| Electric upright basses are stringed musical instruments that combine elements of the acoustic double bass and the electric bass guitar. The vertically-oriented interface they present resembles that of the double bass. They rely, however, on electronics to amplify their sound instead of the hollow wooden body of the acoustic. The current interest in electric upright basses (EUBs) seems to be driven primarily by jazz and pop musicians looking back to the tradition of upright bass playing but insisting on the advantages that modern musical instrument technology has to offer.; This project is the design of an electric upright bass through the application of the industrial design process. The history of bass design, EUB design precedents, the interface between the instrument and the player, material and technological considerations and manufacturing processes are addressed. The environmental sustainability of the design and human factors concerns are presented.; The primary focus of the project is the appropriateness of the form and function of the design. A prototype, constructed for this project, will demonstrate the decisions made in the design process and will serve as a basis for a discussion of these decisions. It will also help identify areas within the design that can be improved on or developed further. |
