American Mandobass History 101

by Paul Ruppa

Originally published in American Lutherie #112, 2012



A fretted 4-string bass, tuned like a standard double bass, was developed in the early 1900s for use in American mandolin orchestras. Generally, instruments of this sort were about 5´ (153CM) long from the top of the headstock to the end of the body and close to 2´ (61CM) across at the lower bouts. The term mandobass was adopted to describe these instruments because they were created to provide a deep bass voice for the American mandolin family, sometimes called the “plectral choir.”

In 1911, at the annual meeting of the American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists (the Guild), issues related to the mandobass were among the first discussed. Published minutes from that event included an entry about bass mandolins developed in Britain. A letter from English banjo maker Clifford Essex, relating to recently invented mandobasses, was read to Guild members. Essex explained that his country’s plectrum basses had either three or four courses and they were tuned in fifths. These instruments sounded two octaves lower than a mandolin at G D A (3-2-1) or G D A E (4-3-2-1) and were essentially contrabass mandolins.