Eminance waist extension

[MrTea]

Just got myself an Eminance portable upright and like many threads have said before it's a great instrument. Maybe not as loud acoustically as I'd hoped but sounds lovely with a little amplification. Unfortunately it's missing the waist extension and before I go and order one from the US thought I'd just get peoples thoughts on here. Does it do a good enough job or do others end up switching this for something custom? Shipping costs are going to add up on ordering it so didn't want it to arrive then wish I'd rolled my own. 

[Silvia Bluejay]

Well, it does a job, but IMO it's a bit, well, minimalist. Small and not particularly versatile (see below). If you can source something better in the UK that's cheaper and fits the hole in the side of the body, I would go for that.

 

 

[TheRev]

I've extended mine a bit just by wrapping a load of foam around the but that rests against your body. The supplied waist extension would certainly benefit from a bit of adjustability.

If you're a bit handy with wood, you could easily make your own, I think the trickiest bit would be getting the correct taper on the bit that goes  into the body.

If you're not handy with wood, some of the lovely people who hang out in the build forum might be willing to help you out.

[Petey]

I bought mine secondhand (just over 10 years old) in January this year and it almost feels as new....I've gigged it several times and must have put in over 70 hrs practice at home both with and without the extension. We understand its purpose but I now hardly use mine as I can get that much closer to the fingerboard and it makes playing that much easier for me

Edited June 27, 2020 by Petey
spelling mistake

[MrTea]

Thanks all. I must admit I considered if I could get away without it but being relatively new to upright I have a tendency to grip a little tight on the left hand and thought the waist rest may help. That said at the price imported from the US (looking to be around £60) I may have a think about making something. I didn't want to end up putting too much pressure on the taper. 

[Silvia Bluejay]

One advantage of the Eminence is the endpin bar, which prevents it from spinning while you play, so the waist extension may not be entirely necessary for keeping the instrument in a comfortable playing position. I still prefer to use the extension, though.

[Burns-bass]

I could never get on with the Eminence because of the rest, but it is a lovely instrument.

£60 sounds quite expensive when you can get one of these delivered for £2.99

 

 

[MrTea]

The endpin bar is a neat addition and goes a long way to help steady it. It's a shame I can't find a waist extension closer to home but I may end up biting the bullet and ordering one. 

[MrTea]

Just to close up this thread. Ordered and received the waist extension from the US. Cost a small fortune in the end for what it is (due to customs and processing adding whack into the cost) but glad I did. 

[Apeneck Sweeney]

I recently got one second hand. I found that if I turned it so that is was going vertically up it was more comfortable. My double has very wide shoulders and I could do with the extension being a couple of inches longer to get a similar feel. I may have a go at making something, failing that I know a good carpenter. The best extension I've come across is the one on my Clifton. 

Edited June 26, 2020 by Apeneck Sweeney
spelling

[MrTea]

I'm sure if you have one for reference then getting an alternative made wouldn't be too hard. I've not tried a Clifton but the extensions do look good - I like the look of the addition of the lower support. That said, the combination of the support and endpin on the Eminance does a pretty good job for me. 

[Gareth Hughes]

I like the extension, but being thin I found it digging into my side a bit much. I remedied this by having the upper ribs and neck block of a broken double bass transplanted onto it. The extension now serves to support the new rib. Feels so much more realistic to lean against.

[DanOwens]

On 27/06/2020 at 20:50, Gareth Hughes said:

I like the extension, but being thin I found it digging into my side a bit much. I remedied this by having the upper ribs and neck block of a broken double bass transplanted onto it. The extension now serves to support the new rib. Feels so much more realistic to lean against.

Got any photos of that? It sounds awesome. 

[Gareth Hughes]

25 minutes ago, DanOwens said:

Got any photos of that? It sounds awesome. 

Here you go. Sorry for the sideways angle, can’t figure out how to change that here.

[gypsyjazzer]

Gareth Hughes: What a brilliant idea! Years ago I bought a double bass that someone---not a bass repairer--let us say more of a DIY 'bodger'-- completely ruined the bass. So being the state that the bass is in I will cut up and make a top bout for the Eminence.

Thanks for the post.

[3below]

On 26/06/2020 at 16:51, Apeneck Sweeney said:

I recently got one second hand. I found that if I turned it so that is was going vertically up it was more comfortable. My double has very wide shoulders and I could do with the extension being a couple of inches longer to get a similar feel. I may have a go at making something, failing that I know a good carpenter. The best extension I've come across is the one on my Clifton. 

Can you post a pic of the Clifton extension.  I have a Cifton mini bass and find the extension is a bit on the small side.

[Apeneck Sweeney]

6 hours ago, 3below said:

Can you post a pic of the Clifton extension.  I have a Cifton mini bass and find the extension is a bit on the small side.

I've just taken it into my luthier today to get the fingerboard planed, the bridge adjusted and a general polish in order to put it up for sale. I have this picture from a recent gig and I've just taken a few of the detached  extension as that's all I have at home right now.

[3below]

That must be a 'gig' above? I think I remember them, used to do them myself pre-covid-19.