Someone wants to use my kit on a FLOAT!

So what would you do....my wife is the CA for the area we live in here on campus and one of the tennants asked if he could borrow my kit or if not the whole thing just the hardware and cymbals to play on a float in the school parade on friday or whatever. i think it must be homecoming. anyhow...my gut feeling is to laugh and say no but i dont know...i wanna be the good guy and let him borrow my kit for the night...my wife said she would trust them and i trust her so...i dont personally know the person and my wife only knows them as tennants here in the townhouses so its not even like she really KNOWS the person...lol...i want to share, i just dont know about the whole kit on a float thing. bottom line question i'm asking is ....if someone asked if they could use your kit on a float in a parade would you let them if you didnt know them personally and only had your significant others word (however informed or not) to go on?
 
Sure, it looks safe.
ahdm01.jpg


But lo, what lurks below.
float.jpg
 
I'm almost always opposed to loaning out my kit, especially to people I don't know (your wife may be right, he may be an angel, but he also may play like an idiot and cause damage to your stuff).

On top of that, floats aren't necessarily the most stable things in the world. They certainly can be, but I rode on a float once with a pep band, playing snare. We put the snare on a stand, but it fell over twice, so I had to put the harness on and wear it. Parades have a lot of stops and starts, etc, and you don't know what's going to get jostled, fall over, etc. I would say no for sure.
 
If your kit is anything decent, I would say no. You might feel good letting him borrow it, but you won't feel all that great when it comes back with scratches or gouges in the finish.
 
Sure, it looks safe.
ahdm01.jpg


But lo, what lurks below.
float.jpg

Thats got to be the funniest thing I have seen all day.

And personally, I am very anal with my gear. Which is why I bought hardshell cases.
If you dont know the person, I would not share them.
 
Not only no...BUT HELL NO! Even if I knew the guy I would tell them to go find a rental...if you do not have one of your own then TUFF find another way, but not my way. To me it is nothing wrong with not giving your kit to sacrifice! You have no idea what may happen from the moment it leaves your home and neither do they...I can only forsee a visit to JUDGE JUDY.

NO
 
Forget about it, don't do it. It's better to feel good about protecting your stuff than being a nice guy. Don't cave in, you'll get more respect, because you're protecting your valuables. You can refuse cordially, and no one will think any less of you.
 
If its a school parade, borrow the schools stuff, or you take the stuff and play it yourself. My gut feeling is No way Jose.
 
Forget about it, don't do it. It's better to feel good about protecting your stuff than being a nice guy. Don't cave in, you'll get more respect, because you're protecting your valuables. You can refuse cordially, and no one will think any less of you.

I think the consensus is NO and as larryace says above highlighted

Hang tough...NO
 
If he wants to borrow your cymbals, my guess is he doesn't have any.
So does he know what cymbals are worth and what kind of care they need?
Don't give anything to anybody if they don't know nothing about, and also what "gruntersdad' said if it is a school parade let him borrow the school stuff.
 
No way.......and to continue the "Animal House" example, your next conversation would go something like this:

You: "Look at my drums and cymbals, they're ruined"
Otter: "Face it, you f*cked up, you trusted us"
Blutto: "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily"
D-Day: "Just relax" As he lights the welding torch and turns you cymbals into a pair of Zildian pitch cymbals.
 
Great advice below. I also say Don't do it!! I equate letting someone I hardly know borrow my drums to letting someone I hardly know borrow my car to drive on the highway....
 
I don't know... No is an acceptable answer, but it would really depend on the kind of guy. I have let a friend of mine borrow some of my cymbals and stands for live performances and studio recordings, I knew he was trustworthy. He did nearly knock my china off the stage, but knowing him he would have paid for it if he broke it. So it really depends: do you (or your wife) know this guy and if so, do you know him well enough to trust him with your valuables [insert dirty joke here]?

Good luck!
 
I would only do that for someone I knew very well. I've played on floats before and it's perfectly safe IF you are very careful and conscientious.

Based on what you've told us, it sounds too sketchy. Musical instruments are easily damaged and setting up and playing, especially on a float, exposes them to considerable risk. He's asking just to "borrow" them and not even pay you for your trouble (he's probably just a kid without any money).

I'd recommend he rent a kit or as someone else suggested, he just borrow the school's. There are some kits in this world designated for loaning out but yours shouldn't be one of them.
 
No! Nein! Nyet! Non! Not only do you risk damage to your stuff but it could very easily disappear off the float. Big crowd, lot's of confusion, etc. Don't do it.
 
Also something to think about, and this is kind of paranoid. What if your equipment - say a cymbal and stand - was knocked off the float and injured someone? Sure the float operator and the guy you loaned your stuff to would be liable, but also since it's your stuff, you could be involved in that mess as well. Granted, that probably wouldn't happen, but it could. Anything is possible.
 
ok so i just got home from the parade staging area and the float looks more than secure...its actually got about a 4' wall around the entire trailer so its not like its just a flatbed thing. so i let the guys borrow my hats, crash and ride and the corresponding stands because they got a kit to use....so i was curious and i spied what kind of kit it was....a beautiful gretsch catalina maple kit! not exactly a beater...lol. oh well. at least its not my kit. :) :) :)
 
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