RayL wrote:The recording sessions for The Twangs The Thang started on November 20th 1959, with the Danelectro being used for Blueberry Hill. Route No.1 was then laid down using the Gretsch, before returning to the Danelectro for You Are My Sunshine. That completed the day's recording. It's worth noting that out of the twelve tracks on that album, ten used the six-string bass, the only other Gretsch tune being Trambone.
A linked question might be "What was the first recorded use of a six-string bass?" and there's a good case for it being Grady Martin on December 13th 1957 in Johnny Horton's Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floor.
Picking up on an earlier query, are we all agreed that E to E tuning (an octave below standard guitar) is six-string bass, whereas A to A and any other intermediate tuning would be baritone guitar?
Ray L
You're probably right. Barney Kessel used one on his Some Like it Hot LP - which came out earlier in 1959. He talks about it in the sleeve notes.
Incidentally, has anyone heard a 1961 record by The Piltdown Men of a Henry Mancini film theme called The Great Imposter. It's a great disc and in IMHO could have been the blueprint for the Jet and Tony sound!
Clive
