BASS GUITAR

The electric 'bass guitar' (or "electric bass") is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping,popping or using a pick. The bass is typically similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and scale length, and four strings tuned one octave lower in pitch than the bass strings of a guitar.
Since the 1950s, the electric bass has largely replaced the double bass in popular music. The bass is typically used to provide the low-pitched bassline(s) and bass runs in many different styles of music ranging from rock and metal to blues and jazz. The electric bass is also used as a soloing instrument in jazz, fusion, Latin, funk, and some rock styles.

Contents

History

1930s:

1950s-1960s:

1960s and 1970s

1980s-2000s

Design considerations

Fretted and fretless basses

Strings and tuning

Extended range approaches

Pickups and amplification

Magnetic pickups

Non-magnetic pickups

Amplification and effects

Playing techniques

Sitting or standing

Sounding notes on the bass

"Slap and pop" and tapping

See also

References

External links

History

1930s:

In the 1930s, inventor Paul Tutmarc 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 Model #736 Electronic Bass Fiddle (German text). 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. Tutmarc's inventions never caught the public imagination and almost no further development of the instrument took place until the 1950s.

1950s-1960s:

In the 1950s, Leo Fender developed the first mass-produced electric bass. His Fender Precision Bass, 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 Telecaster with a single piece, four-pole pickup to a contoured body design with beveled edges for comfort and a single "split coil pickup."
First introduced in 1960, The Jazz Bass was known as the Deluxe Bass and was meant to accompany the Jazzmaster 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 Mustang Bass; a 30" scale length instrument used by bassists such as Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads ("P" and "J" basses have a scale length of 34").
In the 1950s and 1960s, the term "Fender bass" was widely used to describe the bass guitar, due to Fender's early dominance in the market for mass-produced bass guitars. The term "electric bass" began replacing "Fender bass" in the late 1960s, however, as evidenced by the title of Carol Kaye's popular bass instructional book in 1969 (''How to Play the Electric Bass'') and the use of the term "electric bass" by U.S. musicians' unions. The instrument is also referred to as an "electric bass guitar," "electronic bass," or simply "bass."(IPA: []) pronounced same as "base").

1960s and 1970s

Following Fender's lead, Gibson released the violin-shaped EB-1 Bass in 1953[1], followed by the more conventional-looking EB-0 Bass 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 Gibson SG in appearance (although the earliest examples have a slab-sided body shape closer to that of the double-cutaway Les Paul Special).
Whereas 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 EB-3, 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 Thunderbird, 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, Rickenbacker, Danelectro and many other companies started to produce their own version of the electric bass. The 1970s also saw the founding of Music Man Instruments, owned by Leo Fender, which produced the StingRay, the first widely-produced bass with active (powered) electronics. Specific models became identified with particular styles of music, such as the Rickenbacker 4000 series, which became identified with progressive rock bassists like Chris Squire of Yes.
In 1971 Alembic 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 neck-through-body construction and graphite necks. In the mid-1970s, Alembic and other "boutique" bass manufacturers such as Tobias, and Ken Smith produced 4- string basses and 5-string basses with a low "B" string. In 1975, bassist Anthony Jackson commissioned luthier Carl Thompson to a 6-string bass tuned (low to high) B, E, A, D, G, C.

1980s-2000s

In the 1980s, bass designers continued to explore new approaches. Ned Steinberger introduced a headless bass in 1979 and continued his innovations in the 1980s, using graphite and other new materials and (in 1984) introducing the Trans-Trem tremolo bar. In 1987, the Guild Guitar Corporation launched the fretless Ashbory bass, 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 digital modelling circuits inside the instrument to recreate tones and sounds from many models of basses (e.g., Line 6's Variax bass). Traditional bass designs such as the Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass remained popular in the 2000s; in 2006, a 60th Anniversary P-bass was introduced by Fender.

Design considerations

A wide variety of different options are available for the body, neck, pickups, and other features of the bass. Instruments handmade by highly-skilled luthiers are becoming increasingly available. Bass bodies are typically made of wood although other materials such as graphite (for example, some of the Steinberger designs) have also been used. While a wide variety of woods 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 alder, for the neck is maple, and for the fretboard is rosewood.
The choice of body material and shape can have a significant impact on the timbre 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; Luthier-produced custom-designed instruments; headless basses, which have tuning machines in the bridge of the instrument (e.g.Steinberger and Hohner designs) and several artificial materials such as luthite. 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. Acoustic bass guitars 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 maple. More exotic woods include bubinga, wenge, ovangkol, ebony and goncalo alves. Graphite or carbon fiber are used to make lightweight necks, an approach used by G. Gould of Modulus Guitars. Peavey makes graphite-necked basses such as the G-Bass the B-Quad, and Status has manufactured entire basses out of graphite. Many other guitar companies also use graphite in their necks, to add stability and sustain.
The "long scale" necks used on Leo Fender's basses, giving a scale length (distance between nut and bridge) of 34", remain the standard for electric basses. However, 30" or "short scale" instruments, such as the Höfner Violin Bass, played by Paul McCartney, and the Fender Mustang Bass are popular, especially for players with smaller hands. While 35", 35.5" and 36" scale lengths were once only available in "boutique" instruments, in the 2000s, many manufacturers have begun offering these lengths, also called an "extra long scale." This extra long scale provides a higher string tension, which yields a more defined tone on the low "B" string of 5- and 6-stringed instruments (or detuned 4-string basses).

Fretted and fretless basses

Another design consideration for the bass is whether or not to use frets on the fingerboard. On a fretted bass, the frets divide the fingerboard into semitone divisions, (as on a normal guitar) 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.
Fretless basses have a distinct sound, because the absence of frets means that the string must be pressed down directly onto the wood of the fingerboard and so the string can buzz against the wood (as with the double bass). The resulting sound, characterised by the work of Jaco Pastorius, is sometimes described as a "mwaah" sound by bassists. The fretless bass allows players to use the expressive devices of glissando, vibrato and microtonal intonations such as quarter tones and just intonation. 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 Bill Wyman made the first known fretless bass guitar in 1961 by converting an inexpensive Japanese fretted bass. This fretless bass can be heard on The Rolling Stones 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 Jaco Pastorius 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.

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 fingerboard. Some fretless basses have fingerboards which are coated with epoxy to increase the durability of the fingerboard, enhance sustain 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 jazz and jazz fusion music. Nonetheless, many bassists from other genres use fretless basses, such as metal bassist Steve Digiorgio and Les Claypool of Primus.

Strings and tuning

Main articles: Bass guitar tuning

The standard design for the electric bass has four strings, tuned E, A, D and G, with the fundamental frequency of the E string set at about 41 Hz, making the tuning of all four strings the same as that of the double bass. 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 (roundwound, flatwound, groundwound, or halfwound), metal strings with different coverings, such as tapewound and plastic-coatings. The variety of materials used in the strings gives bass players a range of tonal options.
Early basses used flatwound strings with a smooth surface, which had a smooth, damped sound reminiscent of a double-bass. In the 1960s and 1970s, roundwound bass strings similar to guitar strings became popular. Roundwounds have a brighter timbre with greater sustain than flatwounds. Flatwounds are still used by some 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:


★ 'Four strings' with alternate tunings to obtain an extended lower range.^[1]

★ '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.


★ 'Six strings' (usually B-E-A-D-G-C, but sometimes E-A-D-G-B-E or F#-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.

★ 'Detuners,' such as the Hipshot, are mechanical devices operated by the right or 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.^[2]

Extended range approaches

Some bassists have used other types of basses or tuning methods to obtain an extended range or other benefits. Instrument types or tunings used for this purpose include 'basses with less than four strings' (1-string bass guitars ^[3], 2-string bass guitars, 3-string bass guitars (E-A-D) ^[4]); 'alternate tunings' (e.g., tenor bass ^[5], piccolo bass^[6], and guitar-tuned basses^[7]) and '8, 10, 12 and 15-string' basses, which built on the same principle as the 12-string guitar, where the strings are grouped into "courses" tuned in unison or octaves, to be played simultaneously. ^[8]
'Extended Range Basses' are basses with 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 strings which are not doubling unisons or octaves. The 7-string Bass (B-E-A-D-G-C-F) was built by luthier Micheal Tobias in 1987. This was a custom instrument commissioned by bassist Garry Goodman and it was the first time a bass guitar had more than six single course strings. Bass guitars did not need more than six strings, so this was built by Tobias as a custom order from bass guitarist Garry Goodman who developed a special playing technique requiring seven or more strings Conklin builds 8- and 9-string basses.^[9] 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).^[10] Luthier Michael Adler built the first 11-string bass in 2004 and completed the first single-course 12-string bass in 2005.Adler's 11 and 12-string instruments are based on a concept by bassist Garry Goodman to open the 8 octave range of the grand piano to the bass guitarist. These instruments have the same range as a 97-note grand piano and require special strings. Sub-contra basses, such as C#-F#-B-E ("C#" being at 17.32 Hz)^[11] have been created ^[12].^[13].

Pickups and amplification

:''For more information on pickups, see Pickup (music).''

Magnetic pickups

Most electric basses use magnetic pickups. The vibrations of the instrument's metal strings within the magnetic field of the permanent magnets in magnetic pickups produce small variations in the magnetic flux threading the coils of the pickups. This in turn produces small electrical voltages in the coils. These low-level signals are then amplified and played through a speaker. Less commonly, non-magnetic pickups are used, such as piezoelectric pickups which sense the mechanical vibrations of the strings. Since the 1990s, basses are often available with battery-powered "active" electronics that boost the signal and/or provide equalization controls to boost or cut bass and treble frequencies.
"'P-" pickups' (the "P" refers to the original Fender Precision Bass) are actually two distinct single-coil 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^[14]
'"J-" pickups' (referring to the original Fender Jazz Bass) are wider eight-pole pickups which lie underneath all four strings. J pickups are typically single-coil 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 (and with about double the output).
'"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. EMG now makes a Soapbar pickup that has both a single coil and a humbucker in the same pickup. The player switches between the two by pulling or pushing on the volume knob.

Many basses have just one pickup, typically a "P" or soapbar pickup. Multiple pickups are also quite common, two of the most common configurations being a "P" near the neck and a "J" near the bridge (e.g. Fender Precision Deluxe), or two "J" pickups (e.g. Fender Jazz). ^[15] The placement of the pickup greatly affects the sound, with a pickup near the neck joint thought to sound "fatter" or "warmer" (the bass frequencies being dominant) while a pickup near the bridge is thought to sound "tighter" or "sharper" (providing a larger amount of treble). Usually basses with multiple pickups allow blending of the output from the pickups, providing for a range of timbres.

Non-magnetic pickups

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

★ Optical pickups are another type of non-magnetic pickup. They use an LED to optically track the movement of the string, which allows them 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 piezoelectric pickups to fill in the missing frequencies. The Lightwave company builds basses with optical pickups.

Amplification and effects

Like the electric guitar, the electric bass is always connected to an amplifier for live performances. Electric bassists use either a "combo" amplifier, which combines an amplifier and a speaker in a single cabinet, or an amplifier and a separate speaker cabinet (or cabinets). In some cases when the bass is being used with large-scale PA amplification, it is plugged into a "DI" or "direct box", which routes their signal directly into a mixing console, and thence to the main and monitor speakers. For some recordings, the electric bass is recorded without the use of an amplifier and speakers by connecting the bass with the mixing board using a "DI", while the musician listens to the sound of the instrument through headphones.
Various electronic components such as preamplifiers and processors (e.g.,bass effects) and the configuration of the amplifier and speaker, can be used to alter the basic sound of the instrument. In the 1990s and early 2000s, signal processors such as equalizers, distortion devices, and compressors or limiters became increasingly popular additions to many electric bass players' gear, because these processors give players additional tonal options.

Playing techniques

Sitting or standing

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 is positioned in such a way that it mimics the standing position, allowing for less difference between the standing and sitting positions.

Sounding notes on the bass

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 Pizzicato playing, this is where the strings are plucked by the index and middle fingers or with a pick (or plectrum). There are bass players who play with a pick from a number of different musical styles, most commonly including pop, hard rock, punk rock and metal, but there also examples in other styles less traditionally associated with pick playing, such as Steve Swallow, a modern jazz musician who uses a pick on acoustic/electric bass. Using a pick typically produces a "brighter" or "punchier" sound suitable for up beat funky songs, while playing with fingers produces a softer and rounder sound for walking bass lines. Some bassists use their fingernails flamenco-style to provide some compromise between playing fingerstyle and using a pick. The three most prominent examples of bassists who use this technique are Les Claypool, John Entwistle and Geddy Lee.
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 palm-muting to create a short, "thumpy" tone. James Jamerson, an influential bassist from the Motown era, played the bass with only his index finger (nicknamed "The Hook"). He created intricate bass lines using this technique. In contrast to Jamerson, some bass players such as Billy Sheehan, Cliff Burton, David Cooper, Steve DiGiorgio, John Myung, Chris Wolstenholme, Tetsuo Sakurai, and John Entwistle may use three or four fingers. Another less commonly found style for playing bass is employed most famously by Sting, in which he sounded all notes using his thumb to pluck the strings.
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 his thumb on the top edge of one of the pickups. One may also rest one's thumb on the side of the fretboard, which is especially common among bassists who have an upright bass influence. Many bassists simply anchor their thumbs on the lowest string (and move it off to play on the low string). A more ergonomic method is to let the thumb rest on the strings loosely, to mute the lower strings which are not being played; 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. ^[16]

"Slap and pop" and tapping

The slap and pop method involves either tones or percussive sounds which are achieved by thumping ("slapping") a string with the thumb and snapping a string or strings usually with the index or middle fingers ("popping"). Slap bass remains a mainstay of funk. Slap and pop style is also used by many bassists in other genres, such as rock bassists J J Burnel, Les Claypool, fusion bassist Marcus Miller, jazz-fusion bassist Victor Wooten and Alain Caron. Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone and Graham Central Station is believed to have invented slap style as a boy when working without a drummer in his family's band. Others believe Louis Johnson of the The Brothers Johnson invented it independently later.^[17]
Slap style playing was further popularized throughout the 1980s and early 1990s by the pop band Level 42's bassist Mark King and by funk-rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea. King uses left hand-muted "dead notes" between the slaps and pops, achieving a rapid percussive 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 Classical Thump). Examples of the slap and pop technique can be seen at HowToSlapBass.com and at SlapItOnline.com.
In the two-handed tapping style, both hands play notes by rapidly pressing and holding the string to the fret, which makes it possible to play contrapuntally, and perform chords and arpeggios. Players noted for this technique include John Entwistle, Stuart Hamm, Billy Sheehan, John Myung, Victor Wooten and Michael Manring. The Chapman Stick and Warr Guitars 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 "funk fingers" affixed with velcro to the tips of the index and middle fingers and used to strike the strings of the bass (an approach developed by Tony Levin).

See also

★ List of bass guitarists

★ Acoustic bass guitar, a hollow-bodied instrument built similarly to an acoustic guitar, which plays in the same range as an electric bass

★ Ashbory bass, a very short-scale instrument that uses thick silicone rubber strings

★ Double bass, a large wooden instrument from the violin family, used in orchestras, and in blues, jazz, rockabilly, and country music.

★ Piccolo bass

★ Electric upright bass, a smaller, lighter, electrically-amplified variant of the double bass

★ Fender Jazz Bass

★ Fender Precision Bass

★ Guitar effects

References

1. Tunings such as "BEAD" (this requires a low "B" string in addition to the other three "standard" strings), "D-A-D-G" (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.
2. Hipshots are similarly used to drop 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.
3. Japanese manufacturer Atlansia offers 1-, 2- and 3-stringed instruments[2]
4. - Session bassist Tony Levin commissioned Music Man to build a three-string version of his favorite Stingray bass
5. tuned 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. Tenor bass is a tuning used by Stanley Clarke, Victor Wooten, and Stu Hamm.
6. tuned "e-a-d-g" (an octave higher than standard bass tuning — -the same as the bottom four strings of a guitar). This is used by jazz fusion bassists such as Stanley Clarke.
7. the D-G-B-E tuning matches the first four strings (from highest to lowest) of a guitar, pitched two octaves lower.
8. For example, 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 Jauqo III-X and produced by Warrior Guitars(the 15 string bass made for Jauqo III-X by Warrior was the worlds first 15 string bass ever made. A 1998 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6O0Lgyn6aE )
9. These have a low "F#" string below the "B" string, and 9-string bass which adds a low "F#" and a high "Bb" string.
10. The guitarbass has 10 strings on the same neck and body, but with separate scale lengths, bridges, fretboards, and pickups. It was created [3] by John Woolley in 2005, based on a prototype built by David Minnieweather.
11. (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)
12. concept by Yves Carbonne in 2002
13. Bassists performing on extended range basses include Yves Carbonne, Stew McKinsey, Gregory Bruce Campbell, Jean Baudin, Bill "The Buddha" Dickens, Phil Lesh, and Al Caldwell
14. The single-coil "P" pickup is also used in the reissue and the Sting's signature model.
15. Some basses use more unusual pickup configurations, such as a soapbar and a "P" pickup (found on some Fenders), Stu Hamm's "Urge" basses which have a "P" pickup sandwiched between two "J" pickups, and some of Bootsy Collins' custom basses, which had as many as 5 J pickups. Another unusual pickup configuration is found on some of the custom basses that Billy Sheehan uses, in which there is one humbucker at the neck and a split-coil pickup at the middle position.
16. Jaco Pastorius generally plucked close to the bridge, producing a bright and "punchy" sound; many modern jazz and fusion bassist also incorporate this technique. Geezer Butler, and most reggae bassists, on the other hand, typically pluck closer to the neck, near the neck pickup, which gives a darker sound with a stronger fundamental.
17. While the slapping heard on the recordings of these bands is quite basic, the considerable ability of Larry and Louis is displayed in their instructional recordings.


★ How The Fender Bass Changed the World, , Jim, Roberts, Backbeat Books, 2001, ISBN 0-87930-630-0

External links

★ Bass Guitar Magazine UK Bass Guitar Magazine

★ Dudepit.com Bass Guitar Discussion Forums

★ TalkBass.com Bass Guitar Discussion Forums

★ Guitar World's Bass Guitar Magazine

★ Bass Player Magazine Online presence for the print publication '' Bass Player''

★ Basses sounds Basses samples library

★ [4] Motown's James Jamerson on Wikipedia

★ [5] Jaco Pastorius on Wikipedia

★ [6] Advanced harmonic work on fretless bass. Downloadable 24 Bit/96 kHz audio wav demo.

★ Strange Bass Guitars Pictures of weirdly shaped bass guitars

★ Gospel Musicians: Bass Guitar Lessons Gospel Bass Guitar Lessons

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