Fender Precision Bass : The First Mass-produced Electric Bass Guitar

The Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P Bass") is an electric bass guitar designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951. The Precision was the first bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on the sound of popular music ever since.

Although the Precision was the first mass-produced and widely-used bass, it was not the first model of the instrument, as is sometimes believed. That distinction was claimed in the late 1930s by the Audiovox Manufacturing Company in Seattle, Washington.

In its stock configuration, the Precision Bass is an alder or ash-bodied solid body instrument equipped with a single split-coil humbucking pickup and a one-piece maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard and 20 frets. To this day, the Precision Bass is among the best-selling electric basses of all time.

The Standard P-Bass is sanded, painted and assembled in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico along with the other Standard Series guitars. As of December 5, 2008, the Standard P-Bass has been updated with CBS era-style decals, a 3-ply parchment pickguard and a tinted maple neck with rosewood or maple fingerboard. Other features include a split-coil hum-cancelling pickup and a return to the knurled chrome flat-top control knobs. Models produced before 2003 came for a period with aged white Stratocaster control knobs.

Since its introduction in 1992, the Standard Precision Bass used (like the rest of the Standard series instruments) a post-CBS era silver transitional decal. Fender changed the headstock decal to the bolder CBS-style in 2008.

The American Standard (featuring a high-mass vintage bridge and Hipshot lightweight staggered tuning machines), American Deluxe (featuring a J-style humbucking pickup in the bridge position and an active 3-band EQ with an 18V power supply), Highway One (featuring '70s styling, BadAss II bridges with grooved saddles and a Greasebucket tone circuit since 2006) and American Vintage series models are manufactured in Corona, California. American Deluxe "Ash Body" Precisions were offered from 1995 to 2006; the 2004 color chart listed Aged Cherry Sunburst, Butterscotch Blonde and Tobacco Sunburst as available finishes during that period. Fender discontinued the ash body option as of 2007. As of March 23, 2010, all American Deluxe Precision Basses came with a N3 stacked-coil Jazz Bass pickup in the bridge position, a 21-fret tinted maple neck with compound rosewood or maple fingerboard with white or black pearloid dot markers, an active/passive toggle switch, a high-mass vintage bridge, Hipshot lightweight vintage tuners, a stealth retainer bar for the A string and a bold CBS-era headstock decal.

The Road Worn Series 50s P-Bass (introduced in 2009) features a distressed alder body with nitrocellulose lacquer finish, a 1-ply gold anodized pickguard, a synthetic bone nut, American Vintage hardware, a split-coil humbucking pickup and a 1-piece maple neck/fingerboard with 20 vintage frets.

Similar to The Beatles and Yes' effect on the popularity of the Rickenbacker 4001, the early adoption of the electric bass was in part due to Bill Black's ownership of the instrument. Black was beginning to use a Precision Bass during the filming of Jailhouse Rock. Fender also delivered an early Precision to LA session bassist and arranger Shifty Henry.

1962 Fender Precision Bass

The double bass was considered difficult to play in tune, physically cumbersome and difficult to transport. It was becoming hard to hear in increasingly large bands or in bands that included amplified electric guitars. With electric pickups, a small body and fretted neck, the Precision Bass overcame these problems. The name "Precision" came from the use of frets (as opposed to the fretless fingerboard of the double bass); players of the electric instruments could play in tune much more easily - they could play with "precision."

The electric bass produces a timbre that differs from that of the double bass: it is a more focused, harder-edged sound, with less percussive thump and a more clearly articulated fundamental tone. By bringing the sound of the bass up in a band, the bass became more dominant in its role and transformed the beat and rhythm of pop music. The electric bass allowed driving rhythms while still outlining harmonic structures and is essential to the evolution from jump blues and swing to rhythm and blues and rock music, and today is still used regularly in any genre requiring the use of a string bass instrument. [source : Fender P-Bass]

Sasando : An Unique Traditional Music Instrument of Rote Islands

Sasando is a stringed musical instrument or cordophone type musical instrument. It comes from Rote islands in East Nusa Tenggara province of Indonesia. Sasando word comes from Rote word sasandu, means vibrant instrument.

Ancient Sasando pictures

Ana Sanggu created the early shape of Sasando in the 15th century in a small island near the island of Rote, the Dana Island, which under controlled by  King Taka La'a. Sanggu is a citizen of Nusa Ti'i island,  Southwestern of Rote island. He was arrested by the King when stranded on the island while searching for fish with his friend, Mankoa. In addition to a fisherman, Sanggu also an artist.

The King at that time had a daughter who in love with Sanggu. To Sanggu, the Princess requests for a new instrument created by Sanggu to entertain her people when the moon is in full circle.

Sanggu then created the Sari Sando, an instrument that is vibrating when picked. As with seven ropes made from wooden roots. The Princess relationship with Sanggu was discovered by the King. Taka La'a was furious and then executed Sanggu.

Mankoa, Sanggu's friend who could escape, reported it to the Nusa Ti'i. Sanggu's son in Ti'i, Nale Sanggu, angry at his father death. Nale revenge with 25 knights of Ti'i. He destroyed the whole Dana island, only the children and musical instruments Sasando inherited from his father who rescued to Ti'i.

In Ti'i, Sasando was modified, the string added to nine. The music only consist of five notes mi, sol, la, do, re. Si and fa did not exist.

In the Dutch period, 18th century, the number of strings added to 10 strings. After independence again amended by adding a string to 11 string. In the 19th century, Sasando (Sasando haik) was modified into a violin by Ti'i son named Kornelis Frans. Called Sasando violin because when it created the tone is adjusted like the violin tone. Number of ropes become 39 pieces and the main tone become 7 notes. 

Sasando form is similar to other stringed instruments such as guitar, violin and harp. The main part of the long tubular Sasando commonly made from bamboo. Then in the middle, circling from top to bottom is placed some lumps in which the strings that stretched across the tube, from top to bottom resting. The wedge gives different tone to each passage of the string. Then this Sasando tube placed in a container made from a kind of woven palm leaves (Lontar leaves ) like a fan made. This container is the place of Sasando resonance.

Sasando player

The composition of the notation is irregular and you can not see it because it is wrapped. Sasando is played with both hands from the opposite direction. From left to right and left to right. Left hand plays the melody and bass, while right hand plays the accord. That makes Sasando unique because it could play the melody, bass, and accord at once. And the harmony is awesome.

Sasando's sound is very unique. Compare to guitar, Sasando's sound is more various. Sasando has 28 strings and it hard to play. Sasando player should have the ability to combine and make the right rythm and feeling from the whole strings. [source : Sasando]

TAMA Drums

TAMA Drums is a brand of drums and hardware manufactured and marketed by the Japanese musical instrument company, Hoshino Gakki. Tama's research and development of products, along with production of its professional drums, is done in Seto, Japan, while its hardware and more affordable drums are manufactured in Guangzhou, China. Hoshino has several offices around the world for marketing and wholesale distribution. Drums destined for the U.S. market are assembled and stocked at Hoshino (U.S.A.), in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. The U.S. subsidiary also contributes to Tama's market research and development.

Hoshino Gakki began manufacturing drums in 1965 under the name "Star Drums". Hoshino, the family name of the founder, translates to "star field," thus the selection of the "Star Drums" brand name. The drums were manufactured at Hoshino's subsidiary, Tama Seisakusho, which had opened in 1962 to manufacture Ibanez guitars and amplifiers. While the production of guitars and amps was moved out of the factory by 1966, the production of drums there continued to grow. The two higher lines of drum models, Imperial Star and Royal Star, were introduced to the American market and were successful lower-cost drums competing against more expensive American-made drums offered by Rogers, Ludwig, and Slingerland at the time.

By 1974, Hoshino decided to make a concerted effort to make high-quality drums and hardware and start marketing its drums under the Tama brand. Tama was the name of the owner's wife, and means "jewel" in Japanese. In keeping with its heritage, "star" continues to be used in the names of Tama's drum models to this day.

Mike Portnoy's TAMA Drum

Tama and Drum Workshop (DW) jointly bought the bankrupt Camco Drum Company. As part of the deal, DW received the Camco tooling and manufacturing equipment while Tama received the Camco name, designs, engineering and patent rights.

At the time, Camco was producing what was thought to be the best drum pedal on the market. DW continued production of the pedal using the original tooling, rebadging it as the DW5000. Tama began production of the same pedal under the Camco name. The Tama version of the Camco pedal is commonly referred to as the Tamco pedal to distinguish it from an original Camco pedal. Tama integrated all the engineering from Camco into their production process and the overall level of quality of their drums increased virtually overnight. The original plan was to market the low-end Tama drums to beginners and use the Camco brand to sell high-end drums to professional musicians. However, even the professionals were starting to use the Tama drums because the low cost of the Asian-made drums with the (now) high quality of hardware was a great combination.

Tama was one of the first companies to offer super heavy-duty hardware, and drum mounting systems that did not intrude into the shell like most brands in the 1970s. They also invented unique tubular drums called Octobans. Octobans are 6" in diameter and are manufactured in eight different lengths (hence the prefix "octo-") up to 600mm (23.5"). They vary in pitch by using different shell lengths, rather than widths.

In addition to manufacturing drums, TAMA also offers a variety of stands, pedals, and multi-clamps as well as a rack system. [source : Tama Drums]

The Gibson SG

In 1958, Gibson Les Paul sales were significantly lower than they had been in previous years. The following year, the Les Paul was given a thinner, flat-topped mahogany body, and had a double cutaway which made the upper frets more accessible. The neck joint was moved by three frets to further ease access to the upper frets.

Production costs fell significantly due to the simpler body construction, and the new Les Paul was advertised as having the "fastest neck in the world" due to its slender neck profile and virtually non-existent heel. The new Les Paul was popular, but Les Paul himself did not care for the new design, and requested the removal of his name from the new model (however, he was photographed with the new model several times).

Gibson honored Les Paul's request, and the new model was named "SG", which stood for 'Solid Guitar'. Even though Les Paul's name was officially deleted in 1961, the SG featured Les Paul nameplates and truss rod covers until the end of 1963.

Due to its popularity and vintage heritage, the body style of the SG is often copied by other manufacturers, although much less frequently than the Les Paul and the Fender Stratocaster; a notable example is the ESP Viper.

The SG generally has a solid mahogany body, with a black "bat-wing" pickguard. The 24.75" scale mahogany neck joins the body at the 19th fret. The SG's set neck is shallower than the Gibson Les Paul's, but features the traditional Gibson combination of two humbucking pickups and a Tune-O-Matic bridge assembly (or vibrato tailpiece, depending on the model).

Angus Young of ACDC's Gibson SG

The Gibson SG Standard features white trapezoid fretboard inlays, as well as fretboard binding and inlaid "Gibson" logo; the Gibson SG Special omits these features, instead using cheaper white dot inlays and a silk-screened logo. The Standard has a volume and a tone control for each individual pickup, and a three-way switch that allows the player to select either the bridge pickup, the neck pickup, or both together. The SG does not include switching to coil tap the humbuckers in stock form (with the exception of the Guitar Center-exclusive SG Standard), although this is a popular player modification.

Some models use body woods other than mahogany; examples include the Swamp Ash SG Special and SG Voodoo, the 2009 Raw Power, and some walnut bodied 1970s models. High-end models occasionally sport decorative maple caps, carved tops, and gold hardware. [source : Gibson SG]