The 5-String Double Bass
Hi guys, I am starting this to strike up some discussions about the Low B 5er in place of using a C-Ext. I did discuss this here and there as well as making quite a few Threads on TB. Now that we are here and I have gone thru every type of 'Low' including a 5er, it's time I get the ball rolling once again. To re-cap a few old posts I will quote them below to get the fire lit..
Quote:
Now I have to re-think this 'one-Bass-does-all' thing.. yikes..:confused: |
Bach's Brandenburgs and really all of the Beethoven Symphonies have long been among my favorites. If I can find a good way to convert my Dad's old Deutschte-Grammophon recordings to digital, I'll be able to enjoy them more often.
But about the Brandenburgs and the low notes;- Do you think Bach's original composition referenced notes this low or is this something that is more likely a modern interpretation? There have been some different ideas about whether there were Baroque era instruments that actually could play those low notes. G violones certainly existed (similar to the Pollmann). Some researchers feel that there was an instrument that went even lower, to the D that we now have only with instruments with the C extension or BB string and there are a few drawings of really large instruments but almost nothing that still exists qualifies as a genuine Baroque instrument that might have this range. I was just wondering. I'm a real low note freak myself so I like everything with the lower range. |
Say fiver and here I am. Being a jazz player and not using the bow much, I don't have to expose myself to the horrors of having to bow the E with another string in the way ( the B ) That could get a bit edgy.
Did I tell you Kenny, that I saw Edgar Myer playing a fiver ( big! ) on TV with a small orchestra? He seemed very comfortable. David, i've never heard of the low D you speak of. |
set-up..
I think Set-up is a major factor in Bowing a 5-string Bass. It needs the right Bridge Arch and spacing between strings as well as a Sting that works best on that particular Bass.
Now that I am committed to doing the 5er thing again I will have to find what strings work best for the Bass I have. The 3 lower Permanents and 2 upper Flexocor were not as good as 4 Flexs and a Perm 'B'. The B is way too heavy for that set on my Bass and all the strings seem tight even though Arnold adjusted the Post yesterday. I think a slightly lighter tensioned set might work better for me. |
Sure you know that D, Paul, it's on the B string at the top of 1/2 position or 3 half steps up from the nut. I know I referenced it kind of oddly referring to the extension, but it would be the second capo past the nut.
I'm thinking the Brandenburgs are going to work better on a 5 string because that has to be accurate and fast, and I know what Ken is talking about with string access. I found this rare portrait of Bach and I think he did it on a different instrument than the one currently used in the Orchestra: I've tried the little bit of one of the Brandenburgs that I can remember by ear and down low, it's a work-out and it is tough to dig in on the E without skittering on the B or A also. I did put more space between the strings than the bass came with, but if I had it to do over again, I think there is a better spacing strategy than the one I used. I put them on one inch centers, but I should have put one inch between them. This is more difficult to work out at the bridge, but it helps with access to the E. String height is another part of the issue. The B has to be higher than the other strings, so you actually lose a little of the fingerboard arch at the bridge. So having some extra string space would help with that, but I'm thinking a slightly assymetric arch on the fingerboard with a tighter radius on the B side of the board might help also. Some 5-ers have a tighter radius than others, but that is a trade-off also, because you don't want the B string to contribute less tension to the bridge. If it is radiused too tight, the string might not be very strong. I'm thinking the optimum 5 string set up is much harder to get to than the optimum 4 string. Spacing, height and arch all have to be spot on. That said, I think I got mine playing pretty well all things considered. It looks real similar to the set-up on Anselm's bass. The arch looks similar as well. His doesn't seem to have a real tight radius. I'll get a photo of my bridge and post it. It's no work of art, but it works. |
The 'B' String...
For me, the Jury is still out on the Tension of this Low 'B' String. One BIG disadvantage most of us have is that in my case mainly, I have played 100s of 4 string Basses in my 40 or so years BUT have only played about 5 (that I can recall) 5-String Basses. I can actually name them but I may have touched one or two more in that time.
With so little experience on playing the 5-String, choosing the right strings for Bowing that Bass for what you need to play is much harder to do than on a 4-string that for me, I am way way more familiar with. My 5er feels a little tight right now even after a Soundpost adjustment that did help but not enough. Maybe I have the wrong Strings on it? The G and D are tuned at 2 octaves and a third and less on the Lower strings with the Pecanic TP. Maybe I need to let the Cable up a bit till the G and D are tuned to a 4th. These are some of the mysteries of setting up the occasional 5er as compared to the standard 4-string. In the BG field, I am one of the top people in the business of Multi-strings but on the DB 5, I am just getting started in comparison. |
Not to get off topic but one of your Black Tiger 5-ers had one of the best set-ups I have ever played. Amazing frets. I don't think Bach had a choice of one of those or certainly he would have used that instead.
Seriously, I have seen and played only three 5-string double basses. One of the biggest hurdles to playing one is finding one in the first place. In the USA, there aren't too many choices. The first one I saw, I was just too new to DB to have a clue about the bowing part of it. It was 3/4 size, same maker as my current instrument. The second one was a Christopher hybrid 7/8 size that had a very full sound and good string access. I think the string length on that one was something 42ish. If I remember, the BB was a bit sloppy or loose feeling compared to mine. It had a bit more arch in the FB than my current 5-string which sounds very similar to the Christopher, but the B is tighter, really good at stopped C and D. On the Christopher the E was easier to dig in on, so there is this trade off with the arching. I was looking very closely at the arch of my fingerboard today and there is a slightly different radius on the bass side of the FB. It could just be a variation in the board that really was not dressed too much from the shop, or it could have been deliberate on the part of the maker. In any case, that is probably helping it out a bit in terms of string height and access. So far I have only used the Helicore Orchs that came on mine. Experimenting with different B strings can get expensive. The current string works OK but I know something better is probably out there. I am noticing some corrosion on the B and E strings after 2 years so maybe it is time to try something new. |
5s and Bs...
In the late 70s when I used to buy, fix and sell Basses in my spare time as my hobby I ran across a modern German 5 in a NY Pawn Shop which I bought on the spot with my credit card. I took it home and after fixing a Top crack (top off) and re-varnishing the Top only with a nice Oil Varnish I mixed I converted the Bass back to a 4-string. I planed down the overhang on the fingerboard, took off the 3/2 plate gears, plugged and re-drilled for 2/2 plates, re-cut the bridge top and bingo, I had a nice 4-string which sold soon after it was done. This was a Juzek/Wilferish type Bass very similar to the Hofner 5 I am selling at the moment.
In my 20 years of playing, other than in Books or on TV (Boston Symphony) I had never seen anyone play a 5-string DB! Several years ago I saw the 2nd one which was a Bob G/Bulgarian Bass. Must have been the older models with the shiny Lacquer finish and low neck stand model. I played only a few notes on it and that was it. The 3rd was a Pollmann belonging to the former Principal of the Met. He had the B tuned to a C. For most things this made sense but for octaves like in the Brandenbergs, it needed to be in 4ths down to B for the fingering. This is the Bass I borrowed to see if the 5 was for me at all. I decided I did need one but opted to convert one of my extra Basses instead of buying that one. My Morelli was on the bench at Arnolds and the Peg Box was an inch shorter than the Pollmann so we scrapped the conversion on that Bass and put a fingered Extension on it instead. I used that Bass for a few concerts and then sold the Bass. The new owner played mainly Jazz and took off the Extension. The 4th one was my current Hungarian Bass that WAS a conversion from a 4-string. This had a slightly longer Peg Box plus room at the top to Chisel away some more wood to fit the new set of 5 Tuners. This is a large bodied Bass with a longer lower bout and FFs placed higher on the Body allowing for a 41 1/4" String Length while the Belly Length is over 45". A normal 3/4 would be closer to 43" body length so this modified 7/8ths has some extra 'body' to it which helps out that added 5th string volume wise. Also, the Top has a huge arch making it a strong Top well able to handle a 5th string. Actually, Arnold had mentioned that this Top is so strong, it doesn't even need a Bass Bar. He put one in anyway just in case! The 5th one that comes to mind in this countdown is the Hofner 5 that I am listing in behalf of Paul Biase Violins, NY. This is a nice Bass for the money and only played it a short time when I took the Pics a few months ago. If I were in the market for one now, I would seriously consider this Bass. It has more normal 3/4 dimensions in Body and String length. For someone needing a 5er, this would be a good buy short of buying an upper end more expensive Bass for regular professional Orchestra use. For Strings, I can only comment on my Hungarian Bass and the Pollmann which I used in Concert as well. The Pollmann had 4 Flexocors and a Jaegar medium B-string. My Bass had Flex. Tops and Perm. bottoms (A,E,B). Currently I have 4 Flex's and a Perm. 'B'. I am considering trying out a complete set of Flat-ChromeSteels which seems to be lighter tensioned than the Flex's but that is judging it from another 4-string (w/C-Ext) English Bass I played the other day. Bridge Arching: What I do usually is slide a pencil or ruler between 3 strings laying it flat on the top of the Bridge surface and look at the height off the the line of the middle string which should measure about 1/4". I do this 2x on a 4-string and 3x on the 5 to check bow clearance on all the inner strings. Here are some pics I took for a Bow listing I had a few years ago using my 5-string. These pics though not intended to show Bridge arch still gives an idea of what I have. Last week I tweaked the arch slightly once again lowering the B (which raises the E-arch) and lowering both the G and D (which raised the A and kept the relation from the D to the G). I will not be a good judge of my work until I get into rehearsal with the Bass playing the Beeth. 6th which is on my stand for the Summer to work on. http://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...ges/f_grip.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...ges/I_grip.jpghttp://www.kensmithbasses.com/double...ges/g_grip.jpg |
Quote:
My bad, I read your post wrong. |
My Bohmann has the fingerboard layed over the B side of the neck.....to accomodate a thinner neck.
|
Ken, my RX for your tight-feeling fiver: BelCantos G thru E, B string of your choice.
|
Quote:
I'm surprised Kenny hasn't tried the BelCantos.... |
Bel's?
I did think of the Bel's but the main problem is the 'B'. Which 'B' will match which set and be able to Bow it equally response wise?
Tension wise and Bowability I like the Bel's but with that soft 'E', I will need an even softer 'B' or the 'E' will be even mushier I think. |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
|
Correction..
Quote:
When you play a 5er, you have to keep the Bow steady so as not to bump the neighboring Strings. Also, make sure your 'draw' the string rather than press down with the Bow. Finally, when playing up the neck into thumb position, the Bow should also move down towards the Bridge as you get closer to the end of the FB for a cleaner sound. So, I am using 4mm clearance with about 1" spacing (25mm +/-) at the end of the FB. The Nut is spaced 7/16-15/32 string to string and the spacing at the end of the FB (high C on the G) is about 23mm (+/-). I would also like to point out that for about 15 years I played a 7/8ths high shouldered 18th century Italian Bass with about a 23.5mm Bridge Spacing so I am not new to tight spaced Strings or tight Bowing. Having a beautiful Sartory all that time didn't hurt either..lol |
Look Familiar? (Duped from Beeth's 6th)
Some 5s in Germany from my friend Sven-Henrik Gawron. The first Bass, a Rubner is very similar to Anselm's Bass.
Like Anselm's?; http://www.vektor-bass.de/rubner1957.htm http://www.vektor-bass.de/zimages/rubner5sfront.jpghttp://www.vektor-bass.de/zimages/rubner5sback.jpghttp://www.vektor-bass.de/zimages/rubner5shead.jpg and this beauty as well; http://www.vektor-bass.de/bohem_5s.htm http://www.vektor-bass.de/zimages/bohemian_5s-front.jpghttp://www.vektor-bass.de/zimages/bohemian_5s-back.jpghttp://www.vektor-bass.de/zimages/bohemian_5s-head.jpg |
I must get a digital camera. But these come with shutter lag and timing is everything to me. So I'm still digital image challenged as one might say. I promise to have one by this week-end so we can compare bridge set-ups. As far as bowing goes, it is pretty much like you describe because as little clearance as I have there is no other way. Up in thumb land I bow about 2/3 down from the FB to the bridge. On the G, D, and A it is better, but E and B are really tight. I'm getting to know some cool double stops up there though. :D
From what I can tell (mostly from photos) there are two schools of thought on the part of the makers of 5-ers, at least with the arch of the fingerboard. One borders on being violone-ish with a flatter arch and the other one has a really high round arch. Mine is the first kind. That Chris was the 2nd. My Kremona model is now called a Rubner (I suppose after the famed Markneukirchen Josef Rubner) to distinguish it from a new model recently introduced. A fellow over on TB just posted about an actual 5-string Rubner (don't know if that is Josef or Johannes) he got to check out for few strokes. I told him to come over here. He didn't have photos though. That Bohemian flatback is sweet! :o Is Paul W. around or is he, um, busy? ;) |
Quote:
|
More than 5
This one is a real beauty and I thought since we are obsessing over the devilsome issue of bowing a five string (pizz just seems pretty normal), I thought we should consider the difficulties in getting a good arco set-up on this one.
|
Pollmann..
Quote:
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:58 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright © 2007 - Ken Smith Basses, LTD. (All Rights Reserved)