Double Bass Interesting pic - 5 string upright from 1965:

[CereBassum]

Louis Armstong's bass player in 1965 - I grabbed this from a youTube clip:


At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me -
I stopped the clip and zoomed in - there it was:

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Interesting discovery . Custom build I’m assuming .

 

[Biffa]

Well here's another interesting pic

 

[CereBassum]

Custom build I’m assuming .

I guess so. That's not an extension - that bass was built from the start as a 5. Seriously doubt anybody was mass producing those things.

I wonder why the guy was using it? It's not as if it's a common thing to be using a 5 string upright - not now and certainly not in 1965.

Something about Armstrong's music maybe? Seems he liked the keys of C and G quite a bit from what I know of his material (not that much...) maybe the bass player wanted a low C? (His name is mentioned at the end of clip - don't recall it offhand.)

 

[Warpeg]

Why are 5-String (low B) upright basses so rare?

 

[CereBassum]

Why are 5-String (low B) upright basses so rare?

Because upright players usually have good training - they know how play open position very well and how to work their instruments correctly - don't have to cheat with a 5.

 

[BruceWane]

5 string uprights aren't all that rare, you can find them 100+ years old. It's where Jimmy Johnson got the idea to work with Alembic to create the first 5 string low B electric bass.

It makes playing arco a bit harder, as the angles to bow individual strings are reduced. This is why it's a little more common to see uprights with an extension, like this -

 

[Beej]

Because upright players usually have good training - they know how play open position very well and how to work their instruments correctly - don't have to cheat with a 5.

A 5 string is cheating now? I take it you don't play extended range instruments?

 

[BruceWane]

Because upright players usually have good training - they know how play open position very well and how to work their instruments correctly - don't have to cheat with a 5.

Eh, there are orchestral pieces that require notes below E. Not a whole lot of 'em, but again, 5 string double basses aren't extremely rare, nor are extensions for 4 strings.

 

[BruceWane]

A 5 string is cheating now? I take it you don't play extended range instruments?

In the sport of music, it is against the rules to have more strings than your competitors. It's plainly stated on page 7 of the Official Music Rules and Regulations.

</sarcasm>

 

[matthewbrown]

Because upright players usually have good training - they know how play open position very well and how to work their instruments correctly - don't have to cheat with a 5.

So playing bass is like a sport? And there are rules, that if you violate them, you're cheating? I don't think so. And yes, that's a fiver I'm playing in the photo. A moderator here suggested I'd like it, and was correct.

 

[CereBassum]

I take it you don't play extended range instruments?

What's that?

 

[CereBassum]

And there are rules, that if you violate them, you're cheating?

Yes.

 

[CereBassum]

Eh, there are orchestral pieces that require notes below E.

Stevie Wonder's bass player Nathan Watts said he plays a 5 (electric) because Stevie does a lot of tunes in Eb.
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[Steven Ayres]

Seriously doubt anybody was mass producing those things.

Kay started building five-string uprights in 1937 and continued to do so into '61. The instrument configuration is actually pretty common. I have two.

 

[wideload]

So playing bass is like a sport?

Well, I got yellowcarded on the last gig, so, yeah.

 

[Drucifer]

Here are some pictures of a 1950 Kay Chubby Jackson model
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[Drucifer]

Here are some pictures of a 1950 Kay Chubby Jackson model
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More info: Upton Bass | Chubby Jackson

 

[Drucifer]

More info: Upton Bass | Chubby Jackson

Here's a thread on TB about a 1941 model:
1941 "Chubby Jackson" Kay S-51 (5-string)

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Kay started building five-string uprights in 1937 and continued to do so into '61. The instrument configuration is actually pretty common. I have two.

Thanks Steve... I figured you'd straighten this one out.