Bass guitar
Often the rhythmic and harmonic backbone of a song, the bass guitar sits in a fascinating position between percussion and melody. It anchors countless genres, from rock to jazz, yet its modern form is a relatively recent invention, transforming how music is made and performed. Join us as we explore the surprising journey of this indispensable instrument, from its humble beginnings to its widespread influence. The electric bass guitar was invented to solve practical problems faced by double bass players, offering portability, amplification, and easier intonation. Early pioneers like Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender revolutionized instrument design, leading to the mass production and widespread adoption of the bass. Technological advancements in strings, electronics, and construction have continuously expanded the bass guitar's sonic capabilities and versatility across musical genres.
AI Summary
Often the rhythmic and harmonic backbone of a song, the bass guitar sits in a fascinating position between percussion and melody. It anchors countless genres, from rock to jazz, yet its modern form is a relatively recent invention, transforming how music is made and performed. Join us as we explore the surprising journey of this indispensable instrument, from its humble beginnings to its widespread influence.
- The electric bass guitar was invented to solve practical problems faced by double bass players, offering portability, amplification, and easier intonation.
- Early pioneers like Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender revolutionized instrument design, leading to the mass production and widespread adoption of the bass.
- Technological advancements in strings, electronics, and construction have continuously expanded the bass guitar's sonic capabilities and versatility across musical genres.
The Foundation of Sound
At its core, the bass guitar is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family, designed to provide the rhythmic and harmonic foundation for music. It looks similar to an electric guitar but boasts a longer neck and scale length, giving it that characteristic deep rumble. Most commonly, you'll find it with four strings, although five, six, or even seven-string models are also out there.
This instrument typically tunes to E, A, D, and G—an entire octave lower than the four lowest strings on a standard guitar. Imagine hitting a deep E note, and then a regular guitar hitting the same E, but much higher. That's the octave difference that gives the bass its fundamental role.
Before the electric bass, the upright double bass carried the low end, but it came with significant challenges: it was large, heavy, difficult to transport, and prone to acoustic feedback when amplified. The electric bass offered a revolutionary solution, being lighter, smaller, and easily amplified through its electromagnetic pickups, which convert string vibrations into electrical signals.
The Birth of the Electric Bass
The story of the modern electric bass truly begins in the 1930s with musician and inventor Paul Tutmarc in Seattle, Washington. He envisioned an instrument that offered the deep tones of an upright bass but with the playability and portability of a guitar.
In 1935, Tutmarc's company, Audiovox, unveiled the 'Model 736 Bass Fiddle.' This solid-body electric bass guitar featured four fretted strings, a 30.5-inch scale length, and a single pickup. Only about 100 of these pioneering instruments were made, but they laid the groundwork for everything that followed.
Mass Production and the Precision Bass
Two decades later, in the 1950s, the landscape changed dramatically thanks to Leo Fender and George Fullerton. They developed the first mass-produced electric bass guitar, the iconic 'Precision Bass' or 'P-Bass,' which debuted in October 1951.
The original P-Bass had a simple 'slab' body and a single-coil pickup, much like Fender's Telecaster guitar. By 1957, its design evolved, adopting the comfortable contoured edges of the Stratocaster and switching to a more powerful, hum-canceling split-coil pickup, further refining its sound.
The Precision Bass was a game-changer for working musicians. Its frets made playing in tune significantly easier than on a fretless upright bass—hence the name 'Precision.' This design also meant guitarists could more easily transition to bass, expanding the pool of available players and genres.
Early adopters quickly recognized its potential. Monk Montgomery became the first bassist to tour with a Fender bass in 1953, with jazz legend Lionel Hampton's big band. Soon after, rock and roll stars like Bill Black, Elvis Presley's bassist, traded their uprights for this new, powerful instrument.
Rival Innovations and Iconic Designs
Fender wasn't alone. In 1953, Gibson released their EB-1, a short-scale, violin-shaped electric bass that could be played either upright or horizontally. They continued innovating with hollow-body and more conventional designs throughout the late 50s, like the popular EB-0.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable basses of this era, the Höfner 500/1 'violin bass,' debuted in Germany in 1956. Crafted with violin-making techniques, it gained global fame as the 'Beatle bass' thanks to Paul McCartney, becoming an instant icon.
Rickenbacker also made its mark in 1957 with the Model 4000, introducing the innovative 'neck-through-body' design. This construction method meant the neck ran continuously through the entire body of the instrument, often enhancing sustain and stability. It was a bold move that showcased their unique approach to instrument building.
The 1960s: Rock 'n' Roll and Expansion
As rock music exploded in the 1960s, so did the demand for electric basses. Manufacturers like Yamaha and Teisco joined the fray. Fender responded with another classic: the Jazz Bass, or 'J-Bass,' introduced in 1960.
The Jazz Bass featured an 'offset waist' body design for enhanced playing comfort and incorporated two distinct single-coil pickups, offering a broader range of tonal possibilities than the Precision. This became another staple for countless musicians.
Beyond the standard four-string models, Fender experimented with the short-scale Mustang Bass and even a six-string bass, the Fender VI, tuned an octave lower than a standard guitar. This versatile instrument found a fan in legendary Cream bassist Jack Bruce, expanding the perceived role of the bass.
The 60s also saw the introduction of the first commercial fretless bass guitar, the Ampeg AUB-1, in 1966. By removing the frets, players could achieve a smooth, vocal-like glide between notes, similar to an upright bass, adding a new expressive dimension.
The 1970s: Boutique Builds and Active Electronics
The 1970s brought an era of refinement and innovation. Companies like Alembic pioneered what became known as 'boutique' or 'high-end' electric basses. These were custom-tailored instruments, often featuring exotic woods, multi-laminate neck-through construction, and even graphite necks.
Alembic also led the way in integrating 'active electronics' directly into the instrument. Unlike passive pickups, active systems include a preamplifier, allowing players to boost or cut specific frequencies, giving them unprecedented control over their tone and a stronger output signal.
Music Man's StingRay, introduced in 1974, became the first widely produced bass with active electronics, making these advanced tonal controls accessible to more musicians. This marked a significant shift, empowering players to sculpt their sound directly from their instrument.
Towards the mid-70s, bassists began exploring even wider ranges. Five-string basses, adding a very low 'B' string, gained popularity. Visionary bassist Anthony Jackson took it a step further in 1975, commissioning a custom six-string bass tuned B0, E1, A1, D2, G2, C3, pushing the boundaries of the instrument's melodic and harmonic capabilities.
Understanding the Anatomy: Strings and Scale
The strings of a bass guitar are crucial to its sound. Each string consists of a core wire—made of steel, nickel, or an alloy—around which a smaller gauge wire is wound. The material and shape of this winding profoundly impact the instrument's tone and feel.
Different winding styles produce distinct sounds. 'Roundwound' strings, with their circular cross-section, offer a bright, articulate tone, popular in rock and funk. 'Flatwound' strings, with their smooth, rounded-square windings, produce a darker, mellower sound, favored in jazz and R&B. Other variants include halfwound, coated, and tapewound, each providing unique sonic textures.
Another key characteristic is the 'scale' of the bass, which refers to the vibrating length of the strings from the nut to the bridge. While 34 inches is considered the standard 'long scale' for a four-string bass, shorter (30 inches or less) and medium (32 inches) scales exist, offering different feel and tension.
For five-string basses and above, a 'long scale' of 35 inches is often preferred. This extra length helps the lowest B string resonate more clearly and maintain better intonation, preventing it from sounding muddy or floppy, a common challenge with extended-range instruments.
This evolution in scale length, especially with modern pickups, directly addresses the 'acoustic imperfection' of the upright bass. An acoustically perfect double bass would be far too large to play comfortably. Electric pickups compensate for this by electronically amplifying those critical low frequencies, delivering a powerful and clear bass tone regardless of the physical instrument's size.
Article
Bass guitar
The bass guitar, also known as the electric bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar but with a longer neck and scale length. The electric bass guitar most commonly has four strings, though five-, six-, and seven-stringed models are also built. Since the mid-1950s, the electric bass guitar has often replaced the double bass in popular music due to its lighter weight, smaller size and easier portability, most models' inclusion of frets for easier intonation, and electromagnetic pickups for amplification.
The electric bass guitar is usually tuned the same as the double bass, corresponding to pitches one octave lower than the four lowest-pitched strings of a guitar, typically E, A, D, and G (5-string models typically add a low B, and 6-string models typically add a high C). It is played with the fingers, thumb or with a pick.
Because the electric bass guitar is a quiet instrument acoustically, it requires external amplification, generally via electromagnetic or piezo-electric pickups. It can also be used with direct input boxes, audio interfaces, mixing consoles, computers, or bass-effects processors which offer headphone jacks.
Terminology
Bass guitar
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians refers to this instrument as an "Electric bass guitar, usually with four heavy strings tuned E1'–A1'–D2–G2." It also defines bass as "Bass (iv). A contraction of Double bass or Electric bass guitar." Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms begins its definition of the instrument as "A bass guitar that produces sound primarily with the aid of electronic devices." According to some authors the proper term is "electric bass". Common names for the instrument are "bass guitar", "electric bass guitar", "electric bass", and simply "bass". and some authors claim that they are historically accurate. A bass guitar whose neck lacks frets is termed a fretless bass.
Scale
The scale of a bass is defined as the length of the vibrating strings between the nut and the bridge saddles. On a modern 4-string electric bass guitar, 30" (76 cm) or less is considered short scale, 32" (81 cm) medium scale, 34" (86 cm) standard scale and 35" (89 cm) long scale. Long scale is more commonly seen on 5-string basses and above to allow for better resonance of the low B string.
The double bass is "acoustically imperfect" like the viola. For a double bass to be acoustically perfect, its body size would have to be twice as that of a cello rendering it practically unplayable, so the double bass is made smaller to make it playable. The pickups in an electric bass guitar addresses the compromises of a double bass by allowing the low notes to be amplified electronically.
Pickup
Pickups are attached to the body of the guitar beneath the strings. They are responsible for converting the vibrations of the strings into interference of a magnetic field which is converted into analogous electrical voltage sent as input to an instrument amplifier.
Strings
Bass guitar strings are composed of a core and winding. The core is a wire which runs through the center of the string and is made of steel, nickel, or an alloy. The winding is a smaller gauge wire wrapped around the core. Bass guitar strings vary by the material and cross-sectional shape of the winding.
Common string variants include roundwound, flatwound, halfwound (groundwound), coated, tapewound and taperwound strings. Roundwound and flatwound strings feature windings with circular and rounded-square cross-sections, respectively, with half-round strings being a hybrid between the two. Coated strings have their surface coated with a synthetic layer while tapewound strings feature a metal core with a plastic winding. Taperwound strings have a tapered end where the exposed core sits on the bridge saddle without windings. The choice of winding has considerable impact on the sound of the instrument, with certain winding styles often being preferred for certain musical genres.
History
1930s
Paul Tutmarc, inventor of the modern bass guitar, outside his music store in Seattle, Washington
In the 1930s, musician and inventor Paul Tutmarc of Seattle, Washington, developed the first electric bass guitar in its modern form, a fretted four-string instrument designed to be played horizontally in a position similar to a standard guitar. The 1935 sales catalog for Tutmarc's company Audiovox featured the "Model 736 Bass Fiddle", a solid body electric bass guitar with four strings, a 30+1⁄2-inch (775-millimetre) scale length, and a single pickup. Around 100 were made during this period. Audiovox also sold their "Model 236" bass amplifier.
1950s
An early Fender Precision Bass
In the 1950s, Leo Fender and George Fullerton developed the first mass-produced electric bass guitar. The Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company began producing the Precision Bass, or P-Bass, in October 1951. The design featured a simple uncontoured "slab" body design (with no edge contours) and a single coil pickup, both features similar to a Telecaster. By 1957, the Precision Bass began to resemble the Fender Stratocaster with the body edges beveled for comfort and the pickup changed to a separate halves split coil design.
Design patent issued to Leo Fender for the second-generation Precision Bass
The Fender Bass was a revolutionary instrument for working musicians. In comparison to the upright bass, the bass guitar could be easily transported. When amplified, the bass guitar was also much less prone than acoustic basses to audio feedback. The addition of frets enabled bassists to play in tune more easily than on upright basses (the "precision" of the Fender model) and allowed guitarists to more easily adapt to the new instrument.
In 1953, Monk Montgomery became the first bassist to tour with the Fender bass, in Lionel Hampton's postwar big band. Montgomery was also possibly the first to record with the electric bass, in a session on July 2, 1953, with the Art Farmer Septet. Roy Johnson (with Lionel Hampton), and Shifty Henry (with Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five), were other early Fender bass pioneers. Bill Black, who played with Elvis Presley and James Jamerson switched from upright bass to the Fender Precision Bass around 1957. The bass guitar was intended to appeal to guitarists as well as upright bass players, and many early pioneers of the instrument, such as Joe Osborn, and Paul McCartney were originally guitarists.
Also in 1953, Gibson released the first short-scale violin-shaped electric bass, the EB-1, with an extendable end pin so a bassist could play it upright or horizontally. In 1958, Gibson released the maple arched-top EB-2 described in the Gibson catalog as a "hollow-body electric bass that features a Bass/Baritone pushbutton for two different tonal characteristics". In 1959, these were followed by the more conventional-looking EB-0 Bass. The EB-0 was very similar to a Gibson SG in appearance (although the earliest examples have a slab-sided body shape closer to that of the double-cutaway Les Paul Special). The Fender and Gibson versions used bolt-on and set necks.
Several other companies also began manufacturing bass guitars during the 1950s. Kay Musical Instrument Company began production of the K162 in 1952. Also in 1956, at the German trade fair "Musikmesse Frankfurt", the distinctive Höfner 500/1 viola-shaped bass first appeared, constructed using violin techniques by Walter Höfner, a second-generation violin luthier. Due to its use by Paul McCartney, it became known as the "Beatle bass". In 1957, Rickenbacker introduced the model 4000, the first bass to feature a neck-through-body design in which the neck is part of the body wood. The Burns London Supersound was introduced in 1958.
1960s
Gibson EB-3
With the explosion in popularity of rock music in the 1960s, many more manufacturers began making electric basses, including Yamaha, Teisco and Guyatone. Introduced in 1960, the Fender Jazz Bass, initially known as the "Deluxe Bass", used a body design known as an offset waist which was first seen on the Jazzmaster guitar in an effort to improve comfort while playing seated. The Jazz bass, or J-Bass, features two single-coil pickups.
Providing a more "Gibson-scale" instrument, rather than the 34-inch (864 mm) Jazz and Precision, Fender produced the Mustang Bass, a 30-inch (762 mm) scale-length instrument. The Fender VI, a 6-string bass, was tuned one octave lower than standard guitar tuning. It was released in 1961, and was briefly favored by Jack Bruce of Cream.
Gibson introduced its short-scale 30.5-inch (775 mm) EB-3 in 1961, also used by Bruce. The EB-3 had a "mini-humbucker" at the bridge position. Gibson basses tended to be instruments with a shorter 30.5" scale length than the Precision. Gibson did not produce a 34-inch (864 mm)-scale bass until 1963 with the release of the Thunderbird.
The first commercial fretless bass guitar was the Ampeg AUB-1, introduced in 1966. In the late 1960s, eight-string basses, with four octave paired courses (similar to a 12 string guitar), were introduced, such as the Hagström H8.
1970s
In 1972, Alembic established what became known as "boutique" or "high-end" electric bass guitars. These expensive, custom-tailored instruments, as used by Phil Lesh, Jack Casady, and Stanley Clarke, featured unique designs, premium hand-finished wood bodies, and innovative construction techniques such as multi-laminate neck-through-body construction and graphite necks. Alembic also pioneered the use of onboard electronics for pre-amplification and equalization.
Active electronics increase the output of the instrument, and allow more options for controlling tonal flexibility, giving the player the ability to amplify as well as to attenuate certain frequency ranges while improving the overall frequency response (including more low-register and high-register sounds). 1976 saw the UK company Wal begin production of their own range of active basses. In 1974 Music Man Instruments, founded by Tom Walker, Forrest White and Leo Fender, introduced the StingRay, the first widely produced bass with active (powered) electronics built into the instrument. Basses with active electronics can include a preamplifier and knobs for boosting and cutting the low and high frequencies.
In the mid-1970s, five-string basses, with a very low "B" string, were introduced. In 1975, bassist Anthony Jackson commissioned luthier Carl Thompson to build a six-string bass tuned (low to high) B0, E1, A1, D2, G2, C3, adding a low B string and a high C string.