5 string experiance

Rob Sleeper · #1 06-25-2007, 05:41 PM

Hi everyone,

I just got back from my Chicago Youth Symphony tour of Europe and thought i should an experience I had. One of our concerts was at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland. My experience takes place when I met a real nice college student who was majoring in bass at the academy. He took me to the bass room where there was at least 7 basses all on a rack. One of them was a 5 string Rubner. I just had to try the bass out because I just love 5 stringers. I played and excerpt from Beethoven 5 ,9, Kousse Concerto and the Bottesini Elgie. To my surprise, the Rubner sounded amazing! Really even sounding and lush. The b string was really warm and loud. As far as the technical challenges, the G string was a little more over than I thought but not a big deal. The string spacing was no big deal for my left hand but for my bowing hand I had some minor problems mainly because I am not use to playing on a instrument with 5 strings. I'm sure that a couple weeks of practicing those problems will all go away. It was like a dream for me. I have never loved 5 stringers more. Great sounding 5 string basses are not that rare to find after all. It was my first time playing on a 5 string bass and I loved it. I still think that C extensions are a waste of a idea that someone had. (no offense to anyone)

Thanks for reading.

Rob

PS

Silversorcerer · #2 06-26-2007, 12:13 AM

There is an interesting 5 string thread on KSB with a photo of a Rubner with serpentine or flame / tear f-holes and a variation on the festoon shape, which has some qualities of a busetto. Was the one you played standard looking or was it an unusual shape?

I'm a five string player myself and I share your view of the extension. It kind of clutters up an instrument and looks like a tumor on the scroll. But different strokes. Some people find those useful. My bass is a Kremona bass, and the model is called a "Rubner". It sounds pretty large and even also. It was no doubt inspired by Rubner and it shares the same gamba shape as a few more normal looking Rubners that I have seen.

My guess is the one you played was an actual Rubner made by Josef or Johannes Rubner? The ones I've been able to find on the web are all expensive instruments so I'm not surprised it sounded good. A good sounding 5-string is hard to find though. In fact in America a 5-string is hard to find. Cool story. Thanks for sharing.

Rob Sleeper · #3 06-26-2007, 07:38 AM

Thanks Silversorcerer I also read your pm,

Yes, I looked inside the bass and it was in fact a Johannes Rubner 5 string. The bass was very similar to the Hoffner bass that Ken Smith is selling. The only difference was the Rubner had a slightly lighter varnish and had a more of a "older" look. I know that Rubner is known for his "unique" f-hole design but the bass I played on had very "traditional" style f-hole design. Sorry for my non-Luther terminology. lol

basstef · #4 06-26-2007, 08:11 AM

Take a look at this

www.vektor-bass.de/rubner1957.htm

Silversorcerer · #5 06-26-2007, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by basstef

Take a look at this

www.vektor-bass.de/rubner1957.htm

That's the same one I was talking about. I have seen similar f-holes before but they are not common on modern instruments. Gorgeous instrument!

Rob, what was the arching of the fingerboard and bridge like on that one you played?

CamMcIntyre · #6 06-26-2007, 03:12 PM

Hey Rob, nice post. I hope the tour of Europe was enjoyable.

If you get the chance, talk to the CSO guys about 5s. I've only had the chance to talk to Joe DiBello about em and that was very brief-he came into the store, so i thought i'd ask him.

A part of me wants a 5 in DB form because i play primarily 5 string slab [ occasionally play 4 & 6 so far]. However, i'm not sure if it is something that for me as a jazzer would benefit much from.

take it easy.

damonsmith · #7 06-26-2007, 03:22 PM

My friend Klaus Janek (http://klaus-janek.de/) has beautiful 5 string Pollman that plays so easy. I have used it a few times. Any creative bassist will find good uses for extra strings. My 7 string (low B to high F) EUB is great to play.

CamMcIntyre · #8 06-26-2007, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damonsmith

My 7 string (low B to high F) EUB is great to play.

Not trying to derail/hijack this, but the 7 seems really intriguing to me. I don't have a clue if you're this guy or not-but the Conklin MEU7 that was in their catalog/website for awhile is what came to mind. If i had the coin to drop on an EUB-i'd definately want to try one of those. I've been fascinated with Conklin Basses [primarily slab side] largely due to John Tuner.

Silversorcerer · #9 06-27-2007, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damonsmith

My friend Klaus Janek (http://klaus-janek.de/) has beautiful 5 string Pollman that plays so easy. I have used it a few times. Any creative bassist will find good uses for extra strings. My 7 string (low B to high F) EUB is great to play.

I agree with this pretty strongly. A DB with more strings might appeal to a jazz / improvisationalist even more than to a classical player. Speaking of 6- strings, check out this one:

http://www.geba-online.de/auto_image...23&x=396&y=572

And speaking of 7-strings, an avante garde improvisationalist, Paul Rogers, plays one of these oddities:

This instrument is also an unusual shape with no C bouts and looks like a rounded savart. I can't find a photo that shows the whole thing. The maker is French.

damonsmith · #10 06-27-2007, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silversorcerer

I agree with this pretty strongly. A DB with more strings might appeal to a jazz / improvisationalist even more than to a classical player. Speaking of 6- strings, check out this one:

http://www.geba-online.de/auto_image...23&x=396&y=572

And speaking of 7-strings, an avante garde improvisationalist, Paul Rogers, plays one of these oddites:

This instrument is also an unusual shape with no C bouts and looks like a rounded savart. I can't find a photo that shows the whole thing. The maker is French.

Paul Rogers is one of my favorite musicians. That instrument sounds amazing. He was my inspiration for going for a 6 string when I went for an EUB for travel, then Jesse from Ergo made me a Beautiful 7 strign and it is a blast.

Silversorcerer · #11 06-27-2007, 12:09 PM

I only have one of Paul Rogers CD's but if you want to start a thread about him in Recordings Damon, I'll meet you over there. That CD is Listen and is primarily solo improvisations on a 5-string DB that looks quiet a bit like the more normal Rubner gamba designs. That CD coupled with the Jazz recordings of Paul Warburton both contributed decisively to me choosing a 5-string DB. I didn't get a Rubner or Pollmann for the first one, but that can always come later.

In any case I finally located the link to the luthier who made Paul Rogers' 7-string or sept cordes as the say en Francaise. His name is Antoine Leducq and here is the link to his web site:
http://allbasse.com/
and here is one of his basses next to a standard DB:

war_n_peace · #12 07-01-2007, 12:05 AM

I find the 5 string bass has the following advantages over a C extension:

It is easier to finger the notes with the left hand. In fast passages, it takes much longer to reach back on an extension then it does to reach over to the 5th string.

It avoids intonation problems caused by releasing and re-closing the E clamp.

Low B has the the following advantages:

It keeps all strings tuned in intervals of fourths, allowing easier tuning with harmonics.

It keeps fingering patterns the same for intervals and scales. A low C major scale fingers exactly the same as an F major scale, or Bb major scale.

It makes the low B available for the few pieces in the symphonic literature that call for it.

Pete G · #13 07-01-2007, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamMcIntyre

Hey Rob, nice post. I hope the tour of Europe was enjoyable.

If you get the chance, talk to the CSO guys about 5s. I've only had the chance to talk to Joe DiBello about em and that was very brief-he came into the store, so i thought i'd ask him.

A part of me wants a 5 in DB form because i play primarily 5 string slab [ occasionally play 4 & 6 so far]. However, i'm not sure if it is something that for me as a jazzer would benefit much from.

take it easy.

Rob, I'm a CYSO alum myself, and (to Cam) a former student of Joe DiBello.

I'm now on my second five string, and both have had a lot going for them.

The first was a Kolstein Fendt model that cranked out more volume than any other five-string I've played -- the bass was a real cannon.

More recently, I picked up an Elias 5-string on the same model as the 5-strings that he made for the CSO. Beautiful tone, and the bass is a dream to play. Spacing and arching are almost identical to my Arvi four-string. I can honestly say that almost anyone can play this bass and not even notice that it's a five string. It's just a great bass, period.

musicrazy · #14 07-07-2007, 06:05 PM

Hi,
I agree about how 5 string basses are actually pretty good. I was in Poland on a tour and at the concert I played a 5 string bass. It was HUGE. But it played really well after I got used to it, and I really enjoyed playing it.

CamMcIntyre · #15 07-08-2007, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete G

Rob, I'm a CYSO alum myself, and (to Cam) a former student of Joe DiBello.

I'm now on my second five string, and both have had a lot going for them.

The first was a Kolstein Fendt model that cranked out more volume than any other five-string I've played -- the bass was a real cannon.

More recently, I picked up an Elias 5-string on the same model as the 5-strings that he made for the CSO. Beautiful tone, and the bass is a dream to play. Spacing and arching are almost identical to my Arvi four-string. I can honestly say that almost anyone can play this bass and not even notice that it's a five string. It's just a great bass, period.

That is awesome. I think when it comes time for me to look for another DB, a 5 will be something i will try to check out.

Pete G · #16 07-08-2007, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamMcIntyre

That is awesome. I think when it comes time for me to look for another DB, a 5 will be something i will try to check out.

Just be patient in the shopping process. Even more so than for 4-strings, there are a lot of poorly set up 5-string basses out there. I imagine that's particularly true in the U.S., which doesn't have much of a 5-string tradition, compared to Europe.

So don't let a poor impression of the first 5-string you see put you off 5-strings as a breed. It could take you time to find a good one.

In my experience, set-up is everything when it comes to 5-strings.

CamMcIntyre · #17 07-08-2007, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete G

Just be patient in the shopping process. Even more so than for 4-strings, there are a lot of poorly set up 5-string basses out there. I imagine that's particularly true in the U.S., which doesn't have much of a 5-string tradition, compared to Europe.

So don't let a poor impression of the first 5-string you see put you off 5-strings as a breed. It could take you time to find a good one.

In my experience, set-up is everything when it comes to 5-strings.

That makes sense to me. I'm an easy 5 years+ away from buying another DB. I'm more than content with my current bass.