Back in 1985, a boutique UK bass company called Overwater produced an innovative instrument called the C Bass, a four-string bass tuned C F Bflat Eflat. This was before 5-string basses became ubiquitous, and bassists needed an instrument that would go down low enough to allow them to compete with the rampant synth basslines that were sweeping the music world at the time. The C Bass was a good interim solution, but it didn't catch on particularly well and was soon discontinued.
I bought a 5-string bass in 1993 and it soon became my mainstay. However, I've often wondered if I'd be able to find a C Bass one day, because of their sheer uniqueness.
So recently, I called Overwater and simply asked if they'd make me one to order, completely custom. They said no problem, and we designed my dream C Bass.
The image above is a a shot of the almost-finished instrument I ordered.
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2 comments:
I think it's good when instruments are in flux, no-one's sure what the "standard" version is, and the instrument makers are trying out various different approaches. Most of the great classical piano music was written when the instrument was going through various changes and experiments. The piano only reached its current design with Steinway, quite late on.
Have you ever played a hollow-body bass? What did you think. Also, I think the Gibson Les Paul bass is one of the coolest looking basses. But I've never played one and I don't know what they sound like. BTW I've got a bass that looks like this:http://www.lpdmusic.com/image-bank/italia-web-pictures/MaranelloBassSilver.JPG
Looks cool- I played one ages ago somewhere...
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