Double Bass Endpin Battle Royal

[Bar Star]

This should be pinned at the top of every page here! #micdrop

Amen*

*Talkbass poster who then puts down phone to go practice string crossings and Simandl on an overbuilt hybrid bass w/wood-lined carbon fibre endpin...

 

[Eric Hochberg]

I'll play, although I've posted in other discussions on the same topic... I've done a bunch of A/Bing of wood, steel and carbon (laborie). The conclusion I've come to is as the OP's. Steel is brighter and punchier than wood. Carbon seems to be somewhere in the middle.

For my playing I prefer steel, in general, especially for pizz as the wood pin seems to eat up attack. Arco warmth can be a good thing, or not, depending on what you want to hear. I used my steel endpin bass for the first thirty years of my career. Wood made that bass a bit boomier along with the above noted effects.

That being said, one of my basses has a wood pin and I've happily played on it for the last seven years, five nights a week. And on carpet, too, which is notorious for the attack problem. I've thought about getting another pin for it, but kind of enjoy the bass' darker character. Of course I'm not sure how much the wood pin contributes to that, but it most likely does.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

I haven't gotten much past noticing that good sounding basses sound good and bad sounding ones don't...

The Kriegel has a cf endpin and a 360 degree adjustable locking collar, so I don't have to worry about uneven compression. It works pretty good. The German bass has a Goetz that has a second hole tapped for another thumbscrew,it's at 90 degrees from the other hole. I had to have that done as a cheap fix since the little ball bearing that sits opposite the thumbscrew fell out and got lost (outside the bass this time, had to retrieve it from inside the bass a number of times). It works pretty good, too...

 

[TroyK]

Here's a shot of mine, a maple dowel tapped with a spike/ball end. The washer keeps it from recessing into the collar. It definitely improved the sound of my bass (a bit). Maybe a new, better metal endpin would have as well. I've used drumsticks and other woods before. They do wear out over time. Walnut and mahogany sound rich and lush, but like Eric said, I feel like I lose a little clarity with them. I could see using a different endpin wood with say Spirocores, but this is what worked best last time I was at Jake's. It's not a game changer, my setup was, but I'm 100% sure that it is an improvement on my bass.

By the way, this is not a metal endpin with a wood exterior, it's wood. I know that Jake was playing with the idea of a carbon tube with a wood core, which is an interesting idea too, but this is just a hardwood dowel. I've been using these for more than 10 years now with no regrets.

 

[MrSidecar]

I’ve been using a drum stick for awhile now.
I .... settled on a maple Vic Firth.

same here. Vic Firth bolero, I believe it’s their fattest stick, certainly one of their fattest. Fits the bell perfectly and sounds somehow better than the original thick and heavy metal tube.

best
Sidecar

 

[turf3]

Well, I'm not sure that an endpin is really an "accessory" but...

I made my own endpin.

I started with 10mm aluminum stock, then insert one end into a dowel (drilled down the centerline) and secured with epoxy. The OD of the dowel is sized to fit the crutch tips I've been using (I would like to try a ball or one of those tilting flanges). Then I cut it to the shortest length that will work, and filed a notch where it's needed for the thumbscrew.

I can't tell any tonal difference but it's quite a bit lighter than a 18" long steel bar, which is supposed to be theoretically better.

 

[neddyrow]

I got an Axiom carbon end pin here on TB - had to have the hole widened to fit - not all standard size.

I like the sound better than the metal pin - or maybe it felt more sturdy

I didn't like it after a while because it had a magnetic ball end that I could use or not depending on the floor.

I almost lost that end ball a few times and finally glued it on. then it would just come off....so frustrating! The wider hole had already been bored - kinda stuck with the setup.

I ended up buying some large rubber corks and drilled a hole in the center just deep enough to set the cork. been working great! made a few for backup.

I'd like to try a maple pin to see if it brightens it up a little.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

same here. Vic Firth bolero, I believe it’s their fattest stick, certainly one of their fattest. Fits the bell perfectly and sounds somehow better than the original thick and heavy metal tube.

best
Sidecar

You said BOLERO...

A double bassist has written lyrics for Ravel’s Boléro – and they’re just hilarious - Classic FM

And I can't find it now, but somebody did a Cliff's Notes version that has each motif written out and then the verbal instruction for "do this for two pages" kind of thing. If I track it down I'll post it, it was pretty funny....

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I’ve experimented with steel, aluminum, various woods using the unit Troy has, carbon fiber......
In my experience, a conventional 10mm steel endpin has the most clarity.
Wood and CF have more warmth and spread. Different woods behave differently but it is usually fairly subtle in the whole scheme of things.
I prefer a good 10mm steel pin for a few reasons.
-it won’t slip
-the height is exact every time
-it won’t wear out
-I prefer the amplified tone

 

[MrSidecar]

You said BOLERO...

A double bassist has written lyrics for Ravel’s Boléro – and they’re just hilarious - Classic FM

And I can't find it now, but somebody did a Cliff's Notes version that has each motif written out and then the verbal instruction for "do this for two pages" kind of thing. If I track it down I'll post it, it was pretty funny....

Ed,

“like” klicked multiple times.
That video makes me appreciate your subtle thread derail effort even more

best
Sidecar

 

[Earl]

I am liking titanium better than anything else. Clear, smooth, punchy on my bass.

 

[Ben Esparza]

I cobbled these together with ready made legs from the hardware store.
You will have to pry off the swivel tip replacing it with a rubber tip.
They also come with an auger/lag bolt you have to remove and the enlarge the hole to take, in my case, a 10mm rod to fit my hybrid.

As you can see, I just painted them black, but they come in any wood you’d like as long as it’s white oak... I think types of wood would (hah) be a whole ‘nother rabbit hole as to their sound characteristics.

But it does give a sense of a wood endpin variable for less than $10 (for three!)

Can’t really say I preferred them, but I do put one on every now and then. Truth is , as much as anything, I miss the adjustability and retract ability of a steel pin.
View attachment 3911941

Where did you find these metal shafts?

 

[mooseonbass]

You can get carbon fiber rods on ebay, if you really want to get away from steel. I think it's used to build RC planes.

 

[LouisF]

Are the Atomic endpins still being made? I have two that Johnny did years ago -one aluminum and the other a solid metal shaft that are both terrific - and produce different tones.

 

[s0707]

This might be another source: McMaster-Carr