The New Bass Spa Workshop
   Fitted Despiau bridge with Full Circle pickup installed Bass Spa Bass Stands I got tired of having 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 basses taking up the
whole floor of the music room when the bass closet overflowed so I whipped up four of these DB stands from materials I had around the place. I wish I'd done this a long time ago! ------------------------------------------------------ The 2 x 8s for the front and back are 21 1/4"long, the 2 x 10s for the sides are 10 5/16" long with a 38 degree bevel ripped on most of the inside face and the 2 x 4 endpin holder is 10 5/16" with a 1 1/2" hole in the centre. The end pieces were propped up on the other 2 x 8 to raise them 1 1/2"
while I screwed the front on. The 2 x 4 endpin holder
was likewise raised 1 1/2". You could raise it more if you play with a shorter endpin. I tried neoprene foam for padding on the first one but it
made the
bass too wiggly so I've put thin cork on the resting surfaces instead.  Bass Spa 'Bass Clamp' I patterned my double bass work fixtures on one belonging to Bruce Sexauer. Its a big two-jawed clamp that holds a bass securely for repair in a way that lets me use both hands on the tools. ------------------------------------------- Its basically two H frames joined by 4 foot pipe clamps. Lay a 2 x 12 on the crossbars and you're ready for work. The legs are full dimension 4 x 4 Hemlock, 39" high. (You might want to leave them longer to start if you're taller - I'm 5' 8" with short arms and a bad back.) The crossbar of the H is 1 x 5 fir rebated into the leg at 21" from the floor to the top and screwed and glued. The centre line of the holes for the galvanised pipe is at 23 1/4" from the bottom. This needs to be bigger than the pipe's OD but not so big as to make the whole fixture sloppy. I rebated the tops of the legs before assembly on my big old 16" chop saw, taking out 1" of the 4 x 4 in the shape of a bass. These are different shapes at each end to suit the butt and the shoulders of the client. My pockets are lined with thick soft cork but leather would be good too. I use the clamp part for soundpost, endpin, bridge and fingerboard work and put the patient in sideways for seams and other work. I've made a bench top that's simply a piece of ply with four cleats screwed on the bottom that line up with the four posts - a quick squeeze with the clamp handles and I've got a different working height.   Carbon Fibre/Graphite Neck Reinforcement Installing a 1/4" x 1/2" x 18" graphite bar in a 1940 Kay neck . This will keep the neck straight no matter how many times the fingerboard gets planed and help with higher frequency tone production as well.   DIY Repair Gallery  Strunal with warped 'potato chip' bridge - time for a new one.  Plywood Pfretschner top with bass bar loose from impact 1950 Kay M-1 Bass - Full restoration of a classic American plywood double bass  |    It feels great - its got a little
'stickiness' which holds the bass firmly. I put small peel and stick felt buttons on
the bottoms of the corners to protect the floor. I had all of the tools and materials to hand so they were a quick solution for me. If you choose to make yourself one make sure the dimensions will work for your bass. These stands have so far been tested with Kay basses, Roma 3/4 basses, a 1950's German and my 1850's Bohemian. The depth should work for instruments up to 9" overall depth. If your bass is deeper, increase the length of the sides accordingly. ----------------------------------------------- * If you do make yourself a stand, please be careful with your fingers as well as with your bass. I can't take responsibility if you over-step your abilities and something bad happens to either one. *  *Disclaimer* *Only intended for use by professionals* * Don't squeeze so hard you crush your bass!* -----------------------------------------------------       DIY Repair Gallery  Not how we treat basses at the Spa! No metal please...  |