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Angled Endpins

Discussion in 'Setup & Repair [DB]' started by Mike Goodbar, Nov 5, 2001.

  1. Nov 5, 2001 #1
    Mike Goodbar

    Mike Goodbar

    Jun 6, 2001
    Charlotte, NC
    I recently had the opportunity to play a bass that was equipped with an angled endpin. The owner said it was similiar to the Egg Pin in concept.

    When he played it, it looked very natural, but it definitely felt weird to me.

    Anyone have any experience with angled endpins?
     
  2. Nov 5, 2001 #2
    Chris Fitzgerald

    Chris Fitzgerald Student of Life Staff Member Administrator Gold Supporting Member

    Oct 19, 2000
    Louisville, KY
    Rufus Reid and Lynn Seaton both use those funky pins, and whenever I pick up one of their basses, it feels like the bass wants to fall every second. But they both swear by them. I imagine that they probably just take some getting used to.
     
  3. Nov 6, 2001 #3
    Sam Sherry

    Sam Sherry Inadvertent Microtonalist Supporting Member

    Sep 26, 2001
    Portland, ME
    The Gary Karr approach (as abbreviated and mangled by me) is that the bass should balance straight up. That way, you don't have to use your muscular energy making it balance.

    Players using angled endpins obviously take a different approach. If you're using the tipped endpin, though, you're blocked from using the Karr method.
     
  4. Nov 6, 2001 #4
    Mike Goodbar

    Mike Goodbar

    Jun 6, 2001
    Charlotte, NC
    Yeah, the guy to whom the bass belonged (Hans Sturm) mentioned Karr's "straight up" approach.

    When Hans played his bass with the angled endpin, it looked almost as if he were playing a big cello, even though he stood to play. He demonstrated easy access to the thumb position and so forth.

    However, when I tried to play it, I felt as if I were fighting to keep it from falling in toward the right. Hans must be a believer in it though, as he had a hole drilled in his bass to accept the endpin (he didn't have the Egg pin, but one developed by Rabbath with a French name I can't recall).
     
  5. Nov 6, 2001 #5
    rablack

    rablack

    Mar 9, 2000
    Houston, Texas
    I seem to recall hearing that angled endpins have to be set to fit the individual player. I don't know if this is true or if it would explain the strange balance you experienced. I've never tried one but the concept makes some sense
     
  6. Nov 13, 2001 #6
    Mike Dufresne

    Mike Dufresne

    Oct 25, 2001
    Cincinatti, OH
    A few weeks ago I had my endpin bent after I tried one that a friend from CCM showed me. His was more along the lines of Lynn Seaton's, and since I liked it I said why not give it a try. So I took it over to a metal-working shop that Andy Stenson suggested, and they bent and braced it in one afternoon for around $15. (Kind of beats those $300 egg pins, huh?) Well, I got home and tried it out on my bass, but no matter how hard I tried and worked with it, I simply could not get the bass balanced comfortably. So then I started screwing around with the angle that the endpin was inserted at and I settled on the Rufus-style, where the pin is bent more to the side of the bass, pushing it into you. It's just my opinion, but I feel that the bass has MUCH more balance now than with a traditional straight endpin.
     
  7. Nov 14, 2001 #7
    Fezzball3

    Fezzball3

    Nov 14, 2001
    Ok, so I'm very interested in this whole bent endpin subject. About a year ago I met a player at an All-State festival who had replaced his normal endpin with a graphite rod that stuck out of the bottom of his bass, twoards the back. I asked him what it was, and he told me it was a way to have the bass sit more like a cello on your body, relieveing your arms from the weight of the instrument. I was intrigued, but leary.

    Now I'm at college, and our principle player uses an endpin with a similar idea. His is this huge iron structure that comes out of the same place as a normal endpin. The idea is the same though, to shift the weight. he was converted when he spent some time in canada this summer and had a few lessons with Rabbath (lucky bastard).

    Well, I was sold. I looked online and found a nice cheap approach to the idea of a bent endpin. Slava press will make you one for 20 bucks. So I called up George Vance and ordered one (incedently, they do have to be made for the person based on how high the normal endpin is). The problem is that when I use it, it spins in a circle under my bass. This is due to the fact that my bass wont clamp tight enough around the pin. But I love the feel of it so much. Going back to a straight endpin feels like picking up a rock. So I decided I'm going to go for one of those grapite ones (called a Laborie endpin). I'm not sure yet where I'm going to find someone I trust to drill a hole in my bass, but I'm sure once it's done I'll be a happy camper.

    You can find both options here: http://www.slavapub.net/index.html
     
  8. Nov 15, 2001 #8
    Gideon

    Gideon

    Apr 5, 2001
    Chatsworth, CA USA
    I've tried a 7/8 bass with a bent endpin (with a big rubber ball at the end, I think made in France). It was nice. It wasn't real comfortable at first, felt too much like the pressure was all on my thumb, but going in to thumb position was a cinch. According to the guy who owns it, it becomes incredibly comfortable after a while and he says theres no pressure on his thumb so...