Double Bass Bridge Problems

[Spanky123]

I just got my bass back from the luthier and the strings are way too low. He seated the bridge feet perfectly but now it is unplayable. (It was a nasty scene at the shop). Long story, but I'll cut to the chase. My options are:

1. Buy a new bridge and start from scratch with a new luthier.

2. Buy rollers and use the existing bridge (also with a new luthier).


I only have ebay to rely on to buy a bridge or rollers. What should I do? The most expensive double bass bridge on Ebay is $60. Is it junk?

 

[fdeck]

The adjusters are easy for a luthier to install. I would bet that most luthiers have at least one pair on hand for this job. That might be the simplest solution to your problem.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

What Francis said. If you have a decent bridge that fits well, its pretty straight forward to add adjusters.

If you are really happy with the fit of the feet you could send the bridge out to have adjusters installed. I've done a couple of long distance adjuster installations that turned out very well.

 

[bejoyous]

I'm not sure why the luthier would go to the trouble of fitting a bridge and then have it too low to play. Maybe the weather changed during set up.

If the weather does cause the belly to swell and shrink, installing adjusters is the way to go.

Placing shims under the feet is an alternative but it is quite tricky and there is a high potential of falling on your bass or developing a crack when you take the pressure off one leg to slide the shim under (this puts all the pressure on the other leg momentarily). Plus the shim never has a perfect fit to the top of the bass or the bottom of the foot.

Also, with the adjusters, you can set the height just the way you like it. You'll find when you change to different types of strings, they need slightly different amounts of swing space or tension requirements to respond to your playing style.

Some people will argue that it negatively changes the sound of your bass but I say improving the playability of your instrument will make it sound much better.

 

[George700DL]

Also, with the adjusters, you can set the height just the way you like it. You'll find when you change to different types of strings, they need slightly different amounts of swing space or tension requirements to respond to your playing style.

Some people will argue that it negatively changes the sound of your bass but I say improving the playability of your instrument will make it sound much better.

And some people will argue that [aluminum] adjusters improve the sound itself.

I believe that after I added the adjusters, I'm getting more sustain.

George