Hi. I did the posting for the copper tube/steel cable tool. In my research for setting the sound post, I found that the grain of the post is supposed to be perpendicular to the grain of the top. Of course, if the post is bevelled, the bevels have to be in the correct direction with respect to the slope of the top and bottom faces of the instrument. The upper end of the post is not normally directly underneath the foot of the bridge, but offset towards the bottom of the instrument. I initially located the post under the foot of the bridge, and it killed the sound. I moved it about about 3/4" down from the foot, and the sound is much much better.
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Double Bass Sound Post Fell/Fixed That/Now Action Changed???
- Thread starter Nate74
- Start date
McDave, I love your design. I actually had two feet of tubing so made one foot into a "Grabber" like your design and use the other one as my "pusher" by running a thick solid wire down the center of the copper. The two together were much stiffer, but I could still make the correct shape to get in there and nudge the post as needed. Of course the real time saver was this:
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I got the Chinese made version for 11 bucks at Pep Boys. I wrapped the teeth in duct tape to keep it from tearing up the spruce too much and was able to not only place the post but then rotate it as needed.
Yeah, the bevels made it pretty easy to orient it correctly. I have it about an inch "Down" from the g-string bridge foot and it seems to sounds as good as I can get it to.
The thing with the action is still a bit of a mystery but I'm wondering if having been playing my Eminence EUB a lot lately has my hands re-calibrated to slightly lower action...
Thanks to all for the tips and suggestions, I'm really glad I tackled this on my own. Very simple once you get your head wrapped around it. And knowing that my plywood bass could withstand a few attempts was helpful to motivate me as well.
Link Removed
I got the Chinese made version for 11 bucks at Pep Boys. I wrapped the teeth in duct tape to keep it from tearing up the spruce too much and was able to not only place the post but then rotate it as needed.
Yeah, the bevels made it pretty easy to orient it correctly. I have it about an inch "Down" from the g-string bridge foot and it seems to sounds as good as I can get it to.
The thing with the action is still a bit of a mystery but I'm wondering if having been playing my Eminence EUB a lot lately has my hands re-calibrated to slightly lower action...
Thanks to all for the tips and suggestions, I'm really glad I tackled this on my own. Very simple once you get your head wrapped around it. And knowing that my plywood bass could withstand a few attempts was helpful to motivate me as well.
Hey Nate,
Great tool! I want one too!
(My soundpost never dropped during the 20 years having my bass, but who knows...)
What is the closed inner diameter of the front of the plier?
I have seen two of them on Amazon and Ebay in Germany (called "Schlauchklemmzange" over here, but not all of them are of this design), one with an 1/2-inch and one with a 1/4-inch grip.
I think the 1/2-inch would be better, hoping that the soundpost could be grabbed by it.
A great hint. Maybe a bit too heavy to carry it around all the time, but really nice to have one at home.
Jörg
Great tool! I want one too!
(My soundpost never dropped during the 20 years having my bass, but who knows...)
What is the closed inner diameter of the front of the plier?
I have seen two of them on Amazon and Ebay in Germany (called "Schlauchklemmzange" over here, but not all of them are of this design), one with an 1/2-inch and one with a 1/4-inch grip.
I think the 1/2-inch would be better, hoping that the soundpost could be grabbed by it.
A great hint. Maybe a bit too heavy to carry it around all the time, but really nice to have one at home.
Jörg
You are packing around a 40 pound bass / bag /bows / with piles of junk in the pockets and you're worried about a 4 ounce tool being too heavy to carry around to a gig where your job depends upon the bass working properly??????
Yeah, as a guy who used to take a SWR 4x10, SWR 1x15 and 6 space rack to every show, that set of pliers ain't much at all
Especially if it gets me back up and running and able to finish a gig...
If I go by car I won't worry about the weight, but going by bus/train is another thing. I won't think about the pliers if I carry a a 1x15 box, but if I try to travel as light as possible this might add up. But if I can't reach it quickly at home I would might it with me. I'm probably privileged living in european climate.
As I said, with my two basses I had, my soundpost has never fallen, so I'm not too afraid I will need this tool too often. But it is good to have one, at least for experimenting with different soundpost positions.
As I said, with my two basses I had, my soundpost has never fallen, so I'm not too afraid I will need this tool too often. But it is good to have one, at least for experimenting with different soundpost positions.
@Nate73:
Do you have a weapon license fo the star adjuster?
I'm sure you only use it in emergency situations. ;-)
Just repeating my unanswered question:
What is the closed inner diameter of the front end of the pliers?
Do you have a weapon license fo the star adjuster?
I'm sure you only use it in emergency situations. ;-)
Just repeating my unanswered question:
What is the closed inner diameter of the front end of the pliers?
traditional setter is a tool of grace and beauty, in the right hands...
call ya' when i need a couple of hydraulic lifters yanked.
call ya' when i need a couple of hydraulic lifters yanked.
@DoubleMIDI - The tool pictured in my post is just representative, and honestly much nicer looking than the one I found. If you spend a moment on Google, you'll see they come in all sorts of diameters. The pair I got started at 1/2" but of course the layers of duct tape decreased that. Since I don't really need them to completely close around the rod, just hold it securely, it seems that being undersized is working out. It has put a few depressions into the rod, but nothing too deep and obviously nothing that effects anything once in place.
@forester - I'd love to be a master with it, but I figure I could spend years perfecting using the traditional setter tool, or use tools that let me do the same exact thing in far less time and get back to actually playing my instrument. And of course, the next time I'm at a show and there's an automotive emergency, I'm clearly well positioned to be a hero should it involve hydraulic lifters...
@forester - I'd love to be a master with it, but I figure I could spend years perfecting using the traditional setter tool, or use tools that let me do the same exact thing in far less time and get back to actually playing my instrument. And of course, the next time I'm at a show and there's an automotive emergency, I'm clearly well positioned to be a hero should it involve hydraulic lifters...
Thanks Nate. That's exactly what I wanted to know.
I used traditional soundpost setting tools during my school days on small size string instruments, but never on a bass. (Luckily I didn't need to.)
I think Nate's tool will get you faster to a playable instrument again in case of an emergency. The fine adjustment, if needed, could be made later with the traditional tools and more time and space.
I used traditional soundpost setting tools during my school days on small size string instruments, but never on a bass. (Luckily I didn't need to.)
I think Nate's tool will get you faster to a playable instrument again in case of an emergency. The fine adjustment, if needed, could be made later with the traditional tools and more time and space.
