The mandolin goes electric!

[Ken Olmstead]

This a neat video of the amazing multi-instrumentalist Eddie Peabody introducing a line of electric instruments! Eddie , who is famous for his plectrum banjo playing, plays mandolin!

First electric mandolin??

[mrmando]

It's a Vega. They were introduced in 1936; film was made in 1938. National, Electro/Rickenbacher, and Stromberg-Voisinet made electric mandolins before Vega did.

[johnwalser]

Eddie Peabody Rocks!!!!! Thanks for the link.

John

[Jim Garber]

It's a Vega. They were introduced in 1936; film was made in 1938. National, Electro/Rickenbacher, and Stromberg-Voisinet made electric mandolins before Vega did.

Not to mention ViViTone (Loar) in the 1920s tho those weren't a rousing success, they certainly pre-dated the others, I believe.

[mrmando]

Yes, the ViViTones were built in '33.

[Ken Olmstead]

My question was a little "tongue and cheek." Maybe not the first, but certainly a very early example of an electric mandolin on film. Also interesting to see that Peabody apparently knew his way around the mandolin as well! It makes complete sense that it is a Vega, Peabody's preferred banjo maker. Are all the instruments Vega in that clip? I would love to have a banjo made like the one in the video!

[Jim Garber]

Didn't Peabody design/invent the "banjoline" -- a 6-string/4-course plectrum-tuned electric banjo made by Rickenbacker?

Also i thought it funny that he called that 4-string guitar a Spanish guitar, as opposed to the Hawaiian ones. I thought "Spanish" guitars were usually 6 string, even according to Gibson terminology.

[mrmando]

Didn't Peabody design/invent the "banjoline" -- a 6-string/4-course plectrum-tuned electric banjo made by Rickenbacker?

Also i thought it funny that he called that 4-string guitar a Spanish guitar, as opposed to the Hawaiian ones. I thought "Spanish" guitars were usually 6 string, even according to Gibson terminology.

I think you're right about the Rick instrument.

Maybe he had Jose Carreras in mind ... or some other Spanish tenor.

[mrmando]

Maybe not the first, but certainly a very early example of an electric mandolin on film.

Well, I don't know of an earlier film with an electric mandolin in it. Unless there are any clips of Adolph Hofner's or Cliff Bruner's bands prior to 1938...