Double Bass Endpin Wobble on Harley Benton Bass

[Dan_]

Hi All,

So I've been playing bass guitar for quite a few years now and recently got myself an electric upright. I got it because I've always thought they were cool, and I wanted to experiment with some bow/effects pedal stuff to see what kind of whacky noises I could make.

I don't expect to master it or anything like that, it's kind of a fun side project atm, but I'm enjoying it. The only issue I have is that when I have the endpin out long enough that I can play standing, it wobbles like crazy which makes the whole playing experience very difficult.

I've never played an instrument similar to this before, and I don't know anybody else that I can ask for advice so I kind of just wanted to see if I could benefit from this communities experience.

My assumption is that the endpin isn't stiff enough, and that buying a new, better endpin might solve my problem(?) if that's true, how interchangeable are endpins? could I could straight swap one for another.

I mainly just don't want to spend money without checking with people that know what they're talking about.

For anyone interested, this is the bass.

 

[Francois Blais]

Do you have an idea of the material used for the endpin?
And what is its diameter?
I'd be tempted to suggest getting a carbon fiber rod.

 

[MonetBass]

Sounds like either the endpin hole is too big for the pin, or you have it out so far that the stop screw doesn't have enough to grab, causing the wobble.

 

[Dan_]

Do you have an idea of the material used for the endpin?
And what is its diameter?
I'd be tempted to suggest getting a carbon fiber rod.

The diameter looks to be 10mm, but I couldn't tell you what the material is. It's not cold to the touch so not metal, honestly it feels like plastic.

Sounds like either the endpin hole is too big for the pin, or you have it out so far that the stop screw doesn't have enough to grab, causing the wobble.

It does seem to be more stable when I'm sitting and the pin is further in to the body of the bass, but the rod itself seems to flex when too much of it is exposed.

 

[MonetBass]

The diameter looks to be 10mm, but I couldn't tell you what the material is. It's not cold to the touch so not metal, honestly it feels like plastic.

It does seem to be more stable when I'm sitting and the pin is further in to the body of the bass, but the rod itself seems to flex when too much of it is exposed.

Sounds like it might be plastic, which is not a good material for an endpin. Look into getting a steel one.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Every endpin I got with my Staggs (2 older design, 1 with more sturdy headstock) has a metal endpin.

If you took it out wide enough, it is still a bit wobbly, but with the body support (best if bent a bit in a bowed shape on the upper part and wrapped with rubber foam) it should be stable enough.

You can still get a 10 mm steel rod, file dents and a spike in it, but taking out the old endpin might be a bit difficult.
I did that for my big acoustic DB when I lost the original endpin during a bicycle transport. Took a few hours as the steel was hard, but works better than the original one. Just doesn‘t look as nice.

Inform yourself or better ask a teacher to show you how to play a DB. This is very different from BG, and at least a few hours help to avoid injuries.

For what you want to try a Stagg is good enough, but bowing is a bit difficult as the fingerboard and bridge curvature is rather on the low side (similar to a 5-string DB).

 

[Dan_]

Thanks for all the advice, I think I'll get a steel endpin for it. I kind of thought that would be the solution but upright bass is one of those areas where I don't know what I don't know, y'know.

@DoubleMIDI I would take classes but I'm in a small town in the north of England and there are no teachers within a convenient driving distance, at least not that I can find online so for now at least, youtube is my teacher.

As I said I'm taking it slow, trying to be conscious of any tensions so I don't hurt myself lol (I thought I had calluses already from playing bass guitar but I was surprised to find sore fingertips from the db strings )

 

[DoubleMIDI]

Even a few hours by an online teacher would be helpful to check your hand/arm and holding the instrument correctly would be helpful since with YouTube only, nobody can check if you do it correctly.
If you really don’t find anybody, take a video of yourself holding and playing it from different perspectives and compare that with the YouTube videos.