I have this major pain in the ass end pin that is basicaly a wing nut that screws into the side of a metal rod. the pin moves when i lean on the bass, the stopper at the end is too small, and i hurt my hands trying to tighten and loosen the screw. is there any way i can replace it?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass End Pin Problems
- Thread starter quatre03
- Start date
Jeff Bollbach
Jeff Bollbach Luthier, Inc.
quatre03 said:
I don't see the need for replacing the whole endpin. Maybe you'll need to replace only the screw and stopper. Does your endpin rod have bevels or notches? Those help avoiding the rod slipping inside the endpin machine. Mine didn't have any, so a used a small grinding stone (with a rotary tool) to make a couple where I knew my bass needed them.
I also had to replace the screwn once. I bought one from SWString (here ), although I had to do some adjustments for it to fit the endpin's thread.
For the endpin stop Bob, has some nice tips (Link Removed). Or you can also buy the VIP stuff, the Super End Ball (Link Removed or at SWS ).
If you are the kind of guy who works with tools and risks himself and his bass experimenting with fixes, you can surely do this yourself. If not, an local luthier may replace the whole endpin machine for you.
Cheers,
A new end pin costs less than a set of strings and lasts for years and years. Also, I've had experience where replacing a crap endpin with a good one improves the sound of the bass. Just drop the $100 or so bux and be done with it.
A crappy end pin can go down on you....Let me put that another way.....
A crappy end-pin can come crashing down on you and break the end block!!!
Get a new, functioning end-pin. And as Ray said, it can improve your sound.
Will definately improve your playing, because you'll be able to relax and know it's going to hold.
A crappy end-pin can come crashing down on you and break the end block!!!
Get a new, functioning end-pin. And as Ray said, it can improve your sound.
Will definately improve your playing, because you'll be able to relax and know it's going to hold.
A well-made endpin proves it's value every time you use the bass. If you play out and carry the bass around very much at all, it's one of the better investments you can make to increase the joy of playing.
I paid around $130 or so for the KC Strings pin. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
An endpin that gives you a very solid, stable and dependable foundation, yet can be easily and quickly collapsed when needed, is worth the money. Why hastle with junk when something that works well isn't that much more money? As Ray noted, the very best endpins cost less than the average strings.
No one ever said bassin' was cheap!!
I paid around $130 or so for the KC Strings pin. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
An endpin that gives you a very solid, stable and dependable foundation, yet can be easily and quickly collapsed when needed, is worth the money. Why hastle with junk when something that works well isn't that much more money? As Ray noted, the very best endpins cost less than the average strings.
No one ever said bassin' was cheap!!
i had a situation like this about a year ago, and i thought i could "make do" up to and including having to use pliers to tighten and loosen the thing. Well, during a show the key totally broke off and i was stuck dealing with a less than ergonomic position for two or three shows before i was back at my luthier demanding the best endpin he could get on there that same day.
I'm happy, have no problems, and though the original endpin did not buzz or rattle I can assure you the sound of the bass improved clearly.
DO IT.
it'll make you feel good.
I'm happy, have no problems, and though the original endpin did not buzz or rattle I can assure you the sound of the bass improved clearly.
DO IT.
it'll make you feel good.
Quatre03,
Lose the end pin that is giving you all that trouble. As Murphy states "..it will fail on you when you need it the most" and as Paul said it just may screw up your bass. I had a bad replacement end pin holder on my Juzek and I almost dropped the bass when it failed. I threw the damn piece of junk away the next morning. If it fails, its' junk.
Potentially damaging your bass should not be an option.
Jim
Lose the end pin that is giving you all that trouble. As Murphy states "..it will fail on you when you need it the most" and as Paul said it just may screw up your bass. I had a bad replacement end pin holder on my Juzek and I almost dropped the bass when it failed. I threw the damn piece of junk away the next morning. If it fails, its' junk.
Potentially damaging your bass should not be an option.
Jim
Jim Henderson said:
That couldn't be more true. I'm playing on a university Meisel, and the end pin is the crummiest piece of garbage I know of. The end pin keeps slipping, but it decides to do this a couple days before each concert so far this semester. The end pin is HORRIBLE. The screw doesn't even make contact with the end pin rod, what it does is it has a ring inside the plug that the end pin rod goes through, and when you tighten the screw, it draws the end pin rod against the ebony plug. And the plug doesn't yield enough friction. I tried taping the end pin with some electrical tape to try to make it stay up, and it slipped a good 2 inches, TWICE in one rehearsal tonight. ARGG! I really don't want to start bass shopping, I was hoping to save that for around the time I graduate, so I could get a bass that would last me a LONG time.
Silly endpin question - please excuse the ignorance...
I notice from looking at bass construction pictures that the endpin, even if adjustable by a locking screw, sits inside a tapered plug. This has got me wondering - when you transport the bass and want to retract the pin, do you slacken off the screw and withdraw the whole pin, or do you pull the plug and pin out together as a unit? Obviously if you can take the whole unit out you can leave the pin at your preferred height, but I don't want to wrestle mine out if it's supposed to stay there...
I notice from looking at bass construction pictures that the endpin, even if adjustable by a locking screw, sits inside a tapered plug. This has got me wondering - when you transport the bass and want to retract the pin, do you slacken off the screw and withdraw the whole pin, or do you pull the plug and pin out together as a unit? Obviously if you can take the whole unit out you can leave the pin at your preferred height, but I don't want to wrestle mine out if it's supposed to stay there...
unless you have a more unusual setup on your bass, the tailgut hooks around the plug, which would make it quite hard to remove, not to mention you would have to majorly loosen the strings on your bass every time you wanted to put it back in...
if you want to have an easier time finding the right position on the endpin, just set it to the right height, and make a small mark on the pin with a sharpie or other permanent marker so you can easily see it when you are extending the pin
if you want to have an easier time finding the right position on the endpin, just set it to the right height, and make a small mark on the pin with a sharpie or other permanent marker so you can easily see it when you are extending the pin
Thanks for that. So it's definitely supposed to stay there, then!
I don't have a problem setting or removing my end pin (though the sharpie tip is a good one), I just wanted to fill in a hole in my knowledge...
I don't have a problem setting or removing my end pin (though the sharpie tip is a good one), I just wanted to fill in a hole in my knowledge...
- Dec 13, 1999
- 11,737
- 8,945
- 70
- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
Nivaca said:
Nope, having a solid connection between your bass and the ground can improve projection and clarity of sound. That's what happened on my German bass when I got rid of the crappy end pin and put on a Goetz. You stick your spike into a wood floor and you BET it's gonna sound different than a crappy piece of light metal with a crutch tip.
a better endpin definately improved the tone and volume of my bass...
to see how mich difference it can make, put yr endpin all the way in, and bow an open string, then extend it and try again. Without the endpin you should hear more bass frquencies, and more volume. Most of the difference can be made up with a good endpin, or at least I have found that a tubular hollow endpin made that much difference.
to see how mich difference it can make, put yr endpin all the way in, and bow an open string, then extend it and try again. Without the endpin you should hear more bass frquencies, and more volume. Most of the difference can be made up with a good endpin, or at least I have found that a tubular hollow endpin made that much difference.
