What Bass Does Sting Play? [Facts Revealed]

Sting has had a long and successful career in music. He is best known for his work with the Police, but he has also released solo albums and worked with other artists. In this article, we will explore what bass Sting plays.

Who Is Sting?

Sting is a British musician, actor, and activist. He was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, on October 2, 1951. Sting became famous as the lead singer of the rock band The Police. He has released many solo albums since then. Sting is also known for his acting career, which includes roles in movies such as “The Bride” and “Dune.” Sting has been involved in many social causes throughout his life, most notably Amnesty International. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003.

What Basses Did Sting Play?

Sting is a world-renowned musician who has been in the industry for over 35 years. He is most recognized as the lead singer and bassist of the band The Police. Sting has also had a successful solo career, releasing ten studio albums. His music incorporates rock, jazz, reggae, classical, and worldbeat elements. In addition to his musical talents, Sting is also a highly accomplished actor.

Throughout his career, Sting has played a variety of different basses. His first bass was a Fender Precision Bass that he purchased in 1977. Sting has owned a myriad of basses. Let’s take a look at some of the more famous basses he has owned.

Fender

The cream of the crop regarding Sting s bass guitars is the 1955 and 1957 Precision basses, which he still uses to this day. They were both made by hand by Leo Fender and represent a wealth of historical value, which is one of the aspects Sting finds gratifying about his instruments. Another notable Fender is his 1962 Jazz bass, an essential fixture in Sting s multimedia arsenal and has been played frequently over the years.

He also had a couple of fretless Precision basses in his possession, one in a natural finish and one with black pickguard, that he went on many tours before changing over to Ibanez bass guitars.

Ibanez

When Sting started using Ibanez guitars, they became his preferred brand over the Fenders, and he loved the Musician brand of electric basses. He has used quite a few of them, including a fretless MC900, a fretted MC824 pulse and an MC980 fretless 8 string. The launch of the Regatta de Blanc album contributed to his decision to switch to Ibanez, and eventually, he became a life-long fan of the brand.

He also used an Ibanez Roadstar II modified to become fretless compared to the Musician series.

Hamer

The Hamer basses that Sting used didn’t have a major effect on his career, as he usually preferred other basses over them during the time in which they were in use. He acquired an 8-string fretless he used sparingly during the time of Zenyatta Mondatta and a Cruisebass, which was also not used that often, as well as a Phantom bass.

Van Zalinge

At the time of composing the recordings for Synchronicity, Sting played the Van Zalinge electric upright bass, though it was the strangest thing he’d ever played. The Dutch-made bass was used on both the Synchronicity and Ghost in the Machine album’s sound. He thickened up his lines by playing both on an upright bass and an electric bass.

Steinberger

Sting used a Steinberger L2 at the time of Synchronicity, and it was often used to dub tracks that he had played on electric upright bass. He used it in the studio only a bit, but it was replaced by a Spector immediately after the Synchronicity tour.

Spector

This instrument is Sting s most well-known guitar, none other than one that he did not buy the first time he tested it. The narrative goes that the Spector dealer in St. Charles gave this to Sting’s guitar tech before they performed in St. Charles in 1983, and the tech gave Sting the bass to begin the show. Sting kept using it throughout the evening and through the entire soundcheck.

He used it from beginning to end during the concert, and as the dealer was getting into the automobile with the bass following the concert, Sting directed his gaze at that guy and said, “Write that man a cheque.” This was the 2nd performance of Synchronicity, and Sting played the bass during each of the following performances.

As a symbol of culture, the bass is now on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

Does Sting play bass with a pick?

When creating the lineup for The Police, Sting was adamant about playing bass with his fingers instead of a pick. This gave the band its unique sound and allowed Sting to become one of the most recognized bass players in history. Although he has used a pick on rare occasions, Sting is known for his deft fingerwork on the bass.

What does Sting call his bass?

There is only one bass that Sting has publically shared its name. That is his 1954 Precision bass. He calls it his “B-Rig bass,” which he says is his backup bass.

Does Sting play the double bass?

Not really. Sting used the Van Zalinge electric upright bass during his career, and people have just assumed that he was playing the double bass.

What bass did Sting play on synchronicity?

The album Synchronicity, released in 1983 by The Police, is one of the most successful albums of all time. It has sold over 20 million copies and spawned several chart-topping singles. The lead singer and bassist for the band was Sting, who played both the Steinberger L2 and the Van Zalinge electric upright bass when recording but after the second concert of the Synchronicity tour, he played a Spector bass.

Conclusion

When it comes to bass guitars, there are a few big names that come to mind. One of those names is Sting. He’s the lead singer for the band The Police and a successful solo artist. He’s also known for his unique style when it comes to playing the bass guitar.

Sting has said that he doesn’t like to play traditional bass lines. He prefers to create melodies and harmonies on the instrument. This makes him a bit of an anomaly in the music world. Most bass players stick to playing root notes and accompanying the rest of the band.

In an era when synthesizers have largely replaced bass guitars as the main instrument in rock and pop music, Sting still relies on his bass to create sonic depth and textural richness in his music. Bass players are not typically given a lot of spotlight in mainstream music, but Sting’s bass playing is one of the most noteworthy and recognizable aspects of his sound.

In the early days of rock and roll, bassists were often relegated to a backseat role. But as the genre evolved and became more complex, bassists began taking on more prominent roles in creating the groove. Today, the bass is at the heart of every rock song and its influence can be heard in everything from funk to punk. So who’s responsible for all this low-end action?

The answer: Sting. The iconic musician has been playing bass since the 1970s, and his contributions to popular music are unrivaled. And the myriad of basses that Sting has played has become iconic.