Is a better question to ask if anyone knows of any local lutheriers to southern california who can do this basic work? I know LA bassworks, Lemur, and FMI can do it, but anyone else you can think of?
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Double Bass Cost of reaming endpin hole?
- Thread starter krfoss
- Start date
That, and really your original question, are both excellent and appropriate questions.
As KFS and a few other folks have addressed, it shouldn't be an extremely expensive project, but it isn't just reaming out the hole, there will be some disassembly, handwork, assembly and setup involved.
You've named the prominent DB outlets. Knowing the tool (and price for it) and the process, I can't imagine any good DB luthier who wouldn't be able to do this work.
(As a corollary to my endpin plug situation with my Alcoa DB, I've just ordered the proper reamer from a well regarded luthier outlet. Pricey, yes, but I already have the new endpin assembly; having the tool will give me peace of mind in knowing I can clean out and install the new endpin plug when it becomes necessary, or even earlier if I wish to.)
As KFS and a few other folks have addressed, it shouldn't be an extremely expensive project, but it isn't just reaming out the hole, there will be some disassembly, handwork, assembly and setup involved.
You've named the prominent DB outlets. Knowing the tool (and price for it) and the process, I can't imagine any good DB luthier who wouldn't be able to do this work.
(As a corollary to my endpin plug situation with my Alcoa DB, I've just ordered the proper reamer from a well regarded luthier outlet. Pricey, yes, but I already have the new endpin assembly; having the tool will give me peace of mind in knowing I can clean out and install the new endpin plug when it becomes necessary, or even earlier if I wish to.)
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The problem with using your new endpin plug, wrapped with sandpaper, is that it's only going to remove material correctly where the plug is. However, the plug is going to be back from its eventual position, first because the hole's too small, and secondly because it's got sandpaper wrapped around it which increases its diameter. So you'll end up with a hole that's probably correctly tapered at its widest portion, but then where the end of the plug is, the hole's ID will suddenly become smaller; and your new endpin plug is going to hang up there. Now you've got a tapered plug that's hitting a too-small part of the hole, generating tremendous hoop stress there, and yet it's still loose at its wider portion. The harder you try to jam it in there the more likely you are to crack the tail block, or bugger up the plug.This is an interesting topic for me.
The reason I know about the proper reamer for installing a DB endpin plugs is that I've had to research it for myself...
My Alcoa's endpin plug, which today is probably the only original piece of wood remaining on this DB, is glued into the aluminum "end block" socket with a horribly aggressive green aeronautic adhesive. This was done long before I ever owned the DB. The endpin plug itself is cracked and looking pretty bad, but still functionally intact having somehow survived to this date. But I know and am prepared to have to replace it one day...
In order to do that, because it is more or less permanently glued in, I'll have to drill out most of the old endpin plug, and then ream out what is left with the proper angle and taper, just enough that a new modern endpin plug will fit in its place.
Because the aeronautic glue is so nasty, and also because of the chance of hitting aluminum in the process, I can't ask a luthier to do this work and possibly ruin their reamer. So I'll try the adhesive sandpaper on the new endpin plug trick first, and failing that, order a proper reamer for myself. Either way, I'm not looking forward to this project. The old endpin plug, along with a short endpin to work with my height, has lasted with me for going on 7 years and I'm just hoping it might outlast me.
If you want to do the sandpaper method, turn on a lathe a duplicate of your plug, but much longer toward the small end. NOW you can wrap sandpaper and have it removing material along the whole length of the taper. That's how the tapered reamer is made.
I agree, plus there are also other reasons for me (with my Alcoa DB situation) in particular to not use the sandpaper method...
1) As mentioned earlier, I have this ugly green aeronautic glue in the hole which is part of the problem; the stuff is still tacky decades after applying it, so sandpaper will get clogged up almost immediately with it.
2) With this glue present inside, the chances of the sandpaper bunching up and messing up the hole or the new endpin plug being used as a mandrel are great.
3) The sandpaper method would not address cutting through the old endpin plug, making it necessary to drill or otherwise struggle to get as much as possible of it out.
And, while not impossible in a better situation, the sandpaper method would be painfully slow.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've ordered the proper reamer. When the time comes, I'll be prepared with the best tools to do this unpleasant job as well as possible.
1) As mentioned earlier, I have this ugly green aeronautic glue in the hole which is part of the problem; the stuff is still tacky decades after applying it, so sandpaper will get clogged up almost immediately with it.
2) With this glue present inside, the chances of the sandpaper bunching up and messing up the hole or the new endpin plug being used as a mandrel are great.
3) The sandpaper method would not address cutting through the old endpin plug, making it necessary to drill or otherwise struggle to get as much as possible of it out.
And, while not impossible in a better situation, the sandpaper method would be painfully slow.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've ordered the proper reamer. When the time comes, I'll be prepared with the best tools to do this unpleasant job as well as possible.
Way to go, dhergert.
Don't let naysayers discourage you from buying the right tool for the job.
(I am closing in on 70 years of age and I am still buying new/more tools).
Don't let naysayers discourage you from buying the right tool for the job.
(I am closing in on 70 years of age and I am still buying new/more tools).
OK....so I kind of feel a need to chime in here, even though I know better...
Yes, I own several ALCOA basses. (I just got back from the most fun gig I have had in a long time playing my 1929!). They are a special case. I have never reamed an ALCOA endpin socket. They are aluminum AND it is a thin walled tapered tube, NOT a solid section. I always put the endpin on my lathe and turn down the endpin. I also do this for important historic instruments, as I feel like I'd rather remove material from a new endpin than remove 200 year old wood from a good working bass.
For the rest, I use a reamer.
I love the $600 gigantic Herdigm endpin reamer that goes from tuning machine holes to cello to bass. It is a fantastic lifetime tool...but I do not own one. I own a drawer full of the $45 ebay Chinese endpin reamers. (I've also had $$$$$$ custom reamers handmade that didn't work for $#!T!) They are not all the same, nor do they all work perfect. BUT, for a self reliant person, they serve a purpose and work reasonably well. Most of them only go to 30mm and many sockets I work on seem to be around 32 mm, so yes I sometimes wrap them with sandpaper and whatever else to get the job done well. I also made several tapered wooden pieces that are the same taper but larger in size for the sandpaper fine tuning. Even with fancy reamers, many times I need to finesse a hole with a couple of turns of 220 grit sandpaper to remove the chatter marks from the reamer. I also LOVE that when I am working on my old truck or some other mechanical problem that needs a reamer, I have no issue downgrading one of my cheap ebay reamers for that job. Now I can claim bass fix'r AND lawnmower mechanic. I like being self reliant, and stubborn, even if it cost me more than it would just to visit a lawnmower specialist. I've thrown improper reamers to the scrapyard, and I've also completely f#@!'d up my lawnmower...but I still do those things and am proud of it.
There are many people who never change a lightbulb; they call the "super" or whomever else to do it. If that is you, then take your bass to a professional. They will do a fine job for a modest price. I have regular customers who bring their bass here, knowing that I hate changing their strings, so I charge $40 as a pain in the @$$ tax, but they know it and are comfortable with the idea and we both laugh. I just did this last week.(I usually send the $40 immediately and buy lunch for both of us).
On the other end, there are people who literally make their own lightbulbs and wire all of the light fixtures for their house. For those folks, as a lifetime bass owner, you'll likely need four or five endpin corrections as a minimum. Buy yourself a mid-price reamer and learn how to use it. If you can screw in a lightbulb, you can use a reamer; it is that simple. Your local luthier will not go broke because you reamed one hole. If you F*#@ it up; more $$ for the correcting your adventure. If you make a hole big enough to drive a truck through, the worst case scenario is that your local guy can glue in an oversized tapered socket, and then ream that properly. Essentially you wind up with a corrective wooden cone within a cone. I do this on old worm eaten and crusty old bass regularly. THAT is a specific skill that takes some finesse.
I've also been known to purchase a fancy overprice specialized tool, use it for the necessary task, and then sell it on ebay for what I paid for it.
Are we talking about ripping the top off a 300 year old bass and running through an automatic car wash? Nope. We're talking about a small hole in the end of your bass. YOLO bass hipsterz: Do with it as you see proper and move on. If you do purchase your own, facetime me and I'll walk you through sticking it in the hole and turning the reamer in a circle, to make sure you don't turn it counterclockwise and do nothing.....
Yes, I own several ALCOA basses. (I just got back from the most fun gig I have had in a long time playing my 1929!). They are a special case. I have never reamed an ALCOA endpin socket. They are aluminum AND it is a thin walled tapered tube, NOT a solid section. I always put the endpin on my lathe and turn down the endpin. I also do this for important historic instruments, as I feel like I'd rather remove material from a new endpin than remove 200 year old wood from a good working bass.
For the rest, I use a reamer.
I love the $600 gigantic Herdigm endpin reamer that goes from tuning machine holes to cello to bass. It is a fantastic lifetime tool...but I do not own one. I own a drawer full of the $45 ebay Chinese endpin reamers. (I've also had $$$$$$ custom reamers handmade that didn't work for $#!T!) They are not all the same, nor do they all work perfect. BUT, for a self reliant person, they serve a purpose and work reasonably well. Most of them only go to 30mm and many sockets I work on seem to be around 32 mm, so yes I sometimes wrap them with sandpaper and whatever else to get the job done well. I also made several tapered wooden pieces that are the same taper but larger in size for the sandpaper fine tuning. Even with fancy reamers, many times I need to finesse a hole with a couple of turns of 220 grit sandpaper to remove the chatter marks from the reamer. I also LOVE that when I am working on my old truck or some other mechanical problem that needs a reamer, I have no issue downgrading one of my cheap ebay reamers for that job. Now I can claim bass fix'r AND lawnmower mechanic. I like being self reliant, and stubborn, even if it cost me more than it would just to visit a lawnmower specialist. I've thrown improper reamers to the scrapyard, and I've also completely f#@!'d up my lawnmower...but I still do those things and am proud of it.
There are many people who never change a lightbulb; they call the "super" or whomever else to do it. If that is you, then take your bass to a professional. They will do a fine job for a modest price. I have regular customers who bring their bass here, knowing that I hate changing their strings, so I charge $40 as a pain in the @$$ tax, but they know it and are comfortable with the idea and we both laugh. I just did this last week.(I usually send the $40 immediately and buy lunch for both of us).
On the other end, there are people who literally make their own lightbulbs and wire all of the light fixtures for their house. For those folks, as a lifetime bass owner, you'll likely need four or five endpin corrections as a minimum. Buy yourself a mid-price reamer and learn how to use it. If you can screw in a lightbulb, you can use a reamer; it is that simple. Your local luthier will not go broke because you reamed one hole. If you F*#@ it up; more $$ for the correcting your adventure. If you make a hole big enough to drive a truck through, the worst case scenario is that your local guy can glue in an oversized tapered socket, and then ream that properly. Essentially you wind up with a corrective wooden cone within a cone. I do this on old worm eaten and crusty old bass regularly. THAT is a specific skill that takes some finesse.
I've also been known to purchase a fancy overprice specialized tool, use it for the necessary task, and then sell it on ebay for what I paid for it.
Are we talking about ripping the top off a 300 year old bass and running through an automatic car wash? Nope. We're talking about a small hole in the end of your bass. YOLO bass hipsterz: Do with it as you see proper and move on. If you do purchase your own, facetime me and I'll walk you through sticking it in the hole and turning the reamer in a circle, to make sure you don't turn it counterclockwise and do nothing.....
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James, thank you for your input on this, I was sort of hoping to hear from you...
So, I guess I'll be breaking new ground with this when I have to ream out my original endpin plug. The circumstances are not surprising since my Alcoa has seen so much abuse.
Just to be clear, it is not my intent to ream any of my Alcoa's endpin socket itself, but rather to ream out of it only the original, glued in wooden endpin plug, so a new plug can be installed. If it goes as I'm intending, I'll never touch aluminum during the reaming process -- once the old plug is cleaned out enough that the new plug can be pressed in, I'm done. One of the nice things about a hand tool is that a person can pretty well control what it does.
If I'm successful in removing the old endpin plug, and the new endpin plug has to be made smaller in order to fit the existing aluminum socket, I'll do that (or have that done), but I won't be intentionally reaming out any aluminum.
That said, here's a pic of the endpin socket itself from the inside of my Alcoa:
So yes, it's basically a cone, probably welded onto the "ribs" into which the original endpin plug was fit, and you can see from the pic, inside the cone, the small end of the original wooden endpin plug. Unfortunately sometime in the last 40 years or so someone felt that this plug need to be glued in, and did so with some kind of pernicious aircraft adhesive that is preventing the endpin plug from slipping out normally.
If the original, now glued-in endpin plug wasn't cracking with age, I would leave it, but since the tailpiece needs something solid to attach to, I feel compelled to be ready to move on this project when the cracks finally cause failure.
I should be receiving the Herdim reamer (Taper 1/17, diameter 23.0/36.0 mm, length 221 mm) from IVC sometime on Friday. Since the original endpin plug is still working, unless I get really ambitious, I don't expect to use the reamer until that original endpin plug actually begins to break apart.
James, if you have any more thoughts to share regarding this particular circumstance, I'll be elated to read them. When the time comes that I actually do this work, I may also give you a call.
Thanks again!
So, I guess I'll be breaking new ground with this when I have to ream out my original endpin plug. The circumstances are not surprising since my Alcoa has seen so much abuse.
Just to be clear, it is not my intent to ream any of my Alcoa's endpin socket itself, but rather to ream out of it only the original, glued in wooden endpin plug, so a new plug can be installed. If it goes as I'm intending, I'll never touch aluminum during the reaming process -- once the old plug is cleaned out enough that the new plug can be pressed in, I'm done. One of the nice things about a hand tool is that a person can pretty well control what it does.
If I'm successful in removing the old endpin plug, and the new endpin plug has to be made smaller in order to fit the existing aluminum socket, I'll do that (or have that done), but I won't be intentionally reaming out any aluminum.
That said, here's a pic of the endpin socket itself from the inside of my Alcoa:
So yes, it's basically a cone, probably welded onto the "ribs" into which the original endpin plug was fit, and you can see from the pic, inside the cone, the small end of the original wooden endpin plug. Unfortunately sometime in the last 40 years or so someone felt that this plug need to be glued in, and did so with some kind of pernicious aircraft adhesive that is preventing the endpin plug from slipping out normally.
If the original, now glued-in endpin plug wasn't cracking with age, I would leave it, but since the tailpiece needs something solid to attach to, I feel compelled to be ready to move on this project when the cracks finally cause failure.
I should be receiving the Herdim reamer (Taper 1/17, diameter 23.0/36.0 mm, length 221 mm) from IVC sometime on Friday. Since the original endpin plug is still working, unless I get really ambitious, I don't expect to use the reamer until that original endpin plug actually begins to break apart.
James, if you have any more thoughts to share regarding this particular circumstance, I'll be elated to read them. When the time comes that I actually do this work, I may also give you a call.
Thanks again!
Your ALCOA is aluminum (duraluminum!); you should be able to heat it gently with a torch and soften the epoxy + old junk without doing any harm. I set mine on fire all of the time .....
As far as getting out the blued-in plug, I'd consider taking a hacksaw blade, making a radial slot in the plug (use an inspection mirror, power flashlight, and stop the instant you see Al in the slot) to reduce any pressure from the taper. Then I'd consider using something like a T-nut on the inside and a long piece of all thread from the outside (how to mate them?), or a cut-down molly bolt, or tapping a hole into the ID of the plug - anything that allows you to pull and pull hard on the plug. Then apply heat. Me, I'd use a heat gun not a torch, for general safety - of course, being Al, the whole body of the bass is going to act like the world's largest heat sink and you may never be able to get it locally hot enough to affect the glue. If you could put a torch down inside the bass, you could heat directly the OD of the sleeve.
I expect that if you can get a reamer of the correct taper (maybe Condino can advise on what is the correct taper), you can take that plug down till it's just a thin shell and then pick the remains out.
I expect that if you can get a reamer of the correct taper (maybe Condino can advise on what is the correct taper), you can take that plug down till it's just a thin shell and then pick the remains out.
Interestingly @turf3, I was dreaming about the same concept... There is a hole through the glued-in plug, which I can see on both the inside and outside of the plug. I'd just want to clean it out to make sure it's clear all the way through.
Then if I could make some sort of "plug puller" using a threaded shaft with a nut on the inside, and an outside elevation structure to apply strong but slow pressure to pull the plug out of the endpin cone, and somehow apply heat at the same time, it might loosen the plug assembly enough to pull it out.
I do have an access panel on this Alcoa, and although the endpin cone is further away than I can reach inside with my hands, I could probably figure out a way to put the terminated threaded shaft through the old plug internally.
But there are a couple of worries with this method:
1) The cone is welded in and I wouldn't want to damage or separate those welds by pressure or heat. If that were to happen, it would require some remarkable work by a precision low-temp aluminum welder to get that cone welded back into place -- and would probably cost more than the DB is worth.
2) It is possible with this puller concept that the whole cone and rib assembly could get "puckered" outward with the pressure from the "plug puller". From the dents in this DB, I can see it doesn't take a whole lot to make either inward or outward dents happen. I'd prefer that also not to happen with this, since the endpin is an angular focal point for playing the instrument.
3) This is probably the least important worry, but the outside of the DB is powder coated, including in the endpin area, and there is no way it's ever going to be powder coated again, or even touched-up, at least while I'm the caretaker of the instrument, so I'd prefer not to damage the finish there.
These combined worries have me thinking that the most gentle and non-damaging approach may in fact be to simply ream out the old plug. Also, as you've mentioned it might not be bad to have a thin wooden lining consisting of the remains of the old plug inside the cone; I can size the new plug as I'm reaming to make sure the fit is good.
I'm not too worried about the reamer itself. From everything I've read and heard, the specs identify it as a fairly standard item for DB endpin work reaching back before the late 1920s when Alcoa and other "standard" DBs were made... So at least at this time I'm not expecting any serious deviation. If it isn't the right spec for the Alcoa cone, I'll have to either get something else to ream with or think more seriously about the "plug puller" method.
Ultimately, I do understand there is a possibility that the size of the new endpin plug may have to be changed. I'll approach that issue when I know more about the inside of the Alcoa's endpin cone.
Like many things in life, there are lots of unknowns and most of those won't be clear until I'm working on the DB.
All of this PITA because of that horrible pernicious aircraft adhesive.... Ironically, the lesson is still true -- even with Alcoa DBs, it's important to use glues that can be easily removed.
Then if I could make some sort of "plug puller" using a threaded shaft with a nut on the inside, and an outside elevation structure to apply strong but slow pressure to pull the plug out of the endpin cone, and somehow apply heat at the same time, it might loosen the plug assembly enough to pull it out.
I do have an access panel on this Alcoa, and although the endpin cone is further away than I can reach inside with my hands, I could probably figure out a way to put the terminated threaded shaft through the old plug internally.
But there are a couple of worries with this method:
1) The cone is welded in and I wouldn't want to damage or separate those welds by pressure or heat. If that were to happen, it would require some remarkable work by a precision low-temp aluminum welder to get that cone welded back into place -- and would probably cost more than the DB is worth.
2) It is possible with this puller concept that the whole cone and rib assembly could get "puckered" outward with the pressure from the "plug puller". From the dents in this DB, I can see it doesn't take a whole lot to make either inward or outward dents happen. I'd prefer that also not to happen with this, since the endpin is an angular focal point for playing the instrument.
3) This is probably the least important worry, but the outside of the DB is powder coated, including in the endpin area, and there is no way it's ever going to be powder coated again, or even touched-up, at least while I'm the caretaker of the instrument, so I'd prefer not to damage the finish there.
These combined worries have me thinking that the most gentle and non-damaging approach may in fact be to simply ream out the old plug. Also, as you've mentioned it might not be bad to have a thin wooden lining consisting of the remains of the old plug inside the cone; I can size the new plug as I'm reaming to make sure the fit is good.
I'm not too worried about the reamer itself. From everything I've read and heard, the specs identify it as a fairly standard item for DB endpin work reaching back before the late 1920s when Alcoa and other "standard" DBs were made... So at least at this time I'm not expecting any serious deviation. If it isn't the right spec for the Alcoa cone, I'll have to either get something else to ream with or think more seriously about the "plug puller" method.
Ultimately, I do understand there is a possibility that the size of the new endpin plug may have to be changed. I'll approach that issue when I know more about the inside of the Alcoa's endpin cone.
Like many things in life, there are lots of unknowns and most of those won't be clear until I'm working on the DB.
All of this PITA because of that horrible pernicious aircraft adhesive.... Ironically, the lesson is still true -- even with Alcoa DBs, it's important to use glues that can be easily removed.
Hey, you said something that makes a lot of sense - why not just ream the ID of the wood that's there to a taper, then use THAT? This bitchin' glue will just stay put. If you see any Al as you're reaming, stop - that's it.
Soooo, guess what arrived today!!! And guess what I did after it arrived!!!
From right to left:
1) There's a male/female double face velcro belt to hold the strings in place on my Alcoa after they were loosened enough to free the tailpiece off of the old endpin plug...
2) There's a brand new 1" drill bit to drill out the old endpin plug enough that the reamer can be used; the reamer is not an awl, so the hole would have to exist in order to use the reamer.
3) There's the reamer, a wonderful piece of hand tool.
4) There's the case the reamer came in so that its razor sharp edges wouldn't cause damage or injuries during shipping.
5) There's the old Alcoa endpin plug with the installed short endpin I made for it years ago, still in place.
What isn't shown is the hair dryer that I used to heat the old endpin plug and surrounding Alcoa aluminum with. Also not shown is the heroic old 16" pipe wrench (and its duct-tape covered jaws) with which I was able to remove the old endpin plug -- that pipe wrench has rescued me at least a dozen times in the past, and once again, it is the star of the show.
I don't know if the heat helped, but with the pipe wrench I was able to wiggle loose the old endpin plug despite the nasty glue, and eventually to pull it out. The old endpin plug suffered multiple chips and a complete split through the old cracks in the process, but it came out mostly as one unit.
Once the old endpin plug was out, I only used the new reamer to gently clean out the old glue that was still inside the Alcoa cone, and then I installed the new endpin plug and assembly. It is SOLIDLY in place after a few firm but gentle taps with a rubber mallet and NO GLUE, and it works great. Here it is (sorry so blurred, I was in a hurry to play the DB):
Using heat and the pipe wrench was my last ditch effort to avoid real nastiness with the pernicious aircraft adhesive, and very happily, it worked.
So, I barely needed to use the reamer, but having it showed me that I would need the 1" drill bit in order to ream out the old endpin plug. And I also didn't need to use the brand new 1" drill bit to drill out the old endpin plug in preparation for reaming. But having them both available to use if necessary gave me the confidence to move forward with the project.
The endpin plug project was completed within about 30 minutes. Re-setting up the DB afterward took about an hour.
From right to left:
1) There's a male/female double face velcro belt to hold the strings in place on my Alcoa after they were loosened enough to free the tailpiece off of the old endpin plug...
2) There's a brand new 1" drill bit to drill out the old endpin plug enough that the reamer can be used; the reamer is not an awl, so the hole would have to exist in order to use the reamer.
3) There's the reamer, a wonderful piece of hand tool.
4) There's the case the reamer came in so that its razor sharp edges wouldn't cause damage or injuries during shipping.
5) There's the old Alcoa endpin plug with the installed short endpin I made for it years ago, still in place.
What isn't shown is the hair dryer that I used to heat the old endpin plug and surrounding Alcoa aluminum with. Also not shown is the heroic old 16" pipe wrench (and its duct-tape covered jaws) with which I was able to remove the old endpin plug -- that pipe wrench has rescued me at least a dozen times in the past, and once again, it is the star of the show.
I don't know if the heat helped, but with the pipe wrench I was able to wiggle loose the old endpin plug despite the nasty glue, and eventually to pull it out. The old endpin plug suffered multiple chips and a complete split through the old cracks in the process, but it came out mostly as one unit.
Once the old endpin plug was out, I only used the new reamer to gently clean out the old glue that was still inside the Alcoa cone, and then I installed the new endpin plug and assembly. It is SOLIDLY in place after a few firm but gentle taps with a rubber mallet and NO GLUE, and it works great. Here it is (sorry so blurred, I was in a hurry to play the DB):
Using heat and the pipe wrench was my last ditch effort to avoid real nastiness with the pernicious aircraft adhesive, and very happily, it worked.
So, I barely needed to use the reamer, but having it showed me that I would need the 1" drill bit in order to ream out the old endpin plug. And I also didn't need to use the brand new 1" drill bit to drill out the old endpin plug in preparation for reaming. But having them both available to use if necessary gave me the confidence to move forward with the project.
The endpin plug project was completed within about 30 minutes. Re-setting up the DB afterward took about an hour.
So there was enough of the old plug sticking out that you were able to get on it with the pipe wrench?
It's really good fortune that the glue softened with heat.
It's really good fortune that the glue softened with heat.
Yup!!! I feel really lucky.
I had all the tools ready, which gave me confidence to move forward. Decided to try heat and the pipe wrench first. When I felt -- and heard the loud reports of -- the old plug starting to move, it was like WHEWWWWWW! A huge relief!
And the reamer cleaned out the rest of the glue very nicely, it was a perfect pitch match for the old Alcoa cone.
P.S. ...
Maybe worth mentioning, the new endpin assembly is a resin plug with a brass inside lining and a ring clamp and wing nut assembly, with a long carbon fiber endpin.
The endpin has a cap on the inside to help avoid pulling it out all the way, with my access panel I can remove the cap or put it back on if desired, and I could potentially also shorten the endpin, although at this point I see no strong reason to do either.
The outside end of the endpin also has a sharp metal point and a small rubber cap over it; I like using an appropriately sized cane/crutch foot, so I've removed that rubber cap and put the foot over the metal point, which fits and stops nicely within the metal washer inside the foot.
Although I'm short and won't need it, it is nice having an adjustable endpin now; I routinely lend my bass to our band's bass player who is about a foot taller than I am; he should enjoy that.
Mostly, having the new very solid endpin assembly means not having to worry about the old heavily cracked endpin plug suddenly failing and causing disturbances with my tailpiece.
I had all the tools ready, which gave me confidence to move forward. Decided to try heat and the pipe wrench first. When I felt -- and heard the loud reports of -- the old plug starting to move, it was like WHEWWWWWW! A huge relief!
And the reamer cleaned out the rest of the glue very nicely, it was a perfect pitch match for the old Alcoa cone.
P.S. ...
Maybe worth mentioning, the new endpin assembly is a resin plug with a brass inside lining and a ring clamp and wing nut assembly, with a long carbon fiber endpin.
The endpin has a cap on the inside to help avoid pulling it out all the way, with my access panel I can remove the cap or put it back on if desired, and I could potentially also shorten the endpin, although at this point I see no strong reason to do either.
The outside end of the endpin also has a sharp metal point and a small rubber cap over it; I like using an appropriately sized cane/crutch foot, so I've removed that rubber cap and put the foot over the metal point, which fits and stops nicely within the metal washer inside the foot.
Although I'm short and won't need it, it is nice having an adjustable endpin now; I routinely lend my bass to our band's bass player who is about a foot taller than I am; he should enjoy that.
Mostly, having the new very solid endpin assembly means not having to worry about the old heavily cracked endpin plug suddenly failing and causing disturbances with my tailpiece.
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Just practiced in a little old-jazz duet for a couple of hours... Something I hadn't thought about has changed.
The old cracked endpin plug squeaked and moaned pretty constantly whenever I moved while playing before. Most of the time it wouldn't be heard over the music, but between songs I was aware of it.
That, of course, doesn't happen with the new endpin assembly. Quiet as a mouse, no distractions.
Man, I'm glad I did this work!
The old cracked endpin plug squeaked and moaned pretty constantly whenever I moved while playing before. Most of the time it wouldn't be heard over the music, but between songs I was aware of it.
That, of course, doesn't happen with the new endpin assembly. Quiet as a mouse, no distractions.
Man, I'm glad I did this work!
Heck yeah! Nothing like grabbing some tools, getting after a problem and improving something!
For anyone following this thread for the original question, I just had my bass reamed and endoin installed at LA bass works for $55. Great repair shop. Checked out by bass and went way beyond just the end pin. Now I know why La bass works has its reputation.
So as soon as a luthier says its ok for someone to attempt a job the gatekeepers back off. I'm with hoochie coochie man, take pride in doing things myself. This place will shame you for it. A pornstar could probably f my wife better than me however, I prefer to give it my best shot and do it myself.
It might be helpful to ACTUALLY read the posts.
OP asked about this, clearly didn't know how to go about it. Sumgai chimed in with links to a bunch of tools that wouldn't work. Others pointed out that for a one time job you'll be a lot better off just paying to have it done. OP paid to have it done, job completed, short money, satisfaction.
Meantime, another guy with an Alcoa started asking questions, obviously knew a lot more about what he was doing, received some advice, and got the problem solved on his own.
Two people, two different circumstances.
I'm sorry your "I think I can attach this neck and I don't wan't any advice except the EXACT answer to one EXACT question!" thread didn't go the way you expected it to, but many of us are old enough and experienced enough to see when someone is likely better advised to pay for something and when someone is likely to be able to handle a job.