Henk van Zalinge played double bass and, according to his own words, learned from gypsies in Bussum during the Second World War how to build such an instrument. In the seventies he developed an electric double bass in which the sound box was largely omitted. In 1978 Van Zalinge applied for an American patent on his design, which was granted in 1981. The first Z-basses were made in '71. (Rob Langereis, Willem de Vries) Then a series in '74 - '75 (the acquaintances of Henk Haverhoek, Henk Bosch van Drakenstein, Ali Haurand, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen) and then in '80 those of Sting ("Brian") and Stewart Copeland ("Fred") , Daan Gaillard. In '81 or '82 the last one for Jean Louis Rassinfosse. There are 23 numbered basses, some prototypes and basses from collected parts) and of course 264 Z-basses. In Europe the instrument was called Van Zalinge bass; on the American market people spoke of the Z-bass.