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Bass guitar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bass guitar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jill Stone  |  by en.wikipedia.org. All rights reserved. 15.04 | 17:33

Martin EB18 Bass Guitar in flight case.

The electric bass guitar is an electrically-amplified played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a . The bass is typically similar in appearance to an , but with a larger body, a longer neck and length, and, usually, four or five strings tuned in fourths, one octave lower in than the of a guitar.

The four-stringed variety is thus tuned the same as a .
Since the , the electric bass has largely replaced the in . The bass is typically used to provide the low-pitched (s) and in popular music and jazz.

The electric bass is also used as a soloing instrument in , , , , and styles.
In the 1930s, inventor from Seattle, Washington, developed a guitar-style electric bass instrument that was fretted and designed to be held and played horizontally. Audiovox's sales catalogue of 1935–6 (also featuring a solid body six-string electric guitar) listed the world’s first fretted, solid body electric bass that was designed to be played horizontally — the .

The change to a "guitar" form made the instrument easier to hold and transport, and the addition of guitar-style frets enabled bassists to play in tune more easily and made the new electric bass easier to learn.
A self-taught electrical engineer named developed the first mass-produced electric bass in the 1950s. His , introduced in 1951, became a widely copied industry standard.

The Precision Bass (or "P-bass") evolved from a simple, uncontoured 'slab' body design similar to that of a with a single piece, four-pole pickup to a contoured body design with beveled edges for comfort and a single "split coil pickup" (staggered humbucker).
First introduced in 1960, The was known as the Deluxe Bass and was meant to accompany the guitar. The Jazz Bass (often referred to as a "J-bass") featured two single-coil pickups, one close to the bridge and one in the Precision bass' position.

The earliest production basses had a 'stacked' volume and tone control for each pickup. This was soon changed to the familiar configuration of a volume control for each pickup, and a single, passive tone control. The Jazz Bass' neck was narrower at the nut than the Precision bass (1 1/2" vs 1 3/4").


Another visual difference that set the Jazz Bass apart from the Precision is its "offset-waist" body. Pickup positions on other manufacturers' basses are often referred to as "P" or "J" position pickups, in reference to Precision and Jazz basses. Fender also began production of the ; a 30" scale length instrument used by bassists such as of ("P" and "J" basses have a scale length of 34").


Following Fender's lead, released the violin-shaped in 1953 , followed by the more conventional-looking in 1959. As with Fender's designs, Gibson relied heavily upon an existing guitar design for this bass; the EB-0 was very similar to a in appearance (although the earliest examples have a slab-sided body shape closer to that of the double-cutaway Les Paul Special).
Where as Fender basses had pickups mounted in positions in between the base of the neck and the top of the bridge, many of Gibson's early basses featured one humbucking pickup mounted directly against the neck pocket.

The , introduced in 1961, also had a "mini-humbucker" at the bridge position. Gibson basses also tended to be smaller, sleeker instruments; Gibson did not produce a 34" scale bass until 1963 with the release of the , which was also the first Gibson bass to utilize dual-humbucking pickups in a more traditional position, about halfway between the neck and bridge.
With the explosion of the popularity of rock music in the 1960s, , and many other companies started to produce their own version of the electric bass.

The 1970s also saw the founding of , owned by Leo Fender, which produced the , the first widely-produced bass with active (powered) electronics. Specific models became identified with particular styles of music, such as the series, which became identified with bassists.
In 1971 established the template for what would subsequently be known as "boutique" or "high end" electric basses.

These expensive, custom-tailored instruments featured unique designs, premium wood bodies chosen and hand-finished by master craftspeople, onboard electronics for preamplification and equalization, and innovative construction techniques such as multi-laminate construction and graphite necks. Alembic and another "boutique" bass manufacturers, , and , produced 4 string and 5-string basses with a low "B" string in the mid-1970s. Ken Smith also developed and marketed the first wide-spacing six-string electric bass.


In the 1980s, bass designers continued to explore new approaches. introduced a headless bass in 1979 and continued his innovations in the 1980s, using graphite and other new materials and (in 1984) introducing the tremolo bar. In 1987, the Guild Guitar Corporation launched the fretless , which used silicone rubber strings and a piezoelectric pickup to achieve a "double bass" sound with a short 18" scale length.

In the late 1980s, MTV's "unplugged" show helped to popularize hollow-bodied acoustic bass guitars amplified with pickups.
During the 1990s, as five-string basses became more widely available and more affordable, an increasing number of bassists in genres ranging from metal to gospel began using five-string instruments for added lower range. As well, the onboard battery-powered electronics such as preamplifiers and equalizer circuits, which were previously only available on expensive "boutique" instruments, became increasingly available on modestly-priced basses.


In the 2000s, some bass manufacturers included modelling circuits inside the instrument to recreate tones and sounds from many models of basses (e.g., 's Variax bass).

Traditional bass designs such as the and remained popular in the 2000s; in 2005, a 60th Anniversary P-bass was introduced by .
The instrument is called a "bass guitar" (bass ( : [beɪs]) pronounced same as "base"), "electric bass guitar," "electric bass," or simply "bass."
In the 1950s and 1960s, the term "Fender bass" was widely used to describe the bass guitar, due to 's early dominance in the market for mass-produced bass guitars.

However, the term "electric bass" began replacing "Fender bass" in the late 1960s, as evidenced by the title of 's popular bass instructional book in 1969 ( ) and the use of the term "electric bass" by U.S. musicians' unions.


A wide variety of different options are available for the body, neck, pickups, and other features of the bass. Instruments handmade by highly-skilled masters of the craft of (guitar-making) are becoming increasingly available. Design options include:
Bodies are typically made of wood although other materials such as (for example, some of the designs) have also been used.

While a wide variety of are suitable for use in the body, neck, and fretboard of the bass guitar - the most common type of wood used for the body is , for the neck is , and for the fretboard is . The choice of body material and shape can have a significant impact on the of the completed instrument as well as on aesthetic considerations.
Other design options include finishes, such as lacquer, wax and oil; flat and carved designs; -produced custom-designed instruments; headless basses, which have tuning machines in the bridge of the instrument (e.

g. and designs) and several artificial materials such as . The use of artificial materials allows for unique production techniques such as die-casting, to produce complex body shapes.


While most basses have solid bodies, they can also include hollow chambers to increase the resonance or reduce the weight of the instrument. Some basses are built with entirely hollow bodies, which changes the tone and resonance of the instrument. are typically equipped with piezoelectric or magnetic pickups and amplified.


Bass guitar necks, which are longer than regular electric guitar necks, are generally made of or . More exotic woods include , , , and . or are used to make lightweight necks, an approach pioneered by of .

makes graphite-necked basses such as the the , and has manufactured entire basses out of graphite. Many other guitar companies also use graphite in their necks, to add stability and sustain.
The standard design electric bass has four , tuned E, A, D and G, with the fundamental frequency of the E string set at 41 Hz, making the tuning of all four strings the same as that of the .

This tuning is also the same as the standard tuning on the lower four strings on a 6-string guitar, only an octave lower. String types include all-metal strings ( , , groundwound, or halfwound), metal strings with different coverings, such as tapewound and plastic-coatings, and non-metal strings made of nylon. The variety of materials used in the strings gives bass players a range of tonal options.


Early basses used strings with a smooth surface, which had a smooth, damped sound reminiscent of a double-bass. In the 1960s and 1970s, bass strings similar to guitar strings became popular. Roundwounds have a brighter with greater than flatwounds.

Flatwounds are still used by bassists who want a more 'vintage', 'smooth', or 'damped' sound.
A number of other tuning options and bass types have been used to extend the range of the instrument. The most common are:
Note positions on a right-handed 4-string bass in standard EADG tuning.

  • Four strings with alternate tunings to obtain an extended lower range.
    • Tunings such as "BEAD" (this requires a low "B" string in addition to the other three "standard" strings), " " (a "standard" set of strings, with only the lowest string detuned), and D-G-C-F or C-G-C-F (a "standard" set of strings, all of which are detuned) give bassists an extended lower range. A tenor bass tuning of "A-D-G-C" provides a higher range.


  • Five strings (usually B-E-A-D-G, but sometimes E-A-D-G-C). The 5-string bass with a low "B" provides added lower range, as compared with the 4-string bass. As well, it gives a player easier access to low notes when playing in the higher positions.

    Five-string basses are common in certain sub-genres of which use an extended lower range.

  • Six strings (usually B-E-A-D-G-C, but sometimes E-A-D-G-B-E or G-B-E-A-D-G). The 6-string bass is a 4-string bass with an additional low "B" string and a high "C" string.

    While much less common than 4- or 5-string basses, they are still used in Latin, jazz, and several other genres. A few players have tuned the high C down to a B (giving B-E-A-D-G-B) matching the E-A-D-G-B found on the first five strings of an acoustic or electric guitar.**

  • , such as the , are mechanical devices operated by the left-hand thumb that allow one or more strings to be quickly detuned to a pre-set lower pitch.

    Hipshots are typically used to drop the "E"-string down to "D" on a four string bass and the "B"-string down to a "Bb" on five or six string basses where it is advantageous when accompanying brass bands whose music is commonly in the key of "Bb". More rarely, some bassists (e.g.

    , Michael Manring) will add detuners to more than one string, or even more than one detuner to each string, to enable them to detune strings during a performance and have access to a wider range of chime-like harmonics.

    • Less commonly, bassists have used other types of basses or tuning methods to obtain an extended range. Instrument types or tunings used for this purpose include:**
  • 2-string Bass Guitar - as well as Atlansia's dedicated 2-string basses, some musicians have elected to play conventional basses with two strings removed.

  • Tenor bass: A-D-G-C, like the top 4 strings of a 6-string bass, or simply a standard 4-string with the strings each tuned up an additional perfect fourth, a tuning used by , , and .
  • Guitar-tuned bass (4-string): the D-G-B-E tuning matches the first four strings (from highest to lowest) of a guitar, pitched two octaves lower.
  • 8, 10, 12 and 15-string basses are built on the same principle as the , where the strings are grouped into "courses" tuned in unison or octaves, to be played simultaneously.

    An 8-string bass would be strung Ee-Aa-Dd-Gg, while a 12-string bass might be tuned Eee-Aaa-Ddd-Ggg (four courses of three strings each). In the case of the 12-string, the standard pitch strings are augmented by two strings both an octave higher than the standard pitched string. Ten-string basses have octave strings added to the low-B of a 5-string bass.

    A 15-string bass (tuned Eee Aaa Ddd Ggg Ccc) was developed by and produced by Warrior Guitars. It has been reported that Korn's Fieldy will use a 15 string bass on their upcoming eighth studio yet-unnamed album.

  • Extended Range Basses are basses with more strings non-doubled including 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 strings.

    The 7-string Bass (B-E-A-D-G-C-F) was built by luthier Micheal Tobias in 1987. builds 8- and 9-string basses with a low "F#" string below the "B" string, and 9-string bass which adds a low "F#" and a high "Bb" string. The Guitarbass is a 10-string instrument with four bass strings (tuned E-A-D-G) and six guitar strings (tuned E-A-D-G-B-E) on the same neck and body, but with separate scale lengths, bridges, fretboards, and pickups.

    It was created by John Woolley in 2005, based on a prototype built by David Minnieweather. Luthier Michael Adler built the first 11-string bass in 2004 and completed the first single-course 12-string bass in 2005, based on a concept by bassist Garry Goodman. These instruments have the same range as a 97-note grand piano and requires special strings.

    Sub-contra basses, such as C#-F#-B-E ("C#" being at 17.32 Hz)(e.g.

    , the Jauqo III-X from 2000 or the sub-bass guitar, E-A-D-G one octave below standard ("E" being at 20.6 Hz) have been created by Yves Carbonne in 2002. Notable bassists performing on extended range basses include , , , , and .

  • "P-" pickups (the "P" refers to the original Fender Precision Bass) are actually two distinct halves, wired in opposite direction to reduce hum, each offset a small amount along the length of the body so that each half is underneath two strings. Less common is the single-coil "P" pickup, used on the 1951 Fender Precision bass, as well as the reissue and the Sting's signature model.
  • "J-" pickups (referring to the original Fender Jazz Bass) are wider eight-pole pickups which lie underneath all four strings.

    J pickups are typically designs, but because one is wired opposite to the other, when used at the same volume they have hum canceling properties.

  • Humbucker (dual coil) pickups, found in MusicMan basses (yet another Leo Fender brand) and many other brands, are the same length as a J pickup, but about twice as wide.
  • "Soapbar" Pickups get their name due to their resemblance to a bar of soap and originally referred to the Gibson P-90 guitar pickup.

    The term is now also used to describe any pickup with a rectangular shape and no visible pole pieces. They are commonly found in ERB basses.

  • pickups are non-magnetic pickups that produce a different tone, often similar to that of an acoustic bass, and allow bassists to use non-ferrous strings such as nylon, brass or even .

    Piezoelectric pickups use a crystal to convert the vibrations of the string into an electrical signal.

  • are another type of non-magnetic pickup. Optical pickups use an to optically track the movement of the string.

    A major advantage of optical pickups is the ability to reproduce low-frequency tones at high volumes without the "hum" or excessive resonance associated with conventional magnetic pickups. Since optical pickups lack high frequencies, they are commonly paired with piezo pickups to fill in the missing frequencies. The Lightwave company builds basses with optical pickups.

    • Leo Fender's 34" scale, also called a "long scale" remains the standard for electric basses, although 30" or "short scale" instruments, such as the Violin Bass, played by , and the Fender Mustang Bass are fairly popular. Once only available as boutique instruments, many manufactures have begun offering 35, 35.5 and 36" scale lengths, also called an "extra long scale.

    " The purpose of the extra long scale is to give a higher string tension, which yields a more defined tone on the B string of 5 and 6 stringed instruments or detuned 4 string basses.
    The divide the fingerboard into divisions, although fretless basses are also widely available. The original Fender basses had 20 frets, but modern basses may have 24 or more.

    The twelfth fret on each string is an octave of the string note.
    have a distinct sound: the absence of frets means that the string must be pressed down directly onto the wood of the fingerboard and can buzz against it as with the , sometimes described as a "mwaah" sound by bassists. The fretless bass allows players to use the expressive devices of , and microtonal intonations such as and .

    Some bassists use both fretted and fretless basses in performances, according to the type of material they are performing.
    In How The Fender Bass Changed The World, Jim Roberts states that made the first known fretless bass guitar in 1961 by converting an inexpensive Japanese fretted bass. This fretless bass can be heard on songs such as "Paint it Black".

    The first production fretless bass was the Ampeg AUB-1 introduced in 1966. Fender introduced a fretless version of the Precision Bass in 1970. Fusion-jazz virtuoso created his own fretless bass by pulling the frets out of a sunburst Fender Jazz Bass, filling up the holes with wood putty and coating the fretboard with epoxy resin.


    An example of a fretless bass's fretboard.

    Some fretless basses have "fret lines" inlaid in the fingerboard as a guide, while others only use guide marks on the side of the neck. Strings wound with tape are sometimes used with the fretless bass so that the metal string windings will not wear down the .

    Some fretless basses have fingerboards which are coated with epoxy to increase the durability of the fingerboard, enhance and give a brighter tone.
    Although most fretless basses have four strings, five-string and six-string fretless basses are also available. Fretless basses with additional strings are also available, but these are typically "boutique" or custom-made instruments.

    In the mid-2000s, luthier Jerzy Drozd built the first 10-string and 12-string fretless basses.
    Fretless basses are widely used in and music. Nonetheless, many bassists from other genres use fretless basses, such as metal bassist and of .


    Most bass players stand while playing, although sitting is also accepted, particularly in large ensemble settings (e.g., jazz big band) or acoustic genres such as folk music.

    It is a matter of the player's preference as to which position gives the greatest ease of playing, and what a bandleader expects. When sitting, right-handed players can balance the instrument on the right thigh, or like classical guitar players, the left. Balancing the bass on the left thigh positions it in such a way that it mimics the standing position, allowing for less difference between the standing and sitting positions.


    The electric bass, in contrast to the upright bass (or double bass), is played in a similar position to the guitar, held horizontally across the body. Notes are usually produced by plucking with the fingers or with a or .
    There are bass players who play with a pick from a number of different musical styles, including , , and .

    Using a pick typically produces a "brighter" or "punchier" sound, while playing with fingers produces a softer and rounder sound. Some bassists use their fingernails flamenco-style to provide some compromise between playing fingerstyle and using a pick.
    Instead of alternating downstrokes and upstrokes, players can perform all downstrokes, which provides a more consistent attack to each note.

    Bassists trying to emulate the sound of a double bass will often pluck the strings with their thumb or fingers rather than a plectrum, and use to create a short, "thumpy" tone.
    , an influential bassist from the era, played the bass with only his index finger (which gained him the nickname "The Hook"). He created intricate bass lines using this technique.

    In contrast to Jamerson, some bass players such as , , , , or may use three or four fingers.
    Variations in style also occur in where a bassist rests his right-hand thumb (or left thumb in the case of left-handed players). A player may rest their thumb on the top edge of one of the pickups.

    One may also rest their thumb on the side of the fretboard, which is especially common among bassists who have an upright bass influence. Also, bassists may simply anchor their thumbs on the lowest string (and move it off to play on the low string). This technique is known as the "floating thumb", and was previously popular mainly with bassists who played five or more string basses, but is now common for all bassists.

    Early Fender models also came with a "thumbrest" attached to the pickguard, below the strings. Contrary to its name, this was not used to rest the thumb, but to rest the fingers while using the thumb to pluck the strings. The thumbrest was moved above the strings in 1970s models, and eliminated entirely in the 1980s.


    Depending on where the string is plucked, a different timbre is produced. generally plucked close to the bridge, producing a bright and "punchy" sound. , on the other hand, typically plucks closer to the neck, near the neck pickup, which gives a darker sound with a stronger .


    [ ] "Slap and pop," tapping, and related techniques

    The method, in which either tones or percussive sounds are achieved by thumping ("slapping") a string with the thumb and snapping a string or strings usually with the index or middle fingers ("popping"), was pioneered by of in the 1960s and early 1970s. and further developed Graham's technique. Slap bass remains a mainstay of funk.


    Slap and pop style is also used by many bassists in other genres, such as rock bassists JJ Burnel, , fusion bassist and jazz-fusion bassist . Slap style playing was popularised throughout the 1980s and early 1990s by the pop band 's bassist and by rock-funk band ' bassist . In the late 1990s, 's bassist used thumb slapping.


    King's playing heavily incorporates the use of left hand-muted "dead notes". This involves patting the strings with the fretting hand in between the slaps and pops, achieving a rapid percussive sound, sometimes called the "machine-gun" effect. Wooten helped to develop and popularize the "double thump," in which the string is slapped twice, on the upstroke and a downstroke (for more information, see ).

    Examples of the slap and pop technique can be seen at
    In the two-handed style, both hands play notes by rapidly pressing and holding the string to the fret, which makes it possible to play , and perform and arpeggios. Players noted for this technique include , , , and . The and are many-stringed instruments that are designed to be played using two-handed tapping.


    Other types of bass playing in which the strings are struck are "piano hammer style", in which the plucking hand is whipped towards the string and then retracted quickly by pivoting the wrist, so that the index finger taps the string; patting technique, in which three or four fingers are used to pat several strings close to the bridge, while chords are played with the left hand; wooden dowel " " affixed with to the tips of the index and middle fingers and used to strike the strings of the bass (an approach developed by ).
    With lead bass, the electric bass plays a role analogous to the role of a 'lead guitar,' playing higher-register melodic and solo passages. When bassists playing lead bass style are not soloing, they often play basslines that provide a melodic counterpoint to the other guitar lines.

    In the 1960s and 1970s, bassists of , of , of , of , of and of used a melodic, lead bass approach in their basslines. once jokingly remarked that by the time came to record , he was playing "lead bass". He was in fact referring to the level of bass in the mix rather than the style itself.

    of is also a prominent lead bassist. His technique stems from the fact that, early in his career, he had bad-quality bass guitars, and they sounded better when he used the lead bass approach. His style can be heard on 's "Closer" album and the song "Love Will Tear Us Apart".


    Bassist used a piccolo bass (tuned one octave higher than a normal bass) to record lead bass parts, which were often distorted, making them sound like an . Other bassists using the lead bass approach include of Primus, of , and of . Justin Chancellor's technique is assisted by a which he uses to harmonize and/or shift notes, along with various other effects.


    The electric bass is the standard bass instrument in many , including modern , , post-1970s-style , many variants of , , , , and . Even though the double bass is still the standard bass instrument in orchestral settings, some late-20th-century composers, in particular , have used the electric bass in an orchestral setting. Modern bass playing draws on guitar and double bass for inspiration as well as an increasing of its own.


    The bass may have differing roles within different types of music and the bassist may prefer different degrees of prominence in the music. Early uses of the electric bass saw bassists doubling the double bass part or replacing the upright bass entirely with their new, more portable and easily amplified instrument. By the end of the 1960s, the electric bass had replaced the upright bass in many forms of popular music.

    It is ubiquitous to the point that a band without a bassist is considered irregular, although in much rock and heavy metal music the bass is buried so far in the mix as to be almost inaudible.
    The switch to electric bass moved bassists more into the foreground in a band setting, in several senses:

  • From an aural perspective, electric bass tone can often "cut through" a live mix better. As well, electric basses can be amplified to very high levels without the problem of "howls" that can plague upright bass players trying to amplify their instruments.

  • The smaller size of the electric bass allows rapid, complex lines to be played more easily, enabling some musicians to develop a solo role for the instrument.
  • The switch to the electric bass allowed bassists much more freedom of movement on stage. The double bass sits on an endpin, and stands vertically, and players typically play in a single location for the duration of a song.

    However, the electric bass is smaller, and is held up with a strap, which allows the electric bassist to move about on the stage while playing, and get closer to other musicians or the audience.

    • Some types of basses are associated with notable players. 's 500/1 "violin bass" is often associated with 's 1960s performances with the .

    has a signature recreation model of his fretless Fender Jazz Bass. often performed with eccentrically-shaped bass, such as the Explorer in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and a bass - which Entwistle designed - from the late 1980s until the end of his life. , meanwhile, is associated with his star-shaped " .

    " from the virtual band is often associated with his Flying-V Bass "El Diablo" which was given to him by the devil himself.

  • These include Chris Ballew of , and the late Mark Sandman of . Another 2 string bassist is Danish Bassist Stig Pedersen from Danish Rock and Roll group .

    Stig was one of the first world wide to use 2 stringed basses. Today he almost always uses funny shaped basses like rocket shaped. Longbow Basses develop two string basses specifically.

  • Fieldy often uses his thumb to slap and make the distinct crisp metal sound that is associated with . After the 1998 album, that 's , on hearing track 5 "BBK", commented on the "nice double kick!" In reality, Claypool was hearing Fieldy's slap style bass, not the drummer's double kick.

    • Read more on by en.wikipedia.org. All rights reserved.
    Keywords: Leo Fender, Fender Jazz, c f, Ddd Ggg, Fender Precision, Range Basses, Aaa Ddd, Fender Basses, Eee Aaa Ddd, Eee Aaa
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