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Double Bass Tines

O

Ole Rahr

Apr 28, 2023
4
1
#1
Hi. My name is Ole, and I am a bass player and jazz critic from Denmark. I am supposed to write a review on American bass player Merk Dresser new release 'Tines of Change'. I can detect that 'Tines' are some special features on the double bass, but I'm not quite sure what they are. Can anyone help?

Kind regards, Ole.
 
#2
I can't find a picture, but the text with the album release suggests he has his bass modified with additional vibrating parts. "Tines" usually mean metal rods anchored at one end, like the vibrating element in a Rhodes electric piano or the West African Mbira.
 
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#4
Martin Beer said:
I can't find a picture, but the text with the album release suggests he has his bass modified with additional vibrating parts. "Tines" usually mean metal rods anchored at one end, like the vibrating element in a Rhodes electric piano or the West African Mbira.
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A minor correction, although the mbira is used more widely nowadays it originates from southern Africa - Zimbabwe actually. I grew up and lived there for a large part of my life. They are a very traditional instrument, usually made by street market artisans who hammer old pieces of iron heated in an open fire to make the tines.
 
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#5
On the electric bass side Godin Guitars built a bass guitar dubbed the Acoustibass
On that instrument they suspended 12 metal rods of varying lengths underneath the bridge that vibrate sympathetically in response to the vibration of the strings.
 
#6
The tines I believe he is referring to are the ones on the bridge of his bass built by Kent McLagan.



Theres a video of him performing on it. The bass also has a removable neck for travel as well as pickups built into the neck to pickup "bitones" which he plays by plucking on both sides of the stopped note.

If you are writing a review of his work, I would suggest doing some research so you know where he is coming from with his approach. I'm not the biggest "free music" guy, which I think Mark gets lumped into; but I am a very big fan of his music.



Heres an interview where he explains his background and his discovery of his various extracurricular techniques. It's less than 20 minutes long and would go a long way if you are writing about his work.
 
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