I plan on having a one string bass built. I will then go to the NAMM show and do a demo performance in which I only play whole notes.

Me too. However, I am a little surprised that he felt the need to customize the bridge and pickups, though. I'd have done those single string bridges. And I'd have used, say, a couple of J pickups aligned in a P configuration. That'd have cut costs by a ton, and the pair of single coil J pickups would have done the hum canceling that the P pickups do. And I'm afraid to consider what kind of truss rod thing he's got going on to keep that wooden landing strip all straight. I'd have made a phone call to Moses; Mayby buy two Vertical Jump Basses without pickups installed, mill flat the bottom edge of one and the top edge of the other, and glued them together with some biscuits like Norm on The New Yankee Workshop would do. "And don't forget to wear these: saftey glasses." Thanks for the advice, Norm....

Yup. That's what I'm doing tomorrow.

Hope this isn' too much of a diversion, but any of you guys ever play an 8-string, like a Hamer, the ones that are really essentially 4-string, but with 2 strings per note (like a 12-string guitar). I've only seen a few guys play those, but they have a pretty unique sound that is suitable for certain types of music - in particular, folk, in my opinion. Just curious how they are to play as I've never layed my hands on one.

A few forum members have 8 (4 doubled), 10 (5 doubled) and 12 string basses (4 trippled), IIRC. I want to say Jeremy and Sr. Nuts are among the elite. There are also some famous bass players that have used them on famous tracks. Ask somebody else who/what they are because I don't know off the top of my head.

Apparently, robb is a member with a 9 string member.

Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick,) Nikki Sixx (Duh,) Doug Pinnick (Kings X) and I THINK but don't quote me... Timothy B Schmidt (Poco, Eagles) play(ed) 12 string basses. I know there are more out there... I just can't think of who it might be. I'm probably wrong about Schmidt. It's right there behind my eyeballs but I just can't pull it out.. and for some reason his is the only name that comes to mind.
Tom Petersson pioneered the long scale 12 string concept back in the late 70's with Hamer.
I think Hagstrom made their 8 string octave bass in the 60's though. Mike Rutherford (Genesis,) Noel Redding (Jimi Hendrix) and even Hendrix himself played H8's, among others.

DX

PEARL JAM!!!!!! Jeff Ament. Whew, that was bugging me.
ANYWAYS.... there you go.


DX

Yes, I have an eight string bass. Four strings each with an octave string next to it.

I like it and was pleasantly surprised to find out that when I brought it to a gig the rest of the band liked it too.

Which will subsequently be placed on Youtube, played by bazillions, and launch Jeremy into a whole new realm of stardom... sounds good...
And when will the 3 String come out... (Single string with 2 octave strings?) fretted or fretless? or fan-fret?

Sorry. I'm tired... been in the sun all day... forgive me, I'm not used to it. I don't get much sun normally but the mine is shut down for a week.


DX

The subject of 8, 10, and 12 string double (or triple) coursed are another topic entirely and has been discussed quite a bit here.

Monte Colvin from Galactic Cowboys played 8 and 12's a lot.

John Paul Jones played an 8 string Alembic on all of Led Zeppelin's Presence album.

Entwistle used 8 strings off and on.

Aforementioned Jeff Ament played a 12-string on "Jeremy", "Why Go", "Deep", "State of Love and Trust", and "Go".



He played the first 12 string bass but it wasn't a long scale. It was 30.5" scale because they originally couldn't get it to work at 34" scale due to the extremely high tension on the neck. It wasn't until sometime in the 80's that (I believe) Hamer made the first 34" scale 12 string bass.

I've owned several Hamer Chaparral 12 string basses (34" scale) and at the moment I have a cheap Rogue 8 string (double coursed) bass.

I really wasn't talking about the guy in the video. I was thinking more about guys along the lines of John Pattitucci. Of course, if your technique is better than his, I should listen to you. Got any recordings out I can get hold of?



I would have liked to have heard something that used that F#, or even notes working down to it.



yeah, I've heard some of them too. Those six-plus string guys were the players I was referring to above.



Do you really feel confident enough in the superiority of your own knowledge and ability to sit in judgment and pontificate like that? Again, are there any recorded examples to validate your statements, or do we just have to take your word for that you're that much better than 9-string guy?



See above 2 question about your body of recorded work, in case I should want to be pissed off, too...

She's not on much, but Amy from Clatter has at least a 12.

And a few other doubled-string basses on his solo/duet albums, right?

I used to play an 8-string Ibanez back in the mid 90's. I was inspired to get it by Jeff Ament's work with Pearl Jam. That bass sounded like a whole lot of awesomeness! But it was so heavy and ungainly that it was like wearing a piece of furniture. I wound up selling mine just because I didn't have material that demanded me to play an 8 string and it was physically uncomfortable to play.

Playing an 8 string presents some particular challenges. Fingerstyle playing is a little more challenging. I think I got better results from playing it with a pick.

I am stunned anyone would notice at all, or see it as more than a mild curiosity.

I've heard TNB play. He is the real deal and I doubt that there are more than a few people here on the forum (if there are that many) who could do the gigs he does.

I have a friend who juggles bowling pins in the middle of a song with his bass still strapped on. How many people here on the forum can do that gig?

Well. I can balance things on my chin while playing bass.

And remember the good old days when Victor would ride his silly-high unicycle? And finish the solo with a back flip? He ain't so young anymore either.

There's quite a few of them around now. This is an ACG bass:

Agreed. I've seen tnb sit in on a jazz gig on upright and play masterfully -- even with an upright of a different scale than his own. I've heard him "mess around" on electric. Scary.

I can dig on folks using many-stringed basses. It can be really cool. I agree with the general point that folks should play instruments that allow them to express themselves musically as they see fit.

I ain't gonna judge someone by number of strings. Whether I appreciate what they do or not will be based on how they use those strings. Dig?

Peace.
--Dub $$

Add me to the list, I watched/listened to him do "Smokey Joe's Cafe" in Vero's Riverside Theater. Doubled on upright and electric... but I missed him in Jupiter's Maltz Theater playing tuba in "Barnum".
As jeremy says - he's the real deal and a pleasure to hang with.

I have 5 four string basses, 1 five string bass, 1 six string bass, and one eight string bass. (also one "science project bass" which is unplayable at the moment, so I'm not counting it.)

That gives me a total of 39 strings divided by eight basses for an average of 4.785 strings per bass. That has to count for something.

Also, I've played a 2-string fretless built by Chris Stambaugh. Was way fun. Except for the triple-stops...way tricky...

Peace.
--s-uu

You're a triple-stop.

what project are you perpetrating on a poor defenseless bass, you mad fiend?

rok.



robb.

I mentioned it on the side thread but I do have an 8 (Galveston).

I understand the perceived blasphemy of having a "bass" instrument that goes outside the needs of providing the bass role.

But there is more to music than just the bass role; it just happens to be the coolest part.

And after investing a lot of effort learning the EBG interface it seems a shame to have to start all over with something like piano (or the "miniature T-bird" in the photo ) just to be able to get the rest of the music out. (Probably not while providing the bass role in an ensemble, mind you.)

YMMV

This is usually said by pompous giutar players who play power chords and thats it. Playing the melody to Mr. PC in the first through 5 fret area or any bob marley song will usually shut them up even though these basslines aren't too hard.

4 is enough for me. Maybe one day I'll move to a five but I've never really had the need too, although I could use it for alternate fretting posistions. Learning it the hard way will only strenghten my hand so thats the way I look at it.

Unless there were some serious edits, I've seen noob flaming that was more onerous that that thread.