California Man by Cheap Trick

Bass Tab

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Intermediate 💪

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Key: Am

Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Tom Petersson - Bass'
                
  Q=162       Verses 1 - 3: 
              Segno $
 4/4
  Gtr I
   Wx3            Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
G|------------||-----------------|-----------------|
D|------------||o----------------|-----------------|
A|------------||o-0----0-0-0---0-|-0-0---0-0-0---0-|
E|------------||-----------------|-----------------|




   Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
G|----------------|-------------------|
D|----------------|-------------------|
A|-2----2-2-2---2-|-2-2---2-2-2---2---|
E|----------------|-------------------|

Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
G|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
D|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
A|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
E|-0----0-0-0---0-|-0-0---0-0-0---0-|-0----0-0-0---0-|-0-0---0-0-0---0-|


   Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E
G|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
D|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
A|-0----0-0-0---0-|-0-0---0-0-0---0-|-2----2-2-2---2-|-2-2---2-2-2---2-|
E|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|


                                                  Chorus:
   E E E E E E E E   Q.   E +Q   Q    +W            Q  E E Q  E E
G|-----------------|----------------|------------||---------------|
D|-----------------|----------------|------------||---------------|
A|-2-2---2-2-2---2-|-5--------------|------------||-0----0-0----0-|
E|-----------------|------5-(5)--0--|-(0)--------||---------------|


   Q  E E Q  E E   E E E E Q  E E   +E  E E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E E
G|---------------|----------------|-------------------|---------------|
D|---------------|----------------|-------------------|---------------|
A|-0----0-0----0-|-5-5-5-5-5--5-7-|-(7)---------------|-0----0-0----0-|
E|---------------|----------------|-----0-2-0-3-0-4-0-|---------------|


                                                       Bridge:
   Q  E E Q  E E   E E E E Q  E E   +E  E E E E E E E    E E E E E E E E
G|---------------|----------------|-------------------||-----------------|
D|---------------|----------------|-------------------||-----------------|
A|-0----0-0----0-|-5-5-5-5-5--5-7-|-(7)---------------||-2-2---2-2-2-2-2-|
E|---------------|----------------|-----0-2-0-3-0-4-0-||-----------------|


                                                     1.
                                            To Coda
   Q  q  E +E   Q     E E E E E E E  E   Q  q  H      E E E E E E E E
G|------------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
D|------------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
A|----2--2-(2)S14\--|------------------|------------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|
E|------------------|-1-2-2-2-2-2-1-12-|----2--2----|-----------------|


   E E E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E E   +Q   E E E E E E   Q  Q  H
G|-----------------|---------------|------------------|------------|
D|-----------------|---------------|------------------|------------|
A|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|--------2------|------------------|------------|
E|-----------------|-2----2----0-0-|-(0)----0---0---0-|-0----------|


  3/4        4/4
   Q  Q  Q    +W           +W           +W
G|----------|------------|------------|---------||
D|----------|------------|------------|--------o||
A|----------|------------|------------|--------o||
E|-------0--|-(0)--------|-(0)--------|-(0)-----||


  2.
   E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E E   +Q   E E E E E E
G|-----------------|-----------------|---------------|------------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|---------------|------------------|
A|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-----|--------2------|------------------|
E|-----------------|-------------0-1-|-2----2----0-0-|-(0)----0---0---0-|


                                    Guitar Solo:
   Q  Q  Q  E E   +Q   E E E E E E    Q  E E Q  E E   Q  E E E E Q
G|--------------|------------------||---------------|---------------|
D|--------------|------------------||---------------|---------------|
A|-------0------|------------------||-0----0-0----0-|-0----0-0-0-2--|
E|-3--3-----0-0-|-(0)----0---0---0-||---------------|---------------|


   Q  E E Q  E E   Q  E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E E   Q  E E Q  E E
G|---------------|----------------|---------------|---------------|
D|---------------|----------------|---------------|---------------|
A|---------------|----------------|-0----0-0----0-|-0----0-0----0-|
E|-0----0-0----0-|-0----0-0-0---0-|---------------|---------------|


   Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E E   Q  E E E E Q
G|----------------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|
D|----------------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|
A|-2----2-2-2---2-|-2-2---2-2-2---2-|-0----0-0----0-|-0----0-0-0-2--|
E|----------------|-----------------|---------------|---------------|


   Q  E E Q  E E   Q  E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E E   Q  E E E E E E
G|---------------|----------------|---------------|----------------|
D|---------------|----------------|---------------|----------------|
A|---------------|----------------|-0----0-0----0-|-0----0-0-0-----|
E|-0----0-0----0-|-0----0-0-0---0-|---------------|------------4-4-|


                                                      Interlude:
   Q  E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E    Q  Q   Q  Q
G|----------------|----------------|-----------------||--------------|
D|----------------|----------------|-----------------||--------------|
A|----------------|-2----2-1-2-3-4-|-5-4-5-4-5-4-5-4-||-----------2--|
E|-2----2---2---2-|----------------|-----------------||-0--0--/4-----|


   Q  Q  E E Q    +Q   Q   Q  Q    Q  Q  E E Q    +Q   Q   Q  Q
G|--------------|----------------|--------------|----------------|
D|-----------2--|-(2)------------|-----------2--|-(2)------------|
A|-5--5--3h4----|-------------2--|-5--5--3h4----|-------------2--|
E|--------------|------0--/4-----|--------------|------0--/4-----|


   Q  Q  E E Q    +Q   Q   Q  Q    E E E E E E +Q     E   +E  E E E   +E  E E
G|--------------|----------------|------------------|--------------------------|
D|-----------2--|-(2)------------|-0----------------|-4b5r(4)-2----------------|
A|-5--5--3h4----|-------------2--|---4-2-0-2--------|-----------2-4b5r(4)-2----|
E|--------------|------0--/4-----|-----------3-(3)--|-----------------------3h=|


                                 Dal Segno al Coda
  3/4            4/4
   E E E E +Q     W          +W           +W
G|--------------|----------|------------|---------||
D|--------------|-2--------|-(2)--------|-(2)-----||
A|---2----------|----------|------------|---------||
E|-4---3-0-(0)--|----------|------------|---------||


 Outro:
 Coda &
   E E E E E E E E   E E E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E E   +Q   E E E E E E
G|-----------------|-----------------|---------------|------------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|---------------|------------------|
A|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-----|--------2------|------------------|
E|-----------------|-------------0-1-|-2----2----0-0-|-(0)----0---0---0-|


   Q  Q  Q.   E   +Q   E E E E E E   Q  Q  Q.   E   +Q   E E E E E E
G|--------------|------------------|--------------|------------------|
D|--------------|------------------|--------------|------------------|
A|-------0------|------------------|-------0------|------------------|
E|-3--3-------0-|-(0)----0---0---0-|-3--3-------0-|-(0)----0---0---0-|


   Q  Q  Q.   E   +Q   E E E E E E   E E Q  E E Q    Q  q  E E Q
G|--------------|------------------|---------------|--------------|
D|--------------|------------------|---------------|--------------|
A|-------5------|------------------|--------0-0----|--------------|
E|-3--3-------0-|-(0)----0---0---0-|-3-3-----------|----0--0-0----|


   |--3--|
   h  h  h    +H.      q
G|----------|-------------*|
D|----------|-------------*|
A|----------|-------------*|
E|-0--0--0--|-(0)------0--*|

 
**************************************
Duration Legend

W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; a - acciaccatura;
+ - note tied to previous;  - note dotted;
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents
the duration for.  Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests.
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration).

|  +()   -  note tied to previous
|   h    -  hammer-on
|   b    -  bend
|   r    -  bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
|  /\    -  slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
|   S    -  shift slide
| |-3-|  -  triplet
|   |    -  bar
|   ||   -  double bar
|  ||o   -  repeat start
|  o||   -  repeat end
**************************************

Other Versions & Arrangements

California Man (Chords)

California Man Bass Tab Info

California Man Bass Tab by Cheap Trick

Published: March 20, 2022

Last Updated: September 10, 2025

Difficulty: Intermediate 💪