Showing my ignorance here.....

[Baxlin]

I went to see the BBC Concert Orchestra last night, and noticed that all the Double Basses had an extra 'appendage' alongside the head.  Although I was in the second row, I wasn’t close enough to count the strings, but is this for a 5th string?

[DaveFry]

 

[bassace]

Good explanation. As a jazzer I’d certainly like to get down to Eb, not too bothered about the lower notes. I wonder whether those extensions are more prone to damage with regular gigs.

One further thought: my perception is that extensions are favoured in UK orchestras while in Europe (whoops) five stringers are the norm. I could be wrong.

 

[Baxlin]

Thanks for posting that DaveFry.

I suppose the alternative is just to drop the E, but this would upset the '4ths' tuning.

[TPJ]

1 hour ago, bassace said:

Good explanation. As a jazzer I’d certainly like to get down to Eb, not too bothered about the lower notes. I wonder whether those extensions are more prone to damage with regular gigs.

One further thought: my perception is that extensions are favoured in UK orchestras while in Europe (whoops) five stringers are the norm. I could be wrong.

 

Hipshot makes a drop D thingy for double bass @bassace. Looks cool.

 

[Owen]

I have the drop d hipshot thang on my bass. It goes from bottom B to A in a fabulous way. You do have to bend right down to use it and you will not be as easy to slide back up as a hipshot on a plank. 

[lowlandtrees]

I have a C extension on my new double bass. Since I am a C extension virgin I got some advice on fitting a new string. Extended strings are more expensive. This was a £60 string. I took just over 2 days to take up the tension...you have probably guessed by now that it broke on the last turn......grr

[Owen]

I managed to break two expensive B strings once. It turns out that I was squashing them into the side of the string box. I am not suggesting this is what you did, but putting it out there for info.

[lowlandtrees]

Not sure of the reason but was close to breaking my knuckles on a brick wall...two broken strings must have made you upset for a couple of years

[Owen]

It was not my finest moment. I totally feel your pain though.

I was not trying to trump your misfortune.

Edited March 28, 2019 by owen

[NickA]

Some people love those extensions.  Better than a 5 string as you keep the string spacing and the neck width of a  4 string plus can still really DIG IN to a fat bottom E ( most often the lowest note you need).   Drop tuners are an option but when you deploy them, all the other strings go out of tune.  There is a lot of classical music that needs bottom D or C so mostly we retune to D A D G or C G D G between pieces.  It's a pain and smaller basses suffer string flap when tuned down so low.  an extension is probs the cure ... But UGLY, can't bring myself to adulterate my bass with one.