Fig. 1: Basses from Little Guitar Works feature a Natural Twist neck. Photo by Brenda Ladd
Fig. 2: A sculpted body from Little Guitar Works. Photo by Brenda LaddNot only is the body by far the biggest
part of a bass, it’s the instigator of
endless discussions and even more myths.
Starting with the classic P-bass shape finished
in either sunburst or solid colors,
almost anything you can imagine exists
in today’s bass marketplace. This includes
transparent, translucent, and opaque colors,
as well as those AAA++ top woods offered
by many boutique basses.
And when it comes to an instrument
being qualified for a style of music, it’s odd
how the body’s shape and color can delude
us. A sunburst P bass might represent blues
or R&B, but make the body pink and you’ll
be classified as a ’70s funkateer. Change the
shape to a V or any other pointy style and
audiences will expect to hear some metal.
In the end, this is all about fashion and cultural
trends, and rarely anything else.
The best evidence that the shape of a
solidbody has nothing to do with tone?
Even the most hype-oriented people in our
pretty talkative industry are not claiming
that it does. Admittedly, it’s rather unscientific
proof, and it’s quite possible these
marketing folks are too busy talking about
the specific tone of different woods, or
debating if trees should be cut down during
a full moon, or if hardshell cases should
sport spiracles so wax and oil finishes can
breathe freely.
Seriously, a bass body is first and foremost
a structural element that keeps all the
instrument’s parts in place. Whether the
body material exerts any tonal influence on
a solidbody is at the center of numerous
debates. Many of these end up as rather
esoteric arguments about resonance or
waves travelling through our instruments.
Where these waves travel—and if they ever
come back—is a Pandora’s box too large to
be opened in a magazine column.
There certainly are good instruments
made from chipboard or laminates. Once
again, this isn’t real proof, but thinking you
can hear the grain structure and density of a
comparably huge and heavy block of wood
just by plucking a tiny string—while you
have lots of other small parts that directly
touch this string—sounds a bit absurd.
And here’s one last bit of populist wisdom
to ponder: “A good tonewood is one
that resonates and vibrates so well it can be
used for an electric solidbody.” Wait, wait—
you pluck a string and the body takes this
power to resonate and let waves travel
through it, instead of letting those expensive
pickups do their job?
We’d better get back to a body’s structural
function. There are a couple of things we
definitely need on a body—a neck pocket,
an arm rest, the bridge area, and another
area for electronics. Add two points for the
strap buttons and you’re almost done with a
fully functional body. Their exact positions
define the overall balance of the instrument
and its ergonomics, but everything else is a
matter of taste and fashion. (Some singlecut
basses can be an exception, as body and
neck may be integrated.)
Shapes can also qualify an instrument for
specific playing styles. Think of the different
needs of Robert Trujillo’s low-hanging
bass and his fingerstyle technique versus
Mark King, whose bass almost touches
his chin for slap-style playing. Okay, in
addition to being a great player, King is a
rather small guy, so his chin is always close,
but you get the idea: The ultimate ergonomic
instrument and body design actually
depends on what you are after. There are
extensive rules for setting up workplace
computer stations, but opinions differ on
what makes a bass ergonomic.
Most people discussing ergonomic guitars
and basses automatically think of how
you hold and play a classical guitar: seated
with the neck pointing 45 degrees upward,
while the guitar body rests on your left (or
sometimes right) leg. While this works as
a starting point for most players, it’s worth
looking into some alternative concepts.
Take the instrument in Fig. 1, for
example. It represents another perspective
on ergonomics. And how about body
sculpting, as illustrated in Fig. 2? Both
basses look more radical than they really
are, and if you’re willing to dive into the
world of 3D-body design, you might find
the ride exhilarating.
Heiko Hoepfinger is a German
physicist and long-time bassist, classical
guitarist, and motorcycle enthusiast. His
work on fuel cells for the European orbital
glider Hermes got him deeply into modern
materials and physical acoustics, and
led him to form BassLab (basslab.de)—a
manufacturer of monocoque guitars and basses. You can
reach him at
chefchen@basslab.de..