tutmarc's audiovox manufacturing co. was one of the very first firms to produce an electric lap steel guitar, and tutmarc himself was often the demonstrator and promoter. he invented a solid-body electric upright "bull-fiddle" in 1935 but it mainly served as a publicity tool. he manufactured lap steel guitars with his own "blade" pickup, and accompanying amplifiers. his real claim-to-fame was the development and marketing of the fretted and solid-body audiovox model 736 bass fiddle, from 1936, which was designed to be used in a horizontal position. that then-radical instrument is considered to be history's earliest electric bass guitar—and one that preceded the far more famous fender precision bass by a decade and a half. tutmarc also manufactured an accompanying bass amplifier, the audiovox model 936.