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Double Bass Rib Bumpers

pnchad

pnchad

Nov 3, 2005
2,814
1,263
71
#1
Hello Community,

Who knows the best wood and attachment method to put them little bumpers on the ribs to prevent wear?

I've started seeing them more over the years and need to stop wearing out my edges.

Are they typically hide glued?

thanks!
 
#3
Leather or felt might be a good choice as they are more flexible and less likely to bump off than carved wood ones. (expand+contract at different rates during season changes etc) Until you fix on something nice, you can try out the "floor saver" stick-on felts one buys at the dollar store.

something like..

http://windsorplywood.com/Protective_Felt_Floor_Savers.aspx

but in a complimentary colour for your bass.
 
#10
A section-mate uses this door-edge molding on his new Arvi:

4.jpg


Its available at auto-parts stores. He fit it over all four bouts...it protects the edges and it looks kinda cool too. I'll try to get a pic next time I see him (and his Arvi).
 
#13
Coolest bumpers I have seen are made of leather, and if I understand the installation process correctly, thin leather strips are attached to each edge before varnishing. Once varnish is applied they pretty much disappear. No pictures unfortunately.
 
#14
SunneyBoy said:
I use the fan belt method which I learned on these forums and they work fantastically.
Click to expand...

Specifically, Paul Warburton introduced them on TB and they do work. However, if I am seeing your pic clearly, you used notched fan belts. I think P.W. suggested smooth, unnotched belts. Also, I believe he used hide glue.
Of course the notched belts will work great for outdoor gigs in snow country :D
 
#18
Eric Hochberg said:
Contact cement won't take finish if they come off? You took off the white strip? Did it just peel off?
Click to expand...

Two different luthiers independently suggested contact cement. Yes, the contact cement peels off my finish without leaving a trace.

To remove the agressive, factory-supplied adhesive, I scraped off the 3M adhesive on the Golihur bumpers, washed the rest of the glue off with a little lacquer thinner (wearing protective) gloves, let them dry, dyed them to match my bass a bit better, then used the contact adhesive.

To control the glue on my bass' ribs, I held the bumpers in place, then set masking tape just inside of the bumpers perimeters. In other words, I masked rectangles on the ribs, slightly smaller than the bumpers, then applied adhesive to both these rectangles (on the bass) and the bumpers. Then I let the cement get tacky, removed the masking tape, and pressed the bumpers into place.

Before gluing them on, I also shaved two of the bumpers and built up the thickness of the other two, to accommodate the varying reveal between my ribs and the top/back, as well as to compensate for a twist in my bass. In other words, although my bass is slightly twisted, it sits evenly on a flat surface because I varied the bumpers' thickness.

The whole thing was pretty painless and took about 1 1/2 hours, even with the leveling/shaving/gluing up of the bumpers. Tools/supplies used were: masking tape, contact cement, a razor knife (for splitting some bumpers to the right thickness), Titebond (for leather-to-leather bumper buildup/lamination; gluing the waste from two bumpers onto the other two), lacquer thinner, leather dye, shoe polish, a flat surface large enough to lay my bass, paper towels, gloves, tape measure, and a pencil. If I can do it, anyone can...
 

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