Who created the first...

[Schnozzalee]

Double soapbar, thru neck bass? I'd say Alembic at a guess, as the original inspiration for... 

 

Tobias Classic

Ken Smith Burner

Jaydee Supernatural

Overwater Progress

Marleaux Consat

Spector 

Carvin Icon

Cort Artisan

 

...And so on.

 

I have one of these, a precision, a fretless jazz and an EB2D, so I don't really need anything else, but I play the double soapbar the most (and always have since starting).

 

[itu]

I think Rickenbacker had the first through neck bass.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Soapbar pickups are deceptive, there could be anything inside!

[Schnozzalee]

Thru neck with humbucking soapbars, like the original Bartolinis.

[Doctor J]

Alembics were and are running single coils in the AXY shell, no?

[LeftyJ]

5 hours ago, Schnozzalee said:

Double soapbar, thru neck bass? 

Gibson Thunderbird 

[Baloney Balderdash]

4 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Alembics were and are running single coils in the AXY shell, no?

They are, that's why they got that odd middle dummy "pickup"/coil, to cancel out the single coil noise from the real pickups.

 

Edited November 12, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Schnozzalee]

3 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

Gibson Thunderbird 

The Overwater Original took it a bit further...

 

Now with a 5 piece neck, more ergonomic shape and nice facing(s) on the wings.

 

Anybody know? I'm thinking 70s some time.

[Bassassin]

4 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

Gibson Thunderbird 

May not be the answer the OP was expecting, but that's the answer. Through-neck, 2x humbucking soapbars - Gibbo T-Bird IV, 1963.

[LukeFRC]

Would that style have started from Carl Thompson type things from mid 70's? Or Alembic? 

[Thump]

According to Google:   The first electric bass guitar, the solid-body "Audiovox 736" created by Paul Tutmarc circa 1937, had a neck-through construction. "The Log", a prototype solid-body guitar built by Les Paul in 1941, can be considered as a forerunner of neck-through designed instrument.

[LukeFRC]

1 minute ago, Thump said:

According to Google:   The first electric bass guitar, the solid-body "Audiovox 736" created by Paul Tutmarc circa 1937, had a neck-through construction. "The Log", a prototype solid-body guitar built by Les Paul in 1941, can be considered as a forerunner of neck-through designed instrument.

aye, but neck through, or set neck is hardly innovative - it was bolt on necks that were the new thing - it's that combination of through neck, and humbucker and natural wood(s) finishes that influenced lots of other things, and where that came from - @Bassassin is right that the thunderbird hits a lot of the things, and then crossed with an alembic? 

[Thump]

Apologies , too much beer and a 12 second memory... totally forgot about the pickups as i was attempting to type a reply

[LeftyJ]

11 hours ago, Schnozzalee said:

The Overwater Original took it a bit further...

 

Now with a 5 piece neck, more ergonomic shape and nice facing(s) on the wings.

That's actually a step down, the T-bird has a 9-ply neck 

 

But in terms of ergonomics and luxury appeal you're absolutely right! 

[jazzyvee]

23 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

They are, that's why they got that odd middle dummy "pickup"/coil, to cancel out the single coil noise from the real pickups.

 

Actually it is only the Alembic series I and II basses that have true single coil pickups and the third coil you are correct is a humcancelling coil.

Their other pickups in their range are not true single coils but hum cancelling. one coil with a magnet and the  other without.  The AXY and MXY pickups are the same size it's just the AXY has a larger casing.  The Exceptions are the Fat boy pickups which are the same size as the AXY pickups but have the larger magnet from the series bass pickups, and the P-style pickups which I think are configured to noise cancel each other. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

41 minutes ago, jazzyvee said:

Actually it is only the Alembic series I and II basses that have true single coil pickups and the third coil you are correct is a humcancelling coil.

Their other pickups in their range are not true single coils but hum cancelling. one coil with a magnet and the  other without.  The AXY and MXY pickups are the same size it's just the AXY has a larger casing.  The Exceptions are the Fat boy pickups which are the same size as the AXY pickups but have the larger magnet from the series bass pickups, and the P-style pickups which I think are configured to noise cancel each other. 

I see, thanks for specifying.

 

Though I am a bit puzzled by what you say about the P style pickups, as regular P pickups by far most commonly will have their two halves wired in series and therefor by themself already be noise cancelling (and even if wired in parallel instead of series the coils of the two halves would still make each individual P pickup hum cancelling by their own). 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Schnozzalee]

I can see Carl Thompson had the shape in 1977, but with Dimarzio Model Js.

[jazzyvee]

On 13/11/2023 at 18:37, Baloney Balderdash said:

I see, thanks for specifying.

 

Though I am a bit puzzled by what you say about the P style pickups, as regular P pickups by far most commonly will have their two halves wired in series and therefor by themself already be noise cancelling (and even if wired in parallel instead of series the coils of the two halves would still make each individual P pickup hum cancelling by their own). 

 

I'm not sure how those P style pickups are configured but i have an alembic with those style pickups and it does have a sound closer to the alembic single coils than the AXY/MXY pickups.

[Schnozzalee]

Nobody knows... Call yourself a bass forum *shakes head*

[BigRedX]

You've already had your answer it's the Gibson Thunderbird. [/thread]

[neepheid]

Gibson win at something bassy? Does not compute, need to have a lie down...

 

[Schnozzalee]

If you hit yourself in the head with a Peavey Cirrus (several times), it will start to look like a Gibson Thunderbird. This is true.

[tauzero]

Carol Kaye.