Hello, I am interested in getting a c extension. I tried out the hip shot but didn't like it as much. I'm looking to spend no more than 700 any suggestions?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass C extension
- Thread starter Willbasston78
- Start date
i cant imagine you'll be able to find anyone to do a C extension for $700. mine was close to 2k i remember at the same time upton bass charged $1500 for a non full ebony one
If you don't want a piece of crap attached to your bass, you're going to have to pay more than $700. Is your bass worth the effort if you're thinking that cheaply? You could have a situation where the xtension is more valuable than the bass… That would be most undesirable… Methinks… 
You ca get a KC Strings extension for $700, but then some one is going to have to professionally install it:
Bass Extension
Bass Extension
Yep…
On the same page it says…
Brass extension with installation: $1,650.
Wood extension with installation: $1,800.
but I suspect you'll have a go at doing it yourself. That should keep you in that price range roughly…
If you only have $700 to spend, I'd take some time to think about how much you really need the low notes, because to be frank they don't come up as much as people like to think (I say this as someone who has an extension). That money might be better spent on a bow, but I don't know your full situation.
Most luthiers who make a reputable c extension are going to charge at least $1500, with the biggest names charging up to $3000-3500 (mine was $1650). I've asked a couple about the KC Strings extension and I've gotten kind of the same answer: a "one size fits all" extension usually doesn't work that well. Granted, I've never used or played a bass with one, and there are pros who use it, but I would imagine that an extension built to your bass is better.
Most luthiers who make a reputable c extension are going to charge at least $1500, with the biggest names charging up to $3000-3500 (mine was $1650). I've asked a couple about the KC Strings extension and I've gotten kind of the same answer: a "one size fits all" extension usually doesn't work that well. Granted, I've never used or played a bass with one, and there are pros who use it, but I would imagine that an extension built to your bass is better.
This gentleman is talking sense…
I think the top of my bass I.e tuners, extension has cost me closer to $5000.00.
This gentleman is talking sense…
I think the top of my bass I.e tuners, extension has cost me closer to $5000.00.[/
what gets you is that most extension prices you see don't include the gates. Those are usually $200-250 extra per gate you want. Then another $100 for a long E, there's a lot of incidentals that really add up.
Yes, it can become quite an expense. My bass also had to have a graft in the scroll installed since there was a repaired crack in the pegbox. It was more to play it safe, but that added some money to the bill, and I had to get the long e string, as well as the fingerboard planed. I think in total it was about $2200 for an extension with all the gates. Mine was made by Matt Bohn and it's really excellent.
i was quoted i think $3400 for an extension from a well known luthier..
the hipshot, as long as you use metal core strings, is actually a decent solution for the price.
the hipshot, as long as you use metal core strings, is actually a decent solution for the price.
A DIY C extension is a fool's errand as far as I'm concerned.
If I didn't do any orchestra playing it definitely wouldn't be worth it to me. Even in orchestra if I wasn't a professional player where it is considered an asset I wouldn't do it. I had mine installed 40 years ago for $300 not counting gates and long E. It was a considerable expense then but it's had a lot of use. At current prices I doubt I would have done it.
If I could go back, I'm not sure I'd put an extension on my bass.
I have the same feeling. I'm principal in an amateur orchestra and 99% of the time, the only C-extension in the section is mine. Don't get me wrong, it's a gas to have it and occasionally it makes certain pieces easier (e.g. Beethoven 3, so you don't have to cross 2 strings to get the E flat in fast passages). But playing the extension is hard and the whole thing is heavy and changes the balance (and, no doubt, the sound) of the bass. If I could have 2 nice basses, I'd leave the extension off one and use it most of the time.
Anyway, since I'm the usually the only one, I feel like it's a good idea to keep it on and be prepared to use it, or else my small section will sound even smaller than it does.
I think I'm ok with how it added weight and it actually opened the low end of the bass for me. I just have to make myself use it. I've only gotten paid $50 because I had one and a client wanted low notes on their recording. So I guess I need to make another $1950 to make it worth it
It's interesting to hear your comment on this. I'd been on the fence for a long time about adding an extension to my bass, my doubts being the cost (the guy I take my bass to wants $3K now to do a C extension) and the fact that my Shen, though it has a sound that I like, is not all that expensive an instrument.
I finally decided against it myself. I don't do enough orchestra playing to warrant the expense. It's awesome that guys like Ron Carter, Rufus Reid and other jazz-centric players have extensions on their basses, but many others working in the jazz/pop/folk etc. world seem to do just fine without them.
Not only that, but there's a good amount of orchestral pros who get by without one too, Max Dimoff (Cleveland Principal) being the most notable example. FWIW, I put an extension on my Christopher and have absolutely zero regrets, but this seems to be a unique example as this instruments punches way above its weight class for how much I spent on it.
I would argue that it's just not needed in those styles. Yeah it's cool that they can hit those notes but it's improvised music and there's nothing that needs a note blow E unlike orchestra music. When I'm playing jazz I also have to plan out if I'm gonna use the extension and which gates go up/down.
also pizz I think some of the notes below Eb get lost. I really just use them for pedal points like on Green Dolphin street or for a low 5 chord on an F blues. Fun, but I would tell someone put that 3k towards a nicer bass.
For what it's worth, when plotting out my Upton build that's very nearly done, I decided on 5-string instead of an extension. The decision was based on a combination of price and playability. I'm very comfortable on extended range electric bass so a B string and all the fingering possibilities it allows, for me, is very natural. I didn't like the idea of having to reach up and flip gates or finger notes up there. So when it came time to commission this build, after much thought, I decided to go 5-string. The extension just didn't seem like an elegant solution on a new build, for me.
At least for me, the concerns I have about the extension (which I obviously have) are basically analogous to the concerns I'd have about going to a fiver. Moving the A to the middle string, adding pressure to the top and width to the neck, it's a lot of my playing life readjusted in order to reach some occasional low notes.
I didn't know Max Dimoff didn't use an extension - I'd be curious to know what he does for, e.g., Ein Heldenleben. Seems a real shame to bring that C up an octave but also very frustrating to try and play the whole thing in scordatura.
