James Genus

[jazzyvee]

I've just got back from the Herbie  Hancock concert and James was the bass player. He played a Fodera bass which sounded really fantastic. Usually when I heard a bass guitar in a big concert venue, the sound is so muddy that you can't hear the clarity of individual notes when they are played. But this Fodera was very clear most of the time.  It's the first time I've seen and heard one of those bases live.  
 
Anyway, he also played a double bass that I'd never seen before.
It was like the top half of a standard 3/4 double bass with the bottom rounded off just below the middle of the bass, then a long metal spike at the bottom to stand it on.  
 
It sounded great. I wonder if anyone knows what type of double bass this is. I accept my description is not brilliant, but it would be much easier to transport about than a full bodied double bass.
 
Jazzyvee
 
Jazzyvee

[3rd_ray]

Like this?
 
http://www.czech-ease.com/about.php
 
I've seen them advertised in Bass Player magazine.
 
Mike

[flaxattack]

wow a jewish bass!
who did the circumcision?

[darkstar01]

alot of people are using those czech ease's for travel. i had a teacher who had two of them broken while going between the states and japan.  
that aside, james genus is an awesome player. i've seen him play with the dave douglas quintet and uri caine's trio. and he's the bass player for snl, too. i think he plays that fodera on snl, and in an interview i saw, he said he uses something called a rumble seat, which is just a chair that somehow hooks up to the bass drum. pretty cool.

[jazzyvee]

thanks for the pointer Mike, I contacted the uk distributor for the price and here was his very polite response.  
 
We have two basses here at present.
The ex-works dollar price is $5000 for the regular golden brown finish or $5200 for the new Tineo finish (nice!) plus VAT import & shipping charges. That works out to around ?4200 and ?4400 inc VAT with the dollar @ 1.50
If you were to go to States today & bring one back yourself it would cost you ?4200 without your flights...
 
This gets you the Czech Ease with adjustable bridge, Realist, Mooradian bag & trunk.
Give us a call if you wish to come & try. We would love to see you.
 
Jazzyvee

[paulman]

I believe David Grisman Quintet bassist Jim Kerwin uses something like that.  I saw them once at College of Dupage in Glen Ellyn, IL once and I couldn't tell any difference between the full and partial basses Jim used.  
 
Robin Sylvester also uses something like that, but it's all electric with no acoustic chambers.