Double Bass soundpost

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Guess you weren't here for the five gallon pail of worms we busted open when Traeger's book was published.

I hear you, but I think you were underestimating both the size and contents of the container in question in the Traeger thread.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Jeff Bollbach]

Aw Chris, now yer just showin' off!

 

[Kam]

Regarding the soundpost, mine recently slipped while I was installing a realist pickup. Long story short, after foolishly attempting to reset it myself with crude kitchen tongs and a coat hanger, I took it into John Michael Smith and he reset it in about a minute!

Apparently my bass at one point had multiple posts because this one said "short." Since I don't have the long one, he said he pulled the end that presses against the back a little east to tighten it up a bit, and it plays much easier now!

I guess my point is, as has been stated in previous threads, leave your soundposts to the professionals if you haven't had tons of experience with them!

 

[dragonetti11]

I don't really want to read this whole thread so sorry if someone has already said this. I had my sound post moved and I noticed that the strings felt looser and the whole bass did not feel as tight....not that it was not properly placed before because it was done professionaly.

 

[Bob Branstetter]

Ok, ok.. After careful consideration and a brief re-visit from our old friend/mentor Bob B., I think I should forgive and forget and add Chuck's book to my collection and reading..

So.. where is the best place to buy this book. I want one asap

Ok,ok,ok... Why are you guys so upset about one paragraph in a 360 page book? If you have read the book (you did buy the book didn't you Ken?), you know that Chuck says that this rounding business is experimental. This was mentioned only after spending a full three pages describing how to properly fit a post the traditional way.

As far as the heavy metal machines on old English and Italian basses is concerned, let me say that Chuck Traeger is not the only person in the world with this belief. My feeling is that these great English and Italian basses sound great in spite of the heavy machines. FWIW, I am currently in the process of building a bass for my own personal use and I guarantee you that it will not have heavy metal tuning machines. I have a set of beautiful brass machines sitting in a box in my shop. I'll put them on a bass that I plan to sell since some folks are impressed by that sort of thing.

The Traeger book is titled Setup and Repair of the Doublebass for Optimum Sound. Traeger mentions literally hundreds of things that can be done that will improve or may improve that sound of a bass. No single item is responsible for obtaining the total sound we hear. It is a combination of many things which together produce that sound. However, one thing I've learned from 45 years of working on basses is that every bass is different and what works on one bass will not necessarily work on another. What works on old Italian basses may do nothing what so ever for a laminated bass and visa versa. There are things that I would do to a inexpensive laminated bass that I would never think of doing to a museum quality bass. Chuck Traeger probably could have saved himself a lot of grief (from people who get their kicks by quoting him out of context) by simply ignoring what he has learned over the years from experiments on those exception to the rule basses and just modify and regurgitate what has been written before in violin maker's books for the past century or so. Personally, I think he has written a very good book that deserves some respect to go along with the negative comments (mostly by people who have not read the book).