Fender Precision double bass or an insider joke?

[Frankie67]

Hello.

I am a translator, not a musician. I am currently translating a book where a character is said to play a double bass. A bit later he plays Wagner on the instrument, and... The house began to throb and shake to the sound of the main theme of The Ride of the Valkyries being played on a Fender Precision bass.

I could not find a Fender Precision as a classical instrument and cannot really imagine Wagner being played on a bass guitar. The only Google hit for "Fender Precision double bass" led me to this Forum so I decided to ask the experts.

Is there a Fender Precision double bass? Or was it some musical joke which is lost on me? I should somehow get it to the readers in my language.

You probably know the book, the author is rather famous: http://www.scribd.com/doc/10320570/A...me-of-the-Soul

"double bass" and "Fender precision bass" keywords will lead you to the two respective references if you want to see the context which is, unfortunately, almost nonexistent.

Thank you in advance,

Patrick Frank

[EggyToast]

Well your assumption is correct, a Fender Precision bass is a bass guitar, often called a P-Bass for short. And yes, quite different from a double bass.

Knowing Adams, it could've been a joke, or he could've just flubbed it up. More than likely, the visual image of someone playing something classical on a bass guitar wouldn't make sense (aka, in british terms it would be "silly") which may very well be why he used it.

My wife has the book downstairs, but I don't think I could read through the thing and give you a better answer as to my interpretation of Adams' intent in a timely manner! Still, it is a bit odd -- it's the kind of joke that you'd only really get if you knew a bit about string instruments. I mention "double bass" to many people and they don't really know what I'm talking about, until I explain it a bit more. Not exactly solid joke material..

[Damon Rondeau]

Leo Fender was a guy who made electric guitars and amplifiers. His company, Fender, made a model of electric bass guitar called the Precision bass. That instrument is an electric guitar and is a completely different instrument from the bass violin (also known, among other names, as the double bass.)

[Frankie67]

Thank you. Knowing that it was a nonsense originally, whether deliberate or caused by mistake, means I do not have to take care it does not look nonsensical in the translation. Which is really the easiest way So, thank you again and lots of good music to you all.

[Jake deVilliers]

I'm with ET. Seeing as how its Adams, I think its completely intentional!

Good luck!

[Francois Blais]

Originally Posted by Frankie67

I should somehow get it to the readers in my language.

Since your profile is empty, we don't even know what is your primary language.
Care to feed us a bit?

[Frankie67]

Oh yes, sorry. I was not prepared to seriously enter in this Forum, because I do not know much about its topics really, being just a consumer when it comes to music. I hoped some of the insiders will help me with the single question and then I just leave to prevent being a half-deaf non-musician discussing specialized musical topics, a.k.a troll. That is why I registered very perfunctorily.

I translate from English to Slovak language. I often harrass the authors when there are problems. Some of them are very co-operative, some not so much; Adams unfortunately I could harrass even though I would love to . He was my favourite author long before I got his books to translate. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is one of the last that have not been translated into Slovak language, and that will be remedied soon .

On a sidenote, the only other time I remember bass in his work is the Han Dold City scene: Gunfire erupted from a window high above them, but it was only a bass player getting shot for playing the wrong riff three times in a row...

And as to the topic, I will use Slovak kontrabas in the first scene when they talk about carrying it and basa Fender Precision in the Wagnerian one. Half the readers will never know anything is wrong and the other one will probably think the translator was an idiot..., but then, some might get the joke.