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Anyone have experience with piccolo basses?

#22
SanDiegoHarry said:
I played one for a while and found it very strange - the thinness of the strings dug into my fingers and the neck was too wide - I'd love to try a narrow neck really purpose built piccolo base, rather than stringing a 32" bass with piccolo strings.
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I generally play the piccolo with a pick because the thin strings can hurt after a while. I'm a finger style player so my pick articulation is not as good...if it's a complicated part I'll play with my fingers. It's strange initially but then seems to make sense...at least it does for me.
 
#23
toddsterbassist said:
I generally play the piccolo with a pick because the thin strings can hurt after a while. I'm a finger style player so my pick articulation is not as good...if it's a complicated part I'll play with my fingers. It's strange initially but then seems to make sense...at least it does for me.
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What's odd for me is that I play acoustic guitar and so my fingers should be used to those little strings... Part of it was the high-tension of piccolo strings, I think.
 
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#24
katysax said:
I have this Luna Tattoo. Super cheap. It has a pickup. I got it because I was trying to play on the higher frets on a ubass and having issues with room and intonation. I sometimes use this like a guitar.


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I have the Luna "High Tide" model, a little fancier for a few dollars more. Surprisingly nice tone for what it is. I also like playing it more than my Ubass, but it is an octave higher. The strings are flatwound and easy on the fingers. The pickup/preamp works very well, too, though I wish it had a built-in tuner.

lunahtuke.jpg
 
#25
You might also check out Brian Bromberg who also plays piccolo bass, his are strung A-D-G-C. His CD Metal is full rocking out on Piccolo bass.

There is a rich history of piccolo bass especially if you dig into jazz, Ray Brown, Ron Carter and Percy Heath are among bass luminaries that played piccolo bass or in some cases cello which many of them originally started on.

I have several piccolo basses mainly 2 of my Carvin LB50 basses; Tweety (black) strung EADG D'Addario Piccolo set, and the other Tiger (Koa) strung ADGC custom set from LaBella, I also have a Harmony H22B strung EADG with a set of GHS flats for a jazzier tone. I also have a nylon set that goes on my Washburn AB20 for recording. I will also sometimes string my Gibson G3 up as a piccolo. I have also tried piccolo tuning on fretless but was never really satisfied with the results.

For effects I the usual guitar effects, a Zoom G1X and an AdrenaLinnIII. For recording I use a late 60's Fender Bassman into an open back 1x12" or a Small-Thiele 1x10". Live i use a GK MLS head into whatever cab is needed.
 
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#27
Sigurd said:
I have some real, non-troll questions as someone who genuinely doesn't know the answers. What is the point of a piccolo bass? How is this used in a musical setting?
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I've used mine for doubling bass parts on recordings, playing chords and soloing.
Because of the longer scale length, different pickup placement and wider string spacing it feels and sounds different than the same notes on guitar.
 
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#28
Here in Pittsburgh we have bass master Dwayne Dolphin who regularly leads his own contemporary group with a piccolo.

I also studied with lefty bassist Steve Varner for several years. Back then he had a regular (but left hand) fender strung up for piccolo.
 
#30
I've redone a few 30" basses as piccolos in the past. They're interesting and very useful instruments as long as you're composing or arranging with one in mind. You get that "octave up" range you'd get with an ordinary bass. But because of the longer length and lighter string gauge, you get a different timbre than you would going up above the 12th fret on a standard bass. The attack/decay/sustain characteristics are very different with a piccolo bass. And that opens up a lot of interesting and creative musical possibilities.

Normal tuning is E2-A2-D3-G3. But I also like to flat the D and the G. That gives you the same tuning intervals as you'd get with the top four stings of a guitar using standard Torres (E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4) tuning. This can help make playing melody-type lines easier (for me at least) - and it also lets you play chords using the same fingering as a standard guitar. That makes playing chords somewhat easier - and (in certain cases) make some chords and chord voicings possible compared to keeping all four strings tuned a 4th apart. Something to try if you're feeling adventurous.

For strings I've used the D'Addario nickel short-scale piccolo set for no particular reason other than they were the most readily available.
 
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#31
40Hz said:
Normal tuning is E2-A2-D3-G3. But I also like to flat the D and the G. That gives you the same tuning intervals as you'd get with the top four stings of a guitar using standard Torres (E2-A2-D3-G3-B3-E4) tuning. This can help make playing melody-type lines easier (for me at least) - and it also lets you play chords using the same fingering as a standard guitar. That makes playing chords somewhat easier - and (in certain cases) make some chords and chord voicings possible compared to keeping all four strings tuned a 4th apart. Something to try if you're feeling adventurous.
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Not to get too off topic, but that's also baritone ukulele tuning.
 
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#34
I use mine for bass lines and chords. It gives a different flavor to the sound. It is possible to get around the neck faster. Since mine is also acoustic I can use it in acoustic situations without an amp and still be heard. It's like playing a bass line on a steel string acoustic guitar.
 
#35
I've got 2, an acoustic Ibanez, and an Ibanez sr700. Both long scale and strung with piccolo strings. Love them for chordal work and recording. The really open up a lot of new possibilities, especially if you go fretless.
 
#36
I owned a Birdsong Piccolo bass for awhile, but it sold on here not too long ago. Great bass, I just never found a use for the piccolo so I opted to move it.

Really fun sound and great for playing chords on. I wanted to do something more in the direction of classical music but like I said I just never got into as much as I thought I would.

Hope you find one that is to your liking!
 
#37
Sigurd said:
I have some real, non-troll questions as someone who genuinely doesn't know the answers. What is the point of a piccolo bass? How is this used in a musical setting?
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Example: Joey Demaio.



By playing piccolo, he is both providing both a bass part, very definitely played in a picked bass style, and helping fill a somewhat higher sonic space underneath Manowar's single guitar.

In contrast, to that, there's Lemmy. He filled space in Motorhead, but he did it using a standard issue bass played up in higher positions, and played in style more like rhythm guitar than bass.
 

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