Objects in the Bass

waltzfordebby · #1 04-18-2007, 03:10 PM

I posted a thread earlier last week about a vibrating noise in my bass. I looked inside and shook the instrument and heard something.

Looked inside.

Found a rock inside my bass. don't know how to get it out

keep in mind that this is 40 year old school instrument. i don't know how it got in there without me ever catching it.

any ideas how to get it out?

CPike · #2 04-18-2007, 03:22 PM

You could pick up the bass up and shake it out! Or, get one of those flexible claw tools you find at the auto parts store (for rescuing dropped screws in and around the engine) and fish it out. Those are also handy for picking up dropped sound posts...

Chris

1st Bass · #3 04-18-2007, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CPike

Or, get one of those flexible claw tools you find at the auto parts store (for rescuing dropped screws in and around the engine) and fish it out. Those are also handy for picking up dropped sound posts...

Chris

I think those tools are called "mechanic's fingers"-- they are cheap and readily available. I think mine was < $5.

Beats having a loose bassbar, huh? :-)

Fat.Mike · #4 04-18-2007, 04:55 PM

Tape (masking tape works great) on the end of a straightened coat hanger is your best and cheapest bet. Shake the bass to get the debris under the F hole first...

toman · #5 04-19-2007, 10:39 AM

Go to the hardware store, get some clear vinyl tubing. Duct tape it to your vacuum or shop vac, and use it to clean the inside of your bass and remove foriegn objects.

joel kelsey · #6 04-19-2007, 02:54 PM

I once had a loner bass from a shop that made my cats freak out when it was out of the case. I found out later, that the person who had the bass before me (very good friend of mine) had thrown a piece of celery in there. Gross.... That bass had all kinds of problems!

meev991 · #7 04-19-2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joel kelsey

I once had a loner bass from a shop that made my cats freak out when it was out of the case. I found out later, that the person who had the bass before me (very good friend of mine) had thrown a piece of celery in there. Gross.... That bass had all kinds of problems!

WOW, the next time the London Philharmonic orchestra comes to town, I know what to do with their instruments.

HA im kidding.

seriously, that story makes me sad for the bass.

waltzfordebby · #8 04-19-2007, 06:36 PM

just got the thing out
turns out it was a old piece of gum that some kid hid under the f hole during class.
i've been the first one to seriously play it for a long time so... it kind of fell of and was rattling around during recording
got it out with some chopsticks
thanks for all the help

Fat.Mike · #9 04-19-2007, 07:22 PM

Nice.

drurb · #10 04-19-2007, 07:43 PM

My favorite method for removing wood shavings, dust, small objects from the bass is to wrap one end of a length of clear plastic tubing with duct tape. I shove that end into the end of a vacuum cleaner hose and turn on the vacuum. It's easy to thread the clear hose through either f-hole and suck out the offending junk. The soft clear tubing will not scratch the f-hole edges.

KeijiApocalypse · #11 04-26-2007, 12:24 PM

Good job with the chopsticks! When I played cello there was a 'tumbleweed' inside. Basically just shavings that had fallen off and gotten wrapped together I assume? I layed him down on the bed and my roommate got out her chopsticks and took out the culprit. No harm done with it in there, but it was a nice thing to show my fellow orchestra buddies! "My cello had a hairball!"

clothsnake · #12 04-27-2007, 11:35 AM

my bass currently has one drawing pin inside... one piece of string... and a grape (which i assume has by now turned into a raisin anyway)
i know how the string got in there... but as for ther rest...?

Silversorcerer · #13 04-27-2007, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clothsnake

my bass currently has one drawing pin inside... one piece of string... and a grape (which i assume has by now turned into a raisin anyway)
i know how the string got in there... but as for ther rest...?

I am glad to see that you are posting again, CS.

And still playing your Romanian "4/4" I presume?

mpm · #14 04-27-2007, 01:48 PM

I opened up a bass last year with 5 pages of band camp paper work in it...I know, I know, "last year at band camp I....." In high school we found a rotten apple in the bottom of a sousaphone.

**Bob Gollihur** · #15 04-27-2007, 02:04 PM

That was my world in high school (several centuries ago)... it seemed that kids liked to throw stuff in both my String Bass and Sousaphone/Tuba. We Low Strings and Brass folks should form a support group.

Reminds me of what we did to a wiseass Baritone horn player at Summer Music School, one who used to throw stuff in the Tubas and Sousaphones just to annoy us. We stuffed his mouthpiece with tuna fish on Friday after he left. Children can be cruel.

Marcus Johnson · #16 04-27-2007, 02:13 PM

That's pretty good... I probably would have just stuffed the baritone player into the sousaphone.

mpm · #17 04-27-2007, 02:52 PM

actually, one of the baritone players I went to high school with went on to become one of the Manson girls....

clothsnake · #18 04-28-2007, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silversorcerer

I am glad to see that you are posting again, CS.

And still playing your Romanian "4/4" I presume?

hi there... thanks.
yeah decided to pop in for a while... after doing pretty much nothing at all with any bass.
and yeah am still plying the same bass... turns out its a 7/8 though

but love it all the same.
have recently added a shadow (under bridge) pickup, and it sounds really nice through a small practice amp and recorded on my PC too... even with the grape, string and pin..

would really like a new one... and to try a 3/4 maybe... but alas... just not got that kind of cash at the minute... or space if it comes to that