Judging by numerous album sleeve notes, in which Jackson is credited as playing the contrabass guitar, as opposed to simply bass, or electric bass, Jackson seems to believe in the continuing importance of the link between the electric bass and the guitar, though he would be unlikely to deny that the actual role of his instrument is quite different from that of a traditional guitar. The way in which he has talked about the instrument, especially in the context of his innovation of it, suggests comparison with the relationship between other instruments that share a family, such as violin, viola, cello, and contrabass. The electric bass was, as Jackson sees it, made in terms of the upright bass for marketing reasons, though it is really a guitar.