A contrabass guitar is a low-register plucked string instrument in the guitar family, which has six strings.
History
Instruments called contrabass guitars have existed at least since 1899, when a "Grand Concert Contra Bass Guitar" was listed in Mr. Joseph Bohmann's catalogue. Bohmann, a violin, mandolin, guitar and zither manufacturer from Chicago, developed a large 6-string guitar. While it is speculated that this instrument may have been tuned down one octave lower than a normal guitar, no reliable information is available about its tuning or use. The classical contrabass guitar is tuned EADGBE, like the classical guitar but one octave lower. It is popular in Fado bands in Portugal and South America. In this sense, it may actually can be considered as an acoustic bass guitar, for it shares the same low-end range. Although called a contrabass guitar, the fact that it is tuned one octave lower than a normal guitar means that it is in actuality an acoustic bass guitar rather than a contrabass instrument. One ground on which it differs from an acoustic bass guitar is the thickness of the strings (which is less than an acoustic bass guitar). Thus, it lacks the "thick" tone, which is a unique feature of bass guitars. Contrabass guitars from the 1970s are often tuned "B-E-A-D-G-C" (B=B0 - the lowest B on the piano), and usually have a solid wooden body. The first usable contrabass guitar was built by Vinnie Fodera and Joey Lauricella in 1974 at the request of bassist Anthony Jackson. The contrabass guitar influenced the development of the six-string electric bass.
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