Jay Roberts
Offered two 5-string models. The "Tiny Moore" (above left) was a copy
of Tiny's original Bigsby—a
5-string electric with two pickups and an odd-looking "Mickey Mouse
ear" scroll. It was also available as a left-handed model (above center). The "Tiny Moore Jazz 5"
(above right) had one pickup and eliminated
the scroll. Tiny played, endorsed, and sold these in his later years. The
gadget on the side of the mandolin, below the scroll, is a bracket for attaching
a saxophone strap—Tiny's preferred method of holding the instrument.
Jay also made steel guitars, as well as a handful of 8-string electric mandolins that were decidedly not Bigsby copies (right). He made these instruments in Yuba City, California. That's Jay pictured with Tiny, below. |