Whamola

The Whamola is a unique bass instrument used in Funk-Jazz styles of music.

A direct descendant of the washtub bass, an American folk instrument popular with skiffle and jug bands, and its European alternative the tea chest bass, the Whamola consists of a double-bass style neck with a pulley-and-lever system and a single string, all mounted onto a wooden (or metal, as seen in use by Les Claypool) body and a stand. It is played by hitting the string with a drum stick and either fretting the string with the other hand or altering the string's tension using the pully-and-lever system to change the pitch.

The Whamola has gained mass exposure and growing popularity in recent years due to its being played by contemporary bassists like Les Claypool. However, since the Whamola is not considered a mainstream instrument they are extremely rare, and many Whamolas in existence have been hand made by their end users, as opposed to professional luthiers.

"Whamola" is also the title of a song featuring the instrument on Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade's 2002 album "Purple Onion". A remix of the track is the basis for the opening theme of the tenth season of "South Park". There is also a "Drum and Whamola Jam" included as a chapter on the 2004 Primus live DVD "Hallucino-Genetics".

External links

* [http://www.welshcrew.com/kevin/whamola.html The Whamola Project] by Kevin Barnett
* [http://www.yessy.com/whamola/ Brin Levinson's page on Yessy] a craftsman who is building Whamolas