| Author | Message | ||
     X5thxgearxfreak |
Anyone know the best/easiest/safest way to transport an instrument on a motorbike? I play bass, electric bass guitar to be specific, and I don't know how to carry my bass with me if I were riding. As in, I don't know if I should strap it to the tail or use shoulder straps or pay a taxi to take it wherever I was going. As long as he wouldn't run off with it, considering it's a graphite/carbon fiber Warwick Buzzard I'd rather not leave or trust it with anyone. Thanks in advance for the assistance, Steve. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Steve- I play bass too. I've thought about trying to transport it on the bike, but I've never tried it. I think about the most practical way would be to use a gig bag. I have one that has two shoulder straps that would allow the bass to be "worn" like a back pack. One good thing about your carbon fiber Buzzard- it would probably survive a crash better than you would! My "baby" is a Wal- I don't think I'll risk it on a bike ride any time soon. Hugh (Message edited by hughlysses on December 20, 2009) | ||
| X5thxgearxfreak |
Lol, yeah I think the thing could survive a nuclear blast honestly. Except it weighs some 6 kilos, I've got L.E.D. lights and an onboard pre-amp, all that added a kilo and take in the fact that it runs on 5, yes, 5, 9volt batteries. 2 for the 18volt preamp and 3 for the LEDs, it's not the lightest instrument, which is why I think my neck would turn to spaghetti after a trip to the jam shack and back if I were to carry it in a gig-bag. | ||
| Danger_dave |
My semi acoustic Bass came with a soft cover that turns into a back pack - lightly padded - I wore mine to a party on Sunday. | ||
| Xl1200r |
I've seen a guy on a bike carrying a pair of skis. I'm sure you'll figure something out. | ||
| Froggy |
Ski's are easy, they are long and flat, they can be strapped against the frame. Instruments are larger and odd shaped. | ||
| Delta_one |
+1 for on your back. I was behind a guy doing it with what looked like an acoustic (it was very thick) strapped to him on his nighthawk. | ||
| Iman501 |
i have an accoustic, and i've ridden with it on my back before in a gigbag with backpack style shoulder straps, i only rode about two miles to my friends house with it, so i probably didnt even get above 50, but it worked out alright,....it was kind of weird and annoying, but i made it there | ||
| Milt |
If you really like your instrument, have someone with a car take it where it needs to go. I would never carry my classical guitar or alto sax on a motorcycle. I will heal, they will not. | ||
| Spank |
I used one of them single strap gig bags for my bass as well. Rode to practice and to college with it all the time strapped to my back. Had it strapped across my back diagonally, kinda like you would a gun I guess. If I remember the only crappy part was how the wind buffered it around at speed. | ||
| Svh |
Definetly use a 2 strap model. Single straps can get flailing pretty good. I have rode about 15mi with a 12ga shotgun on my back with a single strap and it flopped alot and I am sure it is heavier than your bass. Wouldn't be too difficult at all as long as you are comfortable walking with it strapped on your back | ||
| X5thxgearxfreak |
I weighed the bass, it's 5.8 kilos, that's like 12lbs. The only shotgun I know of that's 12lbs is an old blunderbuss. I sat on my scg with it in it's gig bag and I definitely need a double strap bag. Maybe I could rig one of those double straps on golf bags onto my gig bag, then it'll be at an angle instead of straight up. The straight up thing would work on my RSV4 cause I lay on the tank so the bass's body won't bounce on the tailframe. I've seen a bloke with an old Triumph Bonneville and he had his guitar strapped to the seat like a wing. That was even on the A466 by Tintern Abbey so I'd love to have seen him after he got to where he was going if he was windblown to all hell or not. I'll substitute the Buzzard with my Fender Jazz and go to work with it and see what happens. Being it's already 4 in the morning I'm going to sleep for a bit till I go in at 12, I'll post how the trip went when I get at work. | ||
| Svh |
Good luck! | ||
| Theironmaiden22 |
I play bass too, but I used to ride with my Steinberger bass [like below] all the time.  But as you can see it's somewhat short and weighed next to nothing since it had a graphite neck. So riding with that wasn't hard at all. Until I got a Gibson Thunderbird and copied his holiness John Entwistle and stuck a Fender P-bass neck on it. [Like this.]  And I'm sure as effing hell ain't riding with that. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Rode home with it on this evening too. On an XR1200X. Felt very bob dylan. | ||
| X5thxgearxfreak |
Carrying my bass wasn't too bad, there were a few time where I thought I was going to get strangled from the strap but otherwise went without a hitch. I'll have to stuff padding in the bottom of the gig bag since whenever I went over a traffic bump or hole in the road the bottom liked to bounce a bit on the tailframe. Nonetheless, wasn't too bad, and the best part, I made it to the pub after work. Now riding home after a few pints was a bit dicey. Trying to adjust a bag while a bit inebriated on two wheels is a rush. | ||
| X5thxgearxfreak |
Lovely Fenderbird by the way. Nice job copying the Messiah of all Bassists too. | ||
| Jimduncan69 |
OCC made a bike just for you!  |
