Benthic Posted July 15, 2001 Share Posted July 15, 2001 Disillusioned with the cost of an upright bass, I have decided to build myself a washtub bass. Progress reports will follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benthic Posted July 15, 2001 Author Share Posted July 15, 2001 First attempt: failed. No volume and no tension. Dit manage to cut myself with a rusty saw though. Am researching more advanced designs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Turner Posted July 15, 2001 Share Posted July 15, 2001 One of the greatest washtub players of all times is Fritz Richmond, one of whose washtubs now resides in the Smithsonian! He plays with a glove on his left hand with a nickel wired to one of the fingers as a string contact. Fritz' tone and intonation are just great. He played on all the Kweskin Jug Band stuff & on a lot of the Boston Cambridge folkie stuff. Went on to be Paul Rothchild's (Doors producer) favorite recording engineer. Fritz may have a website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benthic Posted July 16, 2001 Author Share Posted July 16, 2001 Do any of you know anything about the acoustic qualities of PVC tubing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benthic Posted July 16, 2001 Author Share Posted July 16, 2001 By now my designs have evolved into more of an EUB-type thing. Questions: What scale length should I make it? I have some old bass guitar strings I could use, but then it would have to be a 34 inch scale. Ideally I'd have a 42 inch scale, like an upright, but those strings are expensive; (it will be a two string bass) does scale length make a difference in the sound? Also, does anyone know how I could get pickups for only two strings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarsia Posted July 17, 2001 Share Posted July 17, 2001 OK, Maybe what I was looking for in an Acoustic Bass Guitar, was actually capable in a Washtub bass !!! (you never mentioned this Rick LOL!) Can we put a speaker & battery powered amp in the tub ?¿? Just joking of course, - As far as a two string pickup, I would think half of a P-bass split pickup would do the thing , no ? Good Luck & keep on Thumpin' I'm Todbass62 on MySpace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted July 17, 2001 Share Posted July 17, 2001 Washtub?!? never heard of that make...do you mean Washburn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benthic Posted July 17, 2001 Author Share Posted July 17, 2001 I have ordered some tuners for my bass. I bought a PVC tube for the body but I saw a metal pipe at a nearby building site that seems the right size. I'm guessing metal has better acoustic properties than PVC. I am going to attempt to make off with it tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted July 18, 2001 Share Posted July 18, 2001 RE: acoustic qualities of PVC - Makes me think of the Blue Men ads for Intel's Pentium 4 chips - PVC has great acoustics, and as the ad illustrates, it's pitch could be modified by having a sleeve of slightly larger diameter pipe that you could slide up or down to adjust the length of the pipe, kinda like a Hipshot D-tuner does ;-). From my old days on construction sites I would say PVC would have better tone than metal and resist denting better as well. 6"' or 8" PC would also be hefty enough to screw hardware like tuners, PU or bridge to, while most HVAC type metal ducts have less mass and body wall thickness. BTW, if you were contemplating a "Midnight Mart" visit to the construction site, better wear a flak vest - contractors tend to get a bit agitated about that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAP Posted July 18, 2001 Share Posted July 18, 2001 Check out www.tub-o-tone.com. It has a message board, links to jug band sites, and sells plans and kits for do-it-yourselfers. Thump on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wise Man Posted July 18, 2001 Share Posted July 18, 2001 PVC tubing can sound terrific -- as a didgeridoo. For a washtub bass, I think it's simply too flexible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannabeabassman Posted July 18, 2001 Share Posted July 18, 2001 Where are you planning to use the PVC?? Should just need a broomstick, some non-flexing rope, and a washtub. Keep in mind that the washtub also acts as your cab, so you need to determine what size holes to cut for the bass reflex. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2001 Share Posted July 22, 2001 Did you read this string of messages regarding the washtub bass before starting another one? http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000116.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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