3 string tuning?
 

Always been curious. How were 3 string basses tuned way back in the day? Was it 4ths like our regular 4 strings today or something special?

In what country and what period. There are some books that discuss this. England was I thing A, D, G in fourths, low to high. France was in 5ths I thing, low G, D, A. Germany? 4ths with 3, or 4 strings and Vienna, something different. Many other tunings as well.

I believe it was also common back then to routinely change tunings, to suit the work being performed.

Didn't old scores/parts even routinely specify the tuning that was to be used? Pretty sure I've seen that somewhere.

Another variant on the English tuning was G-D-G.

This I have heard was on occasion when they needed to tune down a step. I think it came a bit later but seeing the visiting Orchestras from germany with 4 strings and later some with 5 changed England to 4s towards the end of the century. There were still 3s in England into the 20th century.

Northern England early on used 4 strings as my Tarr #8 from 1829 is a 4 with the original plates and gears. This was made for the Gentleman's Orchestra in Manchester which became the Halle around 1859. London was mainly 3-string around the same time. Later on they mixed 3s and 4s in the same Orchestras. The 3s were louder and the 4s played some passages lower.

I think Italy went both 3 and 4 in 4ths back then.

Wow, I didn't realise there was so much variety. I get the GDG thing. Like dropped D only on a ADG platform.

Why were the 3 strings louder?

louder
 

Less pressure on the belly. I tried this with a 5er before removing the low B. The bass had more sound as a 4. Probably the same with 3 as the bassbars were smaller in those days.