The gubbins on Al McKibbon's headstock

[fergs40]

Hallo, upright people. I have never even picked up a double bass, much less played one, so please forgive that this question is coming from a place of complete ignorance...

 

I've been listening to Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool this morning, which features Al McKibbon on several of the tracks. As I do, I've also been idly flicking through the wikipedia bios of the musicians on the record, and came across this picture of Al on his (though very little additional info, even though he lived to 86).

 

Anyway, to the point of this post - what is all that ironmongery on his headstock? And would anyone have a clearer picture of something similar? Just curious!

 

Thanks in anticipation.

[itu]

https://doublebasshq.com/gear_posts/what-are-double-bass-extensions-and-how-do-they-work/ 

[bass_dinger]

Is it my faulty memory, or was there an electric bass guitar with a similar extension?

[velvetkevorkian]

22 minutes ago, bass_dinger said:

Is it my faulty memory, or was there an electric bass guitar with a similar extension?

Kubicki Factor is a famous one.

 

[Rosie C]

46 minutes ago, velvetkevorkian said:

Kubicki Factor is a famous one.

 

 

That is a thing of beauty!

 

[itu]

Ex-Factor. 

 

Factor has tuners in the headstock and no extension. 

[MacDaddy]

19 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

Is it my faulty memory, or was there an electric bass guitar with a similar extension?

 

13 hours ago, itu said:

Ex-Factor. 

 

Factor has tuners in the headstock and no extension. 

 

 

Shuker 3 😁

 

 

[Beer of the Bass]

Not many jazz players use an extension - Ron Carter is a rare exception. I've not spent time with one myself, but some players feel they change the pizzicato feel and response on the E string in ways they don't like. They're very widely used by orchestral players where pizzicato is a lower priority, and even required by some orchestras.

I'm guessing that pic of McKibbon is some years later than Birth Of The Cool, since he appears to have a pickup wire coming from his bridge too. 

[Burns-bass]

3 minutes ago, Beer of the Bass said:

Not many jazz players use an extension - Ron Carter is a rare exception. I've not spent time with one myself, but some players feel they change the pizzicato feel and response on the E string in ways they don't like. They're very widely used by orchestral players where pizzicato is a lower priority, and even required by some orchestras.

I'm guessing that pic of McKibbon is some years later than Birth Of The Cool, since he appears to have a pickup wire coming from his bridge too. 

May be a borrowed bass.