Double Bass Low G Extensions on a Five String Bass - Because why not??

[sing-modulator]

People make C extensions for a four string bass. Why not just throw one of those on a bass with a low B string to make it a low D? That's the type of subsonic range that I am surprised nobody has tried yet (at least to my knowledge).

Discuss...

EDIT: I meant low G.

 

[DanielPerry]

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[robobass]

D? don't you mean G? I was just going to mention Dennis but Dan beat me to it!

 

[DoubleMIDI]

That won't give you a low D.
It might give you a low G, maybe a low F#, because the pegbox is longer for a 5-string. Not that useful, I think.
But for a high C 5-string you can also get down to the low C or probably even low B with an extension.

 

[DanielPerry]

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[sing-modulator]

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Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Now if only there were recordings...

 

[robobass]

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! Now if only there were recordings...

Does Joel Quarrington own that bass? If so there should be plenty of recordings out there.

 

[robobass]

That won't give you a low D.
It might give you a low G, maybe a low F#, because the pegbox is longer for a 5-string. Not that useful, I think.
But for a high C 5-string you can also get down to the low C or probably even low B with an extension.

Dennis says he really likes having the A. I've tuned the B to A on a Pöllmann on occasion, and found the A and Bb to be really nice. The problem with trying for G or F# would naturally be where to get the string, but on the right bass I bet those notes would also be quite thrilling.

 

[David Potts]

The low A would vibrate at 27.5 times per second, barely above the 25 frames per second of movie projectors that give continuous movement, not flickering. You should see individual vibrations for a low D and probably could not tell whether you were sharp, flat or indifferent IMO. The only piece I can recall with a low B is Respighi's Pines of Rome, majestic sounding but slow to speak.

 

[Kukulkan61]

Good luck finding a B string that will hold tension going that low...

 

[robobass]

The low A would vibrate at 27.5 times per second, barely above the 25 frames per second of movie projectors that give continuous movement, not flickering. You should see individual vibrations for a low D and probably could not tell whether you were sharp, flat or indifferent IMO. The only piece I can recall with a low B is Respighi's Pines of Rome, majestic sounding but slow to speak.

Do you mean low A? I would just say that it maybe depends on the bass, but I think the lowest notes need to be just as in tune as any other notes. We did a Shostakovitch piece a few years back which had a bass soli section mostly on the fifth string. It was actually quite difficult to get it in tune, and man did it sound horrible when it wasn't!

 

[gnypp45]

The only piece I can recall with a low B is Respighi's Pines of Rome, majestic sounding but slow to speak.

Don't forget Also Sprach Zarathustra, the fugue which starts with a soli from desk 4. Even the celli are asked to play a low B there.

Pine of Rome calls for a B flat, doesn't it?

 

[robobass]

Good luck finding a B string that will hold tension going that low...

Lot's of people play with their E tuned down a step, so why would tuning the B down be any different? I once tuned the Pöllmann AEADG (Flexocores) for a modern work which had a Bb. It worked well enough that I left it that way for the whole program, and even found a place in a Schumann symphony where I thought a Bb would sound pretty cool. The other guys in the section kind of rolled their eyes when they heard it, but no one asked me to stop

 

[bassfacer22]

I have a 5-string portable bass and I have had those moments I wish I could go to a low A... so I do understand.. ha..

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Hi Zane. Another problem, besides finding a string, is the tension on the extension itself, and if it could withstand it.

 

[David Potts]

Please don't all rush out and convert your basses. Instead buy your dear old mother a good box of chocolates or give a cow to some needy community via Oxfam. The end results would give far more lasting pleasure IMO.

Going back to the original post a low G would vibrate at about 25 times a second? OK, we are low note specialists but that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?

 

[sing-modulator]

There was a time when a low B was ridiculous.

 

[bassfacer22]

Whatever keyboard bass allows is perfect.. we have to get the same level a keyboard bass can do.. then it's not worth going any lower.. atleast be on par with keyboard bass though..

 

[DoubleMIDI]

The contrabassoon goes down to subcontra-Bb.

The organ can even go lower to about 16 Hz which is a subcontra-C. But these notes are usually used in a mix of registers, not on their own.
Don't forget that each note has higher harmonics often with a higher amplitude than the fundamental, but seriously this mostly makes sense on an instrument with a really large body that can transmit the low frequency stuff well.

You better might get an Octobass and a second player if you want to go that low.

 

[Don Kasper]

Going back to the original post a low G would vibrate at about 25 times a second? OK, we are low note specialists but that would be ridiculous, wouldn't it?

It probably won't make much sound, but it might blow out any lit candles in the room.