What’s an electric bass, and what’s the difference between an electric bass guitar and an upright?
An electric bass is an upright bass that must be plugged in and amplified to be heard. Its resonance and construction materials differ from those of an acoustic instrument, and they tend to be physically smaller. An electric bass guitar is just that — a guitar. It is held on the body and played by pick or finger and cannot be bowed. It, too, must be amplified to be heard.