Fuzz bass facts for kids

Fuzz bass (also called "bass overdrive" or "bass distortion") is a style of playing the electric bass. When a person plays fuzz bass, the bass sounds buzzy and distorted. Fuzz bass is created by turning up the volume on a bass amplifier very high, or by using an electronic fuzz pedal. In the mid-1960s, some bass players began to play fuzz bass. The Beatles' 1965 song "Think for Yourself" (from Rubber Soul) has fuzz bass. The 1965 Rolling Stones song "Under My Thumb" has fuzz bass.

Images for kids

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  The first known musical recording to use the fuzz bass was Marty Robbins's 1961 song "Don't Worry".

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  Paul McCartney, in one of the earliest uses of the fuzz bass, played the guitar on the 1965 Beatles song "Think for Yourself" from their album Rubber Soul.

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  Bill Wyman in one of the earliest uses of this type of guitar played with a growling fuzz bass tone on the 1966 Rolling Stones song "Under My Thumb" from their album Aftermath.

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  Over the years, various Peavey bass amplifiers have had built-in distortion effects.

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  Lemmy Kilmister, the bassist for Motorhead, obtained a natural fuzz bass tone by overdriving his twin 100 watt Marshall Bass stacks.

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  Napalm Death, a grindcore band shown here at a 2007 show, typically uses a heavy, grinding bass distortion tone.

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  Motörhead's bassist and lead singer Lemmy Kilmister often played with a fuzz bass tone that came from overdriving his twin 100 watt Marshall stacks.

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  Jack Bruce from Cream, shown here performing in 1972, often played with a fuzz bass tone.