User:Elimanning2012/Bass guitar

Terminology
According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, an "Electric bass guitar [is] a Guitar, usually with four heavy strings tuned E1'–A1'–D2–G2." It also defines bass as "Bass (iv). A contraction of Double bass or Electric bass guitar." According to some authors the proper term is "electric bass". Common names for the instrument are "bass guitar", "electric bass guitar", and "electric bass" and some authors claim that they are historically accurate. As the electric alternative to a double bass (which is not a guitar), many manufacturers such as Fender list the instrument in the electric bass category rather than the guitar category.

Like the double bass, the bass guitar is a transposing instrument, as it is notated in bass clef an octave higher than it sounds, to reduce the need for ledger lines in music written for the instrument, and simplify reading.

Scale
The scale of the bass is located along the length of the string and forms what is known as the fingerboard. The scale can range in length but is traditionally 34-35 inches long while "short scale" bass guitars are usually between 30-32 inches. Short scale bass guitars are made for beginners and younger people since the frets are closer together and easier to play. Long scale bass guitars are known as traditional bass guitars and tend to produce a more defined sound than short scale basses.

Pickup
Bass pickups are generally attached to the body of the guitar and located beneath the strings. They often come in a black, rectangular shape and are responsible for translating the physical energy from a person plucking the strings, to electrical energy that is sent to an amplifier to create sound.

There are several different kinds of bass pickups that exist, such as single-coil, double-coil, split coil, piezo, and optical pickups. All of these pickups are seen commonly, yet are all used for separate purposes. Single-coil pickups produce a fine tone but tends to create a buzzing noise. Double-coil pickups and split-coil pickups are designed to eliminate that buzzing noise and are larger in size. Piezo pickups are normally found on acoustic guitars and don't rely on magnets to help produce sound Optical pickups are the newest kind of pickups available for bass guitars which uses infrared detectors that create sound using the changes in size and shape of the shadow of the string.

Strings
Bass guitar strings are made up of two main components: the core and the winding. The core is the central wire that runs through the center of the string and is generally made up of steel, nickel or some alloy. The difference in material can have an effect on the sound of the bass guitar. There are four main methods of string winding: roundwound, flatwound, tapewound, and groundwound (half-round). The difference in winding also has an impact on the sound of the bass guitar, but the most commonly found winding is the roundwound, which involves the core wire being wrapped with another round-shaped wire.

Roundwound strings are the most popular form of strings on bass guitars and are known for producing a more harmonic tone. The next most common string found on bass guitars are flatround strings. Flatround strings are known for a smoother sound and feel compared to roundwound strings. Taperound strings are similar to flatround strings except, taperound strings are wrapped in a non-metal material, such as nylon, giving an even slicker feel and a fuzzier tone. Groundround strings, also known as half-round strings, are known for incorporating elements from both roundwound and flatround strings. They are less common but are made to generate a brighter sounding flatround string.