Stub Mandrel Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) To quote The Master: "Everything you thought was true is a lie." http://tutmarc.tripod.com/paultutmarc.html https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/world-oldest-electric-bass-guitar-sells-for-over-23000 Edited January 5, 2020 by Stub Mandrel 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 But... but... Leo... first time? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 The only real question is - how come Eastwood haven't knocked out a shonky Chinese copy, priced up at £1200? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 11 hours ago, Doctor J said: But... but... Leo... first time? What's interesting is that everyone says how Leo got it right first time, yet that bass is pretty much there. The odd position for the lead coming out, relatively few frets and no strap buttons. Neither Tutmarc nor Fender put in a truss rod, but the Tutmarc neck looks more substantial (and the body is thicker). Otherwise, it's a short scale, through-neck bass with a pretty modern body shape... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 I believe Paul Tutmarc started making his solid body basses in 1936. He sold a few but preferred to be "tinkering" and inventing so didn't go further. Leo Fender came up with the first mass production solid body bass, not the first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 There are very, very old double basses with 5 strings and frets. @chris_b put it really well: first (succeeded) mass production solid body bass. Mandobass and earlier others were not so successful, and as said, there were several trials before LF. Think about amplifiers, strings, and big bands: the bass needed a few things around to become something else than just a niche instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 I don't think anyone's arguing; electric, solid or fretted basses weren't new. Tutmarc was the first person to make what we would now recognise as an electric bass guitar. Fender got the marketing right and had the enthusiasm for mass production. It seems Leo knew about Tutmarc and may even have owned one of his six strings. You can also say Fender had simpler pickups (Tutmarc's were apparently big, and hidden internally, soemtimes with pole pieces poking out of scratchplates) and clearly got things like jack plug placement right. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 @Chownybass want to shake up the world of bass playing? Get some Tutmarc replicas made! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 My mémoire about the subject, published in May 2001, is still there, if you understand French. Second time this Audiovox #736 is coming back to BC. By the way check out Igor Saavedra work with his ERB 8 strings. Here it is : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14bent_Two9apqU44qPxGepgRFpsl0DaI?usp=sharing 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 6, 2020 Author Share Posted January 6, 2020 3 hours ago, Hellzero said: My mémoire about the subject, published in May 2001, is still there, if you understand French. Second time this Audiovox #736 is coming back to BC. By the way check out Igor Saavedra work with his ERB 8 strings. Here it is : https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14bent_Two9apqU44qPxGepgRFpsl0DaI?usp=sharing Well it's helping me expand my French vocabulary: "" un flop total." Actually very interesting, I could get the general sense of it because of my knowledge of the subject, I then got word to translate it, and ended up with something requiring almost as much effort to understand! But yes, an interesting document, thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 If you prefer the educated French version of flop total it's fiasco complet. Translators are great fun : if you don't know the language you're translating to, you might end up insulting someone. Strange digital tool, indeed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 11 hours ago, Hellzero said: you might end up insulting someone One can only hope for the best 😈 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 @Stub Mandrel My pal Rick Wilson restored one of the Tutmarcs. It's in a museum someplace. Might have been around the time he was working for George Gruhn. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted January 7, 2020 Author Share Posted January 7, 2020 1 hour ago, kodiakblair said: @Stub Mandrel My pal Rick Wilson restored one of the Tutmarcs. It's in a museum someplace. Might have been around the time he was working for George Gruhn. Could you ask him about the pickup arrangement? Or even a photo beneath the scratchplate! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said: Could you ask him about the pickup arrangement? Or even a photo beneath the scratchplate! Sure thing. It'll still be early doors over there so might be a while before I here back from him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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