Bass Player's Surprising Choice
California musician Steve Shain's favorite double bass is peeling paint... revealing aluminum?!  

According to the latest issue of Strings magazine, this accomplished professional from Petaluma has a number of double basses of traditional wooden construction. His favorite, however, is one made mostly of aluminum, with faux-wood finish.

Aluminum basses apparently date back to the late 1800s, and Shain's own instrument was probably built in the 1930's.

In fact, some reports from the 1930's confidently predict aluminum as the future of musical instruments, due to their resistance to humidity changes, suitability for outdoor performance, and near indestructability.  Nonetheless, the material never caught on, and few remain.

Shain reports that in the hot sun, it can get mighty uncomfortable to hug, but that otherwise its sustain and percussiveness suit his playing style and his performance conditions perfectly.

Read the article in Strings, Feb-Mar 2003.