Double Bass Lowering string height of a double bass

[bherman]

I have a hold down jig with Destaco clamps, but I'll also use guitar builder's binding tape. It is strong AF, but I can also saw right through it with no issues. Usually there is a spacer, but for this one the bass was a bit funky. (Also no Sawstop in the photo here. I have a 1946 Unisaw bolted right next to it) I still use a sander like Greg mentioned to fine tune them, but for the initial cut this is fast. Basically- use whatever tools you have on hand and are comfortable with. I'm positive I could do it just as well with a Swiss Army knife; it would just take longer....

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I've shown it before, but here is my massive tablesaw setup for the tool nerds:

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Thanks for showing that - hadn't heard of binding tape, sounds like it could be helpful for lots of things! And that saw rig is impressive, looks solid as hell and big/heavy enough to land a plane on!

I have a friend who makes teardrop trailers and he went the Sawstop route. When you have multiple people using a dangerous piece of gear, the extra cost is not significant in the long run.

 

[Stewie]

I just have a very old Delta 10” Contractor Saw, but now I’m starting to think it might need a three color sunburst finish. I lost half a finger in a router mishap and would gladly pay the 5K to have it back

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

@james condino
Those Saw Stops are amazing. I still remember the creator and president of the company demonstrating it at a trade show. Sure cut up a lot of hot dogs.

But we don’t all have one. My dad tried to freehand a 1 x 4 through a table saw and almost lost his thumb. I tend to err on the side of caution, especially when giving advice on the internet. In this case, the OP should just take it to a bass luthier. If that’s not possible, be very careful.

 

[stefaniw80401]

The problem with @ntang bridge is that someone just bought a nice (Teller) bridge with pre-installed adjusters, and simply quick-fitted it to the top of his bass. It has not been carved properly. I would NOT take it back to that same luthier.

 

[james condino]

The Teller bridges seem to attract a certain type of personality....something like, "...since it already had the adjuster work done, I can slam the rest in place and nobody will notice...."

I much prefer the wood grade and condition of a Despiau as the Teller seem a little softer. I'd guess that they could double their market if they installed the adjusters at the factory. Like everyone who does this daily, I have a nice setup for installing them, but it still adds more time to the process.

It bums me out that I cannot afford the cool old guitars and cars that I owned as a teenager, so the old tools fill a mechanical void. My shop is sort of a museum of vintage instruments and early 20th century machinery. This weekend I brought home a beautiful 1951 Oliver 217 30" bandsaw for the price of an old Kay. It had three (3!!!!) ALCOAs strapped beside it in the trailer. I rented a giant Dodge RAM 2500 + trailer headed up north filled with old stuff and spent my entire 2021 fuel costs for my old Prius in one weekend!

 

[eh_train]

Basically- use whatever tools you have on hand and are comfortable with.

Words to live by!

Also, glad to see that a bunch of people are into discussing the mechanics of this.

 

[bradd]

The problem with @ntang bridge is that someone just bought a nice (Teller) bridge with pre-installed adjusters, and simply quick-fitted it to the top of his bass. It has not been carved properly. I would NOT take it back to that same luthier.

That's a factory bridge. Look at the neck to determine why the adjusters are all the way down and still to high. I'm guessing a lot of forward bow.