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Piccolo basses

S

Sound Chaser

Mar 19, 2005
1,533
11
40
Lockport, NY
www.myspace.com
#1
I know almost nothing about these instruments, and am having a difficult time finding anything out about them. I figured that since some of you play them, you could help me answer a few questions:

I heard that you could string a normal bass piccolo, but that it required you use a different tuning to compensate for scale difference. How would one tune such an instrument?

What are some manufacturers of piccolo basses?

Could anyone point me to some recordings?

Are there special strings for them, or do you just use g**tar strings?

Thank you!
 
#2
Here is a review of an Elrick piccolo bass that pretty accurately describes what they are, and the string gauges involved.
Invalid Link Removed

You can also use piccolo strings on a standard four-string; Michael Manring's Hyperbass has them IIRC, because lighter strings tend to deal with retuning easier than thicker bass strings. You can hear his Hyperbass on all of his albums, but he tunes it in all sorts of ways.

Brian Bromberg also has a bass or two strung piccolo (a four-string), but I'm not sure which tracks to listen for to hear them. There must be some on his "Metal" album.
 
#3
Bryan R. Tyler said:
Here is a review of an Elrick piccolo bass that pretty accurately describes what they are, and the string gauges involved.
Invalid Link Removed

You can also use piccolo strings on a standard four-string; Michael Manring's Hyperbass has them IIRC, because lighter strings tend to deal with retuning easier than thicker bass strings. You can hear his Hyperbass on all of his albums, but he tunes it in all sorts of ways.

Brian Bromberg also has a bass or two strung piccolo (a four-string), but I'm not sure which tracks to listen for to hear them. There must be some on his "Metal" album.
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Thank you.
 
#4
You can get piccolo gauged strings to string a normal bass up an octave. I had a four string Ibanez Soundgear that was EADG up the octave. Bassists were like "why don't you play a guitar" and guitarists were like "why don't you play a guitar?" so once you get past people's conception of what each instrument does, it's really a cool instrument and allows you to approach it in a radically different way.
 
#5
Sound Chaser said:
Could anyone point me to some recordings?
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There's a video (Hollywood Video near my house has it on VHS) of Miles Davis In Paris, featuring Joseph 'Foley' McCreary on his blue piccolo bass that was made for him by Albey (the guy that made the 'A' basses). The video also has Benny Reitveld on regular bass.
 
#6
tplyons said:
You can get piccolo gauged strings to string a normal bass up an octave. I had a four string Ibanez Soundgear that was EADG up the octave. Bassists were like "why don't you play a guitar" and guitarists were like "why don't you play a guitar?" so once you get past people's conception of what each instrument does, it's really a cool instrument and allows you to approach it in a radically different way.
Click to expand...

Where would you get them? Would you have to custom order them? I was thinking about buying a set for 8 string and just putting on the octave-up ones...how would that work?
 
#7
Sound Chaser said:
Where would you get them? Would you have to custom order them? I was thinking about buying a set for 8 string and just putting on the octave-up ones...how would that work?
Click to expand...
That MAY work.

D'Addario makes a set I THINK, LaBella does and I think Ken Smith Burners come in pic gauges too.
 
#10
christobass 416 said:
I went to my local music store, they didn't know what piccolo bass strings were. :rollno:
D'Addario EXL280's. They looked in the catalogue, and that's them.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...TF8&n=11968211&s=musical-instruments&v=glance
Michael Manring uses these, I believe.
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I ordered those kind of piccolo strings today! :hyper:
I am really excited over it and I'm really looking forward to string my bass with 'em! :)

Does anyone here have any epxerience of piccolo basses?
 
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#11
A while ago I tried out those D'Addario piccolo strings on my Rick, but I had to adjust the action too high for my tastes. I think the nut on that bass, as it is, just isn't suitable for piccolo strings. I would've tried 'em out on another bass but I didn't have any other 4-stringers around at the time. I've heard of other players putting piccolo stings on other basses with no major problems.
 
#15
I don't call my Corvette a "piccolo", I call it a "contralto". Right now, she's strung with the top four strings of a TI Jazz Flats 6-string set (ADGC), and tuned up to Bb-C, depending on my mood.

I also have a custom gauged set of D'Addario Chromes guitar strings that I'm going to use to tune in fifths (like a cello, CGDA). I haven't put them on yet, because those TI's are expensive, and I haven't played them enough, yet. The Chromes are just long enough to use on my 30" scale Warwick.

I don't play her enough because she fits in somewhere between bass and guitar, and my band is only a three-piece. I need to start a side project...
 
#17
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#18
christobass 416 said:
well, a piccolo is EADG, just an octave higher. ADGC would be considered a tenor bass.
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Yes, and a "contralto" is a woman who sings in more or less "tenor" range. Since I tune my bass anywhere from a half-step to three half-steps above "tenor" range, I call it a "contralto"...:)

Oh, and also because "cellobass" sounds silly, to me.
 
#19
Take any bass, put piccolo gauge strings and voila.. you have a piccolo bass. People usually tend to think that it's related to the scale length but it's not (correct me if I'm wrong). On the other hand most of the piccolo basses are offered in short scales.

The piccolo thing is about tuning, EADG tuned one octave higher than the standard bass. So you are at the same pitch as the 4 lower strings of the 6 string electric twanger :D . Don't bother about the comments "why don't you play guitar", because even the notes have the same frequncies (Hz) as the guitar, the timber is different.

You can order piccolo gauge bass strings from [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. I did it, they have quite a good selection, even piccolo gauge for acoustic bass guitars.
 
#20
Mr M said:
Don't bother about the comments "why don't you play guitar", because even the notes have the same frequncies (Hz) as the guitar, the timber is different.
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Haha, I try to cnovince some of my friends that it's not the same thing! :D Some of them understand some of them just goes: "Yeah I think you play guitar anyway" :spit:
 

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