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Double Bass 5/8 vs. 3/4

#21
Resurrecting this older thread.

My issue is simply getting around the bass in thumb position. I'm 5' 6", short legs, long torso, big hands. Scale length is not an issue for me at all, but I just feel like the distance between my left hand and my bow is bigger than I wish it was, and it's not fun getting around the bass when I have to play high, I think because my relatively short legs give me less of a lever when I kick my hips back. I play standing only, bow French.

My main bass is a 3/4 Juzek, and I play arco most of the time.

Am I crazy to think about a smaller bass? FWIW, I also play guitar, and love smaller guitars - again, reach/scale_length isn't an issue, but I love how the smaller size feels.

-S-
 
#23
There are bases out there with a more traditional string length and smaller bodies and or shoulders. I'm not sure what you're referring to with regards to 5/8, string length or body size, I'm not even sure what it refers to these days. Theres absolutely no standardization. My main bass has a 41-inch string length, very large lower bout, deep ribs and very narrow shoulders. It's a super easy to get around, and for some reason it has been referred to as a 7/8 bass although I have no idea why
 
#26
Steven Ayres said:
Not meaning to be too obvious, but I would want to hunt one down and play it to find out. I'm sure you've got good shops close at hand, no?
Click to expand...
You're right, of course, just chatting about it before I do something about it. I'm kind of borderline, in my own feeble mind, about continuing to play my Juzek in terms of size. I just played up to G, what would be the 24th fret, and I can do it, so maybe I'm just feeling sorry for myself about not being very good in playing up there.

I do have a 1/2 size bass here, which happens to be a piece of s@#$ instrument, so I played that, then the Juzek, and I'm less inclined to look for something else after hearing that comparison.

-S-
 

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