No comment.

At the beginning of 2002, when I was one of the moderators, I invited Gregory Bruce Campbell to the Lowdown after seeing a picture of his 9 string on the AFM site. This turned into one of the ugliest threads I've ever seen on the Lowdown. Ironically, the war with Gregory was with another friend of mine I had invited to the Lowdown as well. They were both almost banned from the forum but somehow it was eventually reeled in.

http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/529398/1/The_nine_string_exists

Wally

For those of you who may have been planning to say, "that isn't a bass", remember that is what I have heard for my entire life when I show up to play jazz with an electric bass (no matter how many strings it has).

Owww. Just looking at that picture makes my left hand hurt.

It's a bass alright. It is one that is not for me and never will be.

A Boesendorfer extended grand piano goes down to F or F# as well. So these extended basses aren't the only instruments that get down to whale country.

"A piano for bass players"

Very cool, and the cat can certainly play it. It's not really any stranger than a Chapman Stick. I wonder what sort of PA support he needs to make the 21Hz note audible. I would need a bigger car, which ain't gonna happen.

(speaking of The Stick; Tony Levin's Stick Men started their current tour in Syracuse NY a couple Fridays ago, but I had a damn gig scheduled before I found out about it. Doh!)

I thought it was elephants whose hearing goes the lowest of all the creatures.

Yeah... I'm a tard.

Elephants and as it turns out ferrets. Both can hear down to 15-16Hz depending on what reference material you look at. Turns out ferrets are ridiculous little critters. Their hearing range is 15Hz - 44kHz. That's officially the largest range I found.

Hmmm, I tried 6 and realised that was one too many for me. To each his own (number of strings). Here's a paraphrase from the Anvil: The Story Of Anvil book, when they auditioned a new bass player called Gregory or something, who got the job. Lips or Robb said about him:



And. That. Was. It. No more mention about his chosen instrument, no rant about 5-string basses or whatever. Just that and nothing more. The way it should be (unless a band wants to establish a certain look or image, but we've been down that road before).

Yep, same story, and same idea about the number of strings. The players I've heard with 6 or more strings tend more toward solo playing(alone or in a group setting), have very advanced or idiosyncratic technique, and if they have a band, it's usually more or less built around them.
I wouldn't mind having that kind of skill and technique, but I probably would have it if I wanted it bad enough, and I don't begrudge those who wanted it bad enough to develop it. In the final analysis, it really boils down to what kind of music you hear in your head and heart, and how much you want to play it. I say have as many strings as you can handle and still make tasty music, and call it bass, or bass plus, or Uncle Bob if you want to. Let's get off each other's backs with our self-imposed limits and let the music flow. Anyone who still listens to music on the radio knows we need some decent music from somewhere.

What skill and technique? I realize the clip was short, but I heard nothing to justify the purchase. I have heard plenty of guys do monstrous things on 4-7 string basses. Kudos to them. This guy was nothing but a poser with a big bass.

Then again, if I really wanted to be pissed off, I could buy some recording he's done.

yes, this is not news. i'm glad this guy has found a bass that makes him comfortable and allows him to express himself the way he wants.

there's plenty of basses like this on talkbass. conklin has been making 8s for quite some time. at this point, there is quite a lot of support for extended range basses (ERBs).

robb.

Nice comment in the old thread, robb...classy.

We just took on board a new bass player at church who uses a very wide necked 7 and a just-as-wide 6 string... I look at that 2x12 he wears across his chest and just cringe... and to make it worse, his fingers are these short, stubby little things, 3/4 the length of mine... but he says he can't play a bass with the strings closer together like my jazz or he stumbles all over himself. And he is GOOD.
I tried a 6 string, briefly, before coming to the conclusion that that was 2 too many, and promptly sold it and my beloved 5 string also... now I'm back down to a more manageable 4.
I guess it comes down to not only the number of strings but the width of the board as well... my 6 string was very narrow, not much wider than my 5, but this other guy's 6 string at the nut would take 3 of my jazz necks to cover. It just matters what you're used to and what's comfortable. And ya gotta admit, to the uninformed masses, that runway slab full of steel frets and strings looks and sounds awfully impressive...

DX

We had a number of similar threads over the years in the forum, and ultimately they all wound up going in circles. Some people have taken very dogmatic approaches and others are open minded about the concept of extended range bass.

Ultimately it all boils down to how you think of the instrument and your needs. For a lot of people there's a comfort factor that's the product of years of experience, or attachment to a tradition. And breaking from those patterns is tough to do. Other people are looking for an instrument that fully allows them to express the full range of their ideas. And perhaps a 5 string or even 6 has not been enough to express those ideas. Enter instruments like the Conklin or a Chapman stick.

I think there's room for both kinds of players in a wide spectrum of music.

ERBs are nothing new and there are many accomplished bassists using them. I applaud those who are out there pushing back the bounderies of our instrument. I just as equally applaud those who are out there layin' it down in the traditional style.

I have said many times, both here and on other boards, that I am very disappointed with bassists (or any musician for that matter)who criticize and ridicule others. I have never understood the hate for ERBs or the contention that those who play them are not "real" bassists. Likewise, I have no tolerance for those who would sneer at players who remain on 4 strings.

I contend that Leo Fender did us all a big diservice when he invented the first Precision with only four strings. I mean if it was supposed to be a 'bass guitar' it should of had six strings right from the get-go. After all the 'baritone guitar' has six strings, it would seem logical that a 'bass guitar' would have the same number.

I of course realize that Leo was designing a replacement for the upright bass and therefore followed that design. In fact he intended for the precision to serve as a means for 'guitarists' to be able to easily play bass parts....essentially putting bassists out of a job! And he almost succeded because both bandleaders and "real" bassists would never sully themselves and their reputations by being seen with one! It took some brave pioneers to bring the electric bass to its current acceptance.

Even when I first started playing the instrument in the late 70's there was still quite a bit of predjudice against the electric bass in jazz. And many "real" bassists only doubled on electric because they "had to".

We've come a long way baby!

But even today bass is still looked down on by many musicians as being the "easy instrument", you know, the one you picked up because guitar was too hard for you.

I believe that much of the problem lies in our tendancy to identify ourselves in relation to our chosen instrument, "I am a {insert preferred instrument + ist here}" rather than "I am a musician". I'm not saying that it is improper to be discerning, but as long as someone is making beautiful music why should the tool used to do it even matter?

Just relax everyone, the "proper bass police" are not going to show up and demand that you surrender your instrument and play only those with the "correct" number of strings!

So lighten up and just enjoy the music!


Cheers!

Agreed wholeheartedly.

And you're a wide spectrum.

I'm constantly stunned by the level of dogma you find in these conversations. I recently bought a 5-banger and loaded it E-C; I've been taking crap from bassists and guitards ever since. Why? I'm not asking anyone to change how they play, or what they play. I've just decided to do something different. If a cat wants to play just two strings, I'm cool with that. It won't make me change my mind about what I play, but I won't have a problem with them for doing something different.

Here is a little extra just because some might find it amusing:

I was talking with a guitar player about my bass and he said, "Why don't you just play guitar?"

I replied, "I'm not allowed."

He asked, "Why not?"

"I screwed up and learned how to read music."

The look he had was priceless.

That's perfect!

DX

I think he was spot on when he described the instrument as " a piano for bass players". His band "little and large" is a trio with a drummer and another bassist on a 5 string. So he uses that higher end quite a bit in that band as he seems to play most of the melodies. If you are comfortable expressing yourself on an instrument then i say go for it regardless of what it is. I am definitely most comfortable on my six string. The string spacing and tension just feels right. But to each his own.

My only problem with ERBs is when talentless people use them as a way to stand out. Like a gimmick. That and to me the high strings on 7+ stringed basses sound too tinny and empty. But that is just personal taste.

I am always thankful that people are out there thinking outside the box and pushing boundaries. It is people like that that make the world such an interesting place. Everyone thought that Anthony Jackson was nuts when he told them about his idea for the 6 string. But look how much great music he made with it and how many talented people have made the 6 string their musical voice.


.

I could never see myself playing something like this, let alone holding one. I mean, heck, my six string gets far too heavy after about 30 minutes.

Personally, I'm not even used to my six string yet, and I've had it for six months. I've really found no use for the C string yet, except for potentially transcribing solos on the end of the G down to it, and extending my walking. Actually, now that I think about it, it's much more preferred to keep walking in shape than to extend up the neck. God, I hate that.

The only reason I bought instead of a five of the exact same model / type was because I already have a five, and because the bass was too good to pass up. Hmm. Maybe I should've gone with the five?

I'm kind of surprised. I've loaded E-C for 15 years now. Almost no one has ever even noticed. Most don't even notice that it's a fretless.

I need to start hanging around musicians that give a damn.

it's hard work being awesome for this long.

robb.

A low F#. Well I quess I wouldn't have to hear my guitar player bitch at me for not playing lowest note I can eh?
It'a nice looking and sounding bass and more power to him.
Definately nothing I'd ever see me realistically using.

I don't play songs in F#.

He plays them in Gb!

Wally

Yeah but we do lots of stuff in G, A, and E. I would never have to play anything higher that the A string. He would probably be exstatic.

I admire the Man, he followed his hearts desire and made himself a custom instrument exactly the way he wanted it. The fact that its a 9 string bass is even cooler, it required some effort to do what he did to create the Bass and then to normalise it as his goto bass is again quite amazing!!

He seems a nice guy to boot. I will have a Seamy D custom bass some day also.