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Peter Blecha
Bud-Electro Serenader Guitars
Rarities from the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest was home to four obscure brands of early electric guitars – Audiovox, Hanburt, Coppock, and Serenader. Produced by the Seattle-based Bud-Electro Manufacturing Company, Serender was essentially the “Son of Audiovox” given that the man behind the brand, Bud Tutmarc, was also the namesake son of the man who made and marketed those…
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Peter Blecha
Coppock Guitars
Vintage Rarities from the Pacific Northwest
The obscure Coppock brand of electric guitars first surfaced in 1994, with the publication of Electric Guitars & Basses: A Photographic History, by guitar historians George Gruhn and Walter Carter. And though it was loaded with lovingly detailed information about many rare guitars, one photograph the authors highlighted – on the book’s table of contents…
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Peter Blecha
The Audiovox 736 Electric Bass and 936 Amp
Rare Pair
Eight decades ago, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer revealed the story of Paul H. Tutmarc debuting his latest invention – a solidbody electric bass. The 1935 article includes a photograph showing the suave gentleman demonstrating the instrument (to a young woman), roughly the size of a cello, and includes Tutmarc’s story of carving it from white pine.…
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Peter Blecha
Hanburt Electric Guitars
Rarities From the Pacific Northwest
As a brand of American electric instruments, the name “Hanburt” is about the furthest thing from being a household term. Nevertheless, the recently documented saga behind this obscure line of electric guitars that originated just prior to World War II offers a rather interesting story. • As a matter of fact, until recently, nobody –…
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Peter Blecha
The Coulter Company
More Rarities from the Pacific Northwest
The eye-catching and technologically innovative stringed instruments created by Frank Evans Coulter in the early 20th century are so exceedingly scarce that few guitar enthusiasts have laid eyes on one. Indeed, their rarity is conveyed by one simple fact – only a couple dozen Coulter instruments – including an Hawaiian-style guitar, a tenor guitar, a…
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Peter Blecha
Nioma Guitars
Rarities from a West Coast Music School
NIOMA musical instruments from the 1930s and ’40s – with their vaguely Hawaiian-looking name – have mystified vintage-guitar enthusiasts over the decades when they’ve occasionally surfaced in retail shops and guitar shows. The seven known models – three acoustic guitars, two dobro-like resophonics, and two electric lap steels – were oriented to those who made…
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Peter Blecha
Hanburt Electric Guitars
Rarities From The Pacific Northwest
Hanburt “Style 1” in maple. Photo by Julie Woods. Black walnut “Style 1”. Photo by Julie Woods. As a brand of American electric instruments, the name “Hanburt” is about the furthest thing from being a household term. Nevertheless, the recently documented saga behind this obscure line of electric guitars that originated just prior to World…
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Peter Blecha
Audiovox Electronic Bass
Discovered! The World's First Electric Bass Guitar
While there have been lively debates raging in the rare instrument community for many years about any number of puzzling early guitars – not to mention the perennial issue of just who exactly was responsible for “inventing” the electric guitar – it seems little energetic dialog has surrounded the bass. Until now it has been…
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Peter Blecha
Audiovox #736
The World's First Electric Bass Guitar!
While there have been lively debates raging in the rare instrument community for many years about any number of puzzling early guitars – not to mention the perennial issue of just who exactly was responsible for “inventing” the electric guitar – it seems little energetic dialog has surrounded the bass. Until now it has been…
