measure
Power drill and assorted drill
bits, including
3/16
" (5mm)
Assorted sandpaper,
sanding block
Pliers
Hand saw
Pencil
Phillips and flat head
screwdrivers
Adjustable wrench
Utility knife
Clamp
HISTORY OF THE
WASHTUB BASS
The washtub bass is an instrument with
deep roots in American music, providing
the thumping rhythm notes to the early New
Orleans ‘spasm bands’ and the jug bands
that came out of Memphis and Louisville
in the early part of the 20th century. It later
became a central piece in the folk music
boom of the 1960s with bands such as
Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions
(which later became The Grateful Dead) and
Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band, featuring Fritz
Richmond on bass.
The late Fritz Richmond (see page 28)
attained status as a true virtuoso bassist.
He played with Kweskin, and, later in life,
with John Sebastian & the J-Band. Richmond
played the instrument with such ferocity
that he would go through one galvanized
washtub a year! (He eventually remedied the
situation by having a washtub factory build
him one from stainless steel.) To hear the
washtub bass in its full glory, check out John
Sebastian & the J-Band’s albums “Chasin’
Gus’ Ghost” and “I Want My Roots.”
The washtub bass is again experiencing
a resurgence with the popularity of modern
Americana music and as an accompaniment
in the growing cigar box guitar movement.
The washtub bass is an instrument rich in history as well as sound. It won’t
take you long to whip up one of these deep-noted beauties, and you’ll be glad
you did
—
there’s nothing better to accompany a cigar box guitar.
One-String
washtub Bass
20
Handmade Music FactorY
Chapter
1
Another name for
the washtub bass is
A GUTBUCKET.
22
Handmade Music FactorY
One-String washtub Bass
A HANDY SOLUTION
A washtub bassist once told me that he would buy
leather driving gloves and soak the right one in
water for an hour. He would then put it on his hand
when he went to sleep. The glove would shrink to
his hand and provide the perfect plucking glove for
washtub bass performance the next day, saving
his hand from rope burns!
1
Remove the handles.
When you have chosen your tub,
remove the handles using a pair of pliers.
2
Mark the bottom center of the tub.
Locate and
mark the center of the tub. Use a measuring tape if
necessary, but it should be easy enough to eyeball.
3
Drill the center hole.
Drill an appropriately sized hole
for one of the big eye bolts. The hole should be big
enough to allow the bolt through, but not much larger.
4
Install the eye bolt.
Insert the eye bolt through the bottom
