Accessories for Upright Bass:  Bass Wheels

Gaines Upright Bass Transport Wheel

Manufactured by: Gaines

Gaines Heavy Duty Double Bass Wheel
Clearly superior with its fully pneumatic, adjustable, and replaceable tubed tire

The Gaines Heavy Duty Bass Wheel is at the top of the heap when you analyze the bass wheels available. This is a true eight inch tire, fully pneumatic with an innertube - the best way to absorb the shock of the road rather than transmit them to your valuable instrument.

A plated steel yoke has a receiver for the shaft size perfect for your bass' endpin, and they can be easily changed, so it is possible to economically own one wheel for use with multiple instruments, or obtain a new pin to fit your new bass or upgraded endpin.

NO SWIVEL WHEELWheel direction can be adjusted to your preferred orientation. If it rotated you could not control the bass while rolling it! The shaft has a flat side; you adjust the position using the allen set screw (wrench supplied) so it is in the right position for the set screw in your endpin receiver.

The innertube has a conventional fitting for adding air using a common hand pump. This also allows for custom wheel cushioning, lower pressure if bumps are the order of the day, or higher pressure if you're running on the street! The wheel itself has heavy duty ball bearings, and the whole assembly is made of top quality hardware. Spare parts are readily available, and Cluster Research, the Gaines manufacturer, offers a lifetime warranty on all the metal parts. They are tops in customer service and can usually offer a loaner wheel if necessary.

FYI, I also carry an inexpensive "solid" bass wheel; it is not pneumatic, but is made of a soft rubber compound and is suitable for laminated basses. However, it is also a smaller wheel and certainly no competition to the Gaines shown here, but fine for most laminated basses like my old Kay.

Choose the endpin shaft size carefully! — A caliper or similar precision measure should be taken to ensure the proper size endpin shaft. Just for your information, 10mm is by far the most common size, for most endpins- be cautious when specifying 3/8" as it is only slightly smaller than 10mm, and it is important to use the correct size. The next most common size is 8mm, then 16mm (5/8"), 1/2" and 3/8".

IMPORTANT TIPS:

1. You MUST measure! It's important to have the correct size to avoid damaging your endpin receiver - that's a costly replacement!
2. Okay then, how do I measure? The best way is with a caliper (see example at right), which allows you to accurately measure the diameter of your existing shaft. If you don't have one, get a piece of stiff cardstock or cardboard, and cut a notch in it. Continue to slightly widen that slot until the endpin fits perfectly - then measure the gap. Do the measurement with both inches and millimeters; as you can see, shafts are available in both metric and SAE (inches) sizes, and some of the sizes are very close.
3. I don't have a metric (or SAE) ruler - now what? Check out this page for some printable rulers that might help.
4. What if my endpin shaft won't come out?? Many endpins have a pin stop that prevents the shaft from being removed from the bass. In most cases you can shove the pin into the bass, retrieve it through the f-hole, and remove the crossbar or other piece that is preventing removal.

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