Dif. between a Jazz bass and a "contrabass"

[Williams]

What is the difference between a "Jazz" bass and a "contra" double bass, or is there really a difference?

[KSB - Ken Smith]

Here we go again.. we've been thru this a few ways but your question is "slightly' original....

There is the String Bass, ContraBass, Double Bass or any other name you wanna call it. Usually 4 and sometimes 5 strings and some 4s have low extensions.......

Wanna play Jazz on it.. fine.....If it's ok for Jazz but sucks with the bow or for Orchestra playing, then calling it a Jazz bass (only) is a bit condescending but true to the possible usage.

There is maybe only a few Contra Double Basses in the world built between 1750 and 1850 (not the price$, the year!), maybe some others, BUT...you need a ladder and a second person to play them. They are 8-11 feet tall.

[Steve Swan]

Well, usually Country bass has simpler harmonic structure, but the same kind of drive as small group Jazz Bass from the 1940s and '50s. Then, there are a lot of hybrids of Country and Jazz music, so it all gets mixed up. Think of Bob Wills, and Chet Atkins, etc. So....


Oh, Contra not Country. Never mind. Back to studying for the Neuroanatomy Lab final tomorrow!

Steve

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

Here we go again.. we've been thru this a few ways but your question is "slightly' original....

There is the String Bass, ContraBass, Double Bass or any other name you wanna call it. Usually 4 and sometimes 5 strings and some 4s have low extensions.......

Wanna play Jazz on it.. fine.....If it's ok for Jazz but sucks with the bow or for Orchestra playing, then calling it a Jazz bass (only) is a bit condescending but true to the possible usage.

There is maybe only a few Contra Double Basses in the world built between 1750 and 1850 (not the price$, the year!), maybe some others, BUT...you need a ladder and a second person to play them. They are 8-11 feet tall.

Of course that's all right - but as someone who attends Jazz gigs and orchestral concerts regularly - it's very noticable that orchestral DBs are almost always - bigger, louder and darker-sounding than the instruments used by Jazz DB players.

This may be part of the reason for the confusion that the original poster has with this....?

[Williams]

yeah thanks.

[Tom Hutton]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

There is maybe only a few Contra Double Basses in the world built between 1750 and 1850 (not the price$, the year!), maybe some others, BUT...you need a ladder and a second person to play them. They are 8-11 feet tall.

There is one of those in the Victoria & Albert gallery in London. I remember it being ~10' tall, with three gut strings as thick as your fingers!

[Chef]

A Jazz bass is a Fender product, and electric.

That's the main difference.









Someone had to say it

[Williams]

thanks. I just didnt know if thoes thin basses were jazz basses or if there just really weird.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Williams

thanks. I just didnt know if thoes thin basses were jazz basses or if there just really weird.

Err.... ?

Chef was joking... you know that, right?

[olivier]

Originally Posted by Williams

thanks. I just didnt know if thoes thin basses were jazz basses or if there just really weird.

wait a minit,

you're not speaking about those thin boddy BSO ((double)Bass Shaped Obect) vs regular double bass, are you ?

(really weird, yes)

[neilslorance]

for what it's worth, ive noticed when playing a jazz bass, the action is alot lower than of that of an orchestral bass.

i could be wrong though.

n

[Michael Case]

A jazz bass is played by a cat wearing sunglasses with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. A contra bass is played by a man in a tux and goos posture.

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by neilslorance

for what it's worth, ive noticed when playing a jazz bass, the action is alot lower than of that of an orchestral bass.

i could be wrong though.

n

I wish the guys that supply basses on the road could figure that out.