“This book is in-depth, informative, and surprising.”— Ed Friedland, bassist and former writer for Bass Player magazine
"In bass player and music scholar Wright’s. . . ingenious twist on contemporary pop musicology, he deftly explains the influence of a new propulsive low end and the technological advances that made it possible."— Library Journal
“I have been a bassist for the past 65 years, and this book gave me new insight into the joy of my life. Informative and thought provoking, it is a must for those wishing to broaden their knowledge of bass history.”— Leland Sklar, bassist for James Taylor and Phil Collins
“The Bastard Instrument provides an exceptionally well-researched chronicle of the way that the history of rock (and popular music more generally) is inseparable from the history of the practices, techniques, and tools deployed by a particular, understudied group of musicians. Wright moves effortlessly over the manuscript’s span from the worlds of jazz and country music to those of funk and psychedelic rock, presenting the results of his research in clear, accessible prose.”
— Travis A. Jackson, author of Blowin' the Blues Away: Performance and Meaning on the New York Jazz Scene
“The Bastard Instrument is a major work that provides a needed corrective to popular music scholarship on this most essential—but too often overlooked—instrument. Wright's work recovers so many stories of electric bassists who have rarely, if ever, been granted recognition in existing histories of popular music. This is not a ‘great man’ version of electric bass history, but one that also utilizes ‘bottom up’ storytelling, enabled by Wright’s tireless research strategies.”
— Steve Waksman, author of Instruments of Desire: The Electric Guitar and the Shaping of Musical Experience
"[A]n enthusiastic portrait of the instrument that gave Motown, rock ’n’ roll, and funk their distinctive sounds."— Publishers Weekly
“Solid detective work chronicling the early days of the electric bass, written by someone who knows what he is talking about. A must read for all bass players!”
— Stuart Hamm, bassist
“The Bastard Instrument is a fascinating history of the bass guitar and how its sound became indispensable to popular music in all forms. Especially relevant to me is its inclusion of women players and the important role we played in the instrument’s history.”— Kathy Valentine, musician and bassist for the Go-Go’s