Jazz up your Washboard
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Musical Washboard Links, Do-it Yourself Bells and Whistles
Do-it yourself bells and whistles for your musical washboard.
This lens is for folks who have just picked up their first washboard, and tries to be the webpage I would have wanted to find when I started playing a few years ago.
I truly love this very special instrument. Learning how to scratch out some good rhythms has been tremendous fun and what other instrument encourages you to modify it however you want?
It also would be cool to hear whatever tips and advice you care to share so don't hesitate; and please add your favorite washboard players and bands to my list (or send me a message so I can).
Table of Contents
- No One Way
- Washboard Links
- Watch out, low flying thimbles!
- Thumb "Thimbles" and Washboard Whackers
- The Sound Of Metal
- Uh-oh, split wood!
- The Columbus Washboard Company
- Attaching a Bell
- Drop-in Anchors - 4 Prong T-nuts
- Bulb horns and a way to avoid drop-in anchors
- Clamps
- Stick stuff on with magnets
- Dry Bone Musical Instrument Co
- Attaching a cymbal
- Do-it Yourself Bathtub Drain Plate Bell
- The washboard video of the month
- Your comments please!
- Attach A Strap?
- Share your handywork!
- Affiliations, Profits and Earthjustice
No One Way
These do-it yourself modules should hopefully give an idea of how you can add sounds to your board. However there are as many ways do do this as there are washboard musicians, which is pretty unique in the instrument world, so don't hesitate to experiment. It's your instrument, fine tune it to suit your needs!I would also like to stress the fact that I am figuring this stuff out as I go along so if you know better, which I'm sure many washboard musicians do, please don't hesitate to correct me and give your advice.
But what about thimbles?
Washboard Links
If you have a wash or rubboard link you would like to add, please leave a comment in the guestbook.
- Washboards International
- Welcome to Washboard Players
Washboard Concerts--2007
A Bit of HistoryHot LinksPhoto PagePhoto... - Art and Soul! Washboard Slim's washboard at the Smithsonian
- Need inspiration? Check out this article with a picture of Robert Young-a.k.a. Washboard Slim's incredible washboard!
- Let's Talk Antiques
- Antique washboards not scrubbed of their charm
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Washboard From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Columbus Washboard Company
- Manufacturer, Supplier, Wholesaler of Musical Instruments and Non-Electric Scrubbing Boards and Washing Machines made in the Hocking Hills. A manufacturer of tradition non-electric clothes washboards used as a percussive instrument for jazz, rhythm and blues performances.
- Washboard Music Festival
- The Washboard Music Festival is a 3 day extravaganza held in the streets of small town America.
- Show me your Washboard
- tambourine21's YouTube playlist of 20 short videos more or less showing 19 washboards from the Jug Band Fes 2007 in, I guess, Tokyo Japan. Some great jazzed up boards to be inspired from!
- Zinc King Musical Lingerie Washboard, #703
- Boasted as the Stradivarius of musical rub boards the Vintage Zinc King Lingerie Washboard, #703 can be found at Dry Bone Musical Instrument Co.
- McKnowall's Beaut Aussie Washboard
- McKnowall's Beaut Aussie Washboard and Washboard Whackers from Australia!
- Woogie Board
- The Memphis Tennessee manufacturer of Woogie Boards - the Electric Washboard. "Cody Dickinson has had a washboard around his neck and thimbles on his fingers for as long as anyone can remember.. It is the unique sounds that Cody discovered when combining the traditional North Mississippi blues sounds of the washboard with electricity and guitar effect pedals that are the origins of the Woogie Board...
- When were washboards invented?
- An interesting page tracing the washboard's history.
- Key of Z Rubboards
- Tee Don's World of Zydeco. This is a great rubboard site with Instructional Video Frottoir Lessons!
- L'Inoxydable
- French haute couture washboards!
- Zydeco Play-Wear
- Creator of the original Zydeco Tie (pat. no. D457287).
Zydeco Tie, Washboard Tie, Metal Thimbles, Mini Washboard Earrings, Cajun Triangle Earrings... - Carbolic Soap Co.
- UK distributor for washboard scrubbing boards
- Washboards For Sale.
- In the UK. Vintage, antique and used modern
- MySpace washboard group
- The washboard player group at MySpace
- The Washboard Player Appreciation Society | Facebook
- The Washboard Player Appreciation Society @ Facebook
Watch out, low flying thimbles!
Best keep them on your fingers but how?
After finding this tip by the late Rick Fielding on the Mudcat Café forum I just had to give it a try and am happy that I did! It really has helped.Get your thimbles together, but don't worry if they're a bit on the large side (some folks pinch 'em to make 'em fit.)
Take some white elastic (one inch wide) waistband material (available in strips at any department store) and glue it (with contact cement) around the thimble. Leave about three quarters of an inch off the thimble. Pull it quite tight before gluing, so that you really have to wiggle each finger a bit to get it past the elastic and into the thimble.
The elastic will keep the thimble firmly in place (without pain) and you won't lose the circulation in your finger-tips.
BTW: If you're looking for special sounding thimbles to play your washboard with check out the choice of thimbles they have at Bone Dry Music. Brass, Rosewood, Maple, Vintage Plastic & even two kinds of thimbles made out of Horn!
>>> And if you "elasticize" your thimbles this way you can use the thicker wrapped upper part of the thimble to hit your bell or cymbal. This give a cool gong tone since the elastic material has a softer contact.
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W.D. Jones wrote that since he needs to switch between instruments pretty quickly, he made gloves to play the board with: "It's easier for me to slide on 2 gloves than 8 thimbles. I just bought cheap cotton gloves and added pearl snaps to each finger. The snaps come with the little kit for attaching them. It's cheap, quick, durable, and sounds great."
Another little tip for thimble gloves was found at Cathy & Marcy's Song Shop among a few washboard suggestions for children: "...Gloves with bottle caps glued to the fingers,...
Obviously if you don't mind wearing gloves, you can just glue your thimbles on an old pair and presto: thimble gloves!
As for myself I've been trying out my own washboard glove concoction. Stay tuned though, because I've just tested (early Nov. '10) some washboard gloves that I think have a lot of potential that should be available relatively soon!
Thumb "Thimbles" and Washboard Whackers
Do-it yourself or not?
I like having a thimble on my thumb to tap with, but a good thumb thimble is hard to find!However I happened to have a piece of 1 inch aluminum tubing in my workshop so I cut it in half and then sanded down and glued each half to a piece of the same white elastic used for the thimbles which had already been glued into a loop just big enough to fit smugly on my thumb.
This idea has worked out really well and with hindsight it's quite probable that it came from seeing McKnowall's Washboard Whackers (bottom photo) while looking for neat washboard products when I first started this lens. So if you don't happen to have all the necessary ingredients to do this yourself, this is a product that could be really be worth it.
The Sound Of Metal
Because washboards don't all sound the same!
You can get different sounds from your washboard by using different materials to tap and scratch it. A wooden spoon will not sound like a wisp, and even thimbles made from different metals sound well... different. But washboards made of different metals also have very distinctive sounds:
Zinc King Washboard
Columbus Stainless Steel Washboard
Columbus Brass Washboard
(These three recordings where made in the exact same conditions.)
Zinc King Washboard
Columbus Stainless Steel Washboard
Columbus Brass Washboard
(These three recordings where made in the exact same conditions.)
Uh-oh, split wood!
Recently I bought a Zinc King #703 and added bell, cymbal, bathtub drain plate bell and a small home-made woodblock. These are small washboards and since they are old have been used to wash clothes the wood is dry and brittle and is very easy to crack and split!This is true for most old washboards (and many new ones made in soft pine) so think twice about your do-it yourself skills before attempting anything. And if you do decide to add something, be extremely delicate: for instance drill small holes first and enlarge them bit by bit.
The Columbus Washboard Company
Established in 1895 when Frederic Martin Sr. started building washboards in his backyard for resale the Columbus Washboard Company is more than well known to musical washboard players.Their website presents their washboards, both musical and not, some arts & craft washboards and the company's history.
10 years ago they moved from Columbus to Logan, Ohio. Here is a short article with an interview of co-owner Jacqui Barnett (below the fold) recounting the move.
These are great washboards! The one that have a spiral crimp profile have a very smooth surface to tap and scratch and a distinctively sharp sound.
And BTW: Beware of CHINESE made Washboards, also named " Authentic Musical Washboard " that are circulating among Music stores all over the country. They are made of an inferior wood and have the words " Authentic Musical Washboard " printed in brown ink on both sides instead of having the Columbus Washboard brand name, phone and email printed on the back.
Attaching a Bell
The new version...
It's easy to put stuff on your washboard, especially if you have a few power tools lying around. Just remember to use all the necessary protection!I have to admit that for my bell I have given up on the drop-in anchor way that I had previously posted. Live and learn...
Fortunately I found a wing nut that fit in the space between the bell and its "handle" So I was able to screw the bolt in from behind. Two lock washers help preventing the bell from turning too much.
Soapboard Design Of The Month
Help support this lens & share your love of washboards!
My new t-shirt shop: "Blues Infection", has some designs for washboard players and well as a growing selection of other music themed apparel.Featured this month:
Love jug bands? Share your passion with a "Just Play It!" jug band t-shirt. Has an acoustic guitar, washtub bass, ukulele, washboard, banjo and jug.
Fender's Excellent Adventure
with many a jazzed up washboard!
This fun video has many jazzed up washboards to be inspired from as well as a visit to the Columbus Washboard Company. It is also filled with great music!
curated content from YouTube
Drop-in Anchors - 4 Prong T-nuts
Add some glue!
Although I have often used drop-in anchors successfully with wood it is a fact that they are made for concrete. The main problem is preventing them from turning on themselves when you screw in a bolt or threaded rod so a few spots of contact glue can help.You can also use 4 prong T-nuts (pictured here). They have little spikes that prevent them from rotating when you screw in the bolt but watch out that you don't split the wood while hammering them in. If necessary drill 4 tiny holes (smaller than the spike's width) where the spikes will go.
A little glue to hold them in place is not a bad idea.
Bulb horns and a way to avoid drop-in anchors
Although you still need to drill a hole
Another problem with drop-in anchors is that you need to screw the attachment on to them. This is not always convenient especially when you are attaching things close to each other.As the picture shows, I first drilled a hole that corresponds to the bolt size. This Bulb horn came with a accommodating "handlebar clamp". Perfect actually, all I need to do was find a bolt that was long enough to go all the way through and leave enough room to tighten with a wing nut.
So: The bolt goes through the "handlebar clamp", then I put a spring lock washer (hoping that it will help prevent the horn from moving too much), these are tightened with a nut to hold the horn correctly, then I put a thick spacer washer to put space between the horn and my washboard. And don't forget to add a washer before screwing on the wing nut.
I think that this way of attaching something reduces the risk of cracking the wood!
Clamps
How to avoid drilling holes in your board
I have yet to actually try this, however I know many washboard player use clamps to attach stuff.At first I was worried that clamps would get in the way too much and perhaps fall off at an inconvenient moment. However that does not seem to be as great a problem as all that, plus they would be a great way to try out different arrangements.
I think that for a cymbal, for instance, you will probably need to drill a hole on the side marked by an arrow in the picture and then bolt it on to the clamp.
Stick stuff on with magnets
A Plexiglas woodblock for instance
Magnets don't stick to my old Swiss or Zinc King washboards but they do on the stainless steel one I recently bought from the Columbus Company!I've been thinking that it would be fun to have a variety of stuff that could quickly be stuck on for a song or two and since it's "back side" is open, these could be easily stored there (if you see what I mean).
My plan was to make a woodblock with a rimmed profile but I couldn't find the "right" piece of wood, I did have a chunk of Plexiglas however and figured it would have to do.
A word of caution: If you don't know what you are doing: Don't! Plexiglas gets everywhere when you cut, sand and grind it and can be sharp. Eye protections are a must and not just glasses, as well as heavy clothes and gloves. Your tools should have all the adequate protection guards too! And BTW: it melts if overheated.
This is really just an example of how magnets can be useful and could have just as well been made out of wood.
As you can see, I grinded out a bridge shape hoping to improve the sound, which seems to be the case. Filed the ribs and drilled holes in which I epoxy glued three strong (Pull force 15 lbs) rare earth magnets. I added a layer of foam to reduce vibrations which also somewhat reduces the strength of the magnets, making it easier to remove.
The downside of this idea is that if you use steel thimbles, brushes, spoons or a wisp to play they will stick to the magnets too; funny but not very convenient. But it can be useful if you play with nylon brushes or other none magnetic materials.
Dry Bone Musical Instrument Co
Those of you playing Zinc King Lingerie Washboards, #703 may know about Dry Bone Musical Instrument Co. However washboards are not the only thing found in this store, in fact their specialty is Musical Rhythm Bones.Now folks have been playing natural rib bones since prehistoric times and many washboard players play them too, so I think they are not entirely out of place here. In any case it's a fun store to browse in since musical bones come in all sorts of materials.
That said, along with the Zinc King Lingerie Washboards, they also carry a great selection of bulb horns, cowbells and vintage tin cups from the turn-of-the-century not to mention a growing selection of thimbles made out of different metals, horn and even wood. So you may want to check out their "Musical Washboards & Accessories" section.
Attaching a cymbal
Cymbals can be a lot of fun
If you know a drummer you may be in luck because they often have old equipment lying around. Otherwise small cymbals are easily found at music stores (or ebay, see below). Unfortunately they do cost more than washboards:-(There are certainly many ways and places to attach one. Just keep in mind to make sure it doesn't get in your way.
A traditional spot is to place it on the top left corner of the board, but it goes just as well on the bottom or stuck out in front.
Just use a thick screw or a bolt that you can attach with a Drop-in anchor.
For a cymbal to sound good, it needs to be held between two peaces of thick felt. I used the felt of of some old chair leg felt glides. Just slice them off and put a hole through them that you can fit on your bolt or screw.
You put a washer (as wide as the felt), a piece of felt, the cymbal, a second piece of felt, another washer. It shouldn't be too tight.
You can attach the cymbal "upside down" to gain a little space, and my tip for beginners is that you can also hit it from underneath by flipping your hand up!
Do-it Yourself Bathtub Drain Plate Bell
Bathtub drain plates have different shapes, sizes and sounds. Put chimes on your washboard with a few well chosen ones!
The upper overflow drain plate of old bathtubs can make a very clear sounding bell.All you need is a hex bolt that fits through the drain plate, two metal washers, two rubber washers and two lock nuts that fit the bolt.
Put a metal washer, a rubber washer, the drain plate, a rubber washer and a metal washer on the bolt. Tighten them with a lock nut, just enough to prevent rattling but not too much or you will lose ring quality.
If your washboard is made with pine, you probably should use a drop-in anchor or a wingnut to attach it. Since mine is made of hard beech wood I just drilled a hole (slightly smaller than the bolt) and screwed it directly into the wood (on the side of the left washboard foot). The second lock nut is to adjust how high the bell is by preventing the bolt from screwing in too far.
Listen: Bathtub drain plate bell sound file.
Bulb Horns
Honk, honk!
There don't seem to be many bulb horns on the market so if you want one you either need to search garage sales and antique shops or make life easy and order one like these or one the those that you can find at Dry Bone Musical Instrument Co.
BTW: Not all are shipped outside of the US and it took some searching to find one in Europe. Hint: In France, Germany and Switzerland they can be found on websites specialized in dog items, apparently they are sold for training purposes. ;-)
BTW: Not all are shipped outside of the US and it took some searching to find one in Europe. Hint: In France, Germany and Switzerland they can be found on websites specialized in dog items, apparently they are sold for training purposes. ;-)
How to play the washboard?
A few tips for the beginner washboard player as well as washboard and rubboard video tutorials can be found at Scratch your ax washboard basics.
The washboard video of the month
Great musicians or just plain fun...
BTW: all the past featured washboard videos - and more - can be found on my YouTube channel Washboard Playlist.
curated content from YouTube
Your comments please!
And don't forget to rate this lens!
More than a guestbook, it would be nice to share ideas and your playing tips for beginners. For instance do you mostly tap or scrape? How have you jazzed up your own board?
You can even announce your washboard concerts!
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OzDave
Feb 10, 2011 @ 4:40 pm | delete
- After watching others play, I have been well and truly bitten by the washboard music bug. This is an amazing source to start off. Thank you for your work in putting all of this valuable information in one place. I play drums in a blues band, so the rudiments fit. I can't wait to get my own board and start making some music to jive to!
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Evets
Feb 11, 2011 @ 1:15 am | delete
- Hi OzDave,
Thanks for your comment and good move, there's nothing better than a blues band with a washboard player! ;-)
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Prairiegirl
Feb 8, 2011 @ 6:27 am | delete
- Thankyou for your page ! I am bidding on a washboard as we speak. Do you like the lingerie board or would you recommend a bigger one. Thankyou for your time :)
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Evets
Feb 8, 2011 @ 6:57 am | delete
- Hi Prairiegirl, thanks for stopping by.
I like, and use, both! However for the lingerie boards it depends on the rubbing surface. Some of the small boards have large board sized "ribs" or "waves", and some, like most Zinc Kings for instance, have a smaller sized pattern. The difference is that one is like having 2/3rds of a large board (14-15 ribs instead of 20) and the other like having a smaller - but full sized - washboard (20 small ribs); which is what I prefer. I hope that makes sense. :-)
That said if you like playing with large ribs but want a small board to carry around, or if you don't scratch a whole lot but mostly tap, than either kind is fine.
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scar4
Jan 13, 2011 @ 1:09 am | delete
- Give it a thumbs-up, keep on the good work.
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Attach A Strap?
"I recently bought a zinc king and was wondering what the best way to add a strap is?seems that the wood is quite delicate I don't want to crack it."
First of all like everything else on this lens, this is a suggestion on my part and not necessarily the best way for you. I don't like hanging things around my neck but if you are just using a small washboard, two eye screws and some thick string may be all you need. The other extreme would be something like backpack shoulder straps that would hold a heavy and very jazzed up board in front of you.
When I first started I had a couple of guitar straps and decided to use one of them.
There are a variety guitar strap attachments you could use but if you're looking for cheaper solution you can just use a Flat Head Carriage Bolt. Either way cracking is an issue, so you need to be very careful! Especially on a small washboard like the Zinc King
For the maximum strength I think it's best to put the bolt into one of the crossbars, on the top or above or below the metal which BTW you need to avoid hitting when drilling the hole. See picture #2 in the "Share your handywork!" module
First use a small drill bit, then one exactly the same size of your bolt (if you are doing this to a new washboard you can make a hole that is slightly smaller and screw the bolt in but in an old dry one chances are that it can crack it). You really need to be very careful, the first time I tried the bit hit the metal and made a big hole. My solution was to mix the dust/small chips of the drilled wood with some white glue, then place the bolt where I wanted it and fill in around it with the glue wood dust mixure (let it dry overnight).
In any case you should put some glue in the hole, and then the bolt, so it holds in strong.
The downside to attaching the strap in the same way I have to a big washboard is that it doesn't really hang in the center of your chest.
BTW: I wouldn't recommend anyone buying a bell like the one that happens to be attach to the washboard in the picture. Either use a can or spend more for one that isn't dependent on having a clapper. When hit with a thimble this one just clanks.
Share your handywork!
It would be great to see what you have done with your washboard(s). This module will show images that are uploaded to Flickr, so you need to first put your pictures there to show them here.
If you don't want to create a Flickr account, I would be happy to add them for you. Just use the contact form (on my profile page) to send me a message so I can get the picture from you to add to my newly opened account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/washboards/
About my Swiss washboard
In Switzerland all the old washboards that I have seen in antique shops are like my Herkules Extra Stark (strong) and have rectangular "ribs" that are slightly rounded which give a nice smooth feel but your fingers also slip down between them.The coolest part is the crossbow "Swiss quality" symbol in the center.
They are heavy duty, solidly made with beech wood and sound pretty much like that; mellow - more rumble less rattle.
Washboard stuff on Amazon
A few washboard worthy items:
Washboard News
Searching the press with washboard and music!
- Creolization to play at Jammies
- Creolization features David Molinari on vocals, guitar, accordion, harmonica, washboard and keyboards. He also writes nearly all of the songs they play. Mark Edwin adds hard driving electric guitar in the blues and rock traditions.
- Review: 2012 Grammys
- 9:40 PM ? Taylor Swift performs ?Mean? in a washboard setting. What's with the depression-era getups? With this performance, Taylor gets back at the music critic who criticized, and rightfully so, her 2010 Grammy performance with Stevie Nicks (it was ...
- CONCERT REVIEW: Kingsley Flood at Lovin' Cup
- It's an even nicer surprise when said musical discovery comes completely out of nowhere, and I couldn't be happier with my recent find in Kinglsey Flood, which played Saturday, February 11, at Lovin' Cup. First up was local band The Jesus Rays.
- How to stop yourself from buying Whitney Houston's music (legally)
- (Yes, they had the ubiquitous New Orleans Frenchmen Street bluesman, Washboard Chaz. No, they did not have Gino Bordin, the Hawaiian steel guitar player of 1930s Paris.) Recently, I uploaded my entire digital music library of about 8000 songs up to ...
Washboards on eBay
A good place to find an old, or new, washboard!
eBay is also a great place to find cowbells and cymbals!
Cymbals
Beware that cymbals are relatively expensive and IMHO, hard to chose! If possible you will want to check out your local musical instrument store, they should have a few to hit on to see how different one can be from another.
For a washboard 8 inches or smaller seem the best size but I'm sure many have managed just fine with a 10 inch one. Unless you know what you want, I'd suggest trying to find a used one or even use an old pot cover, just listen to the many great players who have made extraordinary music with a few pots and pans!
For a washboard 8 inches or smaller seem the best size but I'm sure many have managed just fine with a 10 inch one. Unless you know what you want, I'd suggest trying to find a used one or even use an old pot cover, just listen to the many great players who have made extraordinary music with a few pots and pans!
Affiliations, Profits and Earthjustice
Squidoo is affiliated to most of the big companies like Cafepress, Amazon and eBay, found on this page so sales made through here bring in some money (not much) and as the lensmaster I can choose what to do with those profits.
So, just so you know, most* of my profits go to Earthjustice and I invite you to donate too if you care to help but don't feel like going on a shopping spree.
*Most meaning all except for the money I make from selling a t-shirt or something from one of my stores: Rattlebrained Designs, Blues Infection and Crawfish Blues.
So, just so you know, most* of my profits go to Earthjustice and I invite you to donate too if you care to help but don't feel like going on a shopping spree.
*Most meaning all except for the money I make from selling a t-shirt or something from one of my stores: Rattlebrained Designs, Blues Infection and Crawfish Blues.
Environmental law defender Earthjustice, the top American ecological law firm, because the earth needs a good lawyer. Formerly Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund.
Rattlebrained Rags
You can also find some of my washboard - and other musical instrument - designs at Rattlebrained Rags. What's neat with Zazzle is that you can customize, change the design size and placement, and even add your own image, statement or funny saying!
powered by Zazzle.com
by Evets
Evets
A visual artist as well as an aspiring washboard player, I live in the Swiss Jura mountains.
About 5 years ago with friends who share my interest in...
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Columbus Washboard 2133 Pail Size Washboard
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A great pail sized Columbus washboard
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