Washtub Bass

[Nail Soup]

I'm midway through Billy Bragg's book on skiffle music. Skiffle is associated with washtub bass (although a lot of acts in the book used double bass too)... Anyone here had experience of washtub bass?

Tell us about it... and also about he technique. For example are you playing actual pitched notes?

[PaulThePlug]

...or Tea Chest Bass for those in the UK...

[Mykesbass]

My introduction to bass when I was probably around 11, and there were skiffle nights at the social club my parents went to. Bearing in mind we are talking nearly 50 years ago, pitch wise I would like it to Tom toms, so you play two distinct sounds, emulating root/fifth but there was no real note there.

 

And as @Dad3353 says, most definitely teachest back then.

[Leonard Smalls]

Back in the late 80s we had a band who supported us regularly - The Lost T-Shirts of Atlantis - who were a sort of skiffle punk...

They had a tea chest bass, made (funnily enough) out of a tea chest, a bit of stair banister and some thick string. Their bass player could get various frequencies of thump out of it, but had to draw the line at Stanley Clarke covers...

[Len_derby]

If you’re a Facebook user there is a group called Washtub Bass (Gutbucket). Some entertaining videos.

 

That’s a good book by Billy Bragg - Roots, Radicals and Rockers.  I passed on my copy to my 85 year-old mother-in-law. She was a regular at the London jazz and skiffle clubs in the late 50’s. She could recognise quite a few of the people in the photographs. 

[Downunderwonder]

Tea chest bass has good pitch. A kid played one in my primary school band. He was a big kid. I was on violin.

[Dad3353]

If you've ever seen someone playing a musical saw, the question of pitch would be answered. Skilful tensioning of the string is the secret, and there are many tea-chest players that are able to get a decent tune from their instrument. It's true, though, that many either lack that skill, or don't bother, as a good rhythmic 'thump' does the job too, in some genres. Enthusiasm and spectacle can be more important in some bands, some of which are very successful. The tea-chest construction becomes quite critical, too, as a total collapse of a badly-made instrument is not rare. It's an art; respect to those who can make it work, but it ain't as easy as it looks. Try it yourself, with a ruler hanging flat over the edge of the table. Pluck the ruler; can you slide it to and fro to make a tune..? It's a similar principle. Swanee whistles, too, come to mind.

[knirirr]

This reminds me that at some point in the 90s there was an "April fool" article in a bass magazine about an electric tea chest bass supposedly about to be released. This was a Trace Elliot BLX combo with a carbon fibre broom handle on the top (complete with LED position markers IIRC) and a kevlar string. If anyone ever comes across a copy that would be amusing to see again.

[Waddo Soqable]

Not exactly a tea chest bass but.. In a skip a few years ago I found, (and instantly grabbed obviously) a weird "thing" which appeared to be a cello neck fixed to a kind of odd wooden box affair.. Unfortunately I didn't get to mess with it as a mate pleaded with me to have it, to give his dad (who was into all kinds of odd historic and arcane instruments).. No idea what the outcome was, I'd completely forgotten about this until reading this thread. 

I must ask him next time I see him, whatever became of it.. 

[Staggering on]

I had one I made from a big washtub 'way back in the late 60's and it added a decent thud to a fast song and sometimes the pitch was fairly accurate but it was pretty useless on slow songs. Good fun to play and just about anyone could have a go at it, I'd classify it as an instrument but not necessarily a "musical" instrument.😊

[SpondonBassed]

It's not a washtub bass but I think it's relevant.  Unfortunately the photo links are broken.  If you ask @oldslapper nicely he might be able to restore them:

 

 

[oldslapper]

1 hour ago, SpondonBassed said:

It's not a washtub bass but I think it's relevant.  Unfortunately the photo links are broken.  If you ask @oldslapper nicely he might be able to restore them:

 

 

Sorry, the photos have gone, I didn’t save them on my iCloud account and we’re on an old phone. Deleted here to make room for sales. 
 

[SpondonBassed]

13 minutes ago, oldslapper said:

Sorry, the photos have gone, I didn’t save them on my iCloud account and we’re on an old phone. Deleted here to make room for sales. 
 

 

Aw.  Never mind.  Thanks anyway.

[msb]

Wear a glove on your plucking hand.

[TheRev]

7 hours ago, knirirr said:

This reminds me that at some point in the 90s there was an "April fool" article in a bass magazine about an electric tea chest bass supposedly about to be released. This was a Trace Elliot BLX combo with a carbon fibre broom handle on the top (complete with LED position markers IIRC) and a kevlar string. If anyone ever comes across a copy that would be amusing to see again.

I remember that article - it also had a wing mirror mounted on the side so you could watch the drummer for cues.

[knirirr]

8 hours ago, TheRev said:

I remember that article - it also had a wing mirror mounted on the side so you could watch the drummer for cues.

 

Quite right - I'd forgotten the mirror until you mentioned it just now.

Didn't it say something about watching the drummer not necessarily being a good idea, depending on the drummer?

[Mickyk]

The Great Kick N Rush.https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=323250788192315

[Strawbs664]

This thread reminded me of these guys. Saw them at the Reading Festival in 1989 (I think) and followed then until they split in the mid 90s. Their Tea Chest player eventually graduated onto a 4 string for later albums, which was a Stingray if I recall.

 

[Nail Soup]

I'm planning to inflict a version of this on my local folk/acoustic session  at the weekend. To make things worse, I'm considering doing it on banjo 😐.

Diggin' My Potatoes by Lonnie Donegan.

 

[Waddo Soqable]

5 hours ago, Nail Soup said:

I'm planning to inflict a version of this on my local folk/acoustic session  at the weekend. To make things worse, I'm considering doing it on banjo 😐.

Diggin' My Potatoes by Lonnie Donegan.

 

Top man.. 👍

Definitely do it on banjo OK...!