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New Mike Adler TWELVE STRING BASS????

#143
Well, I'm just going to give my humble opinions and get out, I don't have the time to read through it all, so forgive me if this has all been said before.

I you want to play your music with 12 strings, why not? If that's the gift that God has given you, use it. I have a five string because my playing style includes lots of low D and low C notes. That's what I use cuz that's what I need. extended range basses are cool but I'd never be able to figure out where the notes are, much less getmy tiny hands around the aircraft carrier-like neck. If you get music out of all those extra strings I think that a cool thing. If Adler or Curbow or whoever gets a kick (and makes some money) out of building them then that's good for them too. Just because a person doesn't think there useful doesn't mean someone else does. To each his own (as far as # of strings on a bass is concerned) Personally, I'm more offended by people going out and paying $10k for a bass that is only incrementally better (or prettier) than a $2K or $3k bass (which I still think is too expensive) But that's me. I'm not going to rant and rave in every "expensive bass" thread.

As far as the Jaco thing goes, Yeah he did play on a four string and fretless bass. Nobody goes around saying "yeah, Jaco didn't need frets" come on that's rediculous. Jaco used a four string bass, he was the greatest (?) bass player ever, but now we have other people who need different tools to make their music. So what? Some people need Hondas to drive, some people need a Ford Excursion. different tool, that's all.

It's music after all, let's be creative.

OK I feel better now.
 
#147
This is the exact same thread as it's always been.

Having said that, all the people arguing that the "bassist's role" is to hold down the root all the time and that we shouldn't have more strings than we absolutely need are missing the point of musicianship. Whether you have 12 strings or 2 strings, you play precisely what the music demands of you with the tools you have available. More strings means that you can meet more demands.

ERBs are an expansion to what you're capable of playing on the electric bass, that's all. And yes, you can still call it a bass instrument if its range extends upwards that far. Are we going to stop calling the tuba a bass instrument just because I've seen guys play it up in trumpet range? Are we going to drop the "bass" from "bass trombone" because there are players who do violin pieces at pitch on that instrument? I don't think we are.
 
#148
Everything I've read or heard seems like Jaco was a real jerk, I prefer Manring's, Egan's or Stone's playing anyway. Jaco may have been the first that was widely known for fretless, but who cares? Some caveman invented the wheel, was his name Mr. Wheel by chance?
 
#150
That 12-string only goes twenty note tones higher than a 6 string-is that really all that much? That's 25 higher than a four-string. I'd hardly call that going to the stratosphere.

It could have fifty strings above G, and it still would have those strings that make a bass a bass. A bass is the name of an instrument, not a job. Who cares what the traditional role was. The traditional role of a black man in America in the early 1800s was as a slave. It was his reality. Doesn't mean that the traditional role was the way it should be. Just because something is the reality now doesn't mean it will be in the future. The way to change it is by actively going against the tradition. Al Caldwell played his 9-string the entire length of the A&E televised Vanessa Williams concert. He wanted a 9-string to play, so it was 100% useful. That's going to continue to grow in the public eye. People talk about 40 years of tradition of the four-string being what an electric bass is supposed to be as if it's a long time. Fourty years ain't squat, frankly. He's working to change the traditional role and open minds, and more and more folks are doing it. It's a wonderful thing. Music will evolve as well, as will the bassist's role. Song parts requiring ERBs will likely become more common-making four-strings the wrong tool for those particular jobs.

Reality is what you make it.
 
#154
mark beem said:
You still haven't answered my question...

How is an 11 string bass the _WRONG_ tool for the job? Because all strings aren't utilized??
Click to expand...
OK, let's try to make this as simple as possible:
IT'S SUPOSED TO BE A BASS!
99.9% of gigs requiring a Bass Guitar will never require something beyond 5 or 6 strings from the Bassist!
It's become a "pissing contest" as someone pointed out earlier.
Simple.
 
#155
PhatBasstard said:
OK, let's try to make this as simple as possible:
IT'S SUPOSED TO BE A BASS!
99.9% of gigs requiring a Bass Guitar will never require something beyond 5 or 6 strings from the Bassist!
It's become a "pissing contest" as someone pointed out earlier.
Simple.
Click to expand...

99.9% of the gigs right now. In a couple years that could be vastly different. 99.9% of the gigs in 1952 would never require an electric bass.

And remember how I said it only goes 25 note tones higher than a 4-string? The Zon Hyperbass is three octaves-meaning 12 higher note tones. That's halfway to the 12-string mark. Is that no longer a bass because of those higher notes? Manring often tunes up as well, so going up a whole step leaves him only 10 tones away from the highest note you can get on a twelve. But he's supposed to be a bassist.....
 
#156
PhatBasstard said:
OK, let's try to make this as simple as possible:
IT'S SUPOSED TO BE A BASS!
99.9% of gigs requiring a Bass Guitar will never require something beyond 5 or 6 strings from the Bassist!
It's become a "pissing contest" as someone pointed out earlier.
Simple.
Click to expand...

OK. Sure. So. . . . what exactly is your problem with it? Does it hurt you in some way?
 
#157
Bryan R. Tyler said:
And remember how I said it only goes 25 note tones higher than a 4-string? The Zon Hyperbass is three octaves-meaning 12 higher note tones. That's halfway to the 12-string mark. Is that no longer a bass because of those higher notes? Manring often tunes up as well, so going up a whole step leaves him only 10 tones away from the highest note you can get on a twelve. But he's supposed to be a bassist.....
Click to expand...

And don't forget piccolo bass players.
 
#159
PhatBasstard said:
OK, let's try to make this as simple as possible:
IT'S SUPOSED TO BE A BASS!
99.9% of gigs requiring a Bass Guitar will never require something beyond 5 or 6 strings from the Bassist!
It's become a "pissing contest" as someone pointed out earlier.
Simple.
Click to expand...
I'll reiterate, last time I checked there was a B, E, A, D & G string on it.

So, it's still niether a bass guitar nor can fill that role because.........????


Don't worry, I'll answer it for you. Because the thick, myopic people can't see past the fact that it has more strings than it's supposed to have.

:rolleyes:
 

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