Behrens 90015 Washtub Bass
Behrens 90015 Washtub Bass
Saturday, August 24, 2013
The washtub bass can trace its roots back hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. The technology is pretty simple: a string is pulled taught between a stick and some sort of resonator (a washtub, bucket, barrel, tea chest, hollow log, or a skin stretched over a hole in the ground). As the stick is pulled back, the string pulls tighter and vibrates at a higher pitch when plucked. Hitting the precise pitch is a bit of a guessing game: an experienced player will have pretty good pitch control, but it will always be a bit of an approximation.
The use of actual steel washtubs dates back to the late 19th century, popular in Appalachian and African-American folk music. They were used later in the jug bands and minstrel shows of the 1920s and 30s, and continue to be used in folk circles or as an alternate bass in modern blues, rockabilly, hillbilly and bluegrass ensembles. A variation using a tea chest as a resonator was popular in English skiffle bands in the 1950s and early 60s. (One of those bands called themselves the Quarry Men, who morphed into The Beatles, who in turn went on to be somewhat successful, I’m told.)
After examining the design of Mary Schaeffer-Losure’s washtub bass at a local fiddle & banjo open jam, I set to work collecting up the materials I'd need to build one of my own. Initially I figured an actual washtub would be unavailable, so I planned to use a 5-gallon plastic bucket, or a metal bucket if I could find one. But lo and behold, our local Home Depot had a Behrens 90015 17-gallon galvanized washtub available for $19. I collected up a few more items there (broom handle, eye bolts, lock washers, 1/4" wing nuts, and polyester clothesline), and a few others at a nearby Ace Hardware (2" fender washers, small rope clamps, cotton clothesline). A couple of 4" wooden discs came from a Michael's craft store.
I cut a 9/32" hole in the center of the "bottom" of the washtub (now the top of the resonator) and a wooden disc, then threaded the eye bolt through a fender washer, the washtub, the wooden disc, another fender washer, a lock washer, and the wing nut. I cut off the metal threaded end of the broom handle, then cut a slot through the center of that end (much like the slot in a screw) to hold the stick against the rim of the washtub. Holding the stick in position, I marked the stick at my eye level, then drilled a hole there and two more holes about 2" and 4" below that. I threaded the clothesline through the three holes and tied a knot, then rope clamped the other end to hold on to the eye bolt. After adjusting the length of the string a bit (the rope clamp makes this very easy), I was able to pluck out a bass line.
Some troubleshooting needed to be done: polyester clothesline stretches far too easily to be useful, so I went with the cotton line instead. A board under the front "lip" of the resonator allowed the sound to escape and be heard. And I had to Dremel off the metal handles from the 'tub so they wouldn't rattle with every note. But the result was worth it: a genuine washtub bass, assembled for under $50 USD. In fact, I had enough clothesline and spare parts to build a second bass, so I picked up a Behrens 6106 6-gallon galvanized bucket and another broom handle from Ace, and repeated the process. It actually sounds just as nice as the full washtub, and doesn't take up nearly as much space on a small stage.
The washtub bass and the smaller bucket bass are very easy to learn (although it will take some time to master them). They're a lot of fun, and certainly attract attention.
Photo by Rose Wallace-Smith