Author Topic: Extended Range Bass History (Read 403 times)

David Houck · « **Reply #15 on:** October 27, 2004, 06:59:33 AM »

Just curious; what is your support for the statement that today Warwick basses are the most well-known of these type of basses? Most well known by who; the general public?, professional bass players?, retailers?.

bigredbass · « **Reply #16 on:** October 27, 2004, 11:34:25 PM »

Styd:

In my opinion, the Danelectros/Fender VIs, were more of a nod to the 'tic-tac' style of bass, where an electric guitar doubled upright lines on recordings. I know Jack Bruce famously played a Fender VI with Cream, but the short scale coupled with the amps of those days make it not really a bass to me, in my opinion.

While Jimmy Johnson and Anthony Jackson pursued their vision only really known to the rare air of studio recording, the modern turn to extended range basses for the general market was really pushed by Nathan East and the Yamaha BB5000. Nate was in so many 80s videos, and Yamaha advertised and put the piece in general circulation. It was the first dedicated five for the masses in that it was truly long scale and had pickups specifically for a five string layout. The Japanese typically saw an opening and jumped in: Ibanez soon followed with the TUNE-inspired SoundGear series in fives and sixes. These were basses you could buy at any music store in Iowa, not some specialist Fodera or Alembic that was not in broad circulation and were only known or available in LA or NYC.

Extended range basses were also highly pushed by recordings with keyboard bass. Bass guitars had to keep up. Remember, a lot of us in the late 70s or early 80s weren't really sure we wouldn't be replaced by sequencers and synths, especially once MIDI came in and simplified all of that. Doug Wimbish has said he developed his technique in direct result of competing with keyboard bass.
And amps to match this took a big jump at the same time as Trace-Elliott and SWR began to arrive.

Warwick, I would agree, is hardly the center of the universe. Were it not for their annoying copying of Steinberger's NS design theme for Stuart Spector, who would know about them at all?

With the Internet, now all sorts of small specialist builders are on a more even footing in competing for customers with the Fenders and Yamahas. I've no doubt you can find a bass with as many strings as you can stand all over the web.

J o e y

kungfusheriff · « **Reply #17 on:** October 28, 2004, 12:30:19 AM »

styd,
Write colder and more scientifically, it will be more palatable for your professors and easier to read; trust me. Do NOT use shorthand or slang common among string people, you'll only lose points.
Also, eight string basses (the kind that have four paired strings, called cords) are not considered to be extended range basses.
What do you base this statement upon, and from where do you derive your terminology? Please support. Consider the reader totally uneducated, albeit with a smidge of common sense. Don't be shy, my wife just returned to college and I judge her writing just as harshly.
And for the luvva Mike, why give Warwick props? Your paper is not a commercial. The first noticable thing they did was make an electric upright, and they didn't even invent the concept. Information comes at an all-time low price right now; don't assume your prof won't invest in challenging your thesis.
And by the way, bsee, did any of us buy GC's fan-head five or has it disappeared into the ether Zebrawood peghead and all? I was born that year, and had just made up my mind to but it, for safe-keeping of course. Fess up, y'all.

adriaan · « **Reply #18 on:** October 28, 2004, 03:04:41 AM »

About Warwick and the EUB - IIRC they started out in the old Framus factory, and I know Framus built EUBs back in the 60s. I remember seeing a photograph of white one with a Hawaiian style airbrush picture on the back - not sure if that was a standard version.

gare · « **Reply #19 on:** October 28, 2004, 06:20:24 AM »

Interesting, I've never considered an 8 or 12 string bass as extended range. Always thought of it as a means to thicken up or get a fuller sound. That's compared to a 5 or 6 string.
Nor have I ever thought of a 12 string guitar as an extended range 6 string. I'd consider a 7 string guitar as extended range.
You learn something everyday now dont you.

811952 · « **Reply #20 on:** October 28, 2004, 08:29:05 AM »

For 8- and 12-string basses, I believe the proper term is course, as in my 12-string bass having 3 courses for each EADG. As for electric uprights, Ampeg derives it's name from amplifying conventional uprights, and I'm pretty certain their solid electric upright bass was the first...
And as for extended range, I played a 5-string upright bass in 1975, but when I ordered my Alembic in early '81 an L.A. studio guy named Roger Spencer tried talking me into a 5-er with a low B and I thought he was crazy. I didn't get a 5 until 1986, and it was built by Wayne Kamp in Indianapolis and was based upon a Fender Jazz Bass. So, I'm on board with what Joey has to say about it and you can pretend I didn't make you read this largely redundant post..
John

811952 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 28, 2004, 08:33:23 AM »

For 8- and 12-string basses, I believe the proper term is course, as in my 12-string bass having 3 courses for each EADG. As for electric uprights, Ampeg derives it's name from amplifying conventional uprights, and I'm pretty certain their solid electric upright bass was the first...
And as for extended range, I played a 5-string upright bass in 1975, but when I ordered my Alembic in early '81 an L.A. studio guy named Roger Spencer tried talking me into a 5-er with a low B and I thought he was crazy. I didn't get a 5 until 1986, and it was built by Wayne Kamp in Indianapolis and was based upon a Fender Jazz Bass. So, I'm on board with what Joey has to say about it and you can pretend I didn't make you read this largely redundant post..
John

adriaan · « **Reply #22 on:** October 28, 2004, 08:36:37 AM »

John,
I think there were several pogo stick makers, not sure who was the first - just that Framus in Germany was making them in the 50s or 60s.

811952 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 28, 2004, 08:40:33 AM »

The brutal irony of making a redundant post twice is not lost on me...
John

adriaan · « **Reply #24 on:** October 28, 2004, 08:51:27 AM »

If you realize that something has not escaped you, then surely an expression of that realization is again redundant. There's just no way out!

811952 · « **Reply #25 on:** October 28, 2004, 08:54:30 AM »

Yeah, I found that the Ampeg Baby Bass was licensed from Zorko, who apparently was advertising their basses in 1961, but can't find any info on them..
John

811952 · « **Reply #26 on:** October 28, 2004, 09:00:40 AM »

Amen. Amen...

bigredbass · « **Reply #27 on:** October 29, 2004, 10:58:13 PM »

of course after the Yamahas and Ibanez fives and sixes, it later occurred to me that 'where were the American manufacturers?'

MusicMan's StingRay Five really finished breaking the glass that basses for the everyday bar-band guy need not be four strings only. Fender finally followed with the various five string Jazzes and finally, a five string Precision. Sadowsky's five strings helped push Fender into it. And it's hard not to underestimate Carvin's impact on the average player with the five and six string LBs.

The specialists rose behind this large market movement. Alembic and Fodera and Pedulla and Ken Smith easily expanded their offerings. Spector enlarged the NS range. And the Internet offered more traction for lesser known builders like Conklin, Curbow, and FBass with their mindbending Alain Caron models. The Internet offered them a hand into the game that was not possible in the old days of the mom and pop music stores and distributors.

J o e y

wally_malone · « **Reply #28 on:** November 07, 2004, 01:01:02 AM »

styd, you should check out www.extendedrangebassist.com

Wally

adriaan · « **Reply #29 on:** November 07, 2004, 10:29:43 PM »

Briefly about the Warwick EUB, they are in fact the very same Triumph model that Framus marketed decades ago. They probably have different electronics now - although you can buy Azolas with the strange p/u that Ampeg put into the 'scroll' basses.