I just saw on the Bassment shop website that they make a low A extension for 5 string basses. Has anyone seen or used one of these? It's probably not very practical but a cool thing nonetheless. I knew a player years ago who had a metal low B for 4 string, but have never seen a low A. There are a couple of guys around here who play 5 stringers. I'm going to tell them to check this out.
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Double Bass Low A Extention
- Thread starter Bruce Calin
- Start date
If you go on the website there is a photo. It really is clever. Functional is probably another question.
There was a bass player in England (or Wales?) named Richard Bramhall who had a monstrous 5 string bass with a Low A extension, which apparently was useful for low B flats in the Ring Cycle. In the picture you can see a little raised spot of sorts to make playing those B flats easier and more accurate. A regular Pirastro low B string worked, you just had to remove a little bit of the silk.
https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/scroll34-jpg.34864/
I can't find the link to the shop you're talking about...
https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/scroll34-jpg.34864/
I can't find the link to the shop you're talking about...
Pirastro makes 5/4 Flexocore which might be a bit longer.
The low A is probably better to reach on a 3/4 string scale instrument than on a 4/4 scale instrument using 4/4 length strings.
The low A is probably better to reach on a 3/4 string scale instrument than on a 4/4 scale instrument using 4/4 length strings.
It is not a big deal; basically the same as a short D extension for a regular 4 string bass. Lots of people use those. You could accomplish the same thing with a Hipshot extender for $125 and zero invasive modifications to your bass.
That said, I just can't see a 42" scale low A doing much for the average bass; it would need to be a special instrument to work properly. 5 string basses in general are a special breed that don't conform to the same predispositions as 4 bangers. There is a whole lot more going on with note production than just the string length; you usually get a thicker top and more tension to equilibriate.
I made a new neck last year with a D extension and after about a week I chopped it off and went back to a regular configuration. That bass sounded much better by lowering the E string down to a D than it did by keeping the tension the same but extending the string length (via the extension) to a longer scale. It was a MUCH different voice: deep and rumbling and wonderful dropped but with the extension it was just a very modest difference with the note lower.
That said, I just can't see a 42" scale low A doing much for the average bass; it would need to be a special instrument to work properly. 5 string basses in general are a special breed that don't conform to the same predispositions as 4 bangers. There is a whole lot more going on with note production than just the string length; you usually get a thicker top and more tension to equilibriate.
I made a new neck last year with a D extension and after about a week I chopped it off and went back to a regular configuration. That bass sounded much better by lowering the E string down to a D than it did by keeping the tension the same but extending the string length (via the extension) to a longer scale. It was a MUCH different voice: deep and rumbling and wonderful dropped but with the extension it was just a very modest difference with the note lower.
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I don't know what kind of Pirastro string was on Mr Bramhall's bass (a Matthias Neuner), but it had a 43 3/8" scale length (not including the extension). So probably it's no problem on a reasonable string length.
I've seen Dennis Roy use his A extension with the BSO. Dennis frequently uses it when Thomas Adès is in town conducting his own material. To @james condino's point, I have also noticed that the bass section tends to be miked (in the neighborhood of Dennis's bass) during those works. So maybe projection is an issue?
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