EGG pin

[coconew]

I want to purchase a Egg pin for my double bass... where can I buy one or even rent one for a few months until I can figure where I want to put the hole in my bass for a Rabbath pin
thank you
corinne

[Eric Hochberg]

Contact Robertsons Violins.

[coconew]

I did contact Robertsons Violins. here is the response: The eggpin has been discontinued and is not available anymore.

so may be someone has an used one and is willing to sell it.
corinne

[Schoolhouse]

Check with your local luthier, he or she may have one available.
In the DC-Baltimore area one is in regular use. Where are you located?

[Les Fret]

Can someone explain to me what an egg pin is?
Is it the same as a bend endpin?

I saw a Rabbath video and he had another hole drilled in is bass. Why is that?

Are there pictures of the different endpins?
And can a bend endpin also be used by seated players or is it only for standing players?

lots of questions but I hope someone can answer them.

[PaulCannon]

This is a Laborie end pin. The bass has a conical hole drilled into the end block at a 44 degree angle. Some players will have the hole drilled at a slight tilt to the G-string side of the bass.

The EGG pin was a sort of evolutionary step between a bent metal pin and the Laborie. It is made of metal and attaches to the standard end pin housing. It's comprised of two separate shafts which can be manually adjusted to whatever angle you want.



The EGG pin is very heavy and tends to mute the bass. Most people who were using it before have since had their basses drilled for the Laborie pins.

The Laborie removes weight, rather than adding to it. It also does not pull on the tailwire, which generally has a positive effect on the tone and volume of the instrument.

I sit with a Laborie pin. The angled pin makes no discernible difference in my posture or playing style, but it does make my bass sound better.

[Les Fret]

ok, thanks a lot.

Is the Laborie endpin height adjustable?
and isn't a bend endpin easier because you don't have to drill an extra hole in your bass? so it is not as permanent.

[PaulCannon]

Originally Posted by Les Fret

Is the Laborie endpin height adjustable?
and isn't a bend endpin easier because you don't have to drill an extra hole in your bass? so it is not as permanent.

The height is fixed, so you have to find the right length of pin. I made myself a complete set, but I realize what a pain in the butt that is.

I'm not sure what you mean by "easier." Once the bass has been drilled, it takes all of two seconds to put the pin in. It generally makes the bass easier to play and sound better (but not always). The hole is very easy to fill if you don't like it.

Unless your bass has a very thin or weak end block, drilling the bass isn't a big deal.

[Les Fret]

By easier I mean that drilling in the bass is permanent.
Just putting a bent/tilted endpin in the existing endpin hole seems easier to me. When I don't like it I can put the straight one in again and no harm is done. I am not sure if I want to go this route since I have never tried a bass with a bent or egg pin. Also not sure if I want to keep this bass forever so drilling is not an option right now.

Don't know where to buy or try a bent endpin in my country though.
Are they available on the internet somewhere?

[Mike Goodbar]

I see that KC Strings makes a "tilt-block" assembly to accommodate the angled endpin effect. It apparently doesn't require any drilling, but may require some woodworking skills or the help of a luthier to install:

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by Les Fret

By easier I mean that drilling in the bass is permanent.
Just putting a bent/tilted endpin in the existing endpin hole seems easier to me.

Don't know where to buy or try a bent endpin in my country though.
Are they available on the internet somewhere?

A bent pin in the normal socket does not have the same effect as the angled hole placed in the back area of the block, as the center of gravity is different. Google George Vance (RIP), his company sold bent pins and I believe they are still in business. You should be able to get a straight metal pin bent by a garage, harware store, etc. The local hardware guy did my soft metal one for me. But you do need a socket that locks the pin so it doesn't turn around on you.

[Les Fret]

thanks I will ask my luthier about it next time I visit him.
Or ask Hulk Hoogan to bend my endpin

I am using my bass both standing and sitting so I need something that is height adjustable.

[RCWilliams]

at the risk of being commercial, we also make the Seaton Saddle, it allows you to drill at a wide range of angles and still not have to drill the lower block. that way you can aproximate the egg pins function with a wooden or carbon fiber pin.

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by Les Fret

I am using my bass both standing and sitting so I need something that is height adjustable.

You have more than one pin then. I don't think an adjustable is on the market.

[coconew]

I am located in Portland Oregon,

[PaulCannon]

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

You have more than one pin then. I don't think an adjustable is on the market.

It is possible to make an adjustable Laborie pin. Take an existing (straight) end pin assembly and turn it on a lathe to match the hole. Unfortunately, if the pin is too long it runs the risk of poking through the top. It's convenient for finding the right length of pin, but I wouldn't trust the end pin enough to use for more than a minute.

If you want to use a Laborie pin and need the bass set at different heights for different circumstances, you will need multiple pins. If you own more than one bass, you may need a collection of pins. This is their biggest drawback, but I think it's a fair trade given the number of potential benefits.

I made 28 or 29 oak pins of different lengths when I had access to a lathe, and tapped them all with 10 mm threads to fit metal spikes which fit Goetz rubber caps. That's about as adjustable as I need.

[PaulCannon]

Originally Posted by coconew

I am located in Portland Oregon,

Sorry for taking the thread slightly off topic. Because EGG pins are pretty hard to find and you seem interested in having a hole drilled regardless, you could probably skip this step entirely. How tall are you, and how big is the bass? The hole will always be drilled directly behind the button (where your straight end pin is) as a 44-degree angle back. The only question is what tilt, if any, you might want on the side. If you are particularly tall, or the bass is particularly large, you may want to have the hole kicked 8 to 10 degrees to the G-string side.

Ted Botsford, the newest bassist in the Oregon Symphony, would be an excellent person to discuss this with. Ted knows F. Rabbath and Christian Laborie personally and has been using their pins as long as anyone.

[Blakewdm]

So, the egg pins are discontinued? That's a bummer, how is one supposed to experiment with the angles! I have always felt very weird holding a bent end pin bass but, it's also something that I haven't spent more than 5 minutes at a time.

[hdiddy]

I have one and willing to sell. PM me if anybody's still interested.