The Chris Taylor Bass Style (also known as CTBS), pioneered by visionary bandleader Chris Taylor c. 1999, is tuning method for the bass guitar.
Two bass guitars are employed. One is tuned a half step down and the other a half step up. The result is a distinctive sound that earned the praise of underground rock critics but left mainstream listeners and other conformists scratching their heads.

History

It was in Taylor's first musical project, Freak Show, that the concept behind CTBS first began to develop. The details surrounding CTBS's origin are disputed, but one apocryphal story is as follows: After a lengthy jam session, Taylor was listening to the Blink 182 ballad, "Adam's Song" on a boom box, when his father yanked the cord from the wall. In the brief moment before the music cut off, the pitch of the bassline became slightly distorted. This proved to be a fateful moment for both Taylor and the history of rock and roll.

The use of the CTBS peaked shortly after Freak Show formed in 1999. Unfortunately, several bands did not possess the man-power to properly execute the "double-bass" techniques required for the CTBS. Some musicians found the style to be technically demanding, while others deemed it "too unorthodox" or "downright retarded."
Some musicians, such as Sting, revered the Chris Taylor Bass Style for its ingenuity but confessed its uselessness in music.