Rabbie

Hi. As a disclaimer, I am not a luthier, just a long time player. The only sure thing is that no solution can be even approximately reached without seeing the bass. In saying that, what you have at the moment sounds quite a bit wrong. It may well be that your bridge is mounted the other way around. The straight edge of the bridge, if there is one, should be facing the tailpiece, and the centre of the feet at either side should be approximately lined with the little points in the middle of the f holes at either side. A modern string action with a well set up bass is around 6mm-10mm (or even lower) G to E that’s measured at the end of the fingerboard. String height is very subjective and optimal varies from bass to bass and player to player. Don’t be worried about the loss of sound, as a bass that is a joy to play and has low action can still sound huge with good technique and the optimal setup. All the great jazz players have a lower-than-you-might-think action and can be heard very clearly even in the context of a relatively loud band. A 9mm-14mm action G to E is a tolerably high action for the fit & macho gut string player (I was once one of them, well…never macho, but young and fit). However a string action that goes in the opposite direction 14mm to 9mm G to E like yours, is never correct. I’m sure you already know, but please read loads of resources before trying anything yourself. Any bridge work will also mean resetting a fallen sound post, which is a whole headache of its own. It really sounds like a trip to your closest luthier would do your bass a world of good. Hope this helps a bit and so sorry if it’s not so clear.

Gutted for the guy and duly shared. I hope it turns up soon and intact.

Bought a trusty old Fishman Plat Pro from Clarky and zooooom…it was here within a day with excellent packaging and no bother whatsoever. Top bloke!

My wife’s Zafira 7 seater is a dream for double bass. In my 12 years of covering large distances touring with a double bass I have had some great cars and also made some mind boggling idiotic choices… It is true that you can get a double bass in any car (I toured the U.K. in a Fiat Panda 4x4), however, if you transport the double bass often, you don’t want to risk putting your back out every single time you put the bass in and out, and you don’t want the potential to damage the bass either. So, whatever you go for, I’d make sure it is long enough to slide the bass in from the boot with the seats flat (or a 60/40 split) and that it does not have a boot lip. Other than that, anything goes. Best of luck!