Double Bass Orchestral Tuxedos (Suggestions For Buying)

Well the first thing, look at what everybody else in the section is wearing and dress like that. If everbody got vests, you gonna get a vest too.

Personally, for club date/concert stuff (no orchestral) I wear a double breasted tux jacket, which kind of renders the cummerbund/vest issue moot. I like the way a wing collar shirt looks, I got 3. I would like to get a lighter weight (linen?) jacket for those horrid outdoor gigs.

buttons/studs - most nice shirts come with a Clever Device. It's a strip of cloth with buttons sewn on so that you have a choice. If you don't want to use studs, you just put the piece of cloth on the inside of the shirt and button the buttons through both holes in the shirt. Voila, you has a button-up shirt.

PS - learn to tie a bow tie. It looks better than a clip on and, at the end of the gig, when you pull the tie undone, you feel like James Bond...

A couple of things I do when buying work clothes:

With the jacket,the cool trick is to get something oversized and then have it taylored. Get the sleeves shortened (but a bit longer than normal) and have the 'cuffs) tightened up so that they don't fall down to your elbow and bunch up when you have your arm over your head. With the right sleeve, the tightened cuff will keep the sleeve from grabbing the end of the bow and generally snagging on things. I did a casino sho gig a copuple of years back and the show provided jackets. The seamstress also hipped me to have the left sleeve just a bit longer than the right as they then look even when you're playing. Since the cuffs stayed right at the wrist, I didn't notice anything wierd when not playing, but you could notice that the left sleeve was a little puffier when your arms were at rest -- if you know what to look for.

With the shirt: Buttons are better than the tux buttons and cufflinks. Cufflinks scratch like hell, and the buttons are uncomfortable (and can scrath) when you get them mashed between you and the bass. Same general principal as with the jacket: Slightly oversized in better, especially across the shoulders and in the collar.

The cumberbund is a bass atrocity. Vest is the way to go, and if your ruffly shirt doesn't make it all the way into your pants in the front you should definitely wear one. Unless you have a mullet.

VAMP: Comfortable shoes. :VAMP

Ed Fuqua said:

PS - learn to tie a bow tie. It looks better than a clip on and, at the end of the gig, when you pull the tie undone, you feel like James Bond...

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Good Tip. Those clip ons never seem to sit properly anyway.

Linen tux shirts always seemed to breathe better for me...

IMO, any tux nice enough to get married in should be no where near the orchestra pit. Plus, if it fits ideally for you to look the best (which you should want on your wedding day), it'll be a PITA to play in. The idea of wearing an oversized jacket is almost a must.

I have a really nice wool tux that I bought several years ago. It's your classic, single breasted deal. I think I paid about $500 for just the pants and jacket. I wore for the first concert black gig that I had to do. Not only was it uncomfortable, I almost ruined it. I bought another cheap one before doing another gig.

I have worn my synthetic "trash" tux 8-10 times playing DB, and it is already starting to look pretty weathered. Everything takes it toll. Roadying the gear rain, sleet or snow, navigating the tight pits. Rosin. Sweat, sweat and sweat.

Stale sweat and wool make for a funk unlike any other. So, unless you don't mind being the smelly guy, you have to have it cleaned pretty regularly, which isn't the best for a nice wool suit.

Designing a tux that looks from a distance like a nice tux, but that wears like a suit of pajamas.

No, don't tell me about those T-shirt "tuxes". I'm serious.

I'd pay good money for a really comfortable tux-like outfit to use only for bass playing.

My Brooks Brother tux looks fine for real formal wear, but I hate playing in it...

Ed Fuqua said:

PS - learn to tie a bow tie. It looks better than a clip on and, at the end of the gig, when you pull the tie undone, you feel like James Bond...

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Damn fine idea. It took me about a year to figure the thing out, but it's pretty sweet.

I agree with Chasarms that any decent dress tux is not a tux you would want to play in. Same goes for the other way around. The only thing about real bow-ties is that they can come undone if you don't do them tightly enough and if you're fairly active such as playing drums or conducting. Something to keep in mind.

I've never heard of that happening. I don't even see how that could occur.

Friends, how about those wonderful skin tight lycra tuxes of Dennis Trembley? For sheer comfort, what could surpass that? And from far away, well, I surmise it maybe dependant upon how many gym visits one has notched.

I can say for a fact that any tux will stink if you stink, so clean it often!

Mullets can cover up the worst problems as can ZZtop beards.
Happy shopping - please post your solution.

Prescottissimo said:

Friends, how about those wonderful skin tight lycra tuxes of Dennis Trembley? For sheer comfort, what could surpass that? And from far away, well, I surmise it maybe dependant upon how many gym visits one has notched.

I can say for a fact that any tux will stink if you stink, so clean it often!

Mullets can cover up the worst problems as can ZZtop beards.
Happy shopping - please post your solution.

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man, are you on shrooms??

I'm sorry, but I can't take your posts seriously, what with your profile - I googled stuff and it doesn't even exist....could you give us a more serious profile please?

And why isn't your 5-string Prescott with the LOW F# extension part of the talkbasses yet?

Re bow ties:
The ones I wear are tied and stitched, and have an adjustable collar strap that unclips behind the tie. Easy, looks good. I won't do clip-ons.

Re wedding photography:
Ask all your family and friends to take pictures. Digital cameras are pretty good and pretty foolproof now. The unposed shots will be the best.

Tieing a bow is no harder than a straight tie, once you get the hang of it...

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new monkey suit before New Years' Eve, and it will probably be a sub-$100 lightweight microfiber one like they have at etuxedo.com. I have owned a lot of higher-end tuxes, and they mostly become a PITA after awhile. Uncomfortable, stiff, hot, not good for playing the bass, which is all I do in them. And it's usually only on New Years' Eve, as agents here are finally seeing the light and realising that tuxes are a bit overkill here in Hawai'i. Besides, I'm usually standing in the back, behind my bass and a horn player, so I'm barely visible anyway. If the thing looks reasonably nice and pressed, the client's happy and so am I.
They do seem to notice shiny shoes in particular, so I try to keep a fresh pair ready to use for formal stuff.

BTW, a Google search shows a bunch of hits on how to tie a bowtie.

We don't do the dark jacket thing here much...I just got back from a trip to NY (wedding), and I gotta say, it actually felt good to put on a jacket and tie for a change. I felt like a real grownup

PS....I just realized that this was a question regarding orch tuxes, so...sorry for the slight sidetrack. I guess you need to check out what everyone else is doing, as suggested.

Rob Hunter said:

My thanks for all the great comments re: tux. Because of your good advice, here are the additional things I've decided:

- I'll get a vest, just in case

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Hi Rob:

It's really not necessary. I've been playing primarily in orchestras for many years. It's not a requirement in any of the community, and even the professional orchestras I've ever worked for. It's a personal choice. The only requirement is tux, and black tie, black shoes. The vest, cummerbund issue, is all optional. Personally, I don't use either. Good Luck.

Dennis

Do any of your orchestras require cutaway jackets?

They use them in the National Symphony. I think it's a snappy look, though I've never played in one.

I generally wear a cummerbund. It's not so bad, especially if you play sitting. Yes, it's optional, but it's one of those things that your "supposed" to do when you wear a tuxedo. It's sort of like how you aren't meant to button the bottom button of a suit jacket or vest.

I do have a vest, but I've only worn it for formal solo performances. It looks good with no jacket and a normal back tie. It should have a full back if you want to do that, though.