• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass a car for my double bass

#61
Paul Warburton said:
Bull puckey. How do you explain my old 1962 VW Beetle?
Click to expand...

I learned to drive in a '67 and can confirm the ease with which a db will fit. My dad once transported a studio upright piano in one, with the passenger seat out.

Dad currently drives a prius dvd gigs on db. It's actually the first non-wagon he's had in years.

Me, I've got a hyundai santa fe, which carries a ton of gear alongside a db just fine. I've never tried to fit one in my mazda 3 sedan.

If you've never owned a car, I'm not sure european is really your best bet for reliability, especially if cost if ownership is a concern. The stats just dont hold up to many of the asian brands (many models of which are made on US soil). Incidentally, the ford transit is imported from turkey, I believe, so it's sort of european- with an american name.

If it has to be european and get decent mileage, I'd probably look hard at the vw jetta diesel wagon, though vw's reliability has been spotty at best lately.

OP, I know you feel wagons, hatches, and vans just aren't cool, but plainly put - for a musician who plays a large instrument, sedans aren't cool. They make no sense. Sure, some can fit your instrument, but they just dont serve us in any useful way. I will never but another sedan. Sure you can hide stuff in the trunk , but that is about the only advantage.

So I hereby second every recommendation for a wagon of some sort. At some point, you will find it in your favor to haul more than just you and your bass. Choose something reliable with plenty of utility. My next will likely be a subaru forrester. But for low cost, great reliability, great gas mileage, easy to park, easy to load, you could do WAY worse than a honda fit.
 
#63
I'm not sure if this is relevant but I wanted to say I consulted this thread when buying a new car and I ended up getting a 2011 Honda Element, which fits two basses (with rear seats in or out) and pretty much does anything you could ask, while being spacious and getting good gas mileage for a large car. It's pretty much a beast. I just drove it from Texas to Canada and it was great.
 
#64
I would highly recommend a Toyota Prius. Yeah, you said no Japanese brands and no 5-doors; but don't knock it until you try. You get the best of several worlds with it. They did an amazing job with interior space versus exterior size, great gas mileage, pretty decent performance. When I was looking for a commuter car, the Prius whipped all the other small cars in acceleration and handling.

- John
 
#65
I use a car sharing program (Zip Car). So far, I have fit a DB in: Scion XB, Mazda M3, and Toyota Matrix. You can fit a lot of gear into any of these, yet still get good gas mileage. I haven't had a chance to use a Prius with my DB just yet. There isn't one in a close enough location for me.

If i ever end up buying a vehicle, it'd take a lot of research for me to decide between these as well as a Prius.
 
#66
I thought I'd jump jump in here and throw out the Geo Metro. Double bass loads in just like the pics posted of a mini cooper. Also room around the sides of the bass for stool/stand/etc. and a combo amp fits nicely in the passenger seat. My teacher saw this once and described it as a "clown car effect."
 
#67
I did a 99 Camry with the passenger seat folded down. Worked fine, though the bass was a little close to the gearshift for my taste, but never had an incident with that.
If you play upright bass, you'll have to make a compromise. A convertible would be the worst thing ever other than one of those dinky electric cars, which will never be an option for upright bassists.
Screw it. Get a minivan.
-st-
 
#68
This one I admit is a challenge, but I'm still working on it
 

Attachments

  • my_new_car.JPG
    my_new_car.JPG
    15.6 KB · Views: 118
#70
JdoubleH said:
I learned to drive in a '67 and can confirm the ease with which a db will fit. My dad once transported a studio upright piano in one, with the passenger seat out.

Dad currently drives a prius dvd gigs on db. It's actually the first non-wagon he's had in years.

Me, I've got a hyundai santa fe, which carries a ton of gear alongside a db just fine. I've never tried to fit one in my mazda 3 sedan.

If you've never owned a car, I'm not sure european is really your best bet for reliability, especially if cost if ownership is a concern. The stats just dont hold up to many of the asian brands (many models of which are made on US soil). Incidentally, the ford transit is imported from turkey, I believe, so it's sort of european- with an american name.

If it has to be european and get decent mileage, I'd probably look hard at the vw jetta diesel wagon, though vw's reliability has been spotty at best lately.

OP, I know you feel wagons, hatches, and vans just aren't cool, but plainly put - for a musician who plays a large instrument, sedans aren't cool. They make no sense. Sure, some can fit your instrument, but they just dont serve us in any useful way. I will never but another sedan. Sure you can hide stuff in the trunk , but that is about the only advantage.

So I hereby second every recommendation for a wagon of some sort. At some point, you will find it in your favor to haul more than just you and your bass. Choose something reliable with plenty of utility. My next will likely be a subaru forrester. But for low cost, great reliability, great gas mileage, easy to park, easy to load, you could do WAY worse than a honda fit.
Click to expand...

For those of you with experience loading in an air-cooled V-dub, I drive a '70 beetle and the only way I could get my 3/4 in was to remove the front passenger seat. Do you know of a way to safely stow my bass without removing the front seat?
 
#71
exflavier@gmail said:
For those of you with experience loading in an air-cooled V-dub, I drive a '70 beetle and the only way I could get my 3/4 in was to remove the front passenger seat. Do you know of a way to safely stow my bass without removing the front seat?
Click to expand...

In the 67, both the back seat and the passenger seat folded pretty much flat. Not sure about the 70 model.
 
#73
Back in 1975, I comfortably drove my '66 Beetle from Boston to North Carolina with my 3/4 inside and all my possessions in a trunk strapped to the roof. It took three days to get there. I never had trouble fitting the bass inside.

Now I drive a 2006 Subaru Outback wagon; no problem with the bass. I always lay the bass on a thick foam rubber pad to absorb bumps.
 
#74
All these Japanese cars. :rollno:

I drive a 1990s Ford Contour, and when I lay the passenger seat back, I've got plenty of room for a double bass. I can also fit 2 or 3 passengers in the car, and at least two guitar or bass cases (or fewer passengers and an amplifier or two). And that's not even counting the trunk. Any extras or accessories also fit easily. The gas mileage isn't bad - it falls in the range of the mid-20s. Plus, it's reliable and it has enough power that having several hundreds pounds of equipment and passengers loaded in doesn't even drag it down.

Ford Contours are also abundant and affordable.
 
#75
pocketgroove said:
All these Japanese cars. :rollno:

I drive a 1990s Ford Contour, and when I lay the passenger seat back, I've got plenty of room for a double bass. I can also fit 2 or 3 passengers in the car, and at least two guitar or bass cases (or fewer passengers and an amplifier or two). And that's not even counting the trunk. Any extras or accessories also fit easily. The gas mileage isn't bad - it falls in the range of the mid-20s. Plus, it's reliable and it has enough power that having several hundreds pounds of equipment and passengers loaded in doesn't even drag it down.

Ford Contours are also abundant and affordable.
Click to expand...

What Japanese cars? The Toyota Camry is made in Ohio (the Camry Hybrid is made in Kentucky) and the Corolla and Matrix are built in Cambridge, Ontario. The Lexus RX350 is also built in Cambridge and the RAV 4 comes from Woodstock, Ontario. The Subaru Legacy, Outback and Tribeca are 'Team Built in Indiana" - as the sticker on my wife's Legacy Wagon puts it. The Impreza IS made in Japan.

The Contour was assembled in Missouri and Mexico.

Toyota Operations in the United States

Subaru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
#76
And the Mazda SUV (twin to the Ford Escape) is built in Kansas City.
http://www.hybridcars.com/forums/mazda-sell-ford-built-hybrid-suv-us-june.html

Anyway, I carry my DB in my Chevy Aveo hatch: open the hatch, put down the rear seats, put the bass in, slide the lower bout to the rear drivers side and angle the bass so the neck clears the shift lever as it goes between the front seats. This leaves more than enough room for a Carvin MB12 in the well of the hatch, a 1X15 in the front seat, and music, gig bag, stand if needed, etc., here and there throughout the rest of the vehicle, all at @25-30mpg. I must admit it's rather comical unloading at a gig and does bear resemblance to the classic clown car, but it's all I need or want to pay for.
 
#77
'98 Jetta sedan: fold the passenger seatback down, slide the driver's seat forward and feed the bass in through the left rear door, endpin first. I imagine that nearly any sedan would work like this. Left rear passenger seat is still usable and probably two people could fit in back since the bass will go flat against the right side of the car.

'03 Jetta wagon: I fold the right-side rear seatback (split) forward and feed the bass in through the hatch neck first. Even without retracting the endpin, the tuners don't quite reach the center armrest. Again, left rear seat is still usable as is the front passenger seat.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back