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Fitting a DB in a car boot


knirirr
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8 hours ago, velvetkevorkian said:

This chat is bringing back fond memories/stress dreams of getting three people and a double bass into a Nissan Micra many years ago. Can't really recommend that...

Only for a short distance I hope!

I’m reminded of getting me and the drummer back from a gig years ago, in a Citroën 2CV. I can’t remember why his other transport wasn’t available. 
Anyway, I had to roll the roof down so we could lower the bass drum in. 

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I had three successive cars with the double bass travelling on a roof rack. A Standard 10, Ford Anglia and a Sunbeam Rapier. Then I bought a new MGB and that didn’t work so I bought a Mini van just for the gigs. There were so many gigs that I was a bit flush in those days. Unthinkable to put a bass on the roof these days.

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3 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Handy for parking in tight spots but otherwise replaceable by twisting the neck more often.

Most of my gigs are in Glasgow or Edinburgh, so the combination of city centre driving (with pedestrians and cyclists to look out for) and often awkward parking mean that I really want that mirror! Perhaps on a different journey it would be less of a bother.

37 minutes ago, bassace said:

I had three successive cars with the double bass travelling on a roof rack. A Standard 10, Ford Anglia and a Sunbeam Rapier. Then I bought a new MGB and that didn’t work so I bought a Mini van just for the gigs. There were so many gigs that I was a bit flush in those days. Unthinkable to put a bass on the roof these days.

My bass has a set of deep indented scratches on the back that I can only attribute to being in a thin cloth bag strapped to a roof rack. It had one of those three footed metal bridges too. Different times!

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This is what I made to make it easier to get the bass in and out over the 8" lip at the back of my car, a Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback. It also keeps the neck and scroll up higher so there is no interference with the shifter. In actual use I put an old quilt over the frame for more padding and a wide strap across the bass to keep it in place. There is also a pillow at the back so the bottom of the bass is snug against the hatchback. The front passenger seat is unobstructed and there is plenty of room for an amp, other instruments and all the gear needed for a gig. It's a ply bass and my luthier says he sees no problem with putting it on a rack like this. I made the rack to be a snug fit between the back of the car and the back of the front seats so that when it it is in place it doesn't move. Now it's easy to slide the bass in and out without having to worry about the lip at the back and mess around with pillows to raise the neck and scroll above the shifter. 

I used this a number of times for gigs and rehearsals so I know it works and I'm hoping it won't be too long before I use it again...sigh...

  

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  • 3 weeks later...

If you possibly can, always lay the bass on its back. Strap a pillow or similar under the the top bout if necessary to keep weight off the scroll or neck.  If it's on its back, it is far far less likely to move around, tip over etc. If you must put it on its side, strap it thoroughly and wedge in place with blankets, pillows or whatever. That though is very much second best to having it on its back

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On 24/01/2021 at 17:16, neilp said:

If you possibly can, always lay the bass on its back. Strap a pillow or similar under the the top bout if necessary to keep weight off the scroll or neck.  If it's on its back, it is far far less likely to move around, tip over etc. If you must put it on its side, strap it thoroughly and wedge in place with blankets, pillows or whatever. That though is very much second best to having it on its back

That's why I designed the rack I posted above. My luthier saw it when my bass was in for some work and approved of the design and asked for some photos to show it to some of his customers, I felt good about that.😊 Now if only I had some gigs or rehearsals to go to so I can use it again.☹️

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