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Taking a bass on a wheelchair

themickster

themickster

Oct 4, 2015
3,406
5,166
#1
Here's how I can take a bass on my two wheelchairs. One wheelchair is electric ; the other is acoustic. The gig bag straps thread over the top of the electric wheelchair's backrest and down behind it. The other wheelchair doesn't have the right backrest for that. The net and straps shown are a pannier made for taking guitars on the back of wheelchairs. It's adapted from one made for taking guitars on cycles. I already had a cycle one, before I needed a wheelchair, and asked the maker to adapt the design for me.
 

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#4
themickster said:
Here's how I can take a bass on my two wheelchairs. One wheelchair is electric ; the other is acoustic. The gig bag straps thread over the top of the electric wheelchair's backrest and down behind it. The other wheelchair doesn't have the right backrest for that. The net and straps shown are a pannier made for taking guitars on the back of wheelchairs. It's adapted from one made for taking guitars on cycles. I already had a cycle one, before I needed a wheelchair, and asked the maker to adapt the design for me.
Click to expand...

I'm out of the biz but custom seating / mobility was a component of our realm. I'd be looking at the hardware which can be mounted to the lower frame members of a manual W/C and improvising. We used to install trays / platforms for ventilators, oxygen cylinder holders, and telescopic IV poles (!). A lot depends on the chair's build characteristics. High-back reclining W/C's have a removable, articulating stiffening bar but I doubt this applies. Given an hour at Lowe's, I bet I could scrounge up hardware to mount cross-members to a garden variety IV pole.

Addendum / afterthought: depending on the push bar real estate, we could cobble together a cross-bar between the two with wing nuts for rapid removal. If you never collapse / fold-up the chair, that capability may be a non-issue.

Riis
 
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#5
themickster said:
Here's how I can take a bass on my two wheelchairs. One wheelchair is electric ; the other is acoustic. The gig bag straps thread over the top of the electric wheelchair's backrest and down behind it. The other wheelchair doesn't have the right backrest for that. The net and straps shown are a pannier made for taking guitars on the back of wheelchairs. It's adapted from one made for taking guitars on cycles. I already had a cycle one, before I needed a wheelchair, and asked the maker to adapt the design for me.
Click to expand...
laughing puppets.webp


As for the mods........
the-simpsons-mr-burns.png.webp
 
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#6
Zooberwerx said:
I'm out of the biz but custom seating / mobility was a component of our realm. I'd be looking at the hardware which can be mounted to the lower frame members of a manual W/C and improvising. We used to install trays / platforms for ventilators, oxygen cylinder holders, and telescopic IV poles (!). A lot depends on the chair's build characteristics. High-back reclining W/C's have a removable, articulating stiffening bar but I doubt this applies. Given an hour at Lowe's, I bet I could scrounge up hardware to mount cross-members to a garden variety IV pole.

Addendum / afterthought: depending on the push bar real estate, we could cobble together a cross-bar between the two with wing nuts for rapid removal. If you never collapse / fold-up the chair, that capability may be a non-issue.

Riis
Click to expand...
I need to fold both wheelers to get them into a car. Weight needs to be kept down, too. You can see more of the hand chair by looking for the Enigma K-Chair.
 
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#7
themickster said:
I need to fold both wheelers to get them into a car. Weight needs to be kept down, too. You can see more of the hand chair by looking for the Enigma K-Chair.
Click to expand...

I would contact Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare to see what bolt-on options are available. I doubt if you'll encounter "bass hanger" but you may have an "a-ha!" moment. Here's the contact information:

Contact Drive Medical at Home - Business Customer Support

Contact Drive Medical's business customer support team. Chat with technical support, find contact information, or submit a return or product support request.
www.drivemedical.com www.drivemedical.com

Heck, we used to install life-support equipment & batteries on the stupid things...a bass should be easy by comparison.

Riis
 
#9
themickster said:
Here's how I can take a bass on my two wheelchairs. One wheelchair is electric ; the other is acoustic. The gig bag straps thread over the top of the electric wheelchair's backrest and down behind it. The other wheelchair doesn't have the right backrest for that. The net and straps shown are a pannier made for taking guitars on the back of wheelchairs. It's adapted from one made for taking guitars on cycles. I already had a cycle one, before I needed a wheelchair, and asked the maker to adapt the design for me.
Click to expand...
Awsome
 
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#14
themickster said:
I don't know of anyone else. Maybe someone reading this thread does.
Click to expand...

There’s been at least one other thread I can recall about this idea. I’ll see if I can hunt it down.

Regardless, this is a great example of what can be done. As a bassist who spent some time confined to a wheelchair, I’m happy to see these kinds of posts. Bravo.
 
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#15
monsterthompson said:
There’s been at least one other thread I can recall about this idea. I’ll see if I can hunt it down.

Regardless, this is a great example of what can be done. As a bassist who spent some time confined to a wheelchair, I’m happy to see these kinds of posts. Bravo.
Click to expand...
I posted last year, asking if it were worth making a Steinberger guitar into a bass, for playing in a wheelchair. Was that what you saw?

This was another of mine https://www.talkbass.com/threads/have-you-been-followed-by-a-band-with-a-fitting-name.1671338/
 
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#16
themickster said:
I posted last year, asking if it were worth making a Steinberger guitar into a bass, for playing in a wheelchair. Was that what you saw?
Click to expand...

I don’t think so, but it could’ve been. I did a google search and didn’t find what I thought was there. I recall something about trying to find a way to mount/carry the bass without bumping the ground or having height clearance concerns. I almost wonder if I was trespassing on the double bass side of TB.
 
#18

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