Accessories for Upright Bass:  Bass Wheels

Upright Bass Transport Wheel standard solid rubber

Manufactured by: none

Why lug your bass around when you can wheel it?!?! I use one of these wheels when moving my sweet old '41 Kay around (Yes, that's my own Kay shown in the photo below), and it works great for many laminated basses that have a compatible endpin receiver. Just pull the endpin rod out and store it in your bass bag and slip in this nice little wheel.

Many domestic and imported basses are coming with 10mm (slightly larger than 3/8 inch) shafts these days, and this wheel is available with both 10mm (slightly smaller than 3/8 inch) and 8mm (approximately 5/16 inch) shafts as well as 1/2" size which is mostly unique to Kay and Engelhardt Basses.

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.

The wheel is six inches high, and it's made of a special rubber that gives a bit, to help cushion the ride. The shafts have a flat spot so you can tighten the two nuts so the wheel is oriented to meet your preference. I like to set the wheel so my bass rolls sideways, to make it more narrow to fit through doorways (why is it that we bassists inevitably hit the wall exactly every third time passing through a tight space??). I lean the neck on my shoulder, grab the bout and lean over to steer!

Laminated basses (like Kays and Engelhardts) are more robust and can take the bumps. However, if you have a carved bass or would like to give your bass the benefit of a softer ride, I highly recommend you check out the deluxe Gaines Bass Wheel (click on photo below), which is an air-filled tire with 7 different shaft sizes available.

Engelhardt/Kay Upright Bass Stock Endpin

This endpin assembly is the type being used for current Engelhardt upright basses and will fit Kay basses as well. Buy the whole assembly or just the shaft...

Gaines Upright Bass Transport Wheel

Baby your bass! Clearly superior with its fully pneumatic, adjustable, and replaceable tubed tire...