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Types of Bass Guitars
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Acoustic Bass
The acoustic bass looks a lot like an acoustic guitar but they only have 4 strings and they have a much deeper, richer and fuller sound than an acoustic guitar.
When tuning the acoustic bass, it’s the same as the bottom 4 strings of the 6-string acoustic: E-A-D-G.
These instruments are almost silent when their sound isn’t amplified, so most of them will have a pickup so you can hook them into an amp.
Semi-Acoustic Bass
The semi-acoustic bass guitar is definitely not the most common type of bass, but you will find them out there.
You can find them in all shapes and sizes, and all variety of number of strings.
Electric Bass
Also known as simply Bass Guitar, the electric bass is the most common type of bass guitar. These are built using pick-ups to hook up to an amplifier and amplify the sound.
These instruments typically have 4 to 6 strings. The electric bass has the lowest pitched tone of any guitar in the guitar family. The strings are plucked and they look a lot like electric guitars.
Hollow Body Bass
Hollow body bass guitars came into fashion in the late 60s and 70s, but had fallen out of favor for many years.
Now they’re making a comeback in a massive way thanks to their unique tone which more and more musicians are wanting in their music.
First brought to mainstream music by Paul McCartney (playing the Gibson EB-2), the hollow body bass is no longer reserved just for early British rock bands.
Fretless Bass
As the name suggests, the fretless bass has no frets on the fretboard. Without the use of frets, the musician has more freedom to find precise tones.
Also, frets on normal guitars can cause undesired vibrations from time to time. With a fretless bass, this is never an issue.
However, the lack of frets requires an incredible level of precision to get the right chords, so the fretless bass isn’t recommended for novice bass players.
Jazz Bass
Most models of jazz bass guitars will have a modern C-Shaped neck which is normally made from maple, but can be other materials in some cases.
It is the material they’re made from and their shape that gives them a very distinct look and feel.
The jazz bass guitar’s neck typically tapers as it makes its way up to the nut, where the string tension is wound much tighter than most other types of guitars for easier fingerpicking.
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Bass Guitar Strings
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Bass Guitar Lessons
Beginner Lesson 1
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Beginner Lesson 2
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Beginner Lesson 3
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Beginner Lesson 4
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