George Van Eps

"[George Van Eps] was such an accomplished musician, he wanted to be able to accompany himself on bass as he played the guitar. Toward this end, he designed a seven-string guitar in the late 1930s. The seventh string allowed him to get bass tones lower than the open E-string on the conventional six-string guitar, and thus provide himself with a walking bassline as he played. It also opened up all kinds of opportunities for new chord voicings on guitar."