1930 and before

During this period, the contrabass (and in many cases the tuba) was the predominant rhythm instrument in the musical world, which in the Western world was mainly influenced by jazz. The electric bass only saw the light of day later, and it owed this to the emergence of the electric guitar. Because with the increased emergence of electric guitars in the 20s and 30s, it was sound-technically far superior to the double bass. It must be noted that the invention of electrical instruments was not the invention of a single person, but rather was based on the work of several people. And behind the beginnings was in many cases the hobby of tinkerers. Before the 1930s, people simply wanted to demonstrate what was possible with electricity. The invention of the telephone and other electrical devices went hand in hand with this. Seen in this light, the invention of electrical instruments was a series of happy coincidences and not the one bright idea that was directly commercialized.

The 1930s - The early years

In order to keep up with the volume of the newly invented electric guitar, the contrabass was combined with the electric guitar in the mid-1930s: And the electric bass was born, originally invented by Paul Tutmarc and his company Audiovox. Of course, over time, the design, workmanship, materials and quality of electric basses have improved: however, it is really amazing how much of the original electric bass has remained. Below you can see a video of the "electric bass fiddle" by Tutmarc.

It cannot be said that this invention found itself directly on most stages, as there were simply too few copies available and industrialization had not yet arrived in this niche. Only about 100 electric basses were made from the first electric bass model. However, this changed in the 1950s...

The 1950s - The breakthrough of the electric bass

In the early 1950s, to be more precise in 1951, the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, under the leadership of Leo Fender and George Fullerton, mass produced the first electric bass. Falsely, Leo Fender is often credited as the inventor of the electric bass, although he is "only" responsible for the distribution of the electric bass. The timeless design of the famous "P-Bass" (short form of Precision Bass - from then on the fretboard was fretted, which made the fingering of notes more precise) can still be found today in many bass bodies and headstocks and inspired many other bass manufacturers. In 1953, Monk Montgomery was the first to go on tour with a Fender bass, and from then on, the triumph of the electric bass was unstoppable. Attached is a video of the first official sound recording of an electric bass, which can be heard relatively well in the background.

The 1960s - ... and the electric bass can no longer be imagined without.

If the 1950's were the inital ignition, then the 1960's were a veritable explosion in terms of electric bass distribution as well as production. And this went hand in hand with the emergence of a special music genre: rock music. Without loud rock music, the high demand for electric basses would have arisen much later and thus this helped to finally establish the electric bass. Countless manufacturers invaded the music market, redesigning shape & design, materials and technology, and a variety of new electric bass models flooded the market. Many bands that are still known today and have achieved world fame, such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones or Cream, have made the electric bass even more successful through their popularity. One bass that stood out during this time was the Gibson EB-3, equipped with a shortscale, two pickups and electronics that controlled the volume, tone and pickups. In the video you can see Jack Bruce with his band Cream and a Gibson bass.

The 1970s... Bass icons and the funk

While the bass played more of an accompanying role in many rock bands, it developed into a dominant instrument with the help of funk in the mid-60s, early 70s. Funk without bass? Unthinkable! Bootsy Collins, frontman of the Rubber Band, embodies the new role of the electric bass like no other. Collins, as well as his electric bass are extravagant, eye-catching and not to be ignored.

Another bass legend is Larry Graham, inventor of electric bass slapping. In contrast to finger-plucking, this technique does not alternate between the index and middle finger, but instead the strings are played with a rotating motion of the wrist and thumb. Since in the early days his band didn't have a drummer, he wanted to use the slap sound to replace the drummer. He generated a new sound in 60s-70s that still encourages musicians today to take the bass in their hands and that has shaped the entire funk genre. His deep slap sound harmonizes wonderfully with his high-pitched singing voice.

Alongside these funk greats, Jaco Pastorius established himself as an absolute bass virtuoso in the jazz field. His natural harmonics on a fretless bass were something unprecedented, which is why he is still considered by many to be the best bass player ever.

In the field of bass manufacturing, there was a great achievement in the mid-70s: the active bass, in the form of the StingRay from the Music Man company. With the help of active electronics and a preamp, it was possible to control the different frequencies, making the bass sound more versatile.

Since the 1980s...

From jazz, funk and rock, other musical genres emerged. Whether it's hip-hop, metal, or any other genre, the electric bass is extremely important to any song, underpinning tempo, rhythm, and melodies. As new genres of music evolve, so do new styles and techniques of playing... To discover more outstanding bass players, click directly on our influential players page!