Making the contrabass guitar sound deeper - FAQ

The results

The results on the contra were so fantastic that we've added a Tornavoz to each of our bass guitars too.

The photo shows the unobtrusive modification.

Below is a short soundclip - a phrase of music before the Tornavoz and a phrase after.

The resonance of the bass has been lowered by 5 tones, from the open 5th string to the open 6th string, as you will hear.

Soundclips

Note - you won't hear any difference if you listen on a laptop or a PC with a small speaker - you need good speakers to hear the deep bass!

The music (listen here) moves from "before" to "after" without stopping, at the halfway point

Before The notated B (actually E - the bass in bar 2) has a pronounced resonance The 5 notes below B (down to notated E) are all thin The sound is boxy

After The B (the bass in bar 2) is now neutral The bottom note (notated E) is much stronger There is greater note separation

Job done
The bass with the port fitted
(nestling between prime and alto)