Got a ? for some of you out there you may have some experiance in this. Used to have a truck. Gas=over $3 -truck.

So, got a PT Cruiser with a Thule roof Rack. My gig bag sucks so I know I need to get a better one, but how do I strap that thing to the roof rack?

Help.

Please find a way to fit the bass inside the vehicle. It's not worth the risk of havingi it fall off or develop cracks from the vibration. They are not as easy to tie down compared to a suitcase or stack of plywood. I fit a double bass in a little hatchback with the neck between the front seats. It can be done.

problem is I have no hatch back. It is three of us. Seems like that is the way the old timers used to do it. I don't want to mess it up however.....

Thanks for the advice

Try velcro.

I've seen a guy fit a 3/4 bass into a corolla sedan. It can definitely fit in the PT.

i put mine in the front seat of a ford ranger extended cab pickup.

The handy man's secret weapon...duct tape.:ninja:

It may be crowded but as others have said, try to get it into the vehicle. I have heard of aluminum basses strapped to the top, don't know about wood.

I have a cheap bass ($1000.00) compared to most of you, and there is no way I would strap it to the top of a car. Unless I could find a hard case that would really protect the bass and had some great places to use to strap it down.

Got a ? for some of you out there you may have some experiance in this. Used to have a truck. Gas=over $3 -truck.

So, got a PT Cruiser with a Thule roof Rack. My gig bag sucks so I know I need to get a better one, but how do I strap that thing to the roof rack?

Help. That is a foolish thing to do.

I don't care how cheap that instrument is or what your financial situation is. Between the sun, the heat, and the rain and the jumping around on the steel roof you WILL cause some very expensive damage that you aren't going to be able to afford to fix either.

Have more respect for your instrument. Put it inside the vehicle or leave it at home.

Back in the day (40 - 50 years ago), it was fairly common for guys to carry their basses on the roof of their car. These were mostly old Kay C1s that had no tone and were built like tanks. I don't know how some of them survived as long as they did, given the rain, heat and cold that they were exposed to. I never transported mine that way, but I know a bunch of guys that did ( and eventually lost their basses). I can guarantee that your bass will not survive leaving your roof at 70 mph. Several of my friends have experienced that phenomenon.

Save time-throw it in a ditch now.

Well, Thanks for the replys..

Some of you made me feel like an idiot...

I'll find another way to get this thing around...

The hatch on the back of the PT cruiser should open, and you can slide the bass on its side with one of the back seats down, and with the neck passing between the 2 front seats.
I travel in my xB like that, often with other players and gear.

Sorry if I came on a little strong; I was just amazed that anyone would consider putting any instrument on a roof rack.

Have you considered a small trailer? You could probably do well for far less than the cost of a hard-case for the bass. Used is an option, or one of the "kit" trailers at your home-improvement store could be customized to protect your instrument from the elements, plus give additional cargo room when your cruiser is full of people.

make a plywood carrier! with some carpet inside.. and some u-bolts to mount to rack! kindof like a real big guitar case out of ply!! i use to put my bass in my VW BUG!! and it was fine-- but vw's have that nice seat that just slides out!!

GREAT IDEA!! THANKS!

We actually put it inside the cruiser last night and it fit like the guy above suggested!

Ya'll Rock.

I even got a laugh out of the guy that said,

"Have more respect for your instrument. Put it inside the vehicle or leave it at home."

Thanks!

If space is tight, I prefer to strap the drummer to the top rack...but...since this is the bluegrass section...feel free to substitute with the banjo player...

perhaps take a seat out?

I got quite a kick out of the guy who said "old Kay C1s that had no tone", in the Bluegrass forum. :rollno:

What a nice fella.

I got quite a kick out of the guy who said "old Kay C1s that had no tone", in the Bluegrass forum. :rollno:

What a nice fella.

That would be me. I didn't even realize I was in the bluegrass forum. I have owned several C1s back in the 50s and 60s and never thought they were much of a bass. It was all I could afford at the time. I still don't like them, But they do have their place, so my sincere apologies to all of the Kay lovers out there.

AHH!! its ok jtlownds..we are use to it here! :) well back then, the luthiers probably didnt know what they do now, how to get them sounding good!!

I have a good friend that insists on strapping his old Kay S-9 onto the roof rack of his VW Jetta. He used to do this in Alaska of all places! The bass is holding up okay, but I think that he's completely nuts. He's in about 4 bands right now and plays constantly. These California summers are going to destroy that old bass in a hurry.

...So, got a PT Cruiser with a Thule roof Rack...how do I strap that thing to the roof rack?

Use two of these, and loop them through the carrying handles in the gig bag. One at the heel and the other at the endpin. Be sure to get them good and tight.

http://www.verduyntarps.com/pictures/1ra-wh.jpg

If I was actually going to do something like that, I'd have the bass in a "suspension" flight case up there. Or at least a foam hard case, no way I'd do it in a gig bag. :hmm:

I guess the answer is... YOU DON'T!

I think the concensus is in on putting a bass on the roof. But here is something... whenever transporting a bass, if any forces at all will come to bear on it at all, remember that a bass can withstand a lot of weight and force on the sides (we've all seen the rockabilly guys standing on theirs)--and much, much less on the top or back. It probably shouldn't, but it even makes me a little nervous to lie my bass flat on its back in the car--I guess imagining that a really big bump might poke the sound post right through the wood. Take good care of 'em, guys.

Consider renting a suitable vehicle.
RD

I have a Honda Accord and a Shen SB-90 just fits in it diagonally from left rear to right front (with the front passenger seat down, of course).

My next vehicle will definitely be a station wagon...maybe a Subaru Forester.

Oh, yeah......

If I can carry mine in a Hyundai Elantra, you can carry yours IN a PT Cruiser.

You have to carry it in the front seat. And you have to recline the front seat pretty far. Your two buds are going to have to get cozy in what's left of the rear seat.

It goes like this. BTW, I read this here in another thread, and it worked great for me.

1. Recline the front seat.

2. Put the headstock in, first.

3. Rotate the bass so the headstock points toward the rear window. You want to bridge facing the driver's seat, not the passenger window.

4. Adjust the reline on the front seat as needed.

5. Put the other people and gear in the rear. Enter from the driver's side.

You are probably going to have to go with a ratcheting tie down strap from Atwoods. Don't go over the strings; pass the hook / strap around the body at the "C" cuts in the body under the strings & hang the neck over the windshield where you can keep an eye on the headstock. (better areodynamics with the headstock / neck facing into the wind)

Also, you should only haul your bass during 68 - 78 degree weather with 40% - 60% humidity, 0% chance of rain, and "double replacement cost" insurance policy on the bass................. Good luck.

Does anyone have any old pictures from the 40's and 50's with a double bass being carried on the top of a station wagon? Was it really done? or is it just a bluegrass legend?

I don't have any pictures. but rest assured that carrying a bass that way is no urban legend. Of the ones I saw back in the day, most weren't even in bags. Bluegrass wasn't very popular back in the 50's, most of the ones I saw were either jazzers or country western. The last Kay bass that I owned was a victim of this practice. It was a 38 or 39 Selmer Kay Slim Line. The previous owner told me how it left the roof of his station wagon at 70 mph, just outside Victorville, CA. That old bass was played every week for over 30 years at Knotsberry Farm. That bass was an absolute mess. The neck was broken, the top and back separated from the ribs. The bottom half of the backs lower bout was replaced with a sheet of 1/4" plywood, the top was sunken, and the rosewood fingerboard had grooves worn an 1/8" deep. The previous owner was badly in need of some money, and offered me the bass and a 6 string banjo for $500. I really didn't want it, but I bought it as a favor to him. I had it around for about a year, and sold it for $500. ( I still have the banjo ) It's still being played, somewhere in California. It was one of the best sounding Kays I've ever heard.

Trailer hitch & a small enclosed trailer.

Does anyone have any old pictures from the 40's and 50's with a double bass being carried on the top of a station wagon? Was it really done? or is it just a bluegrass legend?

No legend. There is a picture of Bill Monroe and co. when Lester and Earl played with him in a little biography that accompanies a boxed set of Bill's music. The bass in on top of the car covered with a tarp.

This type of carrying is also mentioned in "Can't You Hear Me Callin"--a Monroe biography and pretty good read.

Some of you made me feel like an idiot...


Well?

Jesus Warmbottom, you're everywhere over the last few days! :D

Nice to have your caustic wit among us again.

Jesus Warmbottom, you're everywhere over the last few days! :D

Nice to have your caustic wit among us again.

Hey Jake...I can't pass up a chance like this.
I get bent when people call our instrument an upright or a stand-up, but when this guy calls it a " Thing "....well, you know.

You are probably going to have to go with a ratcheting tie down strap from Atwoods. Don't go over the strings; pass the hook / strap around the body at the "C" cuts in the body under the strings & hang the neck over the windshield where you can keep an eye on the headstock. (better areodynamics with the headstock / neck facing into the wind)

Also, you should only haul your bass during 68 - 78 degree weather with 40% - 60% humidity, 0% chance of rain, and "double replacement cost" insurance policy on the bass................. Good luck.

Gary Karr used to do this with his Amati.....but for some reason, he called his headstock a scroll.