Posted on August 13, 2026August 13, 2026 by Dale Phillips American Mandobass History 101 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. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on July 10, 2026July 13, 2026 by Dale Phillips Finding Waldo Finding Waldo The First Family of American f-Hole Mandolins, Mandolas, and Mandocellos by Paul Ruppa Originally published in American Lutherie #117, 2014 In 1973, I bought a Vega cylinder-back, two-point mandocello for $175. The seller was luthier David Colburn who ran the Vintage Fret Shop in Holderness, New Hampshire. A few years later, I started living with an unyielding interest in finding out about the history of mandocellos. It was not until I began reading through the Library of Congress’ microfilm reproduction of their The Cadenza magazine collection (1894–1924) that I thought I might have uncovered some answers. Yes, it was there that I found Waldo. The American tenor mandola and mandocello were first developed by employees of the Barrows Music Company in Saginaw, Michigan. The instruments were marketed under the Barrows’ brand, “Waldo.” No one knows when they were given the names tenor mandola and mandocello, who named them, or exactly when the first Waldo tenor mandola and mandocello were built. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
