Good endpin tip

[Mr. RC]

About a week after purchasing my Christopher bass the cheap little rubber endpin tip has been torn apart by the sharp tip on the endpin. Can anyone reccomend somewhere that I can get a good tip, preferably one with metal lining on the inside? Also does anyone know the shaft size of the Christopher endpins?

[Monte]

I had the problem of this. The Wolf end pin stop is the only thing that works for me. I have wood floors, and my bass (which is kinda heavy) kept punching through every end pin anchor I bought.

The Wolf is a hard rubber ball that screws on to the end of your endpin with three set srews. It never slips on my wood floors, and you don't have to bring it with you since it stays on the bass.

Monte

[Barefoot Larry]

Originally posted by Mr. RC
About a week after purchasing my Christopher bass the cheap little rubber endpin tip has been torn apart by the sharp tip on the endpin.

I got a recommendation from Gary Upton (uptonbass.com), and a very similar solution was independently advised by Bob Gollihur(urbbob.com). It has worked well for me.

I went to Home Depot, and bought the following:

1.) A package of 4 rubber furniture tips, 5/8 inside diameter. (like a crutch-tip only smaller/cheaper)

2.) Envelope of #12 finishing washers.

3.) Roll of 3M Temflex 2155 rubber electrical splicing tape.

The tape is normally stretched in layers over large electrical connections, where it forms what is essentially a solid knot of rubber.

It is 3/4 inch wide. Friction tape could also be used, and PROBABLY regular vinyl electrical tape.

I wrapped the endpin with the tape, stretching it each turn around, for snugness, and keeping each round exactly on top of the prior one, so I'd have a single 3/4" built-up area, which would be completely covered by the furniture-tip.

Next, I inserted the #12 finishing washer into the furniture-tip, so the endpin would have steel to wear against, instead of rubber.

Then I stuck the tip onto the endpin, and there it has remained ever since. If you build up the endpin-diameter enough with the tape, it will never come off unless you actively PULL it off. The sides of the rubber tip should have to flex out slightly as you stick it onto the endpin.

Total cost was about $6, and provided enough parts to install a tip, and replace it 3 more times, though over a year later, my bass is STILL wearing the original tip.

When it finally wears through, I'm sure it will be from the outside in, a result of the bass standing on too many asphalt parking-lots during transport, rather than from the inside-out.

The finishing washer has a rounded side, which rests against the rubber(down side), presenting no sharp edges against the bottom of the rubber tip.

If your endpin is pointed enough to let it stick through the middle of the finishing washer, you might need to insert the washer, then insert a dime on top of it, before sticking it onto the endpin.

Your endpin would rest against the dime, which would rest against the rounded finishing washer, which would rest against the bottom of the furniture-tip.

You might even get away with just inserting a dime, and no finishing-washer. I would expect that to wear against the rubber a little more quickly.

If you don't have The Home Depot where you live, I'm sure that any other Home Center, like Lowe's or Sutherland's would have the same stuff, and most hardware stores probably would too.

[Pacman]

Christopher uses a much smaller diameter endpin. The above works great for Engleharts.

I prefer to get additional contact with the floor using the spike. Is that not an option for you?

[Steve Killingsworth]

I used an even simpler version of the rubber cap thing on my Englehardt. I bought pack of the the end caps (3/4" diameter). Then bought a 3/4 wooden dowel rod. Cut off a section of the dowel equal in length to the cap. Bored a hole the size of the end pin in the center of the dowel (depth about 5/8") . applied little hot glue to the hole and inserted the pin.

I spent less than five dollars and have several caps in case I ever loose one.

Good Luck
Steve

[Barefoot Larry]

Originally posted by Pacman
Christopher uses a much smaller diameter endpin. The above works great for Engleharts.

I prefer to get additional contact with the floor using the spike. Is that not an option for you?

I use a Bulgarian Bass, from Bob Gollihur, which has a small endpin, probably not any larger at all than the Christopher's. It works fine.

The things detailed in my post should work great for any endpin that's strong enough to actually hold a bass off the floor. It's just a matter of putting the tape on thick enough to keep the rubber tip really snug.

It's just NOT too good for someone who wants to be putting the rubber tip on and taking it off on a regular basis.
-------------------------------------------------
On Thursday, I played on a really nice hardwood stage, where they wouldn't have taken kindly to a sharp endpin on/in their wood.

Last night, I played in a coffee house, with no stage and a vinyl tile floor. That would have had my bass dancing away from me all night, while it was busy tearing up the floor.

Tomorrow night, I'm playing on a carpeted stage, where the bass would stay put and not damage anything, whether it was wearing a rubber tip, or not.

Next Saturday, I'm playing at a Grange Hall, which has no stage, we'll just be at one end of a hardwood dance floor, and there again, they wouldn't be fond of their hardwood getting un-necessarily dinged.

Out of four bookings in the course of two weeks, a spike would be acceptable for only one of them, so no, it's not a real option in my case, or in the cases of a lot of people.

I have enough to carry around without adding to it by worrying about whether or not I have an endpin-tip, piece of carpet, endpin rest/stop/anchor(or whatever) along with me.

Basically, in all the places I play, it either makes no difference, or an un-protected endpin is a hazzard to the floor, and to the bass's own stability.

[Damon Rondeau]

Well Pacman, looks like I've heard the first bad thing about Christophers (other than the shiny finish thing)....

I'd just like to point out that, in a situation like Larry's where there's a permanent rubber tip and you'd like to use a spike sometimes, another option is to have a second home-made pin. On my bass, the diameter for the post through the end pin collar is half-inch, a common dimension available in most tube and rod materials. The pin just slides on out of there. You could have a pin for every occasion!

I really like using the spike when I can. I feel it and hear it better and I'm selfish.

Post-thought: when you make a pin, make it so you (or a child, or a drummer) can't accidentally push it all the way into the bass so that it falls in there. D'oh!

[Phil Smith]

What ever happened to having a rubber tip that screws onto the threaded point of the endpin? I assumed that all endpins were made this way, well at least the one I had installed on my Kay is like this.

[Joe Taylor]

Last summer while I was at ASODB Doc Morton was giving a demo with his 17?? bass he searched around on the stage until he found the perfect divit planted his Bass and started to play.

Last week we played a concert on a hard stage like I have never seen befor. Some kind of hard sippery black stuff. Even the rubber end pin pad slipped. The next stand had a strap type holder because she said "last year she almost lost her bass". A rockstop slipped arround also. I found this little square end pin pad made of silicon rubber that worked great untill the pin poked through the pad. Strange stage, someone said that it was a dance stage. Next year the strap!

[arto alho]

I strongly recommend the German ULSA endpin, if
you guys ever have to replace the whole endpin, not the tip only.
The tip problem is taken care of by threaded sharp steel tip, onto which the rubber tip neatly can be screwed. The rubber tip has threaded steel lining too, so its like a nut on a screw. Never will it break.

Once you screw it off, you will have a sharp steel point ( for those hardwood floors ). Tips can be bought anew, in case you lost it ( by takin it out of your pocket and throwin it to the drummer´s head to wake him up...but be careful, it´s quite heavy ).

I have had an ULSA installed in all my ( 3 ) basses and that´s an extra heavy duty piece of work. No vibrations inside the bass, no slipping on the thumbscrew ( and the collar has a cork lining for extra friction ), no problems.
WILL SMITH, could it be this you have in your Kay?

R2D2

[Barefoot Larry]

Originally posted by Phil Smith
What ever happened to having a rubber tip that screws onto the threaded point of the endpin? I assumed that all endpins were made this way, well at least the one I had installed on my Kay is like this.

Kolstein's sells a Fendt enpin with a needle-sharp carbide tip, and a screw-on rubber tip.

They're about $90, though I think they auction them on Ebay with a $59 "Buy It Now" pretty frequently.

[Andrew Noury]

Take a hockey puck and make a small divot in one side for the endpin point to fit into.

My teacher turned me on to this... cheap, effective and geek in a Canadian way. ;)

[Nuno A.]

I have the same endpin as mr. arto alho!
The rubber tip is screwed in to the point of the metal pin.....(and the inside of the rubber tip is lined with metal )i had mine for 3 years now and is still like brand new, i really wish i had put this endpin before, this thing can survive even to the wildest bass player i guess.

NUNO

[jamesdotcom]

I second the recommendation for the Kolstein Fendt Endpin. I got one not too long ago, and it's got the sharp carbide tip, screw on cap, the whole deal. Just wish the notches on the tip itself were a little larger/easier to find.