In California in the early 1950s, the Fender company introduced the world's first electric bass guitar. They couldn't have known it then, but their Precision Bass started a revolution in the sound of popular music. This book explains exactly how. The two-guitars-bass-and-drums lineup that would define pop music found its heart in the late 1950s with the introduction of Fender's bass. In the coming decades, the bass guitar provided the solid foundation upon which most modern music was built. The bass guitar is one of the most significant new musical instruments to have appeared in the 20th century, and "The Bass Book" is the first to study its complete and fascinating story, with the full story of the most important bass players and bass makers. This revamped and revised second edition of "The Bass Book" brings the story right up to date. Many original interviews with makers of bass guitars from the past and present illuminate the book, with the popular establishment of the bass during the 1960s and 1970s examined in detail along with more recent variations of this diverse instrument. There are also original interviews with players, including Paul McCartney. Dozens of unusual, desirable, and rarely-seen basses are presented in specially commissioned studio-quality photographs, while a reference directory provides a wealth of information on 16 key makers. There has never been anything quite like "The Bass Book". It has virtually everything you want to know about the story of the bass guitar in one stylish, readable volume.