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Subcontra Bass Hype or practical

Subcontra Bass hype or practical

  • Total voters
    208
  • Poll closed .
#221
If you could play it well, it's practical.
How many strings are on a sitar?
Ravi Shankar and Sri Chimoy are masters of that instrument.
If you could play a 7,8,9,or10 string bass well more power to you. I think a lot of people who can only play 4 strings are just jealous. There I said it! It takes practice and time to get use to going from a four to a five or six. I just made the transition to the 5 after 9yrs of playing fours and to tell you the truth I love it! That low B is awesome. I would love to have a custom 7 with a Low F and the hi C, but I can't afford one. There are different formats to playing ERBs depending on how many strings it has.
 
#222
barthanatos said:
Scale-length comes to mind. I'd like to see something in maybe a 38" scale, but I'm sure not going to be the guy to finance that experiment.
Click to expand...

speaking of scale length...

Link Removed

i took a knuckle and used it for a rehearsal and a Sunday service at church...

it was my favorite setting to use the knuckle bass in while it was being loaned to me from Knuckle.

and its 39" scale!

i played direct through a huge mackie PA
 
#225
Since I know that I can't distinguish the difference between notes much below 36hz (mostly because of some hearing loss from my earlier metal days), for me the subcontra bass is impractical and even frustrating to play. I can't even properly enjoy playing a typical 5-string for the same reason.

I would like to hear one played at a live gig, though. I really dig that subsonic pulsing that you can feel through your feet.
 
#226
i think taht sub contra idea is only starting!!! i started to build my self one... i already have the strings... its just a matter when will i finish it... i have it tuned subB subE subA D G... so the subB is around 15.7Hz ... it is 38' scale lenght

building and playing this monster will be no problem... but amplifying it????

where can i get a speaker that reporduces this kind of frequencys with a SPL strong enough hat you can feel the tone???
 
#228
First off I think impractical is the wrong word to use. It’s impractical to try and teach an 8 year old on a full size double bass, but not to teach him or her bass.

That being said, pretty much the same negative statements were made about using effects and multi string basses. In fact practicality could be argued about playing any thing more than the root notes.

Interesting some will say the instrument itself is impractical and then buy a pedal to do the same thing. In that context yes a pedal is easier to transport than another bass.

Any way I for one am glad people are expanding the bass world.

MM
 
#230
fuNKmaster83 said:
i think taht sub contra idea is only starting!!! i started to build my self one... i already have the strings... its just a matter when will i finish it... i have it tuned subB subE subA D G... so the subB is around 15.7Hz ... it is 38' scale lenght

building and playing this monster will be no problem... but amplifying it????

where can i get a speaker that reporduces this kind of frequencys with a SPL strong enough hat you can feel the tone???
Click to expand...

It depends on how much you want to spend. Bag End has a 21" Infra subwoofer that will go down to 8 Hz. You'd likely be best served in trying to give the subcontra fundamental a presence rather than parity as it would take alot of power and several speakers to keep up with the most meager of performance rigs dB for dB.

Where did you come by your strings and what gauges are they?

metalmariachi said:
Interesting some will say the instrument itself is impractical and then buy a pedal to do the same thing. In that context yes a pedal is easier to transport than another bass.

MM
Click to expand...

Would that pedals did the trick - I tried real hard to make that work.
 
#232
is any number of strings, or frequency, or manner of sound created practical?

is any music practical at all?

of course its not, the human race would still be moving along nicely without this little luxury. but thats what makes it an art, the fact that it is totaly unneccesary.

so no, it is not any less practical than any other bass i have ever seen.
 
#233
knuckle_head said:
It depends on how much you want to spend. Bag End has a 21" Infra subwoofer that will go down to 8 Hz. You'd likely be best served in trying to give the subcontra fundamental a presence rather than parity as it would take alot of power and several speakers to keep up with the most meager of performance rigs dB for dB.

Where did you come by your strings and what gauges are they?



Would that pedals did the trick - I tried real hard to make that work.
Click to expand...



i have just started working with a german company Pyramid!!! i had truble geting strings in my country so i found them on the net and they helped me a lot... they make any kind of string for any kind of instrument!!!

the gauges that pyramid for me are:
G-1 .067 12 kg

D-2 .087 11 kg

Subkontra A-3 .110 11 kg

Subkontra E-4 .142 9 kg

Subkontra B-5 .185 9 kg tension.

all of you should check pyramid strings becaus they are the only brand that are better than DR. we all know that Dr are one of the best strings money can buy!!! ;)
 
#234
fuNKmaster83 said:
the gauges that pyramid made for me are:

G-1 .067 12 kg

D-2 .087 11 kg

Subkontra A-3 .110 11 kg

Subkontra E-4 .142 9 kg

Subkontra B-5 .185 9 kg tension.
Click to expand...

You have similar tension tastes to Jauqo. I am glad you have found a source for extraordinary gauges - it isn't a simple thing.
 
#240
knuckle_head said:
You have similar tension tastes to Jauqo. I am glad you have found a source for extraordinary gauges - it isn't a simple thing.
Click to expand...
like i said i thought that strings and playing would be the hardest but amplifying the damn thing will be a chalange!!!

but i am talking with guys at BAG END to supply me with some compact but powerfull solution!!!

so... i hope to be soon with you guys at 15Hz

heheheh
 

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