Identify this musical instrument

February 24, 2004 7:14 AM

In the video for invisible Sun, from "Reggatta Mondatta", there was something that looked like a fretless, stringless, bodyless (a la Steinberg) bass. It had a very electronic sound, and was played by tapping, apparently. I don't think it was a stick, as it didn't seem to have strings, but I might be wrong. Does such a beast exist?
posted by signal to Technology (7 answers total)

If it had no strings, what did you tap? No frets, no body, OK. But, if it has no strings, it is not a bass.

As far as I know, at the time of Ghost in the Machine (the Police LP with "Invisible Sun"), Sting was playing Steinberger and Clevinger basses. I saw the Police on that tour. On that tune, Sting played keyboards and the bass roadie played a normal electric bass.
posted by crunchburger at 7:25 AM on February 24, 2004

It looked like a bass, I'm not saying it was one. And it wasn't played by Sting, he just sang on the track (at least in the video). It wasn't a Police album, it was a Reggae tribute to The Police.
I got the feeling it was a purely electronic instrument, hence no strings, maybe no acoustic sound at all.
posted by signal at 7:30 AM on February 24, 2004

Ah, I see. I didn't know there were videos from that. I've got that record, I'll dig it out for Invisible Sun when I get home.

I guess it could have been some kind of synth controller or trigger, but I dunno.
posted by crunchburger at 7:34 AM on February 24, 2004

Gosh. I remember seeing this video on Don Kirchner's Rock Concert :) No cable in my hood in those days :)
posted by terrapin at 9:08 AM on February 24, 2004

Sometimes strings are hard to make out in certain lighting. Steinbergs are supposed to be easy to finger tap with.
posted by drezdn at 9:35 AM on February 24, 2004

could it have been something like this?
posted by GeekAnimator at 9:52 AM on February 24, 2004

It may have been a Chapman Stick.
posted by geekhorde at 2:57 PM on February 24, 2004