Can it still be played?

bopeuph · #1 09-30-2008, 03:04 AM

So, I haven been playing on a cruise ship the last two months, and ran into a little stitch:

Last cruise, the ship's upright bass (thankfully not mine) took a nasty spill while in storage during a storm. It split at some of the glued points, around the shoulders, which shouldn't be too bad, but the heel of the neck has a small crack in it now. The manager in Miami told us to wait until December when the ship is in Puerto Rico for the repairs. Is it possible to keep shedding on the bass? The crack isn't horrible, but I loosened the strings about a whole step on the bass until i know what's best to do. Maybe it's still playable, I don't know, but I haven't tried since the accident. What do you guys think? I would just rather not wait until December for the repairs, as the main reason I chose this ship was because it had an upright. I plan to audition for grad school when I get off the ship, so I need to shed.

Nick

Joe Ergle · #2 09-30-2008, 07:46 AM

I would be afraid of it imploding on me while playing. All of the splitting probably made it sound horrendous, too. I guess it just all depends on what your definition of "playable" is.

bopeuph · #3 09-30-2008, 07:47 AM

Well, at this moment, I'm not interested in trying to play it at a show or jazz set. Well, I am, I just know it ain't gonna be possible. I just need my chops to stay with me, which is already disappearing.

Nick

uprightben · #4 09-30-2008, 10:14 AM

this may seem crass, but if the bass isn't your problem, then go ahead and play it. just keep a close eye on that neck crack and inspect the whole endpin, tailgut, tailpiece assembly- if any of that goes while you're playing you could be hurt. what i'm saying is that, while you could possibly do more dammage to the bass by playing it, that's not really your problem, you just need to worry about your safety.

bopeuph · #5 10-01-2008, 02:23 AM

I'll try that. Thanks.

Also, we just got a much better musical director, and he told me he will work on convincing Miami to have the work done in Naples; it would make more sense, since it's easier to get to the music district, Naples is fairly cheap, and I would think a good Italian luthier would do a really great job. He told me in the meantime, to go into Naples tomorrow and find a luthier that can do the job. Then we put in the money allocation request.

Nick

Slax · #6 10-01-2008, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bopeuph

I'll try that. Thanks.

Also, we just got a much better musical director, and he told me he will work on convincing Miami to have the work done in Naples; it would make more sense, since it's easier to get to the music district, Naples is fairly cheap, and I would think a good Italian luthier would do a really great job. He told me in the meantime, to go into Naples tomorrow and find a luthier that can do the job. Then we put in the money allocation request.

Nick

Sounds like a win right there. So that means you won't have to wait until December, correct?

I'd say, if you can, post some pictures of the damage and that will give TBer's that know about this stuff an idea as to what you can do in the mean time.

DanRJBrasil · #7 10-01-2008, 04:36 AM

I hope, that you do not find a good deal on the luthier shop and spend all your gig money on it

uprightben · #8 10-02-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanRJBrasil

I hope, that you do not find a good deal on the luthier shop and spend all your gig money on it

and i hope that that is what passes for humor in brazil

bopeuph · #9 10-04-2008, 03:57 AM

I found a good luthier, and they were going to give me a quote. And the basses they make there are just amazing. The pics weren't enough to assess the damage, they said. So, I got back to the ship, and when I told the cruise director, he told me there just isn't any money this quarter for the whole company. So I am now forced to wait. But by the time the bass gets fixed, I'll be back home.

Turns out the bass plays fine. I just gotta fiddle with the bridge now, it's out of place. And now that I haven't played upright in so long, I feel like the action is just too high. It's gonna take a while to get my chops back up this time, I think.

Here's the best pic of what it looks like. The crack runs along the shoulders on both sides, right through the heel.

You wanna know what really ticks me off? The new (old) MD just told me there is a flight case somewhere on this ship for the bass. Had I known that, the bass would have been in it at all times. The tool that was MD when I got on the ship said there is no case. I always wondered how they shipped this bass to the ship. Funny thing is, nobody knows where the case is right now. A six foot trunk is a little difficult to misplace, if you ask me.

Nick