Bass Guitar: Origins

Bass Guitar: Origins

In terms of guitars, the bass guitar is one of the “newest” instruments. The bass guitar, however obvious it may seem, was not derived from the guitar.

Electrical guitars were created from acoustic guitars, while bass guitars were actualized from the double bass instrument. These instruments were at first known as electrical bass instruments or the electric bass.

The double bass instruments are colossal classical instruments that have been around for hundreds of years. They are played with the instrument placed in a vertical position on the ground and the musician using a bow across the strings.

In 1935, Paul Tutmarc developed the first embodiment of the electric bass. It was to be held in a similar fashion to guitars, and an amplification device could be used in conjunction with it. However, Paul’s instrument never appealed to the crowd. It was essentially “ignored.”

It wasn’t until 1951 that the bass guitar started to earn some recognition in modern music. At this time, Leo Fender created the Fender Precision Bass, which was produced in copious amounts and exploded with popularity. Other companies soon followed suit, and the bass guitar became an important part of jazz groups and nearly all varieties of music.

Leo Fender tweaked the bass guitar to his creative ways and mass produced them with extraordinary success. While we should commend Mr. Fender for his contributions to the bass guitar, Paul Tutmarc should be remembered as the original inventor of the electric bass.

Bass Guitar: The Anatomy

There are many and various parts of a bass guitar. They all have a specific function to the overall instrument. The electric bass can be divided into th...

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...n songs. The bass guitar, like many of the other topics I am spontaneous interested in, was something I decided to research in my spare time(which is, basically everyday). The more I read about it, the more engrossed I became towards these double bass “successors.” I also felt that the bass guitar was an “under-researched” popular instrument. Through doing this project, I knew that more information about bass guitars could be shared toward my peers; it’d expand their knowledge, understanding, and interest of an awesome musical apparatus.

Bibliography

“The Anatomy of a Bass Guitar.” Dummies.com® Wiley Publishing, Inc.

May 22, 2010.

“Bass Guitar History.” Vintage Guitar Warehouse.

May 22, 2010