Double Bass Detachable wheels for flight case: Warning - MacGyver bass nerd content

[Groove Doctor]

In theory, the casters wouldn't touch the ground when the case was upright, but would roll when at an angle.

Spinning castors are best when the bracket is horizontal. Tilting them with wheel facing forward they go bezerk. (Try doing a wheelie on a shopping trolley!!) Fixed wheels much better for this.

Tilting with wheel facing backwards much better eg. like they’re on the bottom of the suitcase.


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[Chris Fitzgerald]

Progris Riport: after several trips to hardware stores, a number of folks with much stronger MacGyver-Foo than I possess haveweighed in that I’m more likely to end up frustrated in the terminal than anything else if I try to attach wheels to the bottom of the case in any form other than permanently attached.

I think for this trip, I’ll just fashion a shoulder strap for the case and see how that goes. My first thought is to simply take the strap from the bass case and close the ends of it inside the flight case. Will report back once I’ve tried.

 

[Sam Sherry]

I’ll just fashion a shoulder strap for the case and see how that goes. My first thought is to simply take the strap from the bass case and close the ends of it inside the flight case.

You're gonna bend the aluminum valence. Drill some hook sockets in there, Durrl. Think Link Removed.

Travel safe and have fun!

 

[Groove Doctor]

My first thought is to simply take the strap from the bass case and close the ends of it inside the flight case.

It runs the risk of bending the case/strap popping out, or worse, the latches failing & contents spill out over the floor.

Either

- attach a belly strap to make sure it doesn’t fall open (I’ve used gaffe tape to secure case lids), or better still...

- simply tie each end of the shoulder strap to its own belly strap. A piece of rope, a shoelace, luggage strap, etc will do. A small piece of tape over the belly strap will keep it in place and prevent it sliding along the case (& stop you losing it ).


el buen viaje!

 

[damonsmith]

I know a 'cellist who has those on her flight case! Another move is to just get it to attach to a roller bag, and undo it at the gate.

I would start here....

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[Chris Fitzgerald]

Points by @Sam Sherry and @Groove Doctor well taken. I think I've found a solution for this trip at least. The little strap that is meant to carry the soft bag the neck travels in can be taken off and clipped onto the handle (pics below). The weight distribution is a little awkward, but I figure with the neck on one side and my man purse on the other, it should be a lot easier than handle carrying the damn thing from gate to gate. Last time on the reno trip, there was about 1/4-1/3 mile trek in the Dallas airport to make the connecting flight, which is what got me thinking about all of this in the first place.

 

[Don Hergert]

Hmmm, that'd have my neck sore for a few days at least, especially for the DFW transfer trek... And since I had my C3-C4-C5 fusion, which I often forget about, it's a complete no-no.

Short of a better solution, I'd be using one of these foldable wagons. I've used this to board ships with all our other music equipment (guitar, banjo, mandolin, chairs, stands, etc.), and it's very handy, wouldn't leave home without it. My wife pulls it, I push the DB on a Bass Buggie.

 

[Don Kasper]

Points by @Sam Sherry and @Groove Doctor well taken. I think I've found a solution for this trip at least. The little strap that is meant to carry the soft bag the neck travels in can be taken off and clipped onto the handle (pics below). The weight distribution is a little awkward, but I figure with the neck on one side and my man purse on the other, it should be a lot easier than handle carrying the damn thing from gate to gate. Last time on the reno trip, there was about 1/4-1/3 mile trek in the Dallas airport to make the connecting flight, which is what got me thinking about all of this in the first place.View attachment 3410332View attachment 3410334

TSA has been RED Alerted!
You're Welcome!

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

@dhergert - I hear you. Part of the reason I'm thinking about this is my recent back issues - a herniated disc between L4-L5 that has since healed thanks to the wonderful Mackenzie therapy I was recommended to by an in-law in the medical profession (he's an hospital internist who has been through his own odyssey with back issues). The original injury started in typical bass player fashion: I was leaving a nice gig and had the bass over one shoulder and the dolly in the other hand. Some folks in the audience got me talking, and I forgot to put the bass down, thinking I would leave any minute. After 10 minutes, that area started to hurt so I put it down. A couple of nights later, I woke up at 2 AM in agony and unable to straighten my left leg. To the ER I went, and the rest is a rather painful history that is about 90% healed at this point.

Anyway, short version is that the MacKenzie therapist said that in addition to certain postural exercises I need to do for the foreseeable future, it's better to balance the weight on both sides for treks like those airport ones; for a single bag with a shoulder strap, cross your body with the strap and let the weight hang behind you; for hikes, TWO STRAPS on the backpack, please!

@Don Kasper a few years back some of the kids in the program nicknamed me "bØnes", after the Hitman video game character. It kind of became a meme for a minute there.


Don't get the TSA started...I'll never make it to Ecuador!

 

[Don Hergert]

... thanks to the wonderful Mackenzie therapy ...

I'm glad it's working for you!!!

It's amazing really, double basses typically only weight ~25 - ~30 pounds... But they are big, and the leverage that they apply when a person is trying to carry them can be very unhealthy. Of course, add a hard case, or a bass bag with pockets full of DB setup/tech goodies and pretty soon we're talking ~50+ pounds.

... a few years back some of the kids in the program nicknamed me "bØnes", after the Hitman video game character. It kind of became a meme for a minute there.
https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/img_2599-2-jpg.3410381/ https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/hitmanabsolution-png.3410382/

I can see the resemblance...

If it's any consolation, I'm known as "The Monopoly Guy (and his wife)" in some circles...

 

[peterpalmieri]

Something like this could work with some Macgyver-ing

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[Groove Doctor]

How did it go @Chris Fitzgerald ?

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Great, actually. The shoulder strap on the flight case was perfect, although that plus my man purse strung criss-cross around my neck came dangerously close to a BJJ cross collar choke while walking through the terminal. I learned a few things on the trip:

1) The neck case will not stow in the overheads of a 757 and will have to be gate checked. So far it fits on every other plane.
2) Sometimes when you gate check an item, it gets thrown on the conveyor rather than handed back to you when you exit the plane.
3) Sometimes the flight case containing the body of the bass will get thrown on the conveyor rather than cautiously wheeled down as it was when they take it from the counter.
4) This bass is not like any other bass when it comes to amplification. I have to approach it with a completely open mind as if i know nothing, because if I try all the things that work on my other basses, it doesn't work the same way.
5) The bass feels and sounds great acoustically with the 3885 set on it, but amplifying it is tricky, especially with strange backline in foreign countries.
6) Assuming I get the amplification issues worked out and decide to keep it, I would be wise to have padded outer cases that zip made for the flight cases, because fiberglass gets pretty dinged up under the plane, and the resulting splinters you get from realizing this too late SUCK. Fortunately, David Messina lives in my town, so I'm sure this would be easy to work out.

 

[peterpalmieri]

Sounds like a great trip overall.

With regard to amplification, the first thing you should consider is gigging the bass locally and make sure it is dialed in from an ideal amplification set up.

IMO I have owned the travel bass for 8 years, I’ve been keeping my ears open since Barrie first started making them and I’ve been going to Barrie since the mid 90s. Folks have experimented with different strings, Evah’s and Spiros. I tried both and some others ended back with kolstein strings. Also lots of experiments with different piezos and mics. I again ended back at the planet wing pickup.

I’ve really haven’t found someone who’s more permanently settled into something better then how Barrie sends them out. Maybe Evah’s being the exception, pickups not so much.