Staggering on Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 My car (Hyundai Elantra GT Hatchback) has plenty of room for my bass but it is awkward to load and unload due to the drop from the lip of the hatch opening to the floor. In the past I loaded the bass flat on its back onto some pillows and then turned it so it was on its side with the neck stuck through between the front seats. To make things easier I put together a frame from 11/2" PVC pipe that is level with the hatch opening and I slide the bass in on the "rails" and can guide the neck so the scroll goes between the seats easily without any contact. I put a strap over the bass and a pillow at the back where the endpin is so it can't move back and is held snugly in place when I close the hatch. Two things to note: 1)the bass is a ply bass and heavy but very strongly built 2) I checked with my luthier and he felt this would be fine for this bass, in fact that's how I took it to his shop and back home again. I have used this system a number of times now for rehearsals and gigs and it makes the loading/unloading part of the trip much easier. For clarity I did not show the quilt that I put over the frame when I actually use it. You might not want to use this system for your expensive carved bass but it works for me. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Oh I like that, I like that a lot! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Ingenious.. plenty of room underneath for snacks and supplies, too! My Corolla has a similar boot, but I take the bass loading as part of my back and upper body exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 I think this is a great idea as this is what happens when bass loading goes wrong. Luckily, for me I'd had the soundpost glued in place about 6 years ago after one too many on stage encounters with over-refreshed punters so I was back up and running in less than 10 minutes. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted March 3, 2020 Share Posted March 3, 2020 Great engineering @staggering on. My fully carved 140yr old bass doesn't get half that much care! Goes on the front seat with the neck down the foot well 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 this makes me queasy just looking at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 20 minutes ago, MacDaddy said: this makes me queasy just looking at it! I think my old German flatback bass has done some time strapped on a roof rack in an unpadded canvas bag. I can't think of any other explanation for the pattern of deep scratches on the back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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