Retro-Rama
1920 Gibson Style J Mando Bass
Gibson created this big black beauty in the early 1900s as a bass instrument for the all-mandolin orchestras that were popular at the time. These orchestras, which sometimes featured up to 30 musicians, needed an authentic mandolin-family instrument to handle the low end, and Gibson obliged by creating the Style J Mando Bass. The Mando Bass was made from 1912 to 1930 and is somewhat rare; I’d only seen it in pictures before borrowing this 1920 Style J, and in person its sheer size and style are breathtaking. It’s in great condition, and the black finish adds a mysterious air and the feeling that this bass is from another time and place.
The Mando Bass is 62" long and 24" wide, and it has the familiar tuning and 42w" scale length of an upright bass. The large wooden bridge is individually compensated for each string, which helps the bass intonate well. The rosewood fingerboard has 16 small frets. The mahogany neck’s action is pretty high—it has probably crept up over the years—but it’s somewhat in proportion with the “outsize-ness” of everything else. The top and back have a subtle, graceful arch. A beautiful concentric “rope style” ring inlay surrounds the Style J’s relatively small soundhole. Other than a replacement celluloid part on the “trapeze” tailpiece, the bass is all original. The precise and sturdy brass tuning machines look like they could have been used to wind cable on a World War I-era boat. Ivory-colored binding gracefully outlines the body’s teardrop shape and the soundhole, which prompted its owner, the late, great Nashville bassist Roy Huskey Jr., to call it “The Big Olive.”
This bass is one of two Style J’s that belonged to Roy’s dad, Junior Huskey, who was a Nashville session mainstay in the ’60s and ’70s. Junior gave one to Roy Acuff and kept this one, which was the better-sounding of the two. It has two endpin holes: one on the bottom for upright-style playing, and one on the side for a more guitar-like playing position. Most of the pictures I have seen show it being played in the latter fashion.
It’s a bit of bear to play the Mando Bass in any position, but the sound is worth the effort. It is not loud for its size, but its tone is sweet and round, with a nice combination of upright bass-like girth and a unique depth and clarity. Imagine the biggest acoustic bass guitar in the world with flatwound strings a mile long, and you start to get the idea. The puffy tone would be perfect for a Latin or Tex-Mex band, or for a string band looking to add a new wrinkle to its sound. The Mando Bass was often played with a leather pick, but I was unable to find one of those to try out.
From a visual standpoint, it’s hard to top this instrument’s Darth Vader-like presence; I found myself in disbelief almost every time I looked at it. Although it’s not easy to get around on, the Mando Bass is a work of art that you can play (and its size can definitely keep you from playing too many notes). By today’s standards, it is a bit of a dinosaur and rather unwieldy, but you have to admire the folks at Gibson for thinking big on this one back in the day!
By the way, this bass is for sale by the estate of Roy Huskey Jr. Serious enquiries can be directed to the family through my website, www.davepomeroy.com.
Dave Pomeroy is one of Nashville’s busiest studio bassists and has played on hundreds of recordings. He is also an independent producer, solo artist, and bandleader who has released ten albums on Earwave Records. His latest, Three Ring Circle, is an instrumental trio with Rob Ickes on dobro and Andy Leftwich on mandolin.
