Basics of Bass Guitars

                                                                                         

The history of bass guitars dates back to 1930s when it was first developed by Paul Tutmarc of Seattle, Washington. A bass guitar looks similar to an electric guitar except it is larger in terms of body and neck length. The guitar is tuned to pitches that are one octave lower than those of the four lower strings of a guitar (E, A, D and G). Like electric guitars, bass guitars are attached to an amplifier or speaker for live performance.

What are bass guitars made of?

The bass guitars usually have bodies made of wood. The body may also be made of other materials like graphite as in some of the Steinberger guitars. Different types of woods are used for the making of the neck, body and the fretboard of the bass guitars. Usually the body is made of alder; the fretboard is made of rosewood and the neck of maple. Other types of woods used are ash, mahogany and maple for bodies, maple and ebony for the fretboard and mahogany for necks. The bass guitars have various flat and curved designs and oil, wax, or lacquer finishes.

What creates the bass effect?

Most of the bass guitars have bodies with hollow chambers to enhance the resonance and tone of the instruments. This design also reduces the weight of the guitars. Acoustic bass guitars usually have piezoelectric or magnetic pick ups and amplifiers. Bass Guitars may also be classified on the basis of the frets. The Fender basses have about 20 frets whereas modern basses have about 24 or more frets. The Fretless basses produce distinct sound due to lack of frets. Usually the bass guitars have four, five or six strings.

You can take formal bass guitars training in a wide range of styles like jazz, rock, Latin, funk and R&B. You may even learn informally from records or CDs. There is a wide variety of brands and styles of bass guitars. You can buy them along with many different accessories according to your individual needs. Some of the accessories that are often required are amplifiers, cables, straps, tuners, headphones, Instructional DVDs and gig bags. You can even shop online. The different websites will offer you the opportunity to make a well informed buy. They can also create personalized packages that contain the accessories that you want to suit your individual tastes and preferences

About the author:
At World Music Supply, we offer acoustic guitars in all your favorite models and styles. From Strats (Stratocasters) to Teles (Telecasters), jazzy arch-tops to cool signatures, metal guitars, and even smaller sized guitars for those just beginning, we've got something for everyone, in top brands like Fender, ESP, B.C. Rich, and Jackson.

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