Less than 20 years after its introduction in 1951, Fender’s electric bass had nearly become a victim of genericization. Over the years, many companies’ trademarked product names have become the generic name for an entire class of product. Besides Kleenex (originally produced by Kimberly-Clark), there are aspirin (first marketed by the German company Bayer), dumpster (originally the Dempster Dumpster, created by the Dempster Brothers company), escalator (from the Otis company), and a long list of others, including Frisbee, Popsicle, Velcro, and even zipper. In any case, by the time 1969 rolled around, the terms “Electric Bass” and “Fender Bass” were synonymous; in fact, the Los Angeles Musicians Union directory had separate categories for “Bass” (meaning “upright bass”) and “Fender Bass” (for all electric basses).
While Fender basses weren’t the only basses being made in the 1950s and ’60s, they were so common on records and on TV that they were the de facto standard. A number of session bassists, including Carol Kaye and Joe Osborn in Los Angeles; James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt in Detroit; Duck Dunn, Leroy Hodges, and Tommy Cogbill in Memphis; and Muscle Shoals’ David Hood, played Fender basses, and the records they played on helped to define the sound and the role of the electric bass in the 1960s.
But the Fender sound wasn’t the only electric bass sound on recordings in the ’60s. Felix Pappalardi played a Gibson EB-1 with Mountain, and Jack Bruce played a Gibson EB-3 for many of the Cream years. There was the iconic instrumental band the Ventures with Bob Bogle playing his Mosrite bass, and above all, there was Paul McCartney. Because of Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary, many of us have been going through a Beatles kick for the last few months. Paul McCartney’s Hofner sounded fabulous, though completely unlike a Fender. For that matter, the Fender Bass VI that made a number of appearances in the Get Back documentary didn’t sound much like a Fender bass either, possibly because John Lennon was prone to playing whole chords on the Bass VI rather than single-note bass lines. (As an old friend used to say, “He wasn’t playing a part — he was just playing.”)
And that brings me to the point of this discussion: while you should have a bass (or basses) that will give you a “normal” bass sound, quirky, odd, and out-of-the-ordinary basses should also be a part of the well-equipped bassist’s arsenal. I have friends who kept their first basses; some are from the 1960s and ’70s. These are not instruments that might be considered “vintage”; they’re simply old — Harmony, Silvertone, Airline, and Kay. (My first bass was a Domino copy of a Hofner Beatle Bass.) While they might not generally be considered great — or even particularly good — instruments by today’s standards, their sound might be perfect for a particular project. Fortunately, you don’t have to seek out (and maintain) a “vintage” bass. There are lots of great instruments on the market that can take your playing and your sound in new directions.
For example, the Kala U-Bass is all of the above — quirky, odd, and out of the ordinary — but I’ve used mine on a surprising number of projects. Hollowbody basses, such as the classic Hofners, Gretsch G5440LS, or Guild Starfire, with La Bella flatwound or tapewound strings can sound great. I should also mention that the legendary Danelectro Longhorn has not only a unique look, but the sound is also equally unusual. If you feel the urge to try Fender’s classic Bass VI, Sweetwater offers both a Fender Custom Shop version and the more affordable Squier Classic Vibe Bass VI.
Once I started experimenting with unique-sounding basses to suit specific applications, I discovered more applications where that sound works. Try it for yourself and see!