When I first saw a singlecut "whale hump" bass on TB a couple of years ago I thought it was odd looking, but since then it's grown on me, so much so that I'm having one of my Rondo Hadean bass ukes modified. I know this kind of singlecut is lumped together with many other singlecuts like the Les Paul, the Telecaster and others, but I think it deserves it's own official designation to separate it from the others. It's been called a whale hump derogatorily, but I think that label is so indicative of the look, it really fits. I tend to use that description most of the time, but today I was watching "Sunday Morning" on CBS of the 747 being taken out of passenger service to be used only for cargo. They mentioned the "whale hump" design and it got me thinking that the 747 is called "jumbo" by controllers and personnel, which would be a good name for the singlecut whale hump as well. My survey includes whale hump and jumbo, but you can add your own suggestions. This is going to be my 24" scale bass uke whale hump/jumbo. The hump is a actually a cheat, it's a pickguard covering over the upper cutaway and top, with a burl veneer added, plus matching fake pickups, it has an under saddle bridge piezo, ready sometime this week. (Please don't rip me for this, I'm having fun in my retirement doing these kind of mods. This is also my first survey, yes, I have a lot of time on my hands, even with practicing everyday.)
When I think of a singlecut bass, the above picture is exactly what I'm thinking of. Why complicate it and make another name? When someone mentions a Les Paul style instrument, guess what I think of...
i just call them single-cut basses. if you want to talk about them to other bass players, that's the term most people will understand.
What about calling it Humpback, as in the humpback whale, which are also known for their complex songs: Humpback whale - Wikipedia Here's a paragraph from the article on their song specifically: Both male and female humpback whales vocalize, but only males produce the long, loud, complex "song" for which the species is famous. Each song consists of several sounds in a low register, varying in amplitude and frequency and typically lasting from 10 to 20 minutes.Individuals may sing continuously for more than 24 hours.
I like humpback too. I showed my picture to the leader of my group and she thought camel hump, then noticed that the lower bout actually did make it look like a whale with it's mouth open. Come to think of it, it looks like a narwhale with the neck sticking out.
Air traffic control's term for big airplanes like the 747 is not "jumbo," it's "heavy." I may be an outlier but I'm not a fan of any six string bass unless someone else is playing it and playing it well. Every one of them looks out of proportion to me. But I'm an engineer, so...
Singlecut works just fine. It only poses a problem when you get the pedantic Les Paul players creeping in. LP style basses are fairly uncommon and within the hobby I think most bassists know what you're talking about when you say "singlecut."