Washtub Bass by Cable Tub Bass Co.

four2oh · #1 07-25-2007, 10:20 AM

Up here in the NorthWest, there is a local boat builder named Kenton Owsley, who in his spare time started making really unique washtub basses (i have heard that he's since stopped production). Instead of the standard broomstick, he used a radiused neck that is anchored with cables (hence the "Cable Tub Bass" name). He also added a sound hole on the front of the washtub to enhance sound-projection. Mine is two-string tuned E/A (there is a three-string version thats been sitting at tradingmusician.com for a year).

decorated with rasta sweatbands, and space vehical repair patch magnet

installed a pup from a Musicman Stingray, minus the preamp, using only one of coils.

Cable Anchors Ahoy! Also octave marker inlay.

whats under the hood? why it's the handle being used as a tailpiece!

if this is #132, where are the other 131? Actually, i've only seen 4 others at various bluegrass festivals and such over the years.

username n/a · #2 07-25-2007, 10:22 AM

thats really cool

57pbass · #3 07-25-2007, 10:45 AM

How does it sound..looks very well made

Chipsonfire · #4 07-25-2007, 10:49 AM

That's pretty slick! How is it to play?

iamthebassman · #5 07-25-2007, 10:49 AM

How does it sound if you turned the pickup 90degrees so each string would have 4 polepieces?

four2oh · #6 07-25-2007, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamthebassman

How does it sound if you turned the pickup 90degrees so each string would have 4 polepieces?

originally i had some generic guitar humbucker installed sideways, with both coils going, but it would do this weird out-of-phase noise. So, after many hours of experimenting with different pickups and configurations, i found that using a MM Stingray pup with only one coil active got the best tone.

plugged in, the washtub sound godly. such rich deep tones. i've A/B'd against expensive doghouses, and it eats them all. seriously!

i'll see if i can scrape up some good sound examples to post.

bongomania · #7 07-25-2007, 11:30 AM

Owsley... Owsley... any relation to the chemist?

four2oh · #8 07-25-2007, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bongomania

Owsley... Owsley... any relation to the chemist?

hehehehe, i've always wondered that too.. perhaps if i lick the neck...

dwjazz54 · #9 07-25-2007, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by four2oh

plugged in, the washtub sound godly. such rich deep tones. i've A/B'd against expensive doghouses, and it eats them all. seriously!

I once had the same experience in Canada - some street musician with a 1-string (tuned to A) homemade washtub with a small-ish GK amp. Sounded wonderful (and he let me play it!).

57pbass · #10 07-25-2007, 12:02 PM

Does it come in a 5 string version?

four2oh · #11 07-25-2007, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 57pbass

Does it come in a 5 string version?

hehehe, not that i've seen.. there is a 3-string version down at the local used music shop (it's been on consignment there for almost 2 years i swear, if it's still there next year i may pick it up), but i think the additional string and wider neck seem to cause too much tension on the washtub, and that particular model seems to be buckling at the cable anchors on the tub itself.

four2oh · #12 03-18-2008, 02:07 PM

new photos:

sporting two magnets: "Emergency Spacecraft Hull Repair Kit" & "New Riders of the Purple Sage":

mmm sweat-stained wood! (need to clean the fretboard):

amazingly, the fingering lines up with the grains in the wood!:

PWRL · #13 03-18-2008, 04:25 PM

Jeez! The Cadillac of the gutbasses! That's slick! I built mine for $20 in parts from Farm and Fleet.

**embellisher** · #14 03-18-2008, 07:56 PM

I have moved to a part of the country where bluegrass is the big thing. How much is that one at the consignment shop?

four2oh · #15 03-26-2008, 01:12 PM

i think that 3-string version is still at Trading Musician ( http://www.tradingmusician.com/ ), for like $350!

four2oh · #16 03-26-2008, 01:13 PM

http://www.tradingmusician.com/catal...Id=253&id=5807

FingeringAm · #17 07-30-2008, 03:52 PM

reminds me of claypools whamola

four2oh · #18 08-21-2008, 09:05 AM

So it was just pointed out to me that the neck of my washtub is actually a Tiller Rod from a Sail Boat!! (makes sense, since the builder of my bass is a local boat builder.)

Gubna · #19 10-20-2008, 11:15 AM

I saw a real basic one of these this weekend. There was a whole band - from New Orleans.

jzauner · #20 06-15-2010, 10:11 AM

I hate reviving old threads like this, but I noticed the guy stopped making these washtub basses, and I decided to make one. I changed a few things (made it up to scale length of my upright bass (45") since its fretless and upright, that will be a LOT easier for me to play in tune. Obviously, I can't just slap a bass guitar pickup on like is on the one pictured above, unless they make upright strings that are picked up by a magnetic pickup. I figured I would place a piezo very close to the bridge so it would pickup most of the natural sounding vibrations?

Anyways, my real question is this: Is it completely necessary to put the strings through the washtub? If I drill 2 holes at an angle (to relieve tension on the strings) through the bottom of the neck, would that work? I wish I had pics to explain this easier. I just don't really like the idea of the strings pulling up on the washtub with that much pressure. And also, that part of the string doesn't do anything except for sympathetic vibrations, so it wouldn't matter if I stuck it to the neck. My biggest concern with that is that it might warp the neck after many years of tension on the neck, you know? I did make the neck pretty thick to avoid this, and it is out of very hard maple, so hopefully it won't get warped. The cable anchors will pull it down onto the washtub. What do you guys think?