All About The Bass Guitar

By Miles Stoppard

Music today simply wouldn't be what it is without the invention of the bass guitar. This musical instrument was developed because of issues that musicians were having at the time. It was difficult to hear people with low voices over the bass playing and many times, piano and brass sections also drowned the bass out.

The very first electric bass guitar was brought to the public in 1935 by Audiovox in Seattle, Washington. It was designed by Paul Tutmarc and was used extensively, as soon as it was released. Paul Tutmarc was a musician and teacher who saw a solution to the above mentioned issues.

Between 1935 and 1951, there were no real advances in the bass guitar. However, in 1951, Leo Fender created and released a Precision bass which is now the most popular and favored bass guitar in history. In 1960, Fender released another bass guitar, a Jazz model which is identified by having two pickups and a more aesthetically pleasing body and style.

There have been many breakthroughs in technology where music is concerned. You can find some great innovations in bass guitars that have blown away the old styles. In 1959, Danelectro produced the first six string bass. This was a huge leap in technology that now seems almost null and void.

However, this can't be forgotten in the history and development of the bass guitar. Right after Danelectro produced their six string model, Fender and Gibson came out with a five string model in 1964. Danelector's first fretless base was followed by the bass Aubi in 1965 and an eight string model in 1968 by Hagstroem.

As the popularity of the bass guitar spread throughout the music community, more and more styles began popping up on the scene. Eventually, people were able to get pretty much any style or color of bass guitar that their heart desired. There were two main categories of bass guitar, precision and jazz, but they became harder to discern as the new models came out. Bass players were suddenly thrust into the limelight as musical superstars.

Famous musicians like Bill Wyman, who adapted his very own guitar once upon a time and made it fretless, as well, have made bass guitars as popular as they are today. Advanced players love the extended range basses. Today's popular music has brought the popularity of bass guitars full circle. Bass guitar players are now seen as music superstars and these players have a huge following, across all musical genres. - 29968

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