The very first electric bass ?? Audiovox ?

[funkgod]

was just scooting around on the net and came up with this,

The Audiovox 736, could it really be the first electric solid body bass ? 15 years before fender

 Interesting read,

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/on-ebay-the-worlds-first-electric-bass-guitar-forgotten-and-made-in-seattle/

[Stylon Pilson]

One of the curious things about the 736 is that the instrument cable was hardwired and came out of the top of the instrument, near where the neck strap button would be on a modern bass. I'm surprised that this ergonomic catastrophe made it into the production model.

There's a cool thread on talkbass where someone builds a replica: here.

S.P.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Stylon Pilson

[funkgod]

just checked that out, cheers

[kodiakblair]

My pal Rick Wilson did the renovation work on the one in the Seattle museum. 

[Hellzero]

Look here :

 

 

 

 

[thebigclunk48]

I am building a replica of the Audiovox 736 and have got it to the roughly to shape stage, whilst I test set up and get the pickup to fit properly.

It is a through neck with side wings glued on in Sapele Mahogany with a side wheel type truss rod and an Indian Ebony fretboard with stainless steel frets.

Machine heads are Hofner violin bass type and the unorthodox arrangement takes a bit of getting used to whilst tuning. The graphite nut is 38mm wide and the strings are only 13mm apart at the bridge like the original. This is wider than the Fender Bass 6 do not impossible to get used to. At the moment, the pickup is an Artec 30k mudbucker under the scratchplate which will eventually be fitted with a bar type polepiece through the scratchplate like the ones Paul Tutmarc used. Action at the 12th fret is 2mm at the moment and it plays very nicely although quietly with the big string/pickup spacing. I fitted a jack socket where the cable comes out on the original and fitted strap hangers, so there is no neck dive and with a right angle jack plug, the cable is no problem. Still needs final sanding and finishing with tung oil.