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Double Bass Transporting in a truck?

sidonbass

sidonbass

Supporting Member
May 27, 2006
332
186
Santa Fe, New Mexico
#1
Pick up truck challenge! I mistakenly thought It woud be easy to load my upright in the 4 door cab of my recently purchased Honda Ridgeline. WRONG! I got it in, but clearly its not easy or fun. I now want to come up with a safe and secure way to put it in the bed of the truck under a cover, which I have not purchased yet. Thoughts?
 
#2
I would think that if I can get a bass into a four door sedan, a crew cab truck wouldn’t be too bad. What was your technique?
Passenger seat down and bass in? IIRC, that’s a five foot bed? Will it fit corner to corner? When you say cover, do you mean a factory fit top over the bed or just a tarp over the bass? Just make sure it doesn’t slide around and nothing can fall on it. And support the neck. Personally, I’d rather deal with the hassle and have the bass in the (lockable) cab and out of the weather. Yeah, we all know how much fun these things are to transport. Good luck!
 
#4
Inky13 said:
I would think that if I can get a bass into a four door sedan, a crew cab truck wouldn’t be too bad. What was your technique?
Passenger seat down and bass in? IIRC, that’s a five foot bed? Will it fit corner to corner? When you say cover, do you mean a factory fit top over the bed or just a tarp over the bass? Just make sure it doesn’t slide around and nothing can fall on it. And support the neck. Personally, I’d rather deal with the hassle and have the bass in the (lockable) cab and out of the weather. Yeah, we all know how much fun these things are to transport. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply.
Yes, I put the passenger seat back all the way down and put the bass, head first in and towards the opposite corner. After some back and forth and rocking side to side, I got it in. Its certainly not like lifting up a hatchback and just sliding it in. (my previous vehicle).
I'm thinking a hard plastic bed cover that locks. Theres lots of those I see on trucks. I would slide the bass into a secure box or crate, so it wouldnt move, lock it, and also lock the cover.
 
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#7
I throw my upright in the back of my truck all the time with no ill results. I'm in San Francisco and we don't have much rain or extreme temperatures to speak of, so I guess that would be a concern depending where you live.
 
#8
Problem with Ridgeline is the very short bed-ette. My Ford has the 6 1/2 foot bed and there's only about 6 inches clearance with the tailgate up. I question whether you could ever angle a normal size bass enough to get it in a Ridgeline bed with the gate up. I think Honda really screwed up by not putting a pass through door between the bed and the cab like the GM equivalent.
 
#9
I carry my 3/4 bass in a Mooradian bag in a Ram truck with a 5'7" bed. It has a hard tonneau cover. I just stuff a large cushion under the neck and then make sure there's nothing else heavy in the bed that would slam into it if I have to make a quick stop.
 
#11
FWIW, I've got one of those little Subaru Baja trucks with a tiny truck bed that I use to haul my basses around. The body of the bass goes into the bed and the neck kind of leans over the top of the back seat passenger area. The trick, for me, is to use the nylon cord on the gig bag that wraps around the neck to secure the bass to this metal bar that connects the back windows to the truck bed. Usually I'll use a music stand and/or the amp to wedge the bass body in place so it's not bouncing around in transit. Works, great - I keep a tarp handy in case of inclimate weather. James is right as usual, though - It is rediculous how difficult it is when moving plywood or drywall around with this truck. I'm thinking about having a buddy weld up one of those over-cab racks on there for that purpose alone.
 
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#12
bass in pickup cabin.jpg


same pic but background removed. Same instructions as in the other thread.
 
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#13
JBarz said:
FWIW, I've got one of those little Subaru Baja trucks with a tiny truck bed that I use to haul my basses around. The body of the bass goes into the bed and the neck kind of leans over the top of the back seat passenger area. The trick, for me, is to use the nylon cord on the gig bag that wraps around the neck to secure the bass to this metal bar that connects the back windows to the truck bed. Usually I'll use a music stand and/or the amp to wedge the bass body in place so it's not bouncing around in transit. Works, great - I keep a tarp handy in case of inclimate weather. James is right as usual, though - It is rediculous how difficult it is when moving plywood or drywall around with this truck. I'm thinking about having a buddy weld up one of those over-cab racks on there for that purpose alone.
Click to expand...
I always liked those Bajas! They didn’t sell particularly well, but I thought they were cool. Of course, this is from someone that owed a BRAT back in the day. On topic, it’s a fact of life that some vehicles perform better than others to transport an UB.
There’s always going to be a bit of a ballet getting them in and out. OP, at least you know you can get the bass into the truck if you have to. Let us know how you make out.
 
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#14
mesmithnm said:
I carry my 3/4 bass in a Mooradian bag in a Ram truck with a 5'7" bed. It has a hard tonneau cover. I just stuff a large cushion under the neck and then make sure there's nothing else heavy in the bed that would slam into it if I have to make a quick stop.
Click to expand...
So you must have it angled pretty much to fit a 6 foot tall bass into a 5.5 foot bed. I doubt the 4ish foot Ridgeline bed would work.
 
#16
You're not alone, as many people struggle with finding the best way to transport large items in their trucks. One option you may want to consider is getting a truck bed extender, which can help provide a secure and stable platform for your upright while also allowing you to use your truck bed cover.
 
#17
There's another thing to consider. I have a F-150 with extended (not crew) cab. Heck, the passenger compartment's bigger than a very large number of cars! Surely to goodness, thinks me, I can just put that bass in the cab if I need to? WRONG. Mine has one of those absurd overgrown center consoles, and there isn't enough room between the console and the inside of the door to put the bass. And the pass. seat doesn't recline far enough to put the bass in upside down. I'm sure there's SOME bizarre was to carry the bass in the cab, but since 99% of the time the bed has a hard lockable cover, I put the bass in the bed (with a folded blanket under the shoulders to protect the neck!)

So, the width and height of the overgrown center console can be a real issue.
 
#19
If you have a tonneau cover, retract it or take it off (I have a tri-fold on my ‘14 Ram shortbed). Get an old pillow and lay the bass flat on its back in the bed with the pillow under the button/neck heel so that the scroll is off the floor of the bed. Make sure to place the bass at an angle to where the tailgate will close. I like to use an old memory foam pillow I have as it is firm, yet stable and it doesn’t slide around very easily. Get some bungee cords and use one into each of the loops of your soft case and attach them to each of the corner tie-down hooks in the bed. Done! You’re ready to travel with the bass safely secured in your pickup bed.
 

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