Bass tab for Original Prankster by
The Offspring
Tabbed by Edthebassman (emails go to: eddie_t3@hotmail.com)

I was messing about on my bass guitar and the main riff suddenly came up, so I tabbed the rest of it:

m= palm mute note straight after playing
r= let note ring  

When guitar comes in, you wait until it’s done 2 riffs .If you want, 
though, you can play along with the 
guitar, and that goes like this:
CLEVER INTRO:
G:---------r----------------|
D:---------e----------------|
A:-00-3-00-s-00-3-0-5-0-3-0-|
E:---------t----------------| 
(Note that Greg K doesn’t play this on the CD)

Then after the 3 guitar riffs, the bass properly comes in:
INTRO:
G:(1)--|(2)---------|  
D:-----|---------m--|
A:-----|-00-3-00—5--|
E:-0-3-|------------|
 
Then, the main riff, used for verses
MAIN RIFF:
G:(1)--|(2)-----m---------------| 
D:-----|--------7—-m-m----------| *only play (1) at start of song and
A:-----|-00-3-0----5-5-3-5-3----|  break, NOWHERE else (this applies to every           
E:-0-3-|------------------------|  tab with “(1)” on it)

Or if you want to be clever, you can play along with the guitar (once again not played by Greg K on the CD)
CLEVER MAIN RIFF:
G:(1)--|(2)-------------------|
D:-----|-------7--------------| I prefer THIS tab, even though it’s 
A:-----|-00-3-0—0-6-5-5-3-5-3-| not on the CD.
E:-0-3-|----------------------|

(last time you play either riff before verse, you only go to the first 5)

Then there’s a little riff that goes before and after the pre-chorus and in the middle of verses
LITTLE RIFF: 
G:------------------|
D:------------------|
A:---------7-777-77-|
E:-3-333-33---------|

PRE-CHORUS:
G:-------------------|
D:-------------------|
A:-0-3-7-6-5-5-3-5-3-|
E:-------------------|

CHORUS:
G:---------------| play this x3
D:-----------5-5-|
A:-0-0-00-5-5----|
E:---------------|

POST CHORUS:
G:------------------------------------|
D:-5-5--------------------------------|
A:--5-5-5555555(slide down to verse)-|
E:------------------------------------|

END:
G:----|
D:----|
A:-0r-|  
E:----| 


Song Order (how I play it anyway):
CLEVER INTRO x1
INTRO x1
MAIN RIFF/CLEVER MAIN RIFF x8
LITTLE RIFF x1
MAIN RIFF/CLEVER MAIN RIFF x3
LITTLE RIFF x1
PRE-CHORUS x3
LITTLE RIFF x1
CHORUS x3
POST CHORUS x1
MAIN RIFF/CLEVER MAIN RIFF x7
LITTLE RIFF x1
MAIN RIFF/CLEVER MAIN RIFF x3
LITTLE RIFF x1
PRE-CHORUS x3
LITTLE RIFF x1
CHORUS x3
POST-CHORUS x1
CLEVER INTRO x1
INTRO x1
MAIN RIFF/CLEVER RIFF x8
LITTLE RIFF x1
PRE-CHORUS x3
LITLLE RIFF x1
CHORUS x3
POST-CHORUS x2
END x1
 

This is pretty much right.
Listen to rhythm and you’ll be a prankster in no time!
November 1st 2001
17:58