The Craziest Bass I've Ever Owned - 3 String Stingray!

[lowfreqgeek]

You can pretty easily make your own Funk Fingers with some drum sticks, a coping saw, a little double-sided velcro, and some patience. I made my own years ago and they're a fun novelty. I've used them a few times - especially great with my regular 4 string Stingray-esque fretless.

The whole point of Tony Levin's original 3-string was wider spacing to give more room for the Funk Fingers. It helps, but I've seen him use them with his standard 17.5mm SR5. They just take a little more accuracy.

 

[Low Main]

John Cowan had a 3 string bass some years back. I can't remember who built it (or altered a 4 string) for him.

I think his message was: you don't need the G string. Get rid of it. Something along those lines.

 

[Wood and Wire]

One time, a long time ago, I saw a live band and the bass player was playing a 4 string bass with no G string (3 strings). I was very suprised to see this. I wondered the reason.

Sounds like you two have met before...

In the first month of owning a bass guitar in 1992 i broke the D string AND its tuning peg. I tuned the G down to D and spent the next year and a half teaching myself to play bass, EAxD.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I am also in the market for some 'funk fingers' so I can cover 'Big Time' - so any leads would be appreciated!

Someone was making licensed Funk Fingers expandinghandsmusic.com or something like that. Looks like they're long gone.

You can pretty easily make your own Funk Fingers with some drum sticks, a coping saw, a little double-sided velcro, and some patience. I made my own years ago and they're a fun novelty. I've used them a few times - especially great with my regular 4 string Stingray-esque fretless.

Cannot vouch for him personally (page came up in a quick search) but, in case one's doesn't feel like rolling their own, this fella claims to make "most faithful, handcrafted reproductions" of Levin's funk fingers:

Funk Fingers Shop

bygod; manne; funk fingers;

www.bassbygod.com

 

[HeavyJazz]

Too cool!

 

[Pdaddy1978]

TB classifieds:
Lot of G strings for sale.....Just Gs.

 

[Danny C]

So jealous. I've always wanted one.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Cannot vouch for him personally (page came up in a quick search) but, in case one's doesn't feel like rolling their own, this fella claims to make "most faithful, handcrafted reproductions" of Levin's funk fingers:

Funk Fingers Shop

bygod; manne; funk fingers;

www.bassbygod.com

Mine are very similar. Took probably 20 minutes to make and didn't cost anything since I had stuff laying around. If you play with drummers, they'll have broken or shredded sticks sooner or later.

I made mine to compensate for the difference in length between my index and middle fingers. That worked well for me.

 

[Riff Ranger]

I've thought about a 3 strings bass from time to time, will the following reasoning:
- I'm not attracted by 5 strings, but I'd like to try a BEAD, since I don't play the G string very often (or as often as the 3 others)
- If I can adapt my playing to BEAD, it would also be interesting to try a EAD bass, in the mode "less is more", and because I suppose constraints is source of creativity.

I don't know if it makes any sense…

I favored five-strings for almost 30 years until I tried BEAD (at which point I had my five-strings tuned GCGCF). Now I strongly prefer BEAD four-strings ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

One of my upright basses was originally a three-string, but was converted to a four sometime in the early 1900's. I was thinking about doweling up the pegbox and redrilling it into a five but I'm afraid the guys over on the DB side of this joint will put a price on my head...

My wife has made an excellent arrangement that brings single players or duos from the Rogue Valley Symphony into the periodicals section of her library, and the “double double bass” duo has been a particular hit. One of those bassists has a centuries-old bass that began as a three-string, got converted to a five (which he said hadn’t been a good move), and now has four strings with a C-extension.

Steve DiGiorgio from Death had a fretless five converted to a three.

 

[sears]

3 strings, 2 band eq

 

[ad9000]

Dusty Wakeman was the first guy I saw with a 3-string, back in the early 90's when he was playing with Dwight Yoakam and Lucinda Williams. Apparently, as mentioned in the article this picture was from, it was made by Rick Turner.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I happened to walk into TR Crandall in NYC and they had a ton of cases on the floor that came in from Jason Newstead

Thread Drift: Who or what is TR Crandall? I lived in New York City for the last 24 years (and another 5 a decade prior to that) and I have never heard of TR Crandall!

 

[HaphAsSard]

Thread Drift: Who or what is TR Crandall? I lived in New York City for the last 24 years (and another 5 a decade prior to that) and I have never heard of TR Crandall!

Looks like I'm on a Google roll today - NOTHING escapes my enquiring gaze:

TR Crandall Guitars

Fine Vintage Instruments, Sale and Repair -- In New York City

trcrandall.com

156 Ludlow St Manhattan (Lower East Side?)

 

[rogerbmiller]

Prediction: just as EBMM did with the “one off” Joe Darts and Old Smoothies, they will read this soon to be megathread and release the EBMM and SBMM 3StringRay models.

 

[mikeowen17]

Prediction: just as EBMM did with the "one off" Joe Darts and Old Smoothies, they will read this soon to be megathread and release the EBMM and SBMM 3StringRay models.

Haha - that would be great for the general public - less great for me when my bass becomes much less unique!

 

[rogerbmiller]

Haha - that would be great for the general public - less great for me when my bass becomes much less unique!

Kinda like me and my 40th Anniversary Old Smoothie. Not that I am bitter or anything.

 

[DavidG]

After you master your 3 string StingRay you can work your way down to a 2 string!

... but why stop there?! Buy a Les Claypool Whamola!


As stated, you can probably make your own Funk Fingers. Tony Levin has social media presence, maybe you can reach out to him directly for help finding the original ones.

 

[rogerbmiller]

For reals I think Tony Levin discussed his 3StringRay in the SBL interview he did with the venerable @IanAllison

IIRC he said it was in the cover of a Bass magazine in the 90s almost as a statement or reaction to the prevalence of 6 strings at the time. I think he also said that it was a 4 string neck so the strings were spaced wider making it easier to play with Funk Fingers.

Great interview and worth a listen. This bass is certainly a special piece of history!

 

[mikeowen17]

After you master your 3 string StingRay you can work your way down to a 2 string!

... but why stop there?! Buy a Les Claypool Whamola!


As stated, you can probably make your own Funk Fingers. Tony Levin has social media presence, maybe you can reach out to him directly for help finding the original ones.

I LOVE this band - in fact one of the covers I plan to do is this exact song!

 

[DavidG]

Yeah, Sandman really had that 'rumble' going. Really served his songs. Lowdown, funky and hipster-y!