Double Bass 1/4 Size upright, any fullsize people playing them?

[damonsmith]

I mean, that regardless of the fretless instrument, and regardless of whether one slides into notes or goes for dead on, and regardless of what fingering system one employs, the ears are what let you know whether or not you are in tune, not "Oh, it's Simandl, so I must have landed in the right place."

The remark about classical singers and fretless instruments is such a hyperbolic non sequitur and so irrelevant to the discussion that I'm not even going to address it.

Trying to narrow it down to any one thing is unhelpful. The hands get you there before you can hear it, you can't say one is more important than the other. It takes a lot to even get close.

 

[Don Kasper]

Well said! One spouse is all I can handle!

I am "...Speechless...", yet again.

 

[Tom Lane]

I am "...Speechless...", yet again.

YES!!! and they said it wasn't possible. Can we trust anything scientists say?

 

[Don Kasper]

Well said! One spouse is all I can handle!

Well, it would appear that "Men", as well as Double Basses, come in fractional sizes!
(Mic drop...)

 

[slappin sammy]

I play one allot with a good pick up you are all set finding good strings is a little hard I find setting down on a tall seat make you a little more intimate with it and rest of the band .

 

[bobsax]

I play one allot with a good pick up you are all set finding good strings is a little hard I find setting down on a tall seat make you a little more intimate with it and rest of the band .

Cool Sammy....Do you slap it? So I asume you are and electric player? Are you using double bass or electric bass guitar fingerings?
If you have some videos of you or your band please share it? I’d love to hear how it sounds

 

[slappin sammy]

Cool Sammy....Do you slap it? So I asume you are and electric player? Are you using double bass or electric bass guitar fingerings?
If you have some videos of you or your band please share it? I’d love to hear how it sounds

Strictly upright frets give me fits . LOL I started on a upright . I am a 40 year drummer who took up bass 9 years ago so yes I have a slap style . but not as much with my 1/4 kay. As the action is set a little low for that. For slap gigs I bring a 3/4 so I can dance with it for the rockin tunes

 

[gsmonks]

So i was wondering if there are any full size people playing 1/4 size basses? Seems to me like it would make a decent enough travel bass with the right pickup on it, and it would put out quite a bit more sound than something like the Eminence EUB when not plugged in... Just curious if anyone out there had a similar thought!

The answer is "yes", but tuned to G D A E, and played like an oversize cello. Some refer to this as a "G" bass, which of course is incorrect. I bought one to play bass violin parts in 17th century (and earlier) music. I also have a tenor violin and piccolo.

 

[bobsax]

Wow this cello bass sounds pretty interesting and by piccolo I think you mean piccolo bass.
It would be great and informative to hear some examples of these instruments.
Go to iReal Pro and take out the bass then play your instrument… I’ll start first
So I picked up the doublebass and then the bass guitar because I couldn’t get any Bass work as a contrabass clarinet player but here is my attempt at it.

 

[turf3]

I used to know a guy named Bill Jones, Dallas area, tall guy with great big hands, who sometimes played a 3/4 and sometimes played a much smaller bass (I guess it was 1/4). This was all amplified big band work. I believe he would use the 1/4 when the load-in was too much or he had too much loaded in the car. In that context the 1/4 sounded great. I have no idea what make of bass nor what kind of pickup/preamp/amp/etc. he used.

But my impression is that he was an experienced bassist on 3/4 who then got the small one for a specific application, just like I got a Fender bass for a similar kind of application.

 

[gsmonks]

Wow this cello bass sounds pretty interesting and by piccolo I think you mean piccolo bass.
It would be great and informative to hear some examples of these instruments.
Go to iReal Pro and take out the bass then play your instrument… I’ll start first
So I picked up the doublebass and then the bass guitar because I couldn’t get any Bass work as a contrabass clarinet player but here is my attempt at it.

Piccolo bass! Now there's a term I haven't heard since the 50's! Last one I saw had a short neck but a huge body.

Sadly, you don't see the tenor (Eb) or bass clarinet much any more. You even used to see a clarinet section in some orchestras, along with a contrabass. You still see basses in concert bands, along with the Bb alto. Orchestra players are still playing Bb and A pairs, but you never see a C clarinet any more.

 

[gsmonks]

I used to know a guy named Bill Jones, Dallas area, tall guy with great big hands, who sometimes played a 3/4 and sometimes played a much smaller bass (I guess it was 1/4). This was all amplified big band work. I believe he would use the 1/4 when the load-in was too much or he had too much loaded in the car. In that context the 1/4 sounded great. I have no idea what make of bass nor what kind of pickup/preamp/amp/etc. he used.

But my impression is that he was an experienced bassist on 3/4 who then got the small one for a specific application, just like I got a Fender bass for a similar kind of application.

That makes sense. I knew a bassist back in the early 60's who used to have a huge 4/4 sticking out of the back of his MG.

Whatever happened to big band work? There was lots until the Big Crash in the mid-70's, when the music died and top-40 took over. That came and went, too. And now gigs are rare and hard to come by.

 

[bobsax]

Strictly upright frets give me fits . LOL I started on a upright . I am a 40 year drummer who took up bass 9 years ago so yes I have a slap style . but not as much with my 1/4 kay. As the action is set a little low for that. For slap gigs I bring a 3/4 so I can dance with it for the rockin tunes

Smart move switching to the bass. Better to be a working musician then a drummer or saxophone player sitting around at home. Most of the jazz gigs in my neighborhood have requested no drummers and the only way a saxophone player can get a job is if he gets it.

 

[carl h.]

Piccolo bass! Now there's a term I haven't heard since the 50's! Last one I saw had a short neck but a huge body.

Sadly, you don't see the tenor (Eb) or bass clarinet much any more. You even used to see a clarinet section in some orchestras, along with a contrabass. You still see basses in concert bands, along with the Bb alto. Orchestra players are still playing Bb and A pairs, but you never see a C clarinet any more.

3 years ago I spent half a season on my C clarinet. Bb and A took a break. This was in a community orchestra playing a varied rep that called for C - which can be played on Bb but does not sound right doing so. I'm just lucky to have a very nice playing C - but no backup, yet.

When was the last time you saw Peter & the Wolf played on a FB Bb? I believe it was written for the FB Bb but snobbery got in the way and people re-did the part for Bb/A. Found an original part and played as composed a few years back.

 

[carl h.]

That makes sense. I knew a bassist back in the early 60's who used to have a huge 4/4 sticking out of the back of his MG.

Whatever happened to big band work? There was lots until the Big Crash in the mid-70's, when the music died and top-40 took over. That came and went, too. And now gigs are rare and hard to come by.

Which MG" I couldn't even begin to get a bass in my B. A cello is really stretching it too and not good for the instrument.

We started a big band from scratch and remnants of libraries of former bands. Started strong, then became a festival/ historic thing, then nothing because the leader pushed his combo to increase his pay.

 

[BarfanyShart]

The answer is "yes", but tuned to G D A E, and played like an oversize cello. Some refer to this as a "G" bass, which of course is incorrect. I bought one to play bass violin parts in 17th century (and earlier) music. I also have a tenor violin and piccolo.

You see that's cool because I play in CGDA, and i kind of want a 1/4 scale for that tuning, but I have no idea where I would get strings for it.

 

[Ludwig]

I had a good 1/4 bass, but now only playing 3/4 because finding a good one after the little bass broke turned out to be complicated. Seems only strings in standard tuning are available for 1/4. I compromised by tuning just the E string down to D and that is the tuning (DAdg) I play on all my basses since then. Often tuning up or down a whole step is possible, but two whole steps does not work at all. But best keep the recommended tuning as much as possible. On my litte bass the tuning DAdg sounded much better then tuning down both lower strings and tuning up the highest to DGda.
If you want the cello tuning one octave lower (CGda), you will have to pay a lot on a small bass for some custom made strings. There are sets for 3/4 size or selfmade combinations from orchestral and solo tuning, but even with a 3/4 size usually the C string is too thick and heavy compared to the other strings to fit well in the set.

 

[Papageno]

I would like to try a 1/4 DB, played in sitting position like an oversized cello, but tuned in 4ths A D G C (low to high). Unless I'm confused that is what Ron Carter plays on the "Piccolo" album.

 

[Kristian]

You can use normal strings on a 1/4 bass. The tension will be slightly lower but I like it. I’m playing a 1/4 bass in fifths tuning and I’m using the red Mitchell set(I’m putting the low c string around the „d-peg“).

 

[Papageno]

You can use normal strings on a 1/4 bass. The tension will be slightly lower but I like it. I’m playing a 1/4 bass in fifths tuning and I’m using the red Mitchell set(I’m putting the low c string around the „d-peg“).

A 3/4 bass is around 41" string length, a 1/4 has about 35" string length. So the string tension will be approximately 30% lower on a 1/4 bass. I would tend to think that this is really very soft, like tuning your bass one 4th lower.