Introduced in 1951, the Fender Precision Bass completely transformed the sound of popular music by the early ’60s. This is the first book to show you how and why. This richly illustrated history reveals the true colors of the Fender electric bass - as a powerful agent of change in popular music and popular culture. It tells the story of technological and artistic evolution, of basses and players--and of their profound influence on the world around them. Celebrating the instrument’s 50th anniversary, this book salutes the revolutionary impact of the bass in the hands of James Jamerson, Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, Carol Kaye, John Entwistle, Jaco Pastorius, Sting, and other bass visionaries and virtuosos past and present.

This book by the founding editor and former publisher of EBass PlayerE magazine not only celebrates the 50-year history of Fender's revolutionary Precision Bass it also a for the first time a illuminates the full scope of its profound impact on music and"

(Book). When Leo Fender added a bass to his growing family of instruments 50 years ago, he created a new world for musicians and revolutionized an industry in the process. Using hundreds of photographs, this exciting release chronicles the evolution of that instrument from 1951 to 2001, providing background, history and highly researched facts vital to understanding everything about this remarkable member of the Fender family. A must for all music fans!

The first full-color, comprehensive history, tracing the entire development of one of the 20th century's most important musical instruments. Based on firsthand interviews with primary inventors and makers of past and present bass guitars, this new book examines the birth of the instrument, its popularization during the 1960s and 1970s, and modern variations of the instrument.

book for musicians, instrument collectors, and fans of Fender. This, at last, is the complete Fender story." --Book Jacket.

ÊThe Bass BookÊ offers a complete illustrated history of bass guitars from Fender's first in the 1950s through the models of the next 40 years that formed the foundation for modern music. The bass guitar is undoubtedly one of the most significant instruments of this century yet this book is the first to study its history. Features original interviews with bass makers past and present dozens of unusual specially commissioned color photos and a reference section that provides a wealth of information on every major manufacturer.

Fender’s Telecaster is one of the icons of the guitar world. It’s not just manufacturer’s hype that this is the one of the most famous guitars of all time—it was the first production solid-body electric guitar, setting the style for everything that followed. To say this guitar changed the world of music is no over-the-top boast.This is the first history and giftbook devoted to the legendary Tele. It covers the development of the guitar and the famous players who made it their own, from the first 1949 prototype to the launch of the model in 1950 as the Esquire, through the Broadcaster, infamous “Nocaster,� the Telecaster—and its numerous variations today.