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What unusual bass instruments are you using?


Nail Soup
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Most of us are providing the bass in our performance/recording using the one of the usual suspects:

  • Bass guitar
  • Double bass/ EUB
  • Bass Ukulele

 

Is anyone out there actively using anything else to lay down the bass in actual performances or recordings instead of one of the above?

Hoping for some unusual ones.

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There are quite a few people here with bass synths, IIUC.

 

Personally I have used an Ashbory to gig.  I still have ambitions for cello, though time and cashflow are not on my side.  I'd have nabbed that bass viol on eBay, as well, if it had been within 100 miles of me.

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There have also been things like bass banjos and bass balalaikas posted here.  I don't know if anyone is actively playing them.

 

Probably the oddest thing I've got is a three-necked six-string.  That's six strings total, you understand...  one neck with three strings, one with two, and one with one   It's technically a bass guitar, I guess.  I don't really know what it's for; my best guess is to accompany several trad instruments where the natural frequency of the trad instruments varies from instrument to instrument, and retuning every time was not sensible.  But really, I don't know.

 

Obviously I bought it here :D

Edited by alyctes
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10 minutes ago, alyctes said:

There have also been things like bass banjos and bass balalaikas posted here.  I don't know if anyone is actively playing them.

 

Probably the oddest thing I've got is a three-necked six-string.  That's six strings total, you understand...  one neck with three strings, one with two, and one with one   It's technically a bass guitar, I guess.  I don't really know what it's for; my best guess is to accompany several trad instruments where the natural frequency of the trad instruments varies from instrument to instrument, and retuning every time was not sensible.  But really, I don't know.

 

Obviously I bought it here :D

Picture please😀

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I played the Bassoon for a while, not got any recordings of it tho.. Very useful instrument actually is the bassoon, my interest in that direction was more baroque continuo type thing at the time, but it would be an interesting addition to a number of genres no doubt. It's great as everyone knows in "tears of a clown " of course.

I don't still own one regrettably.

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5 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

I played the Bassoon for a while, not got any recordings of it tho.. Very useful instrument actually is the bassoon, my interest in that direction was more baroque continuo type thing at the time, but it would be an interesting addition to a number of genres no doubt. It's great as everyone knows in "tears of a clown " of course.

I don't still own one regrettably.

 

My sister thought about playing bassoon.  Expensive and very hard to find teachers.

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55 minutes ago, alyctes said:

 

My sister thought about playing bassoon.  Expensive and very hard to find teachers.

It's not as frightening as it looks, there's lots of keywork but even if you've played the recorder for instance it'd kind of make sense, I played the saxophone as a teenager and that transferred a lot of stuff over.

No idea about teachers, you could get a fair way on your own if you're musical anyway. Bloody expensive certainly, though likely turn up on ebay as bargains sometimes, a bit of a "pig in a poke" that way of course.

Your sis should have a go if she fancies it, coincidentally there's quite a few ladies that play bassoon.

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1 hour ago, warwickhunt said:

I'm in the process of getting a 6 string 30" scale bass that is tuned 1 octave down from a guitar.  I'm loathed to just say a 6 string bass as even bassists assume this is the B - B tuned thick string variety.  

 

Isn't that a baritone?  Or have I misunderstood?

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14 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

It's not as frightening as it looks, there's lots of keywork but even if you've played the recorder for instance it'd kind of make sense, I played the saxophone as a teenager and that transferred a lot of stuff over.

No idea about teachers, you could get a fair way on your own if you're musical anyway. Bloody expensive certainly, though likely turn up on ebay as bargains sometimes, a bit of a "pig in a poke" that way of course.

Your sis should have a go if she fancies it, coincidentally there's quite a few ladies that play bassoon.

 

She doesn't frighten easily :)

 

She played viola as a teenager, no wind instruments (except recorder).  I don't think she's interested enough to work on it. 

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11 minutes ago, alyctes said:

 

Isn't that a baritone?  Or have I misunderstood?

No, not a baritone as that would be A-a or B-b, this is like a Bass VI and would go as low as a standard 4 string bass guitar or (double bass for that matter). This instrument would just have an additional two higher strings (a B and an E).

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10 minutes ago, Storky said:

No, not a baritone as that would be A-a or B-b, this is like a Bass VI and would go as low as a standard 4 string bass guitar or (double bass for that matter). This instrument would just have an additional two higher strings (a B and an E).

 

Thanks.  I'm beginning to feel there is no sensible way of naming stringed instruments other than by spelling out the intervals and octave.  Annoying.

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5 minutes ago, Storky said:

No, not a baritone as that would be A-a or B-b, this is like a Bass VI and would go as low as a standard 4 string bass guitar or (double bass for that matter). This instrument would just have an additional two higher strings (a B and an E).

 

Nearly... :)  

 

You're right about it not being a Baritone Guitar and it is a Bass VI but the lowest E string gauge is about .85 so about the same as an A string on a standard bass.  It is still tuned EADGBE but the string gauge is lighter than a bass but heavier than a guitar.  

 

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4 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

 

Nearly... :)  

 

You're right about it not being a Baritone Guitar and it is a Bass VI but the lowest E string gauge is about .85 so about the same as an A string on a standard bass.  It is still tuned EADGBE but the string gauge is lighter than a bass but heavier than a guitar.  

 

 

Okay, "standard" guitar tuning but down an octave and with lighter strings than a bass.

 

Which is what you said before :)

 

What sort of band are you looking to use it in?  Would there be a five-string underneath?

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Just now, alyctes said:

 

Okay, "standard" guitar tuning but down an octave and with lighter strings than a bass.

 

Which is what you said before :)

 

What sort of band are you looking to use it in?  Would there be a five-string underneath?

 

Band - it's more a solo/duo scenario where I'm comfortable strumming chords but would like the option to maybe play a bit of bass and or loop either guitar or bass to play over.  Lots of folks gigging with an acoustic guitar and vocal but this gives me an extra dimension.  I don't widdle like these guys though.  

 

  

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As my moniker implies I play Chapman Stick Dual Bass Reciprocal. 6 strings in 4ths, 6 strings in 5ths, lowest note A below low B. Among many other things I can have different sounds on either side but mostly I just play it as a unified instrument. It's highest note is two octaves above middle C. And you can play chords on either side that don't sound muddy. TapTapTap.

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3 minutes ago, Nail Soup said:

Bass saxophone?


It's a Baritone Sax. I've used it quite a lot with a band I occasionally dep with. Their singer is a big fan of Los Lobos who also use a Baritone Sax a lot to augment their bass lines. It works really well:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jm-4FA7M5yc

Edited by Old Horse Murphy
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2 hours ago, Old Horse Murphy said:


It's a Baritone Sax. I've used it quite a lot with a band I occasionally dep with. Their singer is a big fan of Los Lobos who also use a Baritone Sax a lot to augment their bass lines. It works really well:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jm-4FA7M5yc

Our dear mate OldGit was a baritone saxist too. He also played didjeridu... would we say that is a bass instrument..?

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