"Insulted" by a "professional musician."

[Wade Hampton]

(Foxo’s story of an encounter with Bob Dylan snipped.)

If that’s true, that’s a great story. If it’s fiction, it’s even more impressive!


whm

[Silly Moustache]

Back in '98 my wife had a guitar built for me.

I was keen to show it off and get the opinion of a singer-guitarist (who usually works as a part of a folk duo) and very much loved in the UK and Europe.
He made it known that he didn't want to be bothered with my guitar but took it played two or three chords and said - "yeah, it's OK" and walked away.
I've hated him ever since.
However, he's a working, travelling performer, and I had not thought about what was on his mind and what he needed to do in the short break.

Also, back in the day, before forums I was on a Yahoo group with a lot of American folks who shared our interests in Texas based singer-songwriters and one was a nightly gigging guy who was pretty poor and a bit wild . he accused (?) me of being a "weekend-warrior" which offended me at the time, but compared to him I was just tickling the outside edge of "show-biz". (I still had a full time job in a large corporate and played two/three gigs a month).
In retrospect I can see their points.
Then I remembered way back in te '60s when i was playing drums in a fairly successful R&B band and someone came up to me and said, "say, your are a great drummer!" I just said "I know" and walked away . How arrogant I was!
Maybe he was looking for a drummer for Queen or Led Zeppelin !

In the last few years, I have been fortunate to meet many fine musicians, and because of my musical preferences, mostly Americans in the singer-songwriter or bluegrass genre.
ALL (no exceptions) have been welcoming and sociable despite their potential weariness, and particularly in the bluegrass world almost everyone is a guitar/mando/banjo/fiddle nerd!

there is an old "saw" told in the British acoustic world : A well dressed folk musician ambles into a guitar shop and says, "What's the cheapest guitar you have?" Sales person shows him something in Borneo cardboard or some such, then a scruffy looking guy in torn jeans and frayed baseball hat wanders in - "I'm in a bluegrass band - what's the finest guitar you have?" and what's more he buys it!

[Ozzy the dog]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

He said, "Yeah--I'm using a chorus pedal. That and I'm using an expensive guitar. It's a $1,500 guitar instead of the $300 guitars I used to use. I'm a professional working musician, and professional working musicians only have one guitar, not like all those guys who have a room full of guitars and never play any gigs."

He looks and me and says, "You've probably got five guitars at home, don't you?"

I think I might have been tempted to say "Yes - but none of that cheap $1,500 rubbish"

Not that I think a $1,500 guitar is rubbish - all guitars are rubbish if there's no talent to go with them.

[LeftyKev]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

I was at an event with a live band recently, they sounded really good. Acoustic guitar, bass, drums, and an electric guitarist/fiddle player.

During one of the breaks, I saw the acoustic guitarist and said, "You've got a great acoustic tone, are you using anything special?"

He said, "Yeah--I'm using a chorus pedal. That and I'm using an expensive guitar. It's a $1,500 guitar instead of the $300 guitars I used to use. I'm a professional working musician, and professional working musicians only have one guitar, not like all those guys who have a room full of guitars and never play any gigs."

He looks and me and says, "You've probably got five guitars at home, don't you?"

"Well, just four actually..."

"That's what I figured" he added as he walked off.

Nice meeting you, too.

What a wanker! lol

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

Hi all—OP here.

Just a quick follow-up to this wildly popular thread from almost three years ago.

I just got booked to play the gig where the “professional musician” “insulted” me that got this thread going to begin with so long ago.

Hmmm... I wonder which one (or more) of my $1,500 + guitars I’ll take with me?

Is that other act still touring? I’m going out on the limb to say that you were insulted.

As for which guitar you’ll be taking I say take the one that suits the acoustics of the venue best. Take one similarly appointed backup. The lighter the better, unless you have a roadie who you compensate well.

[hubcapsc]

If you can't say anything real nice
it's better
not to talk at all

-Mike "that's my advice"

[lt20dbl]

It's the indian, not the arrow(s).

[Bob Womack]

It all points back to a reality. We, as musicians, are retail musicians. We are paid for a service, we serve the public. In another life, my wife was a customer service manager for a large retail department store chain. She studied customer service. She was taught a maxim: If a customer has a good experience, you are lucky if they tell one person. If a customer has a bad experience, they are statistically likely to tell ten people about it. Those are your odds: ten to one. You, as the retailer, have the job of seeing to it that every customer is satisfied in order to keep the odds on your side as often as possible. My wife taught her employees that they were essentially actors whose job it was to be pleasant and accommodating to the customers whether things were rough at home or the car broke down or the dog pooped the floor.

I've got a favorite band that I follow. They are a journeyman band, meaning that they live on the road and play 150-200 dates per year in Europe, North America, and the Mediterranean. They play gigs from 20,000-person festivals down to 200-person pubs. They put on a very professional show. After every show they towel down, change clothes, and come out to meet the audience. They stand at the merch booth, shoot the bull, sign items, shake hands, and answer questions. *They have figured out their position in the food chain.* They know that an audience member who has had a good personal contact becomes a rabid follower. I've asked the leader about his guitars more than once and he is glad to chat it up about them. No doubt guitar geeks come up to him every stinking night and ask the same stupid questions but he smiles and is glad to discuss things.

Think on.

Bob

[Methos1979]

I'm a "professional working musician" and you come up to me after a show and dare to talk about guitar tone at your own peril! I will buy you a beer, sit with you and talk about acoustic guitars until they throw us out into the street at closing time!

[gitarro]

He who despises or takes for granted his payimg customers will soon have none.

That musician somehow didn't realise that if everybody played gigs every night there wouldn't be an audience who would pay to hear all those musicians. He is only able to live his dream playing music for a living because of the audience so he has better treat them always with courtesy and gratitude if he doesnt want to be flipping burgers for McDonalds instead.

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

It all points back to a reality. We, as musicians, are retail musicians. We are paid for a service, we serve the public. In another life, my wife was a customer service manager for a large retail department store chain. She studied customer service. She was taught a maxim: If a customer has a good experience, you are lucky if they tell one person. If a customer has a bad experience, they are statistically likely to tell ten people about it. Those are your odds: ten to one. You, as the retailer, have the job of seeing to it that every customer is satisfied in order to keep the odds on your side as often as possible. My wife taught her employees that they were essentially actors whose job it was to be pleasant and accommodating to the customers whether things were rough at home or the car broke down or the dog pooped the floor.

I've got a favorite band that I follow. They are a journeyman band, meaning that they live on the road and play 150-200 dates per year in Europe, North America, and the Mediterranean. They play gigs from 20,000-person festivals down to 200-person pubs. They put on a very professional show. After every show they towel down, change clothes, and come out to meet the audience. They stand at the merch booth, shoot the bull, sign items, shake hands, and answer questions. *They have figured out their position in the food chain.* They know that an audience member who has had a good personal contact becomes a rabid follower. I've asked the leader about his guitars more than once and he is glad to chat it up about them. No doubt guitar geeks come up to him every stinking night and ask the same stupid questions but he smiles and is glad to discuss things.

Think on.

Bob

[lowrider]

Bob Womack, after that great story, you've got to tell us the name of the band.

[Wade Hampton]

Methos wrote:

Originally Posted by Methos1979

I'm a "professional working musician" and you come up to me after a show and dare to talk about guitar tone at your own peril! I will buy you a beer, sit with you and talk about acoustic guitars until they throw us out into the street at closing time!

Because I’m both a gearhead and a happily married man, I would probably do the same. But back when I was happily single and playing professionally, if I got asked about my instruments I would chat happily but briefly about them, then excuse myself to go work the crowd. I was more interested in talking to the attractive young women in the room than I would have been to talk to another guy about guitars.

Yep, priorities can change over the years....


Wade Hampton Miller

[The Bard Rocks]

I run a small concert venue, but we get some internationally known folk here once in a while. None, the famous or the less-famous, have been less than friendly and willing to talk on many subjects - even if they don't attract as many people as they had hoped, they don't mention that. They stay civil and often talk for hours.

I also attend many concert and often speak to the performers (it is one way I get them here), but very little if they have others hovering around who also want their time. None have been that way.

BUT, if one was like the guy the OP encountered. I''d' introduce myself as someone who used to be one of his fans. Then tell him, I appreciated the cure.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by ChrisE

....I also have a nicer guitar than he does...

Ha! There's a cheery thought!

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

(Foxo’s story of an encounter with Bob Dylan snipped.)

If that’s true, that’s a great story. If it’s fiction, it’s even more impressive!

I'm an old Dylan fan and I don't think it's so great. If it's fiction, it's.... blasphemy!

That just doesn't sound like Dylan.