Classico upright bass

[David Houck]

According to Wikipedia, the following have played Viola:
 
John Cale - Velvet Underground
Charlie Daniels - Charlie Daniels Band
Dave Swarbrick - Fairport Convention

[lbpesq]

Go Modder Dave!
 
Bill, tgo

[yggdrasil]

Dave - viola is hardly the first thing we think of with those 3 - DJ: now let's hear the famous violist John Cale do Dirtyass Rock'n'Roll from his 1975 release Slow Dazzle :-)
 
He did do some cool viola on early Velvet, though. Not much on his 20 or so albums since then (many of them sheer genius, BTW)
I've seen him a few times - not once did he pull out the ole viola! (He has scored significant strings on a few recordings, tho)
 
Frank
 
(Message edited by yggdrasil on June 19, 2006)

[richbass939]

The only somewhat famous vee-OH-list I can think of is Rolf Persinger.  His parents ran Juilliard (Glad I looked up the spelling.  I was about to butcher it.) around the 1930s, I think.  He visited my in-laws about 10 years ago and played the vee-OH-la my father-in-law made as well as some of the violins he had around.
Austin, ever heard of Rolf?
Rich

[u14steelgtr]

I was thinking violinist when I wrote violist (now edited and corrected).  
 
Most of the fiTTill (a.k.a. violin) players that are playing 5 strings have a added a low-C which simply combines the violin and viola tuning range in to 1 instrument.  
 
Some of you may not be aware that a group called The New Violin Family Association has developed a revised baseline for Contrabass and the rest of the violin family of instruments.  
 


 
 
 
 
My questions are still:
1. Other than Hank Futch, who plays a Classico?  
2. Where can I hear (on LP, CD, or online) a Classico?  
 
Regards  
-- Eugene

[palembic]

Every world of instruments and sound has their own heroes, it's vast so we cannot know all those heroes.
 
Except Moder Dave and his Wikipedia ...hehehehe
 
In the original Mahavishnu Orchestra with John MacL (Rick Laird on bass) was a violin player Jerry Goodman I really liked. The record was The Inner mounting Flame.
 
No classico player in my rememberance
 
PTBO

[bob]

Eugene,
 
I almost repeated your questions for you an hour or two ago, just to get us back on track. Unfortunately, I'm guessing that there just aren't very many good answers for you, so I would suggest two things:
 
1) Fly out to Santa Rosa and play one yourself. Call first, of course, but every time I've been there they've had one in the showroom. For the price of one of these things, a plane ticket to check it out in person would be a sound investment (pun intended).
2) Call Alembic, and see if they can give you any pointers (or cross your fingers and hope they post something here).
 
Now that we have that out of the way, I actually spoke on the phone with Carleen Hutchins a few years ago (for the rest of you, she's the woman behind the New Violin Family). But I won't digress further here, we can discuss it elsewhere if you like.
-Bob

[keith_h]

Well Dave I stand corrected. I guess I'll have to look for a more obscure instrument next time the subject comes up. :-)  
 
Keith

[David Houck]

Hee hee!!!

[mica]

We've made about 20 Classicos. It might be more, but that's all I can specifically remember.  
 
John Giblin owns the first Classico. Gino Vanelli had one in his band for quite a while (I think they sold it). Steve Miller has the first 5-string Classico in his studio. Trevor Hutchinson used one  while in the Waterboys. Hank Futch has already been mentioned. I can't think of any other people you might know that have one, but that's about 25% of the Classicos we've made.
 
Bob is correct, there is a Classico in our showroom right now, you're more than welcome to visit and try it out first hand. It's the second 5-string Classico.
 
While we used Stanley Clarke's bass to collect critical measurements for the Classico project, he does not own one.  
 
There was a Classico at Washington Music in Maryland for a couple of years. I know they sold it a while back, so I think the only place you can try a new one is here in our showroom.  
 
Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[bigredbass]

Of course, a Classico (along with the Steinberger uprights and the rest) are just different, electric instruments alongside their acoustic cousins.
 
As regards viola, my next door neighbor is a fire-breathing country fiddler who regularly uses a viola and a viola strung to sound like a cello. He uses these two from time to time for his session calls (his regular fiddle is a five-string, low c-g-d-a-e) either for that lower timbre or if he stacks parts (no harmonizer for him!).  He really dislikes the solid-body fiddles (ZETA et al).  He'll use fairly boxy acoustic fiddles with electric bridges on live dates.  For recording, he'll use his symphony grade violins recorded in good, small rooms, thru a C414 AKG with just a dash of reverb.  He really prefers these terrific sounding acoustic violins thru a good mike than anything else.  
 
And of course lots of guys slap upright here in town, but usually vintage Kays or similar plywood instruments.
 
Jim's favorite of the old-time country fiddlers was Dale Potter, all over lots of old country records, as well as Johnny Gimble, the master of Texas Swing.  Jim's no slouch himself, utterly jaw-dropping to watch and hear him play triple stops IN TUNE.
 
I'm hopeless with an upright, don't mind the fingering but I can never get comfortable standing behind that big sonofagun.
 
J o e y

[bob]

(thanks, Mica)

[u14steelgtr]

Mica; I thank you for the information. I had no idea that less than a couple of dozen Classico's had been sold.  
 
I will look up Trevor & the Waterboys too.  
 
Regards  
-- Eugene

[wilfer]

I have owned an Alembic Classico for about 10 years and recently sold it. The Classico is a special animal:
 
First of all, it is built in the well known Alembic quality, flawless and mine looked very nice with a flame maple top. But, it does not have the advantages of an upright bass, the natural, wooden sound and not the ones of a bass guitar e.g handy, light, easy playable and so. It is very heavy and the handling is somewhat strange. You need more or less always a stand if you do not play it
 
The standard magnetic pickup is very boomy and I added a Wilson piezo pickup to the bridge. The mix of both gave a versatile spectrum of sounds but I decided to sell the Classico and use the storage place and of course the money for a 5-string upright bass.
 
Conclusion: I have enjoyed it but I do not miss it. It is probably great for studio work but not for the touring musician.
 
Hope that gives a good impression?
 
Wilfer