Regi Wooten Playing the Prat 12 String Bass

When we posted the photo of Kevin playing the 12-string Prat bass at Summer NAMM, people went pretty nuts.

Well, here’s a video feature Regi Wooten, guitarist and older brother to Victor Wooten, giving it a shot.

Let the “that’s not a bass” / “that’s awesome” debate continue!

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Leave a Reply to Dean Cancel reply

  1. Musicman

    My only problem with that is, that, how are you supposed to play the low strings? Like physically how are you meant to reach all the way across the fretboard, unless you have unnaturally long hands.

    • Dean

      That’s my question exactly. I’m all for additional strings, I play a six myself, but I still have to play my role within the group of providing the low end. How do you play that role with that thing? Use thumb position all the time? I’d love to find out.

  2. Exactly. Seems like an incredibly stupid instrument to me :p … and as you might notice … then he’s not using the full range of the instrument. Would have been interesting to see that happen… ;)

  3. ben?

    This is what happens when a guitar tries to be a piano!

  4. michael campbell

    That isn’t a bass; it’s a harp.

  5. barnyard

    why not screw some tuning pegs and a bridge to your floor boards and then rig up 100, nay even a 1000 strings. you can claim you have made a bass with more strings than everyone else. And u will have a product just as practical as this 12 string prat. IMHO.

  6. Mike

    Why would you want this. There are numerous factors leading up to how use less this is.

    1. As perviously stated you can not physically reach the lowest strings

    2. I my self went from a 4 string to a 6 string and in doing this found that it takes a lot more effort to control the instrument. on a 7 or 8 (which i think are a bit much) its is going to take more effort than the advantage in range you get.

    3 not to mention that going lower than an low B maybe an A is next to useless because it is just going so low that is will be muddy and not sound right. If you are going to have open strings higher than a F (one fourth higher than the C on a 6)than you are going to lose the tone of the bass and have a guitar with a bit more bass tone due to the longer string

    4. using the full range would be difficult to listen to. When you are going from contra bass range to soprano range the listener will not be able to follow unless your the only on playing. in either case (solo or with a band) If you are going up and down and up ect. it will sound like you are just showing off.

    Therefore you may as just have a standard five (or six) string, a tenor bass and a soprano bass (that doesn’t sound like a contradiction). by doing this you would sound better and control it better, making the twelve sting bass completely useless and a hindrance to your playing. on the other hand if you had a 12 string with the doubled up stings (Bb Ee Aa Dd Gg Cc) that would be really cool. you don’t seen them that often.

  7. IMHO, a bass is anything that can produce a low E (and other noted on the same string, eliminating harp guitars) without outboard effects. As a 7-string player, I fully realize that the really high strings aren’t “bass”, but can serve to fill up the sound if things get thin. And as far as the really low notes, we (meaning the music community in general) hasn’t had this around long enough to (a) amplify the notes clearly, (b) get used to hearing them, and (c) find a place for them in our music. It’s easy to fall into the trap of saying that what didn’t work yesterday won’t work tomorrow, but it would be wise to recall that a mere 60 years ago, nobody was using even 4-string electric basses. Those who embrace change rather than eschew it are the most successful.

  8. sam

    i am fine with what ever amount of strings. as regi’s brother says “its not the instrument that matters, its the player.” if the player makes good music with this bass (and yes i call it a bass) then let them at it. i play a 4 string fender jazz and have a 5 string schecter and have no problem with any more strings. will i buy this? no because i dont need it. some people might to express them selfs. if they can use it and make good music with it i say LET THEM AT IT!