In the late 1980s, luthier Michael Tobias made the first bass with more than six single course strings, a custom order seven string bass for bassist Garry Goodman, tuned BEADGCF . In 1988, Atlanta luthier Bill Hatcher also made a seven string bass tuned EADGBEA and later tuned BEADGBE . This bass can be verified with serial number and date on it.
12.
The Berlioz Strauss Treatise on Instrumentation ( first published in 1844 ) states that, " A good orchestra should have several four-string double-basses, some of them tuned in fifths and thirds . " The book then shows a tuning of ( E G D A ) from bottom to top string . " Together with the other double-basses tuned in fourths, a combination of open strings would be available, which would greatly increase the sonority of the orchestra ."
