The bass guitar is a fairly new instrument, historically. It’s only been around since the 1930s. Although it’s called a “guitar” and looks closely related to a guitar, it’s actually derived from the standup double bass. That’s why the instrument is more commonly referred to as simply the “electric bass.”
Of course, the acoustic double bass has been around for centuries as a mainstay of orchestras. But during the 20th century, as more and more popular music became louder and more amplified, the acoustic bass had trouble being heard. Hence the need for an electrified version of the instrument.
A Seattle man named Paul Tutmarc is often credited with creating the first electric bass guitar, in 1935. A couple of years earlier, Tutmarc had developed a prototype electric standup bass, which looked like a regular double bass, but was about the size of a cello. But soon after that, he began working on the first electric bass that was modeled after the guitar. It was tuned like a standup bass, but designed to be held like a guitar, and able to be amplified. Tutmarc is also remembered by many as the inventor of the electric guitar, but his version of the electric bass never caught on.
It wasn’t until 1951 that the legendary Leo Fender created his first Fender Precision Bass. This was the first electric bass to be mass produced, and it became wildly popular, making the electric bass a standard sound of popular music from then until today. The original Precision Bass model was basically the same design as the Fender Telecaster electric guitar, with the big difference being the then-radical double cutaway body. A couple of years later, the Precision Bass switched to a model with more contoured edges for playing comfort, but retaining the rest of its Telecaster-like style.
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Tags: bass guitar, electric bass, Fender bass, Fender Precision Bass, Fender Telecaster, Leo Fender, Paul Tutmarc