Bass Guitars

How Bass Guitars Came About

If you go to a musical instrument shop and ask for a bass guitar, what they would provide is an electric guitar, which might confuse you. Many people have been confused between normal electric guitars and bass guitars.

Bass guitar, also known as the electric bass or simple bass guitar, appears almost the same, but varies in many aspects. Generally, it has a larger body, a longer neck and scale length, and normally four to five strings tuned an octave lowed in pitch, in the bass range.

The popularity of these bass guitars started in the 1950s, although they have existed since the 1930s. Since then, bass guitars have been extensively used in all sorts of music; modern, country, jazz, fusion, rock and roll, metal, Latin, funk, reggae, soul, post 1970s and many more.

Beginning

It all started in the 1930s when the guitar-style electric bass instrument was invented. This bass guitar was fretted and designed to be held and played horizontally. These bass guitars were as solid as the ones today, and were made from very expensive wood. Moreover, this guitar was very easy to hold, to learn and transport as well, which made it grow popular among artists at that time.

Experimental

In the 1950s, when the guitars started taking over many other instruments as the bass line provider, they were very highly regarded. Bass guitars started to be mass-produced due to their popularity, and the design of the guitar evolved into a much better one, such as those with contoured body design with beveled edges for comfort, and a single split coil pickup for convenience. These bass guitars were then also widely introduced into jazz.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the bass guitars got more stylish, and were universally distributed and sold. Other makers apart from the traditional ones boomed, and better designs were introduced. This would include the guitars with pickups mounted in positions in between the base of the neck and the top of the bridge, or the pickup mounted directly against the neck pocket by other revolutionary makers. Bass guitars started to shrink in size, and became sleeker as well, and functioned by active powered electronics.

Wide Growth

Widely used in pop and rock music, this guitar is now available from all sorts of makers, and is also available for custom-tailoring with featured unique designs or premium wood body choice or hand-finish.

(c)  Music Instruments - Tyler's Articles 2006