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Double Bass Bass Cradle for the car!

Foxrock321

Foxrock321

Guest
May 12, 2011
107
42
Near Rocky Mountain National Park
#1
i don't know about you, but putting my upright in the car and driving to the gig scares the hell out of me..one hard turn or quick stop and the bass is toast..Does anyone know of a cradle that holds the bass vertical while driving.? I use blankets and tie downs hooked to my Mooradian.. but there's got to be a better way!
 
#2
For my car (Nissan Rogue) i am able to lay it flat on it's back. I have put a small air mattress in the car to help cushion it a little bit, especially for loading and unloading, as I was getting little nicks on the bass from moving it.

Not sure it helps answer your question, but thought I'd throw it out there
 
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#4
What car do you have, Foxrock? Some cars seem made for transporting a bass, others make you think that the engineers worked specifically to make it difficult. With my current small wagon I put the smaller side of the back seat down and put the bass in on its side. A few small couch pillows keep it in from bouncing around and the neck up a bit. It's still a bit awkward to shift gears though.
 
#5
My former car, (1996 VW Golf - stick shift), and my current ride (1999 Lexus RX 300 - automatic), both either hatchback/SUV, have rear seats that fold down flat (not good). So, I place a rolled up blanket across the seats (before folding down), which creates a partially inclined rear cargo area. The bass goes in on its back, the neck is between the front seats, BUT, way above the shifter/console.
I then pack my gig bag at the endpin area to keep it from sliding back down the "ramp".
I like keeping the bass on its back (with NO neck contact) during transportation.
I have rented a sedan and placed the bass in the passenger side seat (reclined - neck pointing rearward), but the limited visibility makes me nervous and jerky.
My $0.03
Thanks.
 
#7
My bass travels on its side in the bed of my pickup. I use a bungee net to secure it.

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#8
It really depends on the vehicle you drive. I know some people who put it in the passenger seat either with the neck down where your feet would go or the neck back towards the back seat. If you are doing that arrangement, you can literally buckle it up, and it isn't going anywhere. I had a two door Honda Civic for a lot of years where the body of the bass would go in the back seat (with the trunk pass through folded down) with the neck up between the front seats and the scroll over the stick shift. The bass was held in place by the opening to the trunk on the tailpiece/back of the bass, at the shoulders between the seats, and the scroll touched the dashboard. It wasn't going anywhere, but loading and unloading was a bit of an art.

My current setup involves a "seatbelt" in my VW Golf Wagon. The 60 portion of the 60/40 split goes down, the bass goes on its side with the body behind the passenger seat and the neck pointed to the rear. The "seatbelt" is a tie down strap that runs from the headrest of the passenger seat through the handle on the case, and to the tie down anchor in the back of the car. The bass isn't going anywhere, regardless to how hard I corner or jump on the brakes.

Take some time on a day where you don't have to be anywhere and the weather is cooperating, and really try all of the options with your bass and car. You might find one of the above methods works for you, you might find that something else is your solution. I personally like to have the instrument secured somehow so if anything ever happens I don't have a bass flying around in the car, but to each their own. Some people use blankets, pillows, etc. but I don't like having any extra stuff in my car if at all possible, so I just have a single tie down strap.
 
#9
My bass goes flat on its back, no weight on the neck, in the back of my Mercedes E-class estate (wagon to Colonials!) with the rear seats folded. I've seen basses transported in all sorts of ways, and they all scare the crap out of me!
 
#11
Well, don't laugh, but... The best bass transport car I ever had was my 1989 Ford Festiva, which finally went to Festiva Valhalla last year with over 200,000 miles. The back seat folded down, I had an old saddle blanket over the rear hatch and seat; the neck would slide between the two front seats, with plenty of room for stool and stand (we once got TWO basses in there, but had to drop the passenger seat down for that.) The best part was that the car was low enough that I didn't have to hike the bass up to SUV height to slide it into the back.

I now use a Nissan Leaf, back seats down; saddle blanket folded over to fill in the lower area in the first part of the trunk. Works fine, but I do miss the little guy sometimes (photo attached in an LA hail storm no less)

Louis
 

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#12
LouisF said:
Well, don't laugh, but... The best bass transport car I ever had was my 1989 Ford Festiva, which finally went to Festiva Valhalla last year with over 200,000 miles. The back seat folded down, I had an old saddle blanket over the rear hatch and seat; the neck would slide between the two front seats, with plenty of room for stool and stand (we once got TWO basses in there, but had to drop the passenger seat down for that.) The best part was that the car was low enough that I didn't have to hike the bass up to SUV height to slide it into the back.

I now use a Nissan Leaf, back seats down; saddle blanket folded over to fill in the lower area in the first part of the trunk. Works fine, but I do miss the little guy sometimes (photo attached in an LA hail storm no less)

Louis
Click to expand...

Bummer about the Festiva! Inremember you driving me in it to the Blue Whale many moons ago!
 

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