Defending against multi-string prejudice and, "That's a guitar!"

tobiasaurusrex · #1 04-20-2011, 09:02 PM

It's an increasingly recurring, ignorant comment that we hear in person, and see posted on 6 and 7 string bass YouTube videos... "That's not a bass, that's a guitar!"

The appropriate response? "It's not a guitar, it's an electric, double-bass voiced, viola da gamba, you mal-educated cur."

Where did the bass guitar come from? We commonly hear that it's an electric guitar oriented, double-bass-replacing invention created by Paul Tutmarc, and improved by Leo Fender, yadah, yadah, yah.

"But...," you may (should) ask, "where did the double-bass viol come from?"

The double-bass is not a violin, it's not in the violin family, it was kidnapped from the viola da gamba family, tortured, and forced to do the bidding of the violin family - it's the Patty Hearst of musical instruments. The attempts at making a true contra-bass voiced violin had failed, with awful sounding things that we should apparently be glad we're living a couple hundred years away from. The solution was to take the viola da gamba, remove some strings, pull off the frets, and have people bow it like a violin.

Early multistring [posted for educational purposes only]:
YouTube - Abel - WKO 207 per viola da gamba - Nima Ben David

That's right! The viola da gamba of yore was a fretted, 6, 7, or even 8 (or however you wanted it) stringed instrument, sometimes played horizontally. It's tuned in 4ths, like our dear bass guitars, not in 5ths like evil violins.

So, in some ways your fretted 7 string electric is more the true animal than a symphonic double-bass... but it is not, my dear friends, a guitar!

ric stave · #2 04-20-2011, 09:38 PM

How about "Shut up, you're ignorant."..... or just put up the 'shun-hand'.....

People who say s%^& like that don't really deserve an explanation - and if they are in a band with you - run.... run fast, and hard......

mongo2 · #3 04-21-2011, 03:00 AM

Sounds like somebody needs a 55 gallon drum of industrial strength "Get over It"

**bassybill** · #4 04-21-2011, 03:42 AM

I don't care whether it's got 4, 5, 6 or however many strings. I'll believe it's not a guitar when we stop hanging the things around our necks on straps.

Pollinator95 · #5 04-21-2011, 03:59 AM

I thought anything with more than 1 string was multi-string.

NortyFiner · #6 04-21-2011, 11:13 AM

Quote:

The double-bass is not a violin, it's not in the violin family, it was kidnapped from the viola da gamba family, tortured, and forced to do the bidding of the violin family - it's the Patty Hearst of musical instruments. The attempts at making a true contra-bass voiced violin had failed, with awful sounding things that we should apparently be glad we're living a couple hundred years away from.

This made me LOL, and now all my co-workers are looking at me funny...

Soreinsun · #7 04-21-2011, 11:19 AM

LOL! I have often thought about this... lets just call electric bass what it is: superior.
...or as VLW might say "Quatro Stringendo Solo Basso Profundo de Electronique"

tobiasaurusrex · #8 04-22-2011, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NortyFiner

all my co-workers are looking at me funny...

You're implying that this is not the norm.

Indeed.

o_O

Russell L · #9 04-22-2011, 06:31 AM

Alas, but we can't play arco on electric bass (not the hanging-around-the-neck kind). Well, not efficiently, that is. But who wants resin all over their pickguard anyway?

walterw · #10 04-22-2011, 01:48 PM

first i've ever heard of paul tutmarc or the viola de gamba origin of the double bass. (the upright always did seem to be "different" than the rest of the violin family, and now i know why.)

awesome!

(oh, and "It's not a guitar, it's an electric, double-bass voiced, viola da gamba, you mal-educated cur" is just the sort of thing i'd expect somebody who brings a 7-string bass to a blues jam to say

)

Passinwind · #11 04-22-2011, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassybill

I don't care whether it's got 4, 5, 6 or however many strings. I'll believe it's not a guitar when we stop hanging the things around our necks on straps.

Brilliant!

</end of thread>

FunkMetalBass · #12 04-22-2011, 02:30 PM

More or less, this is how I respond

"When I played a 4-string bass, I never got chicks because I'm a bassist. I now use 6+ strings because from afar, it makes it look like a guitar, and the ladies now flock to me.

"

steveksux · #13 04-22-2011, 04:01 PM

"If I cram this up your butt, after cramming a guitar up your butt, it will become immediately apparent that there is a difference. Longer neck, more girthy, tuning keys are much bigger and prone to hanging up on any obstacles on the way in and out. Want to take my word for it, or shall we try it?"

Randy

turbo chicken · #14 04-22-2011, 04:29 PM

no different that anything else anyone comments on...

why do/don't you use a pick, fingers are better, you cheapo bass sucks you know... simply cause it's cheap,

it's just someone's OPINION ... everyone got's em...

all that matters is what you think... what happened to live and let live... sheesh

and i think of it as a Bass Guitar hahaha ... so sue me...

carlthegroover · #15 04-22-2011, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveksux

"If I cram this up your butt, after cramming a guitar up your butt, it will become immediately apparent that there is a difference. Longer neck, more girthy, tuning keys are much bigger and prone to hanging up on any obstacles on the way in and out. Want to take my word for it, or shall we try it?"

Randy

Winning comment. +10,000,000.

Stilettoprefer · #16 04-22-2011, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russell L

Alas, but we can't play arco on electric bass (not the hanging-around-the-neck kind). Well, not efficiently, that is. But who wants resin all over their pickguard anyway?

Who wants a pickguard anyway? Haha.

Resin isn't that messy and if you use flats it won't gum up your strings either.

JimmyM · #17 04-22-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

"It's not a guitar, it's an electric, double-bass voiced, viola da gamba, you mal-educated cur" is just the sort of thing i'd expect somebody who brings a 7-string bass to a blues jam to say

)

consider this stolen! had to edit it doen a little to make it fit, though. sorry.

totallyfrozen · #18 04-22-2011, 11:47 PM

I think it's official!
This one wins my "Most Boring Thread of the Week" award.

I even came back on different days to read it to see if any of it sounded remotely interesteing...uh...NOPE!

Carry on.

tobiasaurusrex · #19 04-23-2011, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

oh, and "It's not a guitar, it's an electric, double-bass voiced, viola da gamba, you mal-educated cur" is just the sort of thing i'd expect somebody who brings a 7-string bass to a blues jam to say

For the blues jam you just say, "Dang it man, you guys have known I can count past four, for what... going on a year now. I've been practicing so I can play "Take Five" with that other group."

Ubersheist · #20 04-23-2011, 06:44 AM

There are kids dying in Darfur, Pakistan is still devistated from the floods last summer, Japan is still cleaning up its rubble, and it looks like parts of the midwest and south are currently under water from the storms.

If you're upset over people calling your "6-string bass guitar" a "guitar," then life has gotta be pretty darn easy for you. Just smile, nod, and say "Yup, you're right. Say, baby, what's your phone number?"