History of the Electric Bass Guitar

The electric bass guitar has been modified over the years.

Today's bass electric guitars have changed drastically from the original types of bass guitars since the time they were first created. Bass guitars were created initially around the 1920s, and improvements continued to happen for several decades. During the 1950s, a major breakthrough happened with this instrument that changed the world of bass guitars.

1920s

Lloyd Loar, an employee of the Gibson Guitar Company, created the original electric double bass. It was an upright stringed instrument, much like a cello. It contained an electro-static pickup. Still, there was no way to hear an amplified sound from it.

Improvements in the 1930s and '40s

During the 1930s, Paul Tutmarc improved the instrument slightly. It was still an upright, contained no frets and was extremely heavy. He then went on to improve it more during the 1940s. He added frets to it, decreased the size and it was now played horizontally. He used a telephone transducer for a pickup, but the instrument still had no amplification means without placing a microphone in front of it.

Breakthrough in the '50s

In 1951, Leo Fender, whose name still remains well-known in the guitar world, had a breakthrough. He invented the Precision bass electric guitar and it was mass produced during that decade. This guitar was lightweight and had a contoured body for playing comfort. It was easily transportable and contained a single coil pickup causing volume to be heard through an amplifier with little to no feedback.

Developments in the '60s

The '60s were a time of new developments and trials with the bass guitar. People created five-string basses, six-strings, eight-strings and more. In addition to that, major changes started to evolve in pickups. The Precision bass started with a single coil pickup. New types of pickups were now created including humbuckers, active and passive pickups.

From the '70s Until Now

During the '70s, improvements continued, but bass guitars did not change tremendously. By this time, most bass guitars used were four-stringed instruments containing a single coil pickup, a humbucker pickup or a passive pickup. Active pickups became more popular during this time period, meaning the guitar required a battery to operate the pickup. During the '90s, five-stringed basses increased in popularity. To this day, enhancements and new developments are crafted in a constant attempt to continue improving the bass electric guitar.

References

• Ezine Articles; The History of the Bass Guitar
• History of the Electric Bass