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Double Bass Bass Collar Support

I trying a new endpin that a fellow bassist made out of parts from a hardware store and my collar broke! The endpin is bent and the torque was so great it broke the wooden collar. I love playing with a bend endpin, any ideas about how to evenout the weight on the block or the collar so its not so bad? Thanks!

Joe
 
I had a very similar experience with the original pin in my bass. I would think that a very high quality conventional plug would be less likely to fail, but in reality, you are asking it to function in a way it was never designed to function.

The best bet is the laborie or egg pin. They are designed specifically for that purpose. Otherwise, I'm not sure.
 
I've been using a bent endpin in a standard collar off and on for a couple years now with no problems; it's the plain brass collar you see on a lot of basses, with the ten mm solid rod. Lined with cork. I think just about every dealer in the world can get one for not a ton of dough... or, bore a hole in your bass and get the laborie pin...
 
I began using the EggPin in 1993, and love the way the bass balances - however I snapped two Goetz sockets as a result of the additional torque. Not only that, the setscrews were prone to stripping out because the threads were so fine. When I was on my 3rd socket, for a while I inserted a short 10mm rod into the socket for some more rigidity, but it was kind of a pain... I talked to a friend who is a master instrument repain technician - the solution we came up with works great.
He bored out my (healthy) Goetz socket to the width of the collar, and inserted a titanium shaft - so the core of the socket is a metal rod. The shaft is drilled out to accept a conventional endpin or wheel shaft. It is very stable, and I no longer worry about about my bass crashing to the ground unexpectedly...
 
forget the eggpin and get the laborie pen that fits in a whole at the bottom of your bass at an angle, it is a much better design.

There is some question as to put it straight back or at an angle to the left. If you are 5'10" or less, you might try straight back.

George vance has them. they are cheaper and lighter and better, they really take a lot of torque off the bass and open the sound up.
 
Alex makes an excellent point - the Laborie pin provides excellent support & the bass sounds very open.....

The only drawback is that once the hole is drilled in the bass, you are locked into that angle for the long haul. With the eggpin, you can adjust several different angles to discover what works best for you. Just a thought.
 

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