Is there 100 best innovations in world bass playing.

[Fergie Fulton]

There is a TV programme on soon called 100 best gadgets ever invented. Got me thinking about how that would work in what we do, so the question is "the best 100 innovations for bass players in the last 100 years. So from basses to gadgets, effects to amps, teaching aids to new thinking in instruction... what has improved or made our lives easier if not better?

For me i would start with;

1/Class D power amps, they have made lugging big heavy heads and combos around a thing of the past.
2/Match this with modern speaker design and small is not really an issue any more, so there is two for a start.

[Spectrum]

I would make #1 the electric bass.

[Ric5]

#2 would be the bass amplifier

#3 would be the 5 string bass

[carl h.]

#4 the van

[Timmah]

#5 roundwounds

[Schlyder]

damn beat me to #5
#6 Straplocks
#7 LED fret markers

[adrianr1983]

#8 Active Pre-amp+Pick ups

[Schlyder]

#9
6 string basses and other ERBs

[stratovani]

#10 Quality affordable basses.

[delta7fred]

#11 The Electronic Tuner.

Anyone old enough to remember the days before them may also remember how much time was spent "tuning up" unless you happened to have a keyboard player in the band. For guitars I would put this as #1.

[fuzzythecat]

#12 the SVT

[David Studenick]

The Envelope Filter

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by Spectrum

I would make #1 the electric bass.

I thought that until i realised it the list is for bass players, and whatever you play at somepoint it will need an amp and cab, but agreed the P bass in particular opened the world of playing up to the many.

[charlie monroe]

No.

Innovation is a continuous process, and to create a list would suggest that there are boundaries, or a finite data set.
New and better things occur everyday. There is no such thing as the best thing about bass.

[Darylw425]

Lightweight amp heads and cabs!

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by charlie monroe

No.

Innovation is a continuous process, and to create a list would suggest that there are boundaries, or a finite data set.
New and better things occur everyday. There is no such thing as the best thing about bass.

LOL thanks Charlie but your "no" answered the question.
To then further the definition of innovation without realizing that yes innovation is moving, but we can create our own bounderies or constrains because we need to being aware of something in order to see it as innovative...or not

Because i have never heard or seen something does not stop it becoming innovative...i am just not aware of it. And of course the "best" is subjective that's why there is a list going back 100 years just in case something like the ebony fretboard on an upright has been bettered....but that is just opinion.

[Megazap63]

Fretless basses (if they were included)

[Ubersheist]

Originally Posted by Schlyder

damn beat me to #5
#6 Straplocks
#7 LED fret markers

Meh... I have never once seen LED fret markers in person, nor do I know of anyone who has them.

Straplocks are nice, but they're only on 2 of my basses, and I have 6 or 7 right now (I'd have to count). A bit of string or a shoelace works just as good, and usually looks niftier, too.

- Wide straps.... I'd put "Wide straps" way above either of these, as I don't think they were really around before basses, and they've saved many bass guitarist's backs.

- TC Electronic's micro bass amps. I think they were the first ones to figure out how to get 500+ watts out of something about as big as a notebook. I could be wrong on this (and probably am).

- Neodymium magnets. This allowed mostly for the light weight speakers we have today. It's a byproduct of the modern electric car, as the designs and manufacturing techniques of this type of magnet wasn't around before then.

- Steinberger's L-series basses. These are the headless ones with the tiny bodies. Others tried before them, but this one was the first to actually play well, not be totally top heavy, and produce a decent tone (due to having active electronics). From there, some innovations with tuners came about, most notably was the Status basses.

- Carbon graphite as a building material. I don't know who did it first. Zon? Status? Either way, those basses stayed in tune! I had a Zon for a short period of time, and it was nice to be the only one in the band that didn't have to tune ever during an outdoor gig. It was also really light. I didn't really like the way the neck felt (too sticky for me), but it beat all my other basses on outdoor gigs hands down.

[charlie monroe]

Originally Posted by Timmah

#5 flatwounds

fixed that for you.

oh yeah,

#13 tort pickguard

[Schlyder]

Originally Posted by Ubersheist

Meh... I have never once seen LED fret markers in person, nor do I know of anyone who has them.

Straplocks are nice, but they're only on 2 of my basses, and I have 6 or 7 right now (I'd have to count). A bit of string or a shoelace works just as good, and usually looks niftier, too.

- Wide straps.... I'd put "Wide straps" way above either of these, as I don't think they were really around before basses, and they've saved many bass guitarist's backs.

- TC Electronic's micro bass amps. I think they were the first ones to figure out how to get 500+ watts out of something about as big as a notebook. I could be wrong on this (and probably am).

- Neodymium magnets. This allowed mostly for the light weight speakers we have today. It's a byproduct of the modern electric car, as the designs and manufacturing techniques of this type of magnet wasn't around before then.

- Steinberger's L-series basses. These are the headless ones with the tiny bodies. Others tried before them, but this one was the first to actually play well, not be totally top heavy, and produce a decent tone (due to having active electronics). From there, some innovations with tuners came about, most notably was the Status basses.

- Carbon graphite as a building material. I don't know who did it first. Zon? Status? Either way, those basses stayed in tune! I had a Zon for a short period of time, and it was nice to be the only one in the band that didn't have to tune ever during an outdoor gig. It was also really light. I didn't really like the way the neck felt (too sticky for me), but it beat all my other basses on outdoor gigs hands down.

The OP was asking to list gadgets and innovations.... LEDs and straplocks are gadgets. And the OP did not specify any order of importance.... No one cares how many straplocks you have on your basses or if you know anyone with LEDs... they are gadgets for the OPs list.... so your point was???