Author Topic: Extended Range Bass History (Read 402 times)

styd · « **on:** October 12, 2004, 10:46:51 PM »

Hi,

I'm new here. I'm doing a paper on the background and history of the extended bass, so would like help with web links or articles related to this topic. Also would like to know some players and luthiers in this field. Also apart from Leo Fender (who is widely considered the father of extended range basses with his baritone guitar, from my research it seems Alembic played a major part in this area too. Any help or corrections greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

poor_nigel · « **Reply #1 on:** October 13, 2004, 08:05:26 AM »

Welcome Dave. I will be no help to you here, except to welcome you and wish lots of satisfaction in your endeavor. You will find the members and staff here friendly and helpful.

kungfusheriff · « **Reply #2 on:** October 13, 2004, 09:28:15 AM »

The Cliff's Notes version is, Danelectro and Fender began offering six-string basses, also known as baritone guitars, in the early '60s. As their name suggests they were guitars with heavier strings tuned down an octave. In '68 or so, Hagstrom began offering an 8-string bass that mimiced the lowest two-thirds of a 12-string guitar but tuned down two octaves. Somewhere around that time, after their sale to CBS in 1964, Fender began offering a five-string bass with a high-C string.
This idea was seized upon by our good friends at Alembic and tweaked by session bassist Jimmy Johnson, who ordered an Alembic five-string with a low B in about 1974...Mica or Susan would know more exactly than I.
Independently, at the same time, bassists Anthony Jackson and Stanley Clarke began working with New York luthier Carl Thompson to develop, respectively, the modern six-string bass (tuned B-E-A-D-G-C) and the piccolo bass (tuned E-A-D-G one octave above a standard bass).
That's it in a nutshell--this history can be found in The Bass Book, a coffee table book of history and bass porn that may still be available for you to buy and cite for your paper. If you can't find a copy and happen to live in the US, e-mail me and I'll let you borrow mine if you promise to return it.

reinier · « **Reply #3 on:** October 14, 2004, 01:59:53 AM »

Dave,

A perhaps useful article to read / quote for your paper is the May '89 interview in Guitar Player with Jimmy Flim Johnson. As indicated in the previous message, Flim Johnson was probably very early in the door, if not the first to come up with the idea of adding a low B. Inspired by his father, a classical upright player that had a double bass with a fingerboard extension for the lowest string, he turned to Alembic for at the time Alembic were building 5-str bass guitars with a high C on top. The low B-string he found at GHS although back then it was being sold as basically a huge E (.120), as Flim put it. For pictures of Flim's original five string pls take a look here http://alembic.com/club/messages/411/13127.jpg
or here
http://www3.alembic.com/img/623.jpg
As per the interview, he got it in 1976. Should you have trouble getting a copy from GP I'll be glad to see if I can get a copy to you (hope I do not violate any laws after all these years).

I also still keep a copy of the GP interview with 6-string pioneer Anthony Jackson, who later was honoured in GP's spin off Bass Player with a two-issue interview. The first of these two was entirely devoted to his equipment and contains quite some info the conception of his 6-string. BP used to have a link where you could find some old articles, but it now looks like you have to call or e-mail to order back issues.

I'd (or should I say we'd?) be really interested in learning more on your findings as soon as you'll have finished your research, not in the least while Alembic no doubt is one of the first to have contributed to the multistring bass guitar (and did the best job of all i.m.h.o.).

Good luck with your paper. Take care, RR

keavin · « **Reply #4 on:** October 14, 2004, 05:33:33 AM »

Hey was that bass ever recovered?

David Houck · « **Reply #5 on:** October 14, 2004, 04:57:44 PM »

Here is the Anthony Jackson interview:
http://archive.bassplayer.com/artists/jackson1.shtml

mica · « **Reply #6 on:** October 14, 2004, 05:37:46 PM »

Jimmy's original 5-string bass has not been recovered, it's still listed on the stolen instruments page (#AC418).

I thought I found it on ebay once, but it was a flase alarm

bsee · « **Reply #7 on:** October 14, 2004, 07:04:48 PM »

And Guitar Center still has an old five with a fan headstock listed on their site, but I sent you that link a while ago and it wasn't the bass.

They list the serial number as 76-421, if anyone is interested, so it must have come right after Jimmy's.

(Message edited by bsee on October 14, 2004)

kayo · « **Reply #8 on:** October 15, 2004, 04:14:45 PM »

davehouck

I am very thankful for your providing a link to this article. I have had very limited exposure to Anthony, having only the Al Di Meola works to deftly identify his unique voice for me - up until now.

I struggle with my feelings about basses with more than 4 strings - I definitely appreciate the tonal flexibility that the added 5th and 6th strings offer - however, being so unilaterally funk oriented for the past 2 decades does not easily dovetail into a practical application (for me) of the added strings.

I have been a great fan of Jonas Helborg as well -and I have been more inclined to identify with the practical applications of an extended bass range from the added scale length approach.

Needless to say, there is no right or wrong - only what is most conducive for each respective individual.

Truth is, I feel like I'm not even playing the bass when I pick up a 6 string.... and the spacing makes it difficult to slap with the fluency that I am used to. As I build up my repertoire of basses - with the understanding that I will not have the luxury to be one of those indviduals that amass many an instrument - I envision myself adding (to my 1 Rogue - 4 string fretted - collection as of now) another 4 string fretted (for when I break a string - which is all too often), a fretless 4 string, a 5 string fretted (so I can capture that perfect note on the low B that always eludes me on the 4 string), a 4 string fretted with a tremolo, and a series II.

For now - I just immerse myself in the rudiments of 4 string heaven....

bigredbass · « **Reply #9 on:** October 15, 2004, 09:55:29 PM »

For me it just doesn't get any better than Anthony and Jimmy: Both have technique to medal in the 'Bass Player Olympics', yet both totally play inside pockets that they define in terms that I dimly begin to understand after the 30th or 40th listening . . . I applaud their ability to dominate their space yet be totally in the tune. No idiot 'superchops' crap. Anthony even plays with a pick for some things, a lost art.

Of course Anthony is on one of my favorite albums, Fagen's Nightfly (along with the formidable Abe Laboriel and Will Lee). And Jimmy with JT is just sublime, I'd love to hear just him and James 'unplugged'.

J o e y

gare · « **Reply #10 on:** October 21, 2004, 06:00:06 AM »

Styd
Any updates on this..kinda curious as to what all you dug up

styd · « **Reply #11 on:** October 26, 2004, 10:06:22 PM »

Hi all, well gare so far here's what I have...

I appreciated the help so far, still needing more material. But I wanted to post a basic summary of what i've got which I'd appreciate if those here could let me know if it's correct or better still add further information to it. Anyway here goes...

The existance of extended range basses begins when Danelectro's Baritone guitar leads the way for the first 5 and 6 string basses in the mid-1960s. Though the Long Horn and Short Horn Danos were the forerunners, the Dano Baritone was it's actual prototype. The first true extended range basses were made by Carl Thompson, a six-string for Anthony Jackson, a professional studio bassist, in 1975. Anthony Jackson is acknowledged as the first bassist to play Extended Range basses ie: six-string. One year earlier in 1974, Alembic developed the first 5-string bass for Jimmy Johnson. Later luthier Bill Conklin further developed extended range basses. Today Warwick basses are the most well-known of these type of basses.

Also, eight string basses (the kind that have four paired strings, called cords) are not considered to be extended range basses. However, there are eight string basses that have individually pitched strings with rage spanning six to seven octaves.

Am I on the right track here?

bsee · « **Reply #12 on:** October 26, 2004, 10:25:17 PM »

Well, there are also 12 string basses that aren't, by your definition, extended range. By the way, one would think that you would define the term as part of your essay.

Additionally, I can't say that I think Warwick when I think five/six string. Fives have almost become the industry standard such that they are ubiquitous. The six is more unusual, but I couldn't point to a current manufacturuer as the volume/visibility leader in the field. If anything, I think of companies like Ibanez that brought these things to mass market by creating a decent 5-6 string bass for only a few hundred dollars. Other than that, you had to go to someone like Alembic or Ken Smith for your extra strings and pay a real premium for the quality you get.

In today's world, you do have basses that go beyond six strings, and instruments like the Stick that are harder to characterize.

styd · « **Reply #13 on:** October 27, 2004, 05:16:14 AM »

Bsee wrote:

>By the way, one would think that you would define the term as part of your essay. I think of companies like Ibanez that brought these things to mass market by creating a decent 5-6 string bass for only a few hundred dollars

adriaan · « **Reply #14 on:** October 27, 2004, 05:40:56 AM »

You could visit http://www.talkbass.com - there's ERBGs all over that place - and 6 is just a starting point.

Since the beginning of the year the record is held by an Adler 11 string bass (AFAIK). The lowest string on that is tuned somewhere around 20 Hz, and the top strings are in guitar territory (C# F# B E A D G C F Bb Eb).

You'll also find 4s with all strings tuned below the normal bass guitar range - though strictly speaking they have the same range but in a different register.