I discovered this back in my college jazz band days. I was kinda shocked to discover that 5 string uprights were a thing and have been for a long time. I've been dying to try one out, but it's not something stores around me stock...
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Double Bass Interesting pic - 5 string upright from 1965:
- Thread starter CereBassum
- Start date
I discovered this back in my college jazz band days. I was kinda shocked to discover that 5 string uprights were a thing and have been for a long time. I've been dying to try one out, but it's not something stores around me stock...
On a string bass, I’d rather have a high C than play higher on neck in “thumb” position; 7th position and beyond
There may be some dispute as to where who invented 5 string electric bass5 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 -
Anthony Jackson may have similar claim in 1970s ; electric contra bass.
The last few orchestral concerts I've attended had a couple of fivers. In my experience, it's more common to see fours with extensions in orchestras than just plain fours.
I took private String Bass from Jane Little in early 70s
Her symphonic basses were Museum
Pieces and she wouldn’t modify hers , rather delegate to others with extensions .
Her reference was to lower register extensions ; not addition strings although I believe Viola de Gamba May have had low B and High C in Renaissance music .
Mrs Little told me there was some Beethoven which required low extension to play as written. But she wasn’t gonna modify hers ....
The lady died performing on stage with ASO a few years back
If you had posted this on the DB side, the most common response I would expect is "And...?". As others have said, this is not uncommon.
It's the other way around in European orchestras, from what I've read (I must have missed either in my concert-going career).
[EDIT - oops, sorry, thought you were saying that extended fours are more common than fives. Carry on.]
Was trying to track down where that Louis Armstrong's All-Stars video comes from but couldn't. It may be from some European TV, and the bassist may have found it locally and decided to give it a spin. (Just my speculation.)
Re-linking this thread from the grumpy side:
Why are 5-String (low B) upright basses so rare?
and this other one:
5-string upright history?
Low-C/B fivers have existed since the 1880's (a German luthier filed a patent for one in '81), including in America (Paul Warburton owns one made in 1888 by Bohemian-born, Chicago-based luthier Joseph H. Bohmann), and Viennese bassists used to play a type of five-string bass tuned FADF#A more than a century before that.
Some 5-string uprights are 4-string conversions, just as a number of 4-string ones from the 19th century were originally 3-stringers; there are even opposite examples like this one, originally a five made in England in the late '60s, then converted to four:
English orchestral double bass by Ernest Francis Lant circa 1969 - #2699 from the double bass specialists Contrabass Shoppe
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I’ve played in lots of cover bands, and can kind of say that I too play a 5 string because Stevie wrote a lot in Eb.
The Chubby Jackson model from the 30's on was set up to be tuned EADGC. He wanted that way so he wouldn't have to switch positions as much while reading.
Bill Cronc on bass btw, guy played for years with Tommy Dorsey.
It is not a custom build. Kay made the Chubby Jackson model way before 1965 you can find them on E Bay pretty regularly
Nope. Very common in the classical world. Not even that uncommon in the non-classical world.
And WHERE do you live again?
Just asking for no reason...whistle..whistle.....
You may be one short by morning..
It was done in NYC, I think it's the Sullivan show. That Unisphere in the background was the symbol of the '64 NYC world's fair.
Yes, but did Kay widen the neck and fingerboard to accommodate the fifth string? The few examples I have seen suggest they did not.
