Double Bass adjustable soundpost – Anima Nova

[robobass]

Martin, For you to assume my comment as a "personal insult" is amazing to me! When me and ALL the people I know think of Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, Andrea Mitchell, Rachel Maddow, Brit McHenry (ESPN sideline babe who tore into the parking garage lady claiming "She is on TV and you are nothing!"), et al, a bevy of media folk from the left and right who are all legends in their own minds, attractive but empty suits none the less. With hind sight, editing(Censoring?) sometimes lying, I'd hardly call them infallible. Sorry if I caused you angst,-------I still think I'll lend more credence to James' and his local Asian group of Sherpas' "unsupported views" on this! No question, Hillary and Tenzing were the 1st to get up there even though all we have are them relating their stories.

Fog

Hey. I'll give you the others, but Rachel Maddow Kicks a§§!

 

[drurb]

Perhaps Martin's reporting is more akin to the integrity with which Edward R. Murrow reported. I don't see why Fog assumes it's more likely to align with reporters he doesn't trust. Just another example of the folly of unjustified assumption.

Any chance of getting back to discussing sound posts?

 

[turf3]

Perhaps Martin's reporting is more akin to the integrity with which Edward R. Murrow reported. I don't see why Fog assumes it's more likely to align with reporters he doesn't trust. Just another example of the folly of unjustified assumption.

Any chance of getting back to discussing sound posts?

No.

 

[martinc]

No.

 

[Don Kasper]

Which Sherpa is best for an Ascent? Can the same Sherpa be used for the Descent?
Do I need both a Summer Sherpa AND a Winter Sherpa?

 

[Don Kasper]

Perhaps Martin's reporting is more akin to the integrity with which Edward R. Murrow reported.

"Have you no sense of sound posts, Sir?"

 

[GretschWretch]

Which Sherpa is best for an Ascent? Can the same Sherpa be used for the Descent?
Do I need both a Summer Sherpa AND a Winter Sherpa?

To climb the Matterhorn, would I need a German Sherpa? If my professional research interest was Nepalese mountain guides, would I be a Sherpa-tologist? I am going to post this reply soundly, thereby remaining on topic.

 

[james condino]

"Because it's there." -- Sir Edmund Hillary

The ironic thing about all this is that the quote is generally credited to George Mallory from a 1924 New York Times article about his Everest expedition, not Hillary, yet nobody noticed.....

As for the soundpost, this one seems more complicated than needed, designed by an engineer rather than a bass player / luthier who installs soundposts every day. It iooks more like a strut on a Tesla than a soundpost for a 200 year old traditional instrument, but that does not mean it might not work well.

I'm a huge fan of carbon fiber soundposts and have shown the one I use in my carved bass several times around here. The most obvious issue is that installing it with traditional setters is not an option, so you need a specialty tool or a trap door (I do happen to have a new soundpost tool under development with a major manufacturer that will work great, but it is still getting the production worked out). Nothing currently commercially available solves the problem. Do I also need to buy a specialty tool? The adjustable factor sounds nice, but adds layers of mechanical complexity without obvious benefit. It looks like a great tool for figuring out the exact length post needed. That said, a lot of us have an interest and it would be great to see in action- maybee a demo model at Oberlin or the next ISB????

j.
www.condino.com
www.kaybassrepair.com

 

[robobass]

(I do happen to have a new soundpost tool under development

Would this work?

 

[jonas]

Would this work?

this tool doesn't work good for me, I prefer hemostats (the ones made for tonsillectomies).

 

[Povl Carstensen]

I doubt that this post will have the best acoustic properties compared to at post made of the proper wood. Does anyone know how much it weighs?

 

[MikeCanada]

James, something like this? Gemini Sound Post Setter Tool

I've seen a few different ideas, but the general response from the luthier crowd has been "why do I need one of those? I've got a post setter that works just fine."

As Don points out there is a balance to be struck between tradition and innovation and in the violin family/double bass instrument/bow making business, that balance tends to lean well towards tradition. When it comes to repairs/restorations, that seems to be where innovation shines. There are plenty of techniques and materials that are used now in repair that wouldn't have been in decades gone by, and it is really amazing what we can do now. Innovating when it comes to making is very much a niche market. Most everyone wants a bass that looks like a bass and even though there is a wide variety of historical examples including things like cornerless instruments, Even subtle things like Upton's scroll design or their idea to switch the tuner positions in the box come across as radical. The very idea of a carbon fibre soundpost instead of a wooden one would give a lot of people pause, but the post in question is like putting a space ship in there. Part of the reason we love these instruments so much is that they appear to not have been modernized, and the romanticized idea that something created 250 years ago is the pinnacle of its craft to this day. That attitude is also a large part of why the pedigree market is insane right now, but that's another topic.

Speaking of being off topic, and trying not to poke the bear(s), the community here continues to amaze me. I had no idea that expeditionary mountaineering guide and CBC radio personality would be two of the hats added to the hat rack when I woke up this morning. We really are an eclectic bunch.

 

[james condino]

Would this work?

I know those as radiator transmission cooling line hose clamp pliers. I mention them in the American Lutherie article series from a while back and showed photos for comparison. You could definitely grab it with those and feel confident. Regardless of where we were back in the day, we're all just a bunch of internet dorks right now.

Soundposts and their setting brings up lively discussions around here. When I'm on the gig, it seems like running a gauntlet with my bass in tow. Not if, but just a natter of when the bass and I crash into something again. There are so many obstacles coming at the bass and I that it seems like the world is stacked against us....but the thing is so much fun to play that it is worth all of it. No matter where I put it or how the fit, the elevator or some bar drunk or a distracting beautiful woman or all of those combined and the bass is crashing hard enough to jolt the post. I know, I should work on my finesse. Instead, I have not been to a gig in probably 15 years where I didn't have my soundpost setters stuffed in the bow zone of my gigbag. As much as I have tried to convince other folks that it is a good idea, they seem to be more crusty crusty crusty old men that appear to get a lot of enjoyment out of being stressed out at the job and resetting their rattling soundpost with the salad bar tools and an old dirty shoestring at the last minute. A bass with a trapdoor solves this and 25 other "ship in a bottle" common issues.....

 

[Don Kasper]

It looks like a great tool for figuring out the exact length post needed.

It also may be a useful tool for exploring the effect(s) of slight differences in Tension, as well as Placement.
Thanks.

 

[neilG]

Worth a try for $12.50. http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-34435-...8&qid=1453669017&sr=1-1&keywords=tekton+34435

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Would this work?

That's what I mostly use. I've added a bend in the shafts that makes the approach angle better. I use a giant haemostat for sound post retrieval.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Would this work?

I made one myself from a wire coat hanger, which I folded, so that it could squeeze the sound post, and I could release it when the post was in place.

 

[robobass]

Worth a try for $12.50. http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-34435-...8&qid=1453669017&sr=1-1&keywords=tekton+34435

I have used something like this in my few humble attempts at soundpost setting. Only on student plywoods, where there was no support from the parents for sending the work top a proper luthier. If you are really slumming, you can get this tool at HF or sometimes Big Lots for like four bucks!

 

[GretschWretch]

That's what I mostly use. I've added a bend in the shafts that makes the approach angle better. I use a giant haemostat for sound post retrieval.

I may get fricasseed for this, but the first time I have to fish a dropped soundpost out of a DB I use a dab of silicone adhesive to attach a small metal washer to the middle of the soundpost (hoping that small bit of metal does not impede the post from its proper function). Then, the next time the rascal drops, I simply stick one of those magnetic gooseneck screw retrievers one can get from AutoZone into an f-hole to snag the post.

 

[neilG]

If you are really slumming, you can get this tool at HF or sometimes Big Lots for like four bucks!

I'm too much of a tool snob to stoop as low as HF if I don't have to. Although I did buy some perfectly serviceable handscrews there recently.