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1930s: Fretted basses Paul Tutmarc 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 listed what is probably the world’s first fretted, solid body electric bass that is designed to be played horizontally — the Model 1950s and 1960s: The Fender Bass A self-taught electrical engineer named Leo Fender developed the first mass-produced electric bass in the 1950s. 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" (staggered humbucker). 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, each with separate volume and tone controls. 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. 1960s and 1970s: Other prominent manufacturers Following Fender's lead, Gibson released the EB-0 Bass in 1959. As with Fender's designs, Gibson relied heavily upon an existing guitar design for their first bass; the EB-0 was very similar to a Gibson SG in appearance. 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 1960's and seeing the success that Fender and Gibson were having with their products, Rickenbacker, Danelectro, ESP Guitars, and many others started to produce their own version of the electric bass. The 1970's also saw the founding of Music Man Instruments, owned by Leo Fender. Music Man 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. 1970s: Boutique basses 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. Alembic and another "boutique" bass manufacturers,Tobias, and Ken Smith, 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. 1980s: Further experiments As the electric bass matured, new designs continued to push the envelope. 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 an extremely short 18" scale length. Nomenclature The instrument is called a "bass guitar" (bass (IPA: beɪs}}) rhyming with "face"), "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 Fender'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 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. 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 masters of the craft of lutherie (guitar-making) are becoming increasingly available. Design options include: Body 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. Basses are also 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. Necks Bass guitar necks, which are longer than regular electric guitar necks, are generally made of maple or ash. More exotic woods include bubinga, wenge, ovangkol, and goncalo alves. Graphite or carbon fiber are used to make lightweight necks, an approach pioneered by G. Gould of Modulus Guitars. Peavey makes the 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. Strings and tuning
Pickups
Bass pickup types Pickup configuration
Non-magnetic pickups Frets The frets divide the fingerboard into semitone divisions, although fretless basses are also widely available. The original Fender basses had 20 frets. Many musicians prefer to use a bass guitar pick with a fretless bass because a more defined tone is produced. Fretless basses
Amplification and effects Electric bassists use either a "combo" amplifier, so-named because it combines an amplifier and a speaker in a single cabinet, or an amplifier and a separate speaker cabinet (or cabinets). Some bassists plug directly into a mixing console for recording or large-scale PA amplification. Various electronic components such as preamplifiers and processors, 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. 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 intrument 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. Plectra vs. fingers or thumb 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 guitar pick, which is a plectrum. Picks are widely used in pop, hard rock, punk rock and metal styles. Using a pick typically gives the bass a "brighter", "punchier" sound, while playing with fingers makes the sound softer and round. Some bassists use their fingernails flamenco-style to provide some compromise between playing fingerstyle and using a pick. Bass players who play with a pick include: Paul McCartney, Jay Bentley, Chris Squire, Paul Grey, Greg Lake, Sting, Jason Newsted, and Lemmy Kilmister. 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 (which gained him the nickname "The Hook"). He created intricate bass lines that have proven challenging even for modern bassists using the more common two-fingered (typically index and middle) technique. Right hand support and position 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. Striking or plucking position Depending on where the string is plucked, a different timbre is produced. Jaco Pastorius generally plucked close to the bridge, producing a bright and "punchy" sound. Geezer Butler, on the other hand, typically plucks closer to the neck, near the neck pickup, which gives a darker sound with a stronger fundamental. "Slap and pop," tapping, and related techniques The slap and pop method, in which notes and percussive sounds are created by slapping the string with the thumb and releasing strings with a snap, was pioneered by Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone in the 1960s and early 1970s. Stanley Clarke and Louis Johnson further developed Graham's technique. Slap bass remains a mainstay of funk and is also played by many bassists in other genres, such as rock bassists Flea, JJ Burnel, and Les Claypool, and jazz-fusion bassist Victor Wooten. Wooten developed 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 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 utilize chords and arpeggios. Players noted for this technique include John Entwistle, Stuart Hamm, Billy Sheehan, Victor Wooten, and Michael Manring. For more information on two-handed tapping technique, see the articles on the Chapman Stick and Warr guitar. Both are many-stringed instruments that are designed to be played using two-handed tapping. Tony Levin, the bassist for King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, pioneered the use of 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. Other styles Musical role The electric bass is the standard bass instrument in many musical genres, including modern Country, post-1970s-style Jazz, many variants of Rock and Roll, Heavy metal, Punk, Reggae, soul and funk. Even though the double bass is still the standard bass instrument in orchestral settings, some late-20th-century composers 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 vernacular 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 most forms of popular music (although country music and jazz were an exception to this trend). The switch to electric bass moved bassists more into the foreground of a band, in several senses: See also | |||||||||||||||||
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