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Double Bass Solid wood endpin

#2
bassteban said:
Does anyone have info on these? Ron Carter uses one made of snakewood. Thanks.
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A wood endpin would have to be custom made for a particular bass. Any luthier that is half way decent using a lathe could make one for you. There was a time when nearly all basses had wood endpins.

Former NYC luthier Charles Traeger wrote a paper for the Catgut Acoustical Society in which he talked about how the increased acoustic coupling between a wood endpin and the floor produced greater sound output. I've never tried it myself because I'm not willing to give up the convenience changing heights obtainable with an adjustable endpin.
 
#3
Bob Branstetter said:
A wood endpin would have to be custom made for a particular bass. Any luthier that is half way decent using a lathe could make one for you. There was a time when nearly all basses had wood endpins.

Former NYC luthier Charles Traeger wrote a paper for the Catgut Acoustical Society in which he talked about how the increased acoustic coupling between a wood endpin and the floor produced greater sound output. I've never tried it myself because I'm not willing to give up the convenience changing heights obtainable with an adjustable endpin.
Click to expand...

Bob

back in the day, when all endpins were wood, did the tailpiece attach to the endpin or a separate knob? Were the endpins removable? Did different size people use different lengths? Just curious. By the way I saw an old Italian bass at World of Strings recently that iseems to be in current orchestral use (based on the strings that were on it) which had the old style boxwood endpin. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to ask Jon about it.

Jon
 
#4
jneuman said:
Bob

back in the day, when all endpins were wood, did the tailpiece attach to the endpin or a separate knob? Were the endpins removable? Did different size people use different lengths?
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Sorry, but I'm not old enough to have been around when most endpins were wood. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that they tailpiece wire went around the endpin. Otherwise, there would be a lot more basses with the separate knob around today. Most of the old wood endpins I've seen have a removable "rod" portion that was tapered on one end to fit the socket part. Perhaps they were made long and the player would cut or have it cut off to the desired length. I don't really know. However, as it is today, it would be a simple matter to make the "rod" portion any length you wanted it on a wood lathe.
 
#5
jneuman said:
Bob

back in the day, when all endpins were wood, did the tailpiece attach to the endpin or a separate knob? Were the endpins removable? Did different size people use different lengths? Just curious. By the way I saw an old Italian bass at World of Strings recently that iseems to be in current orchestral use (based on the strings that were on it) which had the old style boxwood endpin. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to ask Jon about it.
My understanding (from a Bassplayer article) is that you would have one full size- tailored to your size- for playing & a short one for transport.
Jon
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#6
Bob Branstetter said:
Sorry, but I'm not old enough to have been around when most endpins were wood. However, I think it's a pretty safe bet that they tailpiece wire went around the endpin. Otherwise, there would be a lot more basses with the separate knob around today. Most of the old wood endpins I've seen have a removable "rod" portion that was tapered on one end to fit the socket part. Perhaps they were made long and the player would cut or have it cut off to the desired length. I don't really know. However, as it is today, it would be a simple matter to make the "rod" portion any length you wanted it on a wood lathe.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, i'm old enough to remember wood end-pins. The wire did go around the plug of the pin, and the owner would have several sizes in his bass bag to accomodate other players. Actually, my Bohmann came with a wooden end-pin. The rod portion was all "turned" like a fancy dinner table leg.
 
#13
You can watch it go in that Shadows of Motown movie, great documentary. I used to be in awe of it because I never saw anybody do dat, and then I saw some of the other old-school guys soloing/playing with just one (can't think of any but Arthur Harper seemed like a one-finger man). Someone else can tell me why Jamerson's hook is so spectacular beside the fact that he grooves so well.

One more thing: Jamerson was a jazz player supposedly, as are the rest of those Motown musicians, and his technique originally comes from DB.
 
#18
Chuck Traeger has done work on my bass and he does replace the endpins-- it is a wooden piece and the pin is a wooden stick just like a soundpost. a small metal disc at the end of the screw puts enough pressure on the stick that you can hold it at any height. you can feel it vibrating if you pluck a string, and when i switch it with a metal pin he gave me that fits the same slot there does seem to be a difference in favor of the wooden. I imagine this would magnify a lot if the wood pin was directly on a floor that resonates -?
 

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