Types of Bass Guitars
Though its evolution has been rapid compared to its rhythm section counterpart, the drums, the bass guitar still has plenty of history and diversity. Still, the bass goes as the unsung hero of any band. It hides in the shadows, behind the stage lights, behind the gyrating, screaming frontmen and the flashy, over-bearing guitarists. It doesn’t have the hammering sound of the drums or the bling-bling glitz of the brass. Rarely, if ever, will you hear someone bragging that they had attended a concert and they couldn’t believe the stellar performance of the bass guitarist. Never do we hear a friend listening to a song and commenting, “Wow, does the bass guitar kick it in this song or what?”
Despite its relative lack of glamour, and its resistance to an over-bearing, drown-out sound, the bass is the driving force of any band. It’s a fairly simple equation that musicians figured out a long, long time ago: No Bass = No Soul. With that being said, the bass has spent nearly the last century evolving from an over-sized, stand-up hunk of glued-together mahogany to the diverse, complex, digital machines of today. There are now several types and styles of bass guitar. Even though their roles in the bands have not changed, their looks and uses have. Here’s a look at some of the various types of deep-stringers out there today.
Solid Body
The first electric bass guitar ever made was of this particular category. Made from a solid, single piece of wood, the body of this particular beast is carved in several different shapes and sizes; however, the function remains the same throughout the styles. The solid-body basses are made from different kinds of wood, the most common being alder. It is typically accompanied by a maple neck with a rosewood fret board. Mahogany is also a popular choice for the neck.
Recently, several companies have taken to experimenting with different types of material for solid-body basses. Included in these materials is graphite, titanium, and luthite. Pickups for a solid-body can range anywhere from humbuckers to opticals. The range of sound is fairly standard on solid-bodies. It isn’t until you delve into the realm of fretless and ERBs that you change the tonal influence.
Hollow Body
For those of you who think you’ve never witnessed the playing of a hollow-bodied bass, think again. If you’ve ever seen one of the old reels of The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show or in a concert when they were still together, you’ve witnessed a hollow-body bass being played in the hands of Paul McCartney. The hollow body is not as common as its solid twin, mostly due to the fact that it reverberates feedback as well as it reverberates string sound. This is not a design flaw. Most hollow basses have the standard ƒ-shaped cutout that can be seen in violins and violas. The hollow body is made to echo the string noise for a longer lasting, deeper sound. Couple that resonation with electricity and you’ve got one of the most original sounds available in the bass world.
Semi-hollow Body
The semi-hollow body bass is a cousin to both the solid-body and the hollow-body. It provides the best of both worlds. It cuts down on the feedback of the hollow-body by having a solid-cored center. However, both sides of the body remain hollow. This provides the low tones that are perfect for jazz, R&B, and country. It lacks the overpowering slam or twang that would be a good fit for funk, alternative, or rock.
Acoustic
Picture an acoustic guitar with bigger strings and less of them and you’ve got an acoustic bass. Like its six-string cousin it can come in electric or non-electric. With a totally hollow body, it is loud enough to be heard without amplification but is usually played near a microphone for that little bit of extra boost needed. The acoustic is said to be the cousin to the Mexican six-string acoustic bass known as a guitarrón, played most commonly in mariachi music. This type of bass is also know as a “flat-top” bass due to its lack of a carved top like a violin.
Short-scale
The short-scale bass is the classic tool for beginners. It houses a 30” neck as opposed to the standard 34” neck that comes on the majority of solid and hollow-bodied basses. The shorter neck provides a much lower tension on the strings, allowing for easier maneuvering and flexibility on the fret board. The trade off of that maneuverability is more of a deadened sound. The lack of string tension does not allow the resonance that comes with the 34” neck. However, if you’re in the process of learning scales, finger agility, or just starting out playing, the 30” may be right up your alley.
Neck-through
Just like the name says, these beauties are constructed from one solid piece of material for both the neck and body. Most basses have a neck that is bolted to the body and made from a different type of wood. The neck-through bass is carved from tip to toe with one solid piece. This provides greater resonance and a full tonal range. Another perk to the neck-through is that it has a tendency to remain in tune longer than a two-piece design.
Fretless
Another self-explanatory name. Whether you’ve bought a fretless right from the store or you’ve taken your old Precision and hacked the neck up (ala Jaco), the fretless bass is exactly that – fretless. The fretless bass is known as the bass for advanced players only. It carries an exceptionally fluid and distinct sound, nevertheless it is essential to know where your notes are on the fret board. It does help if you can find one that has the fret lines drawn onto the neck; but, if you’re up to attempting the fretless then you’re probably not picking up a bass for the first time anyhow, so you should have a rough idea of what you’re doing to start with.
Five- and Six-string
Although the four-string is still the most popular and most played bass of all the genres, the five- and six-stringers are rapidly taking over the preferences of bassists everywhere. For bassists who are looking for that heavy, deep sound, a five-string bass provides an added low-B string above the E. This is common in nu-metal, alternative, and rock bands. For the bassist who wants that same thudding depth coupled with the high-end range, there’s the six-string. This animal carries not only the low-B string but also a high-C string. Les Claypool of Primus is one of the most popular six-string players of today.
Extended-range
Extended Range Basses (ERBs) are anything above six-strings. This includes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and, yes, even 12-string basses. They are, most commonly, solid-bodied. While the popularity of ERBs isn’t spreading like wildfire, they do provide the widest range of sound of any of the above axes. The largest of the ERBs, the 11- and 12-string, have the same tonal range as a grand piano. Perhaps when a bassist develops the same finger range as a four-handed man the ERBs will sell like hotcakes. Until then, ERBs are reserved for only the best of the best bassists in the world.
