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Double Bass Road Trip! Help keep my bass safe

M

Masters2010

Jul 30, 2006
64
0
Chepachet, RI
#1
Hi there, I am gearing up for a cross country road trip and I want to keep my double bass as safe as possible. Do you have any recommendations? The bass will be on top of some other things, on it's back, in the back of my truck with a cap cover. The space is not air conditioned - should I wrap it in a blanket for extra insulation? Should I open the side cap windows while I drive? I will certainly take the instrument into my hotel room at night. Please let me know if you have any advice.

Thanks!
 
#3
If you take it into a hotel at nights, it lives in its bag and needs to be hydrated. Hotels are notoriously dry and will suck the moisture out of your bass. Make sure it doesnt happen to yours.

I dont think keeping it in the back of a truck sounds like a very good idea.
 
#4
Eric is right, you don't want the bass to get too hot, and you especially don't want to leave it in a hot area for an extended period of time. Even if it is not hot outside, the climate inside you cap can get pretty inhospitable in short order.

I have a tonneau cover on my pickup, and I get pretty nervous if my bass stays back there for more than an hour. I have taken some extended road trips and found my bass to be a little warmer than I would have liked- but fortunately no damage occurred.

Your profile says you live in Rhode Island, are you taking the northern route across or will you be going south? That could make a lot of difference.

Best advice- travel when the sun is not high in the sky- avoid from 10 or 11(ish) am until 5 or 6 or so in the evening. Yeah, I know- prolly not feasible, but worth considering.

If you find yourself driving under heavy sun for too long, pull over and find some shade.

Rain is your friend, especially if your cap does not leak!

Also, beware of thieves! You don't want to advertise that there might be something of value in your storage area- other wise a pit stop could be disastrous!

Best of luck!

Joe

PS: DEFINITELY keep your rosin up in the cab with you!!!
Trust me! lol!
 
#5
Thanks for the input. I don't have an alternative to transporting it in the back of the truck, it is either that or leave it behind, and I really don't want to do that. Unfortunately I don't have the option of only driving early morning and late afternoon, either.

My current plan is to wrap it a blanket, perhaps try to get a second bass case around it, travel with the side windows of the cap down, park in the shade, and take it in at night. Is there anything else I can do?
 
#6
Don't lay the bass on its back. Too much pressure on the scroll. I lay mine with the G side down on the passenger side of the truck bed with the back against the wheel well and tie it down around the endpin and below the scroll. Haven't had a problem yet.

In terms of temperature, wrap the cover in a white sheet. You want to reflect as much heat as possible. One of those silver "space blankets" might provide even better thermal protection.
 
#9
In response to Violen: I am moving across the country for at least the next couple of years and I would really like to have my double bass. Should I instead ship it? Or rent a flight case and fly with it back when I come east to visit? How much might that cost?
 
#10
Masters2010 said:
Just to clarify, the bass will be sitting with its back on some soft bags and with the neck elevated, there will be no pressure on the scroll.
Click to expand...

That's exactly how I've always carried my bass whether in a VW bug, a station wagon or a truck. Support most of the weight on its back. In my old '64 bug the scroll just fit on the passenger-side handle above the glove box with the back resting on the back and front seat tops. No head rests then :D
 
#11
You said Road Trip.

I have never heard anyone use the words "Road Trip" for "Moving across country."

Other people have given good advice for moving it. The best you can do is just check it frequently when you get gas. this isnt political, but get your conceal carry :P
 
#13
Masters2010 said:
Thanks for the input. I don't have an alternative to transporting it in the back of the truck, it is either that or leave it behind, and I really don't want to do that. Unfortunately I don't have the option of only driving early morning and late afternoon, either.

My current plan is to wrap it a blanket, perhaps try to get a second bass case around it, travel with the side windows of the cap down, park in the shade, and take it in at night. Is there anything else I can do?
Click to expand...

Do your bass a favour and line the top of the canopy with foil/bubble/bubble/foil water heater insulation. That material does a GREAT job of rejecting heat when its properly applied. Do the whole canopy - stick it right on to the canopy with polyurethane caulk. That way, the ventilation from the side windows can have an effect.

You might also get yourself a maximum/minimum thermometer (think greenhouse supply) so that you can get some real data as to what's going on back there.

Good luck! ;)
 
#14
I once took my carved bass from Edmonton Ab (late March, early spring weather) in the back of a van, across rough roads in northern saskatchewan, onto a slow train to Churchill Manitoba on the shores of Hudson Bay (late winter,-30 degrees, arctic conditions) over a 72 hour period, stayed for a week, then came back. I had no problems with the bass whatsoever, then or now.

That being said, the bubble wrap roof liner sounds like a great idea.

And the bass travelled on the g-string side.
 
#19
Jack Clark said:
Regarding a different type of bass safety, when you leave it alone in your hotel/motel room, you might want to put the Do Not Disturb sign on your door knob. (Don't let anyone see you doing it as you leave.) Might make a thief think you're inside sleeping. Can't hurt, I don't think.
Click to expand...

Good idea! I do that frequently when I leave a room for a period and don't want anyone in there. It may also help to attach one of these to the bass bag:
images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSl59_TveenADGqQQLOD_mvGELOHYJzzYIfd9Da5AJW-Fee1z-i.jpg
 
#20
What kind of bass is it? If it's plywood, don't worry about it. If it's carved the heat can damage the finish more than anything depending on how it's finished.

At night - It's summer so I'd just leave it in my car (I would do this with my hand carved Solano without worrying) and in this time of year you don't need extra humidification - especially with heat.... That is how hyde glue comes undone (which is what your seams should be glued with).
 

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