Pick a string but you can play only one!

[CageyPea]

Low C . . . with a bow . . .

/thus spake Zarusthustra or whoever

[iiipopes]

For most stuff, an A string tuned down to G will get most of everything a person needs.

[mc2NY]

Probably a low D.

Atlansia Guitars has been making a one-string bass and a two-string bass for decades as standard production models.

There is also a Danish band call D.A.D. whose bass player, Stig Pederson, is well known for using wacky two-string basses with oversized bodies during their live shows. I think Sandberg Guitars makes them.

Les Claypool also has some wacky one string upright.

Personally, I think a two-string would look similar and be a lot more useful.

[ajish4]

LOL, I'd play it.

[rickenbrother]

LOL, I'd play it.

Make yourself a washtub bass.

[ajish4]

LOL, I'd play it.

Make yourself a washtub bass.

This one looks better!

[cjj]

I was just gonna say that I've actually played a one string bass like this one:

[chromium]

A - good country key.

Atlansia Guitars has been making a one-string bass and a two-string bass for decades as standard production models.

Man they have some really bizarre designs! I still have an Ebay search for Atlansia... that's usually how bad things begin (...bad for the bank account, that is).

If I ever do try a 5-6er, it might be something from them.

[cassius987]

Can I ask a serious question -- wouldn't orienting the pickup that way make it sound terrible? If nothing else the aperture is now 3x wider, which probably makes it sound like a mud sandwich with extra mud compared to the typical <1'' aperture. Not that the other aspects of this thing make much sense.

[jps]

I too, thought the longitudinally oriented pickup to be an odd choice, but whoever created this mockup was more interested in (arguably) aesthetic design over functionality. I would have gone with something like the EMG pickups used on NS Designs upright basses using just one coil, or two, in the standard Rickenbacker locations (or, sliding along a track to position the coils wherever one desires [I just patented and trademarked that concept, sorry guys! - look it up under "Adjustable longitudinal positioning of unicoil guitar string pickup device" ]).

[Badanovski]

In the band Morphine, the bass player strung his basses with only 2 strings & played with a slide. As wacky as the idea seems, it sounded great!!

[mc2NY]

I too, thought the longitudinally oriented pickup to be an odd choice, but whoever created this mockup was more interested in (arguably) aesthetic design over functionality. I would have gone with something like the EMG pickups used on NS Designs upright basses using just one coil, or two, in the standard Rickenbacker locations (or, sliding along a track to position the coils wherever one desires [I just patented and trademarked that concept, sorry guys! - look it up under "Adjustable longitudinal positioning of unicoil guitar string pickup device" ]).

My Hamer 1978 Quad 12-string bass was designed with the Quad pickup poles longitudinally oriented....one pickup for each course of three strings, sent to a mini-onboard mixer with individual tone and pan controls. Sounded great. Bart humbucker next to it.

You can see it in the bottom of this Hamer group shot.

[jps]

I remember that bass. Brian Bromberg also had an electronics package with individual pickups and pan pots on his signature Peavey B-Quad 4 bass, just not the triple pole type as on that Hamer. Do you remember the first Bartolini pickups, the Hi-A quad pickups?