For all things bass – the ultimate guide to bass guitars
Here, we highlight everything you need to know about bass guitars to help you make an informed choice on Your Next Guitar.
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The electric bass guitar grew out of the need for more volume and more portability as bands and groups got louder and did bigger gigs. Most groups had a double bass player, which is big and loud, but no match for a drummer, keyboard or electric guitar!
First up was the Fender Precision Bass, a solid body 4 string electric bass, released in 1951, which slowly gained acceptance with guitarists who loved the sound, flexibility and portability of it.
As full guitar bands became established in the 50’s and 60’s due to the rock and roll and pop explosion, electric guitars and basses became the norm.
Whilst the bass guitar was seen, like the drums, to be a background instrument, players like Paul McCartney with The Beatles, brought it to the fore with his now famous Hofner Violin Bass.
Choices
Today you can get 4, 5 and 6 string basses as well as fretless and acoustic bass guitars. Prices can go from £150 to many £thousands.
Unlike electric and acoustic guitarists, players tend to have just one bass, rather than many, so the number of makers around tend to be much less, although the custom and bespoke market is large.
We have around 40 makers profiled on our site.
Shapes
Bass guitars tend to fall into a few ‘classic’ shapes after the original and iconic guitars.
- Fender Precision Bass introduced in 1951
- Hofner Violin Bass introduced in 1955
- Gibson EB-O Bass introduced in 1959
Bass Amps
These tend to be large and powerful with big speakers and heavy chassis to cope with the low sounds. It is not unusual to have 300watt amps and combos! Renowned makers include Ashdown and Warwick.
Fender, Laney, Blackstar and others all have bass amps in their ranges.