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Double Bass The great DIY endpin project

I like how that bass hangs from the ceiling.
What can I say... I'm just a partying kinda guy.

The edit button is gone from the old post. How about this?
 

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I decided on a pleasing taper and finished up the Olivewood endpin yesterday. Waiting on a rubber ball end to arrive from Saddlerider Music. Initial test fit was good. Once I get everything completed I'll give it a thorough testing in different playing environments.

Beautiful work there. I'm still collecting tubes. Will report back in a few weeks. I've cut several to 200mm length and the variance in weight is very large. If it doesn't make a different in sound, I will at least have some cool looking ones.
 
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Phase one complete. I've finished the Olive Wood pin and the Titanium Pin. I was able to play a gig last night with the Olive wood and it felt pretty nice. It was a terrible room so it's hard to say if it was amazing or not, but initial thoughts from playing at home give me an impression of a slightly more robust sound (especially when bowed).

Rubber ball end and pointy end pin from Saddle Rider, who shipped super quickly with no fuss at all. Simple installation as well.

BTW Titanium is tough stuff. I was going to groove the pin to make detents... that was a terrible idea with hand files. I managed to scratch a few marks that were just deep enough that I couldn't polish them out. From now on I'll just refer to them as rustic insertion reference marks. Lesson learned... however I've been wanting a metal lathe for a while now. Maybe I can sneak one in the shop.

I have another gig tonight and I'll try both pins out on different sets to see how they compare.

Original chromed endpin weight: 258 grams with no stopper

Titanium endpin weight: 139 grams with no stopper/ball end

Olive Wood endpin: 232 grams with rubber ball end attached

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OK, so I have toyed with these metals a lot. I have not done direct recording comparisons of the different metals, but there are some that feel better to me than others. I'm presently using a titanium tube with a 1mm wall because it's light and very strong. The aluminum is too soft for my taste and gets badly marred by the set screw. I'm not feeling like getting a new endpin plug, so I'm staying with the set screw for now. Maybe someday I'll get the rod-squeezer kind like cellists use.

Here are the weights for different 200mm lengths that I've tried:
Aluminum 1mm wall 16g
Aluminum 2mm wall 27g
Titanium 1mm wall 27g
Stainless Steel 1mm wall 44g
Brass 1mm wall 47g (Brass is heavy, y'all! 3x aluminum, but so pretty)

I also got some solid metal rods, but I can't bring myself to make such a heavy endpin.

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I'm also really digging the Saddle rider tip with screw-on rubber ball. It doesn't slip on my slipperyest floor. Ready for rehearsals!

Maybe I'll compare a couple of tubes for sound, but at such a short length with a rubber ball on the end, I doubt it will matter much. Also, I got a new bow and switched to Kaplan lights lately, which are both making my bass sound better. So many variables.
 
I lost my endpin rod at my most recent gig. Looked in the vehicle, the venue's lost and found, around my place... nothing. No idea where it went.

Looked online for rods... oof.
Went to Home Depot thinking of getting a metal rod and filing it, adding a foot, when the guy there suggested a 12" bolt 3/8". The cap of the bolt fits the standard 5/8" furniture leg so a few minutes and $12CAD tax in later, I have make-do end pin rod.

Will keep the rubber tip loose for the time being so it sits angled and wears flat, rather than sitting flat and wearing angled.

Definitely not the skilled work you folks are doing, but the pre-made parts do function right away. The threads even give grip so I don't need to file flat spots.
 

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..... I did like the hanging basses though.
Well... thread derail...

I hang my basses from a rafter in the shop.

'Girth hitch around the scroll and then tied into a big anchor eyelet screw; the bass is always hanging and ready to go.

Bonus that I get to practice my stage moves where I rotate around the bass and there is a quick escape route when I set it on fire....:thumbsup:
 
Two years later, after what feels like a million rehearsals/practice sessions/gigs, it's time to replace the Saddle Rider ball. It server me better than I expected and lasted longer than I deserved.
 

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Funny to see this thread come back - mine is looking like that too and recently it started squeaking on some floors though I think last week's gig on rough cement cured the squeak.
I had some fun discussions with John at Saddle Rider a few years ago - and I recently bought a Prusa 3D printer based on his recommendations.
So what's the verdict on rods? I have a new harmony and I have an extra tip from Saddle Rider so I can experiment. just never got around to it.