Washtub Bass

I had this idea for a Pickin Grin show I played in 2008 then again the beginning of 2009. I wanted a Washtub bass that I could actually play so this is what I came up with. The neck is a Wheel Barrel handle. I shaped it with a hand plainer. The nut w...as carved from a piece of bone. Burning bone smells horrible! The strings are from one of my upright basses. The pickup was made from a cheap Radio Shack buzzer hot glued to the tub and an input added. The hardest part about playing only 2 strings so kinda tricky building lines. And its quite a stretch reaching notes since the neck is so long. The scale is stretched out over double a regular bass.

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People & Blogs

Tags:

• Washtub
• Bass

[TheDylanDynomite]

Man..That guy is way to good for that band.

[nylonious84]

@LilyISay violent femmes?

[TheMonkeyTookMyHat]

You sir, have my complete respect and admiration. Very inspiring, I hope to begin a project like this myself.

[LilyISay]

Minimalism is more impressive, for sure. The best drummer I ever saw had a bass, a tom and a cowbell. He rocked my socks off.

[vampireringo15]

this is so cool we are in a band called Hillbillie Express and my 12 year old daughter plays a washtub bass also but not like this but please check us out on you tube Thanks

[vampireringo15]

awsome

[DevSodDribble]

@Antisyzygy In come cases, maybe. But I do know of cases where all the extra bells and whistles are used by mediocre musicians to hide the fact that they can't play all that well. Add to that the overuse of effects, and compare it to someone playing a washtub??

[Antisyzygy]

@DevSodDribble Why not? They are hard to play in their own way and enable more varied styles of play and sounds.

[DevSodDribble]

These modern-day six string active pickup bass guitars don't impress me at all. The washtub bass does, though. If you can play a stick and a bucket with a string or two stretched over it, you're a damn genius.

[zephyrv6]

great stuff!