Replacement/Upgrade Thumbscrew - Tightener for Endpin Collar (fits Kay/Engelhardt)

I often hear from folks who have a Kay or Engelhardt with the factory endpin - that big ½" plain steel job with the straight-fit collar. (We sell replacement OEM units that we get directly from Engelhardt if you're looking for a replacement.) A common complaint with those, especially from players who don't extend the endpin very far outside the bass, is that they cause a vibration, particularly on certain notes.

Usually, the reason for this vibration is this: The portion of the endpin that is inside the bass acts sort of like a tuning fork; certain pitches vibrate at a frequency that causes the post to oscillate, and therefore vibrate. Ugly.

We've occasionally taken calls from customers who complain of this problem, and we've basically sent them the following advice: "Most people can't torque down on the endpin screw enough to make it stop. What some folks do is go to the hardware store and pick up a knob on a threaded post (the size is 1/4x20) so that they can put more torque on the endpin screw, and this usually cures the problem."

As it happens, I recently came across a really nice replacement knob that works quite well; it has a three-pronged shape, making it very easy to grasp - and the surface of the knob is rubberized, so it has a comfortable soft feel, with plenty of grip. And it's small enough that it won't extend too far and rub against the bottom of the bass.

So, you're still certainly welcome to grab one at your local hardware store, but if you don't feel like going through the trouble, I've got one I can send to you that's been vetted. Check it out on the endpin, in the second photo above.

Important Note: Just because you have a Kay (or Engelhardt) doesn't mean that it necessarily has the original (or most commonly supplied) endpin on it. Look carefully at the photos on this page - it shows the thumbscrew installed on an original Engelhardt/Kay 1/2" endpin assembly (removed from the bass). If your endpin setup looks just like this one (except maybe a bit more more rusty and scratched up) then you should be pretty golden.

However, a bass endpin assembly is a commonly replaced item, particularly on these basses (specifically because they tend to rattle) and yours may have been replaced for an entirely different setup before you acquired it. Also, Kay (and particularly, Engelhardt) had an occasional tendency to substitute (usually without necessarily mentioning it) parts and components when they ran out of "the usual stuff" - so even if you bought your bass new, there's a (fairly small) chance that it might have been equipped from the factory with an entirely different endpin than usually installed into the Kay and Engelhardt basses.

I'm just saying, "check before you order." The relatively low cost - and usually, shipping costs involved in sending it back and forth - of this item make it almost pointless to return it, and who needs that hassle?