Virtual
Bass Player

The bass guitar as an instrument, an industry and a recorded sound.

Section 06

Before 1951

The upright bass, the tuba in early jazz, and what the double bass was doing in dance bands before Leo Fender filed the patent.

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Brass band musicians play trombone, trumpet, clarinet and tuba on a residential street

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The Tuba Held the Root, Then the Upright Did, Then Leo Fender Filed a Patent

Before the electric bass guitar existed, the low end in popular music moved from the tuba in early jazz to the double bass in swing dance bands — an instrument that was loud enough for a hall but too large for most working situations. Traces that transition up to the moment in 1951 when the Precision made the double bass optional.