2X on 2X Bass?

[Z-Tuba Dude]

Hey Guys,

How many of you double on Double Bass? If so, can you talk about your experiences?

• 1) Did you learn bass, or tuba, first?
  2) Is tuba/string bass a useful double?
  3) Is it a FUN double???
  4) Does the bass fit in your car? : )

I do play electric, but I am considering getting a bull fiddle to goof around with, and seeing how far I can go with it.

Does anyone have suggestions of brand/models of string basses that would be good to check out? (Not looking for a huge investment....at least initially!)

Thanks in advance!

[Mark E. Chachich]

My double has been the string bass for over 30 years. I do not play the electric bass but think that the electric is a fine instrument and a more profitable double for most tuba players than the string bass. Playing the string bass well is different from the electric bass well. I play German bow, if you learn string bass pick one type of bow and stick with it.

1.) I learned tuba first.
2.) I think that string bass is a useful double, I was paid to play it in orchestras, etc...
3.) I like playing bass so it is fun for me. The string bass has allowed me to play many orchestral pieces that have no tuba part (especially from the classical period and before). It also allowed me to play many other types of music.
4.) With some creativity the string bass will fit in most cars without too much damage to the car. I finally bought a pickup truck with a cap for my tuba and string bass.

best,
Mark

[Art Hovey]

My primary instrument has always been tuba. I play in concert bands, symphony orchestras, brass quintets, traditional jazz bands, and any other things that come along.

My secondary instrument is the string bass. I play enough bass to get by in a dixieland band, but am not interested in playing bass in an orchestra.

Having made that decision some years ago, I bought a half-size plywood bass (Englehart, same as a Kay) and put solo tuning strings (Thomastic) on it. Since it has a 35" scale I can tune them Bb-F-C-G. That's far more convenient for normal band keys than the conventional (G-D-A-E) tuning. (We often play in Ab, but rarely in sharp keys.) I also took a tuning peg off a cheap electric bass and attached it to my headstock so I could add a 5th string tuned to low D. (It's a regular E string tuned low.) With a good pickup and a Gallien-Kruger amp I am in business. It's really an electric bass, but it looks, feels, and sounds like a good acoustic bass. It actually sounds better than a good bass amplified, because good acoustic basses are a feedback nightmare. I eliminated that problem by placing a second sound-post under the other foot of the bridge. (Les Paul invented the solid-body electric guitar for the same reason.)

I can fit the bass, the amp, and my BBb helicon in the back of my Hyundai Elantra Touring model, which is a small station wagon with the back seat folded down.

Having the bass is a good thing because most jazz bands don't want to use tuba exclusively.

p.s. Check out my new ragtime CD:
http://galvanizedjazz.com/tuba/RagtimeCD3.html

[Donn]

bass/maybe/maybe/yes

And electric bass, before that. One of the things you may be able to get out of this is a more intuitive sense of how to play a bass line. There's no reason that can't happen with tuba alone, in principle, but I think it's just less likely to happen as quickly or as well, as it is when you're a skilled string/electric bass player.

If your musically interests are really limited to following the notes on the page in an orchestra, then that's not really an issue, and double bass vs. bassoon or something is just down to what there's more demand for and what appeals to you. That also affects what sort of instrument you'd be looking for, just like you wouldn't choose a sousaphone for the orchestra.

That said, plywood basses can be pretty good, for some purposes may sound better than solid, and they're a little more robust under climate extremes etc. that can put cracks in a solid wood bass.

As alluded to above - outside of the classical world and very small ensembles in small venues, for practical purposes, everyone plays one kind of electric bass or another. Just some of them are big upright electric basses.