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Trunk Basses???

Hevy T

Hevy T

Jan 11, 2011
4,293
4,017
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Lethbridge, AB Canada
#1
I went to a jam this afternoon. I usually bring my own, but wasn't planning on going, but changed my mind as I passed by the venue!

Well, I played some cool old Zeppelin, The Hip and around 45 min of fun music. However, I used the house bass which had action so high that I literally slid my thumb between the 12th fret and the strings!! I can't believe I made it through Come Together having to play with that horrible action lol.

Leads me to my question!

A friend of mine there said I should just keep one of my basses in the trunk of my car! I thought that didn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe something like a cheap Squier Jazz or something.

How many of you do this for such occasions?

Now for the fun part! Post pics of your "Trunk Play at Jam Basses" If you have such as thing...

...and GO!!
 
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#4
Too hot in Houston to do it year round, but in the cooler months this one rides in a hard case in the trunk:

s7300778-jpg.jpg





It's a no-name ( tho I've seen the same bass branded as Conrad and Orpheus ) Pawnshop Special with a Quarter Pound pickup in it, which was given to me by TB's own @RHFusillo , the gentleman in the left of the picture.



Here's a decent pic of one I found online:
60s-conrad-bass-univox-aria-34-scale_1_76e89a178ae8d60160473caaef57ed35.jpg




If it's particularly nice out ,this may go for a ride too:
DV016_Jpg_Large_519743.202_lake_placid_blue.jpg
 
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#7
Actually, this might be where a synthetic-necked bass such as a Modulus, Zon or Gould would really shine. Any wood-necked bass would probably fall apart down here in Texas, but I know a bassist and producer who plays with a very high-profile artist and he just leaves a bass with a synthetic neck in the guitar vault 24/7. So far he's not had any issues.
 
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#9
Kevan Campbell said:
Actually, this might be where a synthetic-necked bass such as a Modulus, Zon or Gould would really shine. Any wood-necked bass would probably fall apart down here in Texas, but I know a bassist and producer who plays with a very high-profile artist and he just leaves a bass with a synthetic neck in the guitar vault 24/7. So far he's not had any issues.
Click to expand...
Eh, even with a carbon fiber neck I would still advise against this. For most of us who play with not-so-high profile artists, anyway ;)

The resins that are used to bind the carbon fibers together do soften at elevated temperatures (this is called the "glass transition" temperature, referred to as "tg" in the technical specifications of the resin). Some resins higher than others; some get well into the range of 400-500 degrees fahrenheit, but some as low as 130. If there was some reason important enough that you had no other option than to leave one of these basses in a hot trunk, I would at least check with the builder on the specs of the resin they use.

Of course, a high profile gig may be well worth the risk if you're working with an artist who sometimes gets an inspiration and you need to be available at a moments notice for songwriting/recording etc. The reward, whether artistic, financial, or both, may well exceed the value of a tool that can be replaced.

No disrespect to composite basses - I've got 3 Modulus basses. But if I had to leave a bass in a trunk here in Houston, I'd choose my old aluminum necked Kramer.
 
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#10
Hevy T said:
I went to a jam this afternoon. I usually bring my own, but wasn't planning on going, but changed my mind as I passed by the venue!

Well, I played some cool old Zeppelin, The Hip and around 45 min of fun music. However, I used the house bass which had action so high that I literally slid my thumb between the 12th fret and the strings!! I can't believe I made it through Come Together having to play with that horrible action lol.

Leads me to my question!

A friend of mine there said I should just keep one of my basses in the trunk of my car! I thought that didn't sound like a bad idea. Maybe something like a cheap Squier Jazz or something.

How many of you do this for such occasions?

Now for the fun part! Post pics of your "Trunk Play at Jam Basses" If you have such as thing...

...and GO!!
Click to expand...
depends on where you live I guess.
I'm in the same boat as Two fingers. The extreme weather here in NC isn't kind to basses left in vehicles. I know someone who's bass turned into a bow and arrow because he left it in a storage unit that didn't have climate control. I know people would assume NC wouldn't be as bad as say California or Texas, but the humidity here is actually pretty brutal. I've lived Chicago and I'd take a 100 degree day in Chicago over a 70 degree day in NC anytime. It's so bad that my fb friends constantly post stuff like this on FB
887EAFBC-5F2C-46FD-867F-951855472BC7.jpeg
F3891B7B-BE4C-45C6-B9E7-B8BA9C986B2E.png
When its up in the 80s, 90, and over anhundred here most people are like screw that we're staying in the AC. The warnings on the radio and internet about elderly people or people with resperatory problems are kind of a joke. They should just send people a letter saying stay inside the entire summer. Right now it's 82 degrees and I wouldn't recommend being outside unless you're in the shade. In the sun it feels like it's well over 100 degrees. To make matters worse there's a kind of desert like effect here also where the temperature can easily change by like 20-30 degrees between noon and midnight which is also bad for basses
 
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#12
Kevan Campbell said:
Actually, this might be where a synthetic-necked bass such as a Modulus, Zon or Gould would really shine. Any wood-necked bass would probably fall apart down here in Texas, but I know a bassist and producer who plays with a very high-profile artist and he just leaves a bass with a synthetic neck in the guitar vault 24/7. So far he's not had any issues.
Click to expand...
yeah good idea leaving a $3k bass in your trunk just in case...
 
#13
I've left instruments in the car before. But I'm extremely careful when I do, not parking in sunlight, always cracking a window, etc. And I remove it the earliest that I can. It'd be ridiculous to do this day after day after day and expect it to hold up.

And I live in San Diego so it's not even that hot most of the time and the air is very dry.

My friend left his Affinity Strat in the car and it apparently found sunlight for a few days. That pickguard never found flatness ever again and the neck needed to be tossed.
 
#14
It was 117 degrees at my house on Friday. Anything in the trunk of a car would be too hot to touch without gloves. And a bass would likely take quite a while for the temperature of the strings to normalize enough to stay in tune.
 
#19
obimark said:
yeah good idea leaving a $3k bass in your trunk just in case...
Click to expand...

Slow your roll there! I'm just saying it's an option for someone that may need it, and the guy I know has his stuff in the band trailer (as far as I know that's the only bass he leaves in there, the nicer basses stay at home or the studio).

I personally don't leave any gear valued over $100 in my car, but the OP asked about "trunk basses" and I've actually seen older Modulus go for as little as $1200 at GC (unfortuantely for me, never the models I want).
 
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