Whamola

[Dog--]

A Whamola is this thing that has 1 string, you play with a drum stick (by hitting it), and it's all attached to a handle at the top that stretches it, changing the sound. It looks like an upright bass. Sort of like a huge-ass tremolo system on a guitar. Les Claypool (best bass player ever) uses it alot, and it's just an awesome instrument.

So the reason I created this thread was because I am currently building one for a few reasons:

1) They are ****ing cool.

2) They are pretty cheap to build, I have (right now) all the materials to build it, and it all only cost me about $50.

3) I needed to make a music instrument and play it for my music classes culminating project, so rather then make some shitty Kleenex box guitar, I'm making a sweet ass Whamola.

Like I said, I've been planning this for about a week now, and over the past 2 or 3 days I've finally gotten all the materials needed. It was a pain to figure out how to make it, as there are no plans for one, and all the ones I see in pictures and videos are all different, no 2 are the same, I've made my own design that's simple and effective.

So I'm going to start building it tomorrow (Friday), the only thing I don't have right now is pickups (it's going to be electric), but my friend is giving me some that I'll use, and I'll hook it through my FX pedal and make it kick ass. It should be done within a day or 3, so I'm creating this thread now and when I bring it to school, I'll make a video of me playing it there (tons of cameras there, nice quality), and upload it then.

How to play (shows you what it is more so)
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=qOarYACTyvM

Les Claypool himself playing it (I consider him the father of it, he made it great, even though it's not even popular as an instrument)
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRLCApT6JU

Can't wait until tomorrow, It should only take me like 2 days, if that, to build it. Hopefully the video will be up on Monday, and I'll play some crazy shit with it.

 

[knut]

Claypool gives me so much crease.

Good luck, it's an awesome technique if done right, though I've only ever seen Les' work with one before.

 

[soulslicer]

awesome!

post the vid here when youre done. shit, now you'll have like (let's see) 5 stringed instruments in your house.

 

[Dog--]

Well, 7. I have 6 guitars, I just didn't tell you guys about them all.

I'm actually just about to get started building this, turns out I'll only have 5 guitars after this, I need pickups and the weakest guitar LOSES. (well the weakest is my first guitar, but I'd never hurt that, I want to keep it forever, I'm gutting my second guitar!)

 

[VirusType2]

That's cool. You have to send me a recording of you playing it, and I'll put it in a song.

 

[Dog--]

Ok I finished it a few hours ago, and I did all the math.

Cost me about $80 raw materials (only really expensive thing was the 65'' aluminum square tubing. but I got it real cheap from a warehouse a few towns over), and took me about 10 hours (over the course of 2 days).

It's really, really fun. Looks really good.

Sorry for shitty pic, my camera sucks balls. It sucks at lighting and whatnot, but here's one pic.

It's got guitar pickups on it, 1/4'' input jack is in the back (back is right side of pic), all the electronics for the pickups are inside (it's a hollow tube, since it's a guitar pickup I had to shove all the knobs and switch inside too, the switch is set to treble, the volume is full and the tone is full)), the bridge is just an L bracket, I used 1/16'' thick steel galvanized cable (for strength) which is held on simply by a nut and bolt and a 1/16'' washer, I'm not sure what kind of wood the handle is, all I know is that it's very very strong so obviously it's some sort of hardwood, there is a pulley wheel on the handle inside the tubing for the cable to go around, and I used a bass tuning peg for the tuner (yes, it actually has a real tuner on it). Pretty fun, I put it through my multiFX pedal, sounds pretty good, even through those crappy pickups. Also - I cut a square out of an old rag and put it on the bottom, held with elastic bands. Just so it doesn't scratch my floors.

I think it was worth it, video/maybe more pics coming Monday.

P.S. My drummer friend gave me Neil Peart signature Rush 2112 drumsticks to play it with, pretty sweet.

P.P.S. You can also fret with it. It feels like a fretless bass.

 

[Dog--]

Got the videos up finally.

This first video of my friend (he's a bass player) playing, it isn't really for you to hear the sound (because the sound sucks), it's more to show off the Whamola so you can see what it looks like.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=JKzxikS0X6Q



This second video is of my teacher playing (he's a bass player), this video shows off the sound better.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=EDNJzHYdr-g



You don't see me playing it because no one wanted to hold the camera for me to play, I had to hold it for everyone else.