Invented by the French violin maker and enterpreneur Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, the
octobasses was first exhibited at the 1849 French Industrial Exposition in Paris.[1]

Vuillaume's octobasse was not the
first outsized double bass; accounts
of gigantic double basses date back as
far as the early seventeenth century.
Vuillaume's design, however, is unique
in that the instrument is played
using a system of levers, activating a
mechanism that pulls the strings against
the frets. Of the three he made, two
of these instruments survive today.

The octobasse was intended not to double
orchestral basses, but to play long
sustained tones under them. The composer
Hector Berlioz wrote that “any festival
orchestra with over 150 players ought to
have at least three of them.” MIM's
octobasse is the only playable example
in the Western Hemisphere.
Engraving of musician playing the octobasse, 19th c.
Lebrecht Music & Arts

We read about the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) on Trip Advisor - it was the top rated attraction in Phoenix - and now we can see why! The museum is dedicated to musical instruments from around the world - the collection is fascinating, the exhibits are great and the hands-on displays were fun. We spent almost 5 hours here and still felt rushed - this place is definitely worth a detour.

I know nothing about musical instruments so if you happen to know what a particular instrument is, please feel free to comment on it. I tried to include as many labels as possible.

The museum is in Phoenix, AZ - we visited it in March 2014.