One of the earliest Rickenbacker basses at Gruhn's

blazer · Post by **blazer** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:40 pm

This is what it says.
"Rickenbacker electric upright bass, 1936, VG+, cast aluminum body with lacquer coating (similar to Rickenbacker "frying pan"), horseshoe pickup with two coils, extremely rare model, no case"

http://www.gruhn.com/photo/BM2605.jpg

Not exactly the cresting wave style we all know and love but it's a really Cool and prophetic instrument. Later electric uprights also looked like this.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:49 pm

There were some on display at the Museum of Making Music for the 75th celebration.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 4:22 pm

Wow.

Im glad they got the design worked out.

jps · Post by **jps** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 5:22 pm

Yeah!

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Wed Oct 25, 2006 8:51 pm

Makes me think about how much i neglect my Pacebass.
I really should play that thing more.

Having fun there Jeff?

jps · Post by **jps** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 3:31 am

That was my first gig with it, and yes!

vito · Post by **vito** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 6:15 am

Hey, I know that upright! Working out well for you, I take it, Jeff?

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 8:31 am

Those NS Design instruments are so gorgeous . . . I want an electric cello from them!

blueflamerick · Post by **blueflamerick** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 9:47 am

Wouldn't this make Fender's claim to be the inventor of the electric bass a load of ****?

sabbath_of_bass · Post by **sabbath_of_bass** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 11:48 am

Paul Tutmarc supposidly invented the 1st freted electric bass in 1935 or 36. Well thats what wikipedia says. Normally trust worthy. I was told Fender did it 1st, but could just be the 1st mass produced one. Eh, who knows.

morrow · Post by **morrow** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:16 pm

Tutmarc was first .They have one of his basses from the 30's in the Experience Music Museum in Seattle.I saw it last summer.

Leo had the first commercially successful one

blazer · Post by **blazer** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 12:40 pm

And Leo Fender's Bass was properly thought out something that I cannot say about the Tutmarc, which basically was an detuned four string guitar.

The Fender P-bass's body was designed to be balanced when strapped on, Fender measured the scale length of a double bass and configured it to the P-bass so that the bass would have the proper string tension and it had an adjustable bridge so it could be properly intonated.

So the Tutmark was the first one but the fender was the first one where a lot of practical sense was used into making it.

jps · Post by **jps** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:00 pm

Yes Mike, the NS is working out just great! I may use only it for our Phantom Of The Opera gig next week. No Ricks, my god, what has this world turned into?

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 2:47 pm

There's some questions about Tutmarc's claims that are currently being investigated in academic circles. I'll leave it to the scholars to enlighten us in the future on this point.

winston · Post by **winston** » Thu Oct 26, 2006 3:20 pm

Interesting claim! But in truth, I have never heard of this guy before.

Here's what his son has to say about his fathers invention and his claim to be the first to invent a Hawaiin electric guitar and the electric bass.

http://tutmarc.tripod.com/paultutmarc.html