Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has inspired generations of musicians to pick up the bass guitar. His funky yet rockin’ grooves make an impressionful statement about who he is as an artist and person.
There is an endless variety of bass guitar models, each one designed and constructed differently, which influences its tonal characteristics. Discover which bass type best meets your needs by learning about its construction, hardware and tonewoods.
Body & Neck
Bass guitars feature numerous components, so finding one to suit your personal style, needs and budget can be tricky. We carry an assortment of red bass guitar bodies and necks so you can find one perfect for yourself!
Lacquer finishes are popular options that provide a glossy, wet look that is easy to keep looking its best, yet easy to keep clean and maintain. While they can ding easily if scratched accidentally, we also have sunburst finishes which have gradients of transparent to solid colors for an eye-catching vintage aesthetic.
A bass’s neck is a long strip of wood extending from its body to its headstock, equipped with fret markers that indicate where notes on its fretboard lie so you can play them easily. There are various neck shapes available; you’ll need to find one suitable for both your hand size and playing style; perhaps for instance a U-shaped or tapered neck would provide greater comfort or easier navigation for players with smaller hands?
While a bass’s finish and neck have an impactful influence on its sound, other elements must also be taken into consideration, including pickups and amplifiers – these will play a pivotal role in creating its tone as well as determining its power output.
If you’re in search of an instrument with classic yet powerful tone, check out the Fender Jazz Bass ’75. It features dual humbucking pickups, two-band active preamp with cut and boost controls, as well as a truss rod adjuster. Furthermore, its rosewood fingerboard with 21 jumbo frets ensures stability and great intonation, and chrome diecast tuning pegs help achieve superb intonation and intonation. Perfect for musicians wanting to add class to their performance, its vibrant candy apple red color will capture everyone’s eye; legendary bassists have used these sounds and looks for years when creating signature sounds of their signature sounds.
Hardware
Bass guitars can be equipped with hardware that alters both their tone and feel, such as bridges, string saddles and pickups. A bridge anchors your strings to the body of the bass guitar while string saddles allow you to set tension on individual strings. Finally, pickups “pick up” vibration from strings to convert it into an electrical signal that can be sent directly to an amplifier for processing.
Hardware on a bass can also have an effect on how easy it is to play, with features like an ergonomic fretboard and neck for beginners being key components; more advanced players may prefer features such as recessed tuners for easier access to higher notes on the neck. Also consider features like pickguard, output jack and strap buttons; pickguard is designed to protect from scratches while output jack connects directly with amplifiers to extend playback to higher volumes or amps.
Bass guitars provide the foundation of every genre of music. From rock’s pulsing rhythms to jazz’s smooth grooves, the bass adds organic texture and depth that brings songs alive. Our selection of red bass guitars features designs by Fender, Squier and Ibanez that can meet the needs of any style and budget – make your music come to life!
Hertz’s bass guitar boasts an elegant finish and maple neck for maximum tonal versatility, boasting active pickups with 3-band EQ to give you superior control over its sound, while its rosewood fretboard makes fretting simple. Perfect for beginners thanks to its lightweight construction and affordable price point; pair it with a practice amp and start honing your skills before hitting the stage!
Electronics
Basses are quiet instruments by themselves, requiring external amplification in order to be heard at an appropriate performance volume. Most basses feature pickups that “collect” string vibration and convert them into an electrical signal sent to an amplifier – these pickups typically feature separate knobs to control tone and volume settings on your bass.
Other key components of a bass include its bridge, string saddles and nut. The bridge serves to hold your strings down while string saddles anchor them to a nut that sits between headstock and fretboard and lifts them away from touching fretboard allowing strings to vibrate when pressing down on frets to produce sound.
Most basses feature an output jack for connecting a cord, and some even come equipped with active electronics that boost string output while adding tonal flexibility by giving you control over which frequencies to amplify or cut back on. Other features include an input jack, strap buttons and pickguard.
Sound
The bass guitar is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family and serves as the centerpoint for many genres including rock, funk, metal, and blues. Anyone passionate about music can benefit from taking lessons to become an accomplished bass player; experienced musicians often come from all backgrounds with various styles they play but they all share one thing in common: creating foundational tone while adding rhythmic support for their bandmates.
Finding the ideal sound from your bass guitar requires mastering certain playing techniques, equipment, and your unique approach to any particular song or style of music. Achieve a full, rich tone with plenty of low-frequency energy requires plenty of practice and experimentation with various settings on your amplifier’s control panel, such as changing bass/treble knobs as well as compression/EQ pedals.
If you want a punchy and twangy bass tone, try playing closer to the bridge. This will add more of a thump to your notes while also increasing EQ settings on your amp. Or experiment with different picking patterns and string types until you find something that best matches your playing style.
Add an overdrive pedal or distortion pedal for an exciting bass sound by tuning and maintaining it regularly. These devices will enhance your tone, giving it that big and bold sound ideal for heavy metal and hard rock music. In order to keep the tone tight and clean, focus on tuning your bass regularly as this will also keep it in great condition and ensure its overall sound remains clean and tight.
No matter your experience level or stage presence, our selection of red electric basses has something that will meet all your needs. From active pickups for complete sound control to transparent finishes that show off the wood underneath – invest in one and you will own an instrument that looks great and sounds even better on stage!