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Double Bass Car Help.

Before you all set me aflame, i have read many of the car threads in the search function. I am not looking for a car to carry my bass. My question for you, wise TB is:

I am picking up my new Shen SB80 tomorrow:hyper:. I drive the older style Jeep Wranger (2006). I do not have the back seat in the jeep at the moment. I am wonder is it possibly to fit a bass in the back? If so, how would i go about doing it? It looks like a tight squeeze, but if people can put them in beetles, a jeep should not be impossible, right?

Thanks So Much,
VC
 
Looking at pics of the wrangler, I'd say your best bet is to fold the front passenger seat down, and put it in lengthwise along the passenger side of your car, making sure to keep pressure off the neck. I've done that is sedans that have less headroom than your jeep.

If you find it's too short, I've seen diagonally across the car with the body in the back seat (loaded from the drivers side passenger door)and the scroll in the front passenger seat work as well. I believe he put the driver's seat back flat as well for this to facilitate loading, but put it into the upright position when he was driving.

the third option is if your back seats fold down, you can probably load it from the rear with the headstock in between the front seats. this is how I do it in my pontiac vibe, which looks to be longer than our jeep, but has less headroom.

Hopefully this helps. Good luck, and happy new bass day.

Eerbrev
 
Thank so much. The front seat will not fold down in the forward motion. I can sort of get it flat when I lean it wall the way back. Since, i have no back seat, my theory was to load it from the back and let the neck lay across the laid down passenger seat.
 
If your passenger seat does fold back somewhat flat, do so and lay the body of the bass on the upper section of the seat with the scroll pointing toward the floor (upside down). Place the head rest under the neck block (not the neck but where the neck meets the body) for support and to keep the scroll/neck from touching anything like the floor. Works for me. Also, you could remove the top and roll with it upright sticking out the top, just kidding.
 
I have carried my 3/4 bass in a 2004 Wrangler (should be same as the 2006). It barely fit! The problem is that the front-to back dimension is really short and if you load the bass from the back and expect it to lay flat (parallel to the floor) the distance fro the tailgate to the dash is barely adequate (or not quite, in my case). The only way I could carry my bass was to put something (like a strong box/footlocker/crate) at the back of the front seat and use lots of padding to build an incline for the bass. Then, the scroll would end up at the top of the windshield with the neck going between the two front seats and the bass at about a 35 Deg angle WRT the floor. Needless to say, I only did that once or twice - I sold the Jeep.

Mark
 
Thank so much. The front seat will not fold down in the forward motion. I can sort of get it flat when I lean it wall the way back. Since, i have no back seat, my theory was to load it from the back and let the neck lay across the laid down passenger seat.

Forgive me, I meant to lean the seat back flat, but if you have no back seat, then that method may not work. if you have no back seat the rear load is probably the best option. honestly though, a P-dub says, the best way to figure it out is to try it. I haven't yet met a car I couldn't fit my bass in, at least not one made by the "big 3" auto makers (though I'm sure they exist).
 
i am actually going to use a friends Ford Bronco. It fits in there like a glove. As for, te\he jeep, it is a tight fit. I also fel the jeep may harm the bass by the bridge being slammed because of the tight fit.