Double Bass Double Bass dings, whacks, and cracks!

[Mrlen613]

So I knew it would happen sooner or later, and last night I didn't quite clear the door with the bass and whacked the top of the scroll. Just a ding but still the first one hurts.

I told the other players in my section and they all had their own stories of mishaps. It made me feel better to know that I'm in good company but it has me curious about what people have had to deal with as far as damage, both big and small. Anyone willing to share?

Also I did try to search before posting this but with no luck- there may be a thread out there though, so forgive me ✌

 

[SAlcott]

Yep. The first one hurts, but now that you've gotten it over with, you can relax. There are two kinds of bass players-those who have had a major accident with their bass, and those who haven't yet had one.

 

[carl h.]

I've got a ding in the kitchen cabinets from my bass bumping them as I passed through. As my bass is a WWII south pacific theater survivor, the kitchen cabinet damage is far more noticeable than the mark on the bass.

 

[rickwolff]

I have one bass I bought new and one I bought Pre-Dinged.

I'll give you 1 guess which one gets out to all the bar gigs (like tonight).

 

[GretschWretch]

Nothing from me, but a guy I know stuck the scroll of his nearly new custom order Christopher into a rotating ceiling fan.

 

[carl h.]

Last week we got a shipment in of new instruments that are a couple steps up from the usual rental stuff the store carries (still eeech, but less icky). I spent Friday getting the bass setup and yesterday when I went in the guy behind the counter asked me about a couple dings on the top of the new bass. I went over and checked it over and couldn't for the life of me see any dings. Now my eyes have been getting progressively less good the last few years so I figured I might be missing something and had him come over to show me. Turned out a rental had been returned and he saw the abuse on it and had mistook it for the new instrument fresh from a setup.

Stuff can happen at any time and anywhere to anyone, but in my shop I'm extremely observant of anything which may mar an instrument so he kind of got me with this misidentification of a dinged new bass.

I guess this was a no dings on a new instrument story that could have ended with a whack.

 

[GretschWretch]

As ominous as dings, whacks, and cracks sound, that still is less unnerving than hearing your DB go snap, crackle, pop.

 

[SAlcott]

As ominous as dings, whacks, and cracks sound, that still is less unnerving than hearing your DB go snap, crackle, pop.

Been there, done that. I know a guy who bought a beautiful 200 year old Italian bass and knocked the scroll off on an escalator on the way to his first gig with it. It's a big awkward instrument, and stuff is gonna happen. That's why there are bass luthiers.

 

[Don Hergert]

Hmmm, my Alcoa just makes a big noise when I bump it, sort of like a big round metal trash can. Although it does have a number of dents and scars from past ownerships. For me, one of the nice things about having an old well used instrument is that I feel less guilty about new dings that I put in it.

This is not to say this bass isn't fragile in some areas... I'm keeping a special eye on the tuners and on the end pin plug (which is cracked), and I watch the bridge and tailpiece pretty carefully.

Happily, this bass doesn't sound like a trash can when I play it.

 

[Povl Carstensen]

Entering the stage at a gig abroad, I hit the bridge against the metal rim of a fire door (it was dark and/or I was stressed). A piece of the bridge came of, but luckily all four strings were still in place...

 

[bengreen]

Got to see a new bass build being "antiqued" at ISB convention. About half a dozen luthiers wacking, scratching and rubbing ersatz dirt into a beautiful new finish. The process involved bricks and garden spades if I remember right.

Despite the crude tools, you would be amazed at how much analytical thought goes into recreating what 200 years worth of the random "oops" you're going through now results in.

 

[BobKay]

Tripped in the driveway a couple of years ago. Bass fell flat on its back, scroll hit first, and snapped the neck at the heel. It was one year old. Tore my bicep muscle off at the elbow. It was 68 years old.

 

[Mrlen613]

Tripped in the driveway a couple of years ago. Bass fell flat on its back, scroll hit first, and snapped the neck at the heel. It was one year old. Tore my bicep muscle off at the elbow. It was 68 years old.

Hope both of them were repaired and doing well!

 

[BobKay]

Hope both of them were repaired and doing well!

New neck on the bass. Nothing to do for the bicep. Dr calls it the "Popeye" effect.

 

[statsc]

Here's what's happened to my mid-1800's Tyrolean in the 38 years I've owned it:

• Fiddle player jammed a car seat into its upper side - repaired
• Dobro player dropped the peg head end of his dobro through the lower side - repaired
• Guitar player knocked it off its stand; fall broken by the scroll hitting a countertop; neck cracked near the scroll - repaired; a year and a half later still holding my breath on this one!

Played it on a gig last night; still sounds and plays great!