trying to figure out how epiphone wired (it was crazy! the neck pickup didn't have a tone control, but, it did have volume) and it took about an hour to fix. No, here's the bad part...
He NEVER cleaned the guitar, not once in a year and a half. The fretboard was disgusting, so I busted out my mineral oil and washed it off. Underneath the strings was pretty bad, too... there was so much dust and dirt that it looked like the guitar was in an attic for two years. I cleaned it off, that took an hour. The action was terrible on it too, it took me an hour to fix that becuase the truss rod in it was BACKWARDS! I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. So, anyway...

I just don't get how someone can be so "dedicated" to music and think they're, "an awsome musician," if it takes a year of nagging for them to upgrade from their 6-watt Kustom and never take care of their guitar? I spent 4 hours on that guitar last night... and I'm not even done, yet. I still have to intonate, it's totally off...

 

[Artie]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Way, way back in the "old" forum, in my early days here, I started a thread called "Musicians are flakes."
It was in the spirit of love and understanding. I still believe it today.

Its a right-brain/left-brain thang! Its not cut-and-dried. But it has some merit. :wink:

 

[Hawkman]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Hehe. Sounds familiar Indie. The other guitarist/bassist in my band is the same way. He never cleans or maintains his guitars. He replaces strings when they break. Has no sense of what good guitar tone is (he plays through a Boss ME5 into a solid state power amp).

I'm super frustrated with his whole approach to the instrument and his tone. We are like polar opposites.

Bottom line: Some folks are just plug and play. Others (like me) are plug and tweak and swap this tube and change those speakers and then play :laugh2:

 

[mrid]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

I know a guy like that too. I sold him one of my Gibsons and he covered the thing with stickers! :laugh2: The guitar is filthy and (IMO) poorly maintained now. The guy still hasn't quite figured out the pickup switch, either. I just can't win with the guy!

 

[beandip]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Sounds like a guy I know. "Your tone is nothing unless you have every bit of distortion squeezed out of your puny 10 watt Squire amp" is his motto. The guitar is ok, it could stand a little TLC, but not too shabby...yet. The amp on the other hand, it wont f*cking break despite my best efforts. He says that when it breaks, he'll buy a new one. I've done everything I can to get this thing to kick and it wont. I even "tripped" and ripped the cord out of the amp, he just soldered it back on and everything was fine. I've spilt pepsi on it, turned it off and on really fast so many times I've lost count. Nothing.

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

I know a guy like that too. I sold him one of my Gibsons and he covered the thing with stickers! :laugh2: The guitar is filthy and (IMO) poorly maintained now. The guy still hasn't quite figured out the pickup switch, either. I just can't win with the guy!

This guitar is cover in stickers too... the weenie. I mean, I wanted to do that for about... a month of my life and then decided that the guitar painted to be seen, and be seen it will be, the pickguard and case, on the other hand, are a whole differant matter. This guitar is only a year and a half old... and it looked like it was at least ten years old before I cleaned it.

In any case, this kid also, "dedicated," himself to his band and music, but never upgraded his 6-watt Kustom amp untill about four months ago, and then it came broken and he didn't bother to get it fixed (for free, under warranty) until a month ago.... I was always like, "ZUH?!" and he always wanted to use my gear, and recently I just went, "dude, you don't even take care of your own gear, why would I let you use mine?" and he got soooo pissed. I was the one that made him go get his amp fixed, cuase at practice I wouldn't let him play through the PA anymore.

 

[Hoss]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

drama...drama...drama....!!! :smack:

now those stories make me glad i'm NOT in a band right now...!!!

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

It's Show Business, no Show Friends! There's only one place for weak links, the front door! Sometimes, you've got to wake up one day and say "I'm not surrounding myself with idiots anymore. Then, you either quit and audition for other projects with pro-level guys, or you cut the cancer out of your existing band, and find someone who 'gets it.' People who 'don't get it' never will. You can't change those people, only disassociate yourself from them.

 

[Farkus]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Yep. Sounds all too familiar!

I used to be in a good rock outfit. But, no one else knew anything about gear. So, while I was there, I was hooking up the PA, running cables, etc, just to get us going for our practices. Anyhow, those guys would sit there and jam while I was still hooking stuff up! Eventually, I told them that they should learn something about the equipment, etc, as I was even taking the other guitarists guitars home to fix em!

So, anyway, sometimes you just have to deal with this stuff! (Or, get another guitarist...hehehe)

Farkus

 

[Farkus]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

It's Show Business, no Show Friends! There's only one place for weak links, the front door! Sometimes, you've got to wake up one day and say "I'm not surrounding myself with idiots anymore. Then, you either quit and audition for other projects with pro-level guys, or you cut the cancer out of your existing band, and find someone who 'gets it.' People who 'don't get it' never will. You can't change those people, only disassociate yourself from them.

Meow!

Sad but true... :smack:

 

[Mkf411]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

This is funny. After you get the guitar perfectly set-up and all clean, when you give it to him, he'll probably still complain. He'll say something like "Man you F'd up my guitar. I can't find my sound." I guarantee he won't appreciate it.

 

[joelap]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Indie, I FEEL YOUR PAIN!

The bassist in my band is kinda the opposite. He runs so much equipment that he OVERPOWERS the rest of the band! I'm the only guitarist, so I play rhythm and a lead lines through a 50 Watt Marshall AVT head and cab while he runs through an Acoustic140, Fender Bassman 400, Two 215 Carvin Cabs, and a Hartke 410! Guitar solo's sound like background fills!

And what sucks more is that the more people at our shows say "your bass needs to turn down" the less he listens. Only me and the drummer get compliments at shows... ever.

My advice to you: Come to Connecticut, anywhere around the Waterbury area will do for now. Me, you, and my drummer will start a band and we'll kick ass. And if you come in September, come to west hartford (thats where I'll be for college). hehehe... :laugh2: just a suggestion lol

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

I can almost garuntee he'll say something like that, too. If he does, I think i'll take the guitar and smash it.

 

[Guitarist]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Hehe. Sounds familiar Indie. The other guitarist/bassist in my band is the same way. He never cleans or maintains his guitars. He replaces strings when they break. Has no sense of what good guitar tone is (he plays through a Boss ME5 into a solid state power amp).

I'm super frustrated with his whole approach to the instrument and his tone. We are like polar opposites.

Bottom line: Some folks are just plug and play. Others (like me) are plug and tweak and swap this tube and change those speakers and then play :laugh2:

Yep. I'm with you, bro! I'm exactly like that - always happy with my tone, just always trying to improve it. When I told someone that I sometimes wished I had a smaller cabinet to keep the overall lows a little tighter, he got pissed and asked me why I was complaining about my tone. (Ah, everyone know's that it's killer... :wink: ) To me, it's pretty much an endless journey to find the tone. Not to mention, it's fun along the road!! Anyway...thought I'd share.

 

[Hoss]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

I can almost garuntee he'll say something like that, too. If he does, I think i'll take the guitar and smash it.

ROFL!!!

 

[Guitarist]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

I can almost garuntee he'll say something like that, too. If he does, I think i'll take the guitar and smash it.

Don't settle for it. You have a problem with the guitarist - give him the boot. Believe me, if you don't like someone as a person, it's hard to like them as a musician, even if they are talented. It'll work out better this way, rather than always saying, "I wish..." or telling him a year from now.

 

[Indie P Bass]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Oh, this kid's one of my best friends, I can't just "give him the boot," besides, it's HIS band, he's made thispoint a million times. He makes all the decisions on his own, and I'm usually the only to object to anything, which makes me feel like an ogre. Ah, well, I like the music we make, so I'm sticking it out.

 

[Norman_T]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

After reading this my comment is what are you charging hin for doing all this work? If not then you are mad!! What if he had to take this into a shop and get it done, how do you think they would charge - probably in the region of $50-$60??

If you are doing it for free would you like to come and look after all my guitars and basses (and the rest of my gear as well), I promise you I will give you some food and water!! :32: There is a saying a poor workman blames his tools and in this respect I think your friend probably fits this description. Personally I would not even bother looking after his guitar if all you seem to get is some sort of abuse from him.

After all my gigs I always wipe down my guitars, strings and make sure that everything is all right. I always have back ups (guitars,amps and leads) just inc ase anything goes wrong and at least twice a year all of my gigging guitars have a complete look over by the guy who does all of my guitars - this includes set ups, dressing, reliefs etc. Yeah it costs me money but then its a small price pay to pay.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Like I said, "you can't change idiots" I've played with every bad profile listed above, but not for long. Yep, the loud bassist GONE, the offkey singer GONE, the keyboardist that thinks it's a keyboard show GONE, the second guitarist who's a bedroom Yngwie GONE, the late alcoholic/druggies ALL OF THEM GONE.

Finally, the one's who remain worthy people to play with are the guys who "get it."
When you're at a pro concert, notice that the guys in those bands "all get it."
There's no way to explain "IT", but those that are "IT" know, and those that "Aren't IT" don't.

 

[Farkus]

Re: How can people be so naive and stupid?

Like I said, "you can't change idiots"...the second guitarist who's a bedroom Yngwie GONE.

Hey dude, watch it! I resemble that remark! :laugh2:

Farkus