Bass Guitar For Dummies

Bass Guitar
by Philip Edwards
The Bass Guitar
The electric bass guitar is a deep-throated, four-stringed cousin to the six or twelve stringed acoustic or electric guitar. Its strings are played by tapping, popping, plucking or slapping them with either thumb or fingers. The strings are tuned one octave lower than the E, A, D, and G lower strings of a regular guitar. The bass guitar is used in several styles of music. This includes rock, country, and jazz; but has gained popularity as a soloing instrument in Latin, Metal, and Funk music as well.
The forerunner of today’s modern bass guitar was invented in the 1930’s by a musician named Paul Tutmarc. He designed the instrument to take on a guitar shape- with four strings, frets, and a 30 ½ inch length. Bassists were finally able to keep in tune more easily with this style. Another 20 years would pass before the public would take any real notice of the instrument.
Leo Fender, in 1951, became the first to develop and introduce a mass-produced electric bass. It became known as the Fender Precision Bass. It wasn’t long before it was established as an industry standard. In the late 1950s, a split pick-up became part of its makeup. As the base grew in popularity, other manufacturers began to release their own bass versions. Gibson guitar released the EB-1 Bass; followed on by the EB-0 Bass. The first Gibson Bass was shaped like a violin while the second bass exhibited a more conventional design. As the 1970’s, 1980’s, and beyond, rolled on by, the bass continued to evolve into a very distinctive instrument. Certain bass models became associated with specific genres of music. These include hard rock, disco and funk. Designers incorporated wood into the body of the bass and installed electronic applications for pre-amplification. Other features include four-string and five-string basses.
Ned Steinberger, and innovative bass designer and musician, spiked a small revolution when he introduced a headless bass. Its chrome and graphite design looked to be like an instrument from the distant future. Its unusual design promptly tagged it as a high-end item. Custom made basses became the rage among bass enthusiasts.
Bass players have a design choice for their bass’s fingerboard. Some players choose to have fretts, similar to a guitar’s, built into their fingerboard. Other bassists often want to play a bass with no frets on it. A no fret bass makes a distinct sound. This is due in part by how the string buzzes against the bass’s body. Often, bass players will play both fretted and non-fretted during their performances. These include musicians such as Steve Digiorgio and Colin Edwin. It is a safe bet that these modern bass players and designers will continue to find ways to become unconventional, non-traditional and innovative with every aspect of building and playing bass guitars. Who knows? Perhaps the next generation of bass players will simply rebel against anything modern and choose to play instruments which retain some elements of Paul Tutmarc’s original design.




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