Stand Up Bass Fix

[JoeyGee]

So, the other day my niece (a music teacher) calls me to ask if I could fix a base stand for her. Sure, I say as I picture some sort of riser or band stand. Tonight she comes over and hauls in a stand up BASS, not base.

Anyway, the little metal pivot/stand/post type thing that the instrument actually stands on is separating from the rest of the instrument. It looks like a round mortise and tenon joint--the metal fits into a piece of wood. I figured I could just take that metal tension thing off, carefully remove the tenon and just glue back in place, but she warned me someone told her you just can't glue instruments back together.

This is by no means a high-end instrument, but I'm sure it's not cheap. I'm no expert on musical instruments and I told her if it's complicated or if there was any chance I could damage it further, I am not touching it. I know there are people who know far more than I do about such things, so any opinions are welcome. Sorry for the crappy pics, but hopefully you can see what I mean.

[BadeMillsap]

JG

I've never repaired a stand up bass. I applaud your cautious approach. Lutherie repair is a whole different animal.

I recommend you arrange to visit a music store or just another bass owner and closely examine the stand post that doesn't need repair. That should give you good insight into how best to approach the repair.

On a violin, mandolin, and acoustic guitar the "end pin" is almost always pressed NOT GLUED! into a tapered hole (the pin has a matching taper). The "end block" inside the instrument is usually a solid piece of some hardwood like mahogany or maple.

If the pin isn't cracked or broken (likely) then the hole may need to be filled and re drilled (with taper). If as is also possible, the pin is cracked or broken, it should be replaced.

It is also POSSIBLE that the outer "rim" material has separated from the end block... This would really call for a professional repair in my opinion.

Keep us posted!

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

[LCHIEN]

is the hole wallowing out? on violins, I know, the endpin, as its called (at least on a violin and probably on a Bass Viol as well), is simply set in the snug hole at the end of the instrument. The loop of the tail piece and the tension on the strings keeps it in place. They are definitely not glued!

I'm not an instrument expert but in my lifetime I have owned three violins. You might just call an instrument repair shop and ask to speak to a string instrument technician and ask advise on what to do.

Oh here's some more info. Look up "bass endpin" on ebay and you'll see a bunch of them for sale for 3/4 size and 4/4 (full size) bass viols. Looks like the part that goes into the body is tapered so as to make a snug fit in the hole in the bottom of the bass. The receiving hole is likely tapered to match. You might contact some of the sellers and ask what size hole they are designed to fit (I know on violins they come in different sizes!) You can disassemble and remove the bass endpin by removing the tension on the strings and the bridge (is just held in place by string tension) and the tailpiece will all fall off and you can remove the endpin and check the hole size.



Better make sure you know how to reassemble and place the bridge and tune it up again! It was many years before I had all the strings off my violin all at once, usually just replaced one at a time so all the key pieces are held in place. I'm sure if your niece is a music teacher she should be able to replace and retune the instrument. Tuning when replacing all strings is quite a chore since every string tension adjustment affects the other strings tension as well.

One add had the plug dimension: Plug Diameter: 28/31mm (approx 1 7/64" - 1 7/32")

[JoeyGee]

Thank you Bade and Loring for all the good info. If nothing else, I learned more about instrument construction. After sleeping on it and reading these responses, I have decided not to touch it. If I had more time, I might dig into it and do it right, but I simply don't have the time to do it right.