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A Real Man's Jazz Bass
- Thread starter JimB52
- Start date
I thought this was either going to be about a famous player's instrument or an obnoxious post about a boutique bass.
Here a fourth on the "looks like an upright scale length." Funny, even the knobs are bigger. If it didn't have a strap on it, I'd guess it was meant to be played upright, but even then you'd need to prop it up on something or use an endpin to get something like a proper height. Sit down in a chair, maybe? Or just sling it real low (so you can reach the first fret).
It would be fun to try to play that sometime -- using upright fingerings, of course. No noodle-y low strings on that one!
I have seen a couple of guys who could probably make a go at that thing, but no one who could do it comfortably!
Here a fourth on the "looks like an upright scale length." Funny, even the knobs are bigger. If it didn't have a strap on it, I'd guess it was meant to be played upright, but even then you'd need to prop it up on something or use an endpin to get something like a proper height. Sit down in a chair, maybe? Or just sling it real low (so you can reach the first fret).
It would be fun to try to play that sometime -- using upright fingerings, of course. No noodle-y low strings on that one!
I have seen a couple of guys who could probably make a go at that thing, but no one who could do it comfortably!
Funny, I was watching some old Incredible Hulk TV episodes on Netflix before catching this thread.
"Don't make me angry Mr. McGee. You wouldn't like [my bass playing] when I'm angry."
The standard 34" scale more or less matches up with what would be the 5th fret on a DB sized version. Like in the pic. Extrapolating out would give a scale of 42.8", if my math is right. I can't imagine what that thing weighs...
If it isn't the exact same bass, it is identical to the one I played.
My band was recording our second CD in late 2004 at Pogo Studios in Champaign, IL. The owner and engineer, Mark Ruble, played in a cover band called Captain Rat & the Blind Rivets. He had this bass made because Captain Rat's primary purpose was entertainment, not serious music, even though they were all excellent musicians. Mark did all sorts of interesting things on stage (like picking hats out of their enormous on-stage trunk full of costumes in the middle of a song), and he thought this enormous bass would be another crowd pleaser.
This bass was sitting in his studio, and I asked to play it. Of course, Mark let me because he is very easy going.
It is as ridiculous as it looks. It is the same scale as an upright, the "Jazz" pickups are in fact two halves of a P-Bass pickup side-by-side, and, of course, it weighs a ton. I would guess about 14-16 pounds. It played very easily except for the scale length.
Again, I think this is the same bass. I happen to know that John Gray lived in the Champaign area at the time, so it seems reasonable that it is the same bass.
My band was recording our second CD in late 2004 at Pogo Studios in Champaign, IL. The owner and engineer, Mark Ruble, played in a cover band called Captain Rat & the Blind Rivets. He had this bass made because Captain Rat's primary purpose was entertainment, not serious music, even though they were all excellent musicians. Mark did all sorts of interesting things on stage (like picking hats out of their enormous on-stage trunk full of costumes in the middle of a song), and he thought this enormous bass would be another crowd pleaser.
This bass was sitting in his studio, and I asked to play it. Of course, Mark let me because he is very easy going.
It is as ridiculous as it looks. It is the same scale as an upright, the "Jazz" pickups are in fact two halves of a P-Bass pickup side-by-side, and, of course, it weighs a ton. I would guess about 14-16 pounds. It played very easily except for the scale length.
Again, I think this is the same bass. I happen to know that John Gray lived in the Champaign area at the time, so it seems reasonable that it is the same bass.
According to my measurements, that's a 43" long scale jazz bass(109,2mm = 4/4 double bass scale 
). Pretty long for an electric bass but any double bass player can play that thing without any major technical difficulties 
(if it's not very heavy, of course ).
). Pretty long for an electric bass but any double bass player can play that thing without any major technical difficulties (if it's not very heavy, of course ).
And here's the amp it's supposed to be played thru...
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According to my measurements, that's a 43" long scale jazz bass(109,2mm = 4/4 double bass scale
I have a 4/4 DB with a string length of 44" and it's considered extremely(TOO) long by many modern players. Technique on DB is quite different from EB. My wingspan is about 6'4" and I would have a hard time playing that beastly J.
