bass viol

1. See double bass.
2. See viola da gamba.

The bass instrument of the Viol family, often called ‘viola da gamba’. In 18th- and 19th-century American (and occasionally British) usage, ‘bass viol’ meant a four-string instrument tuned in 5ths like a cello.

The largest and lowest-pitched instrument of the strings, also called a bass fiddle or double bass. The player must stand or sit on a tall stool to play it.