Collection: Electric Bass

I know, everybody calls it bass guitar.  But, years ago, there was this lady that played bass on a few tunes. . .

Carol Kaye didn’t just change how the bass was played—she helped change what it was called. Prior to her influence, the instrument was commonly referred to as the “Fender Bass.” But when she released her 1969 method book, How to Play the Electric Bass, she effectively “changed the name of Fender Bass to Electric Bass,” a designation that was subsequently adopted by musicians and even the musicians’ unions. Kaye's melodic, rhythmic approach and prolific studio work—comprising an estimated 10,000 recording sessions—cemented both the instrument's name and its central role in modern music, influencing countless bassists and elevating the instrument’s identity in the process