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Pedal washboard


Terry Allan Hall

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In addition to my guitars (hands), racked harmonicas (mouth), "Toe Tapper" (sounds a lot like a bass drum" - right foot), and voice (again, mouth), I built this, so that my left foot would have something to add to the jam...a pedal washboard. very-happy.png.197c47f720636f02390cc2b0a33804da.png' alt='smiley-veryhappy'>

 

Debuted it at this morning's 11am-2pm lunch gig and it went over pretty well, and had an offer to sell it or build another one for one of the owners, who likes to sing at family gatherings...told I'd have to figure out how much to charge him, as I wasted a lot of $$$ in figuring out how to make it work. :rolleyes:

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Terrry whats shakin'?! Love to see that thing "in action" maybe a youtube clip? You know I'm a big fan of foot percussion too so big thumbs up.philthumb

 

Good idea...I'll see if I can get my daughter to whip out her video camera this weekend.

 

It occurred to me, last night, that one of my mistakes, with this one, was that I didn't make this one foldable, so it could fit into a suitcase, so I'll likely build another soon, then sell this one to the guy inquiring about it. Should've planned better! sm-censored

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Thanks Terry' date=' does it work with a piezzo? I am trying to add a bit of natural percussion and move away from a drum machine, so far I have a squashed metal tambourine strapped to my foot so am looking for ideas. Cheers Steve[/quote']

 

Exactly, a piezo is imbedded in silicone within the block of wood. There is also a capacitor and a resister, which bleeds off high and certain mid frequencies, leaving only a nice "thump".

 

Plugged it into a mixer, with the channel EQ adjusted to taste, or a power sub, sounds best, but it also works through a guitar amp well enough.

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This is genius! I see you have whatever rubs across the washboard attached to the middle of the sliding wood piece with what looks like a wood screw. What is it screwed onto the board to make contact with the washboard surface? A bottle cap?

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This is genius! I see you have whatever rubs across the washboard attached to the middle of the sliding wood piece with what looks like a wood screw. What is it screwed onto the board to make contact with the washboard surface? A bottle cap?

 

1-tablespoon measuring spoon, after being bent to fit into the space.

Can anyone guess which Ronald Coleman movie I was watching when I figured out to make this gizmo work? sm-anyone

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In addition to my guitars (hands), racked harmonicas (mouth), "Toe Tapper" (sounds a lot like a bass drum" - right foot), and voice (again, mouth), I built this, so that my left foot would have something to add to the jam...a pedal washboard. very-happy.png.197c47f720636f02390cc2b0a33804da.png' alt='smiley-veryhappy'>

 

Debuted it at this morning's 11am-2pm lunch gig and it went over pretty well, and had an offer to sell it or build another one for one of the owners, who likes to sing at family gatherings...told I'd have to figure out how much to charge him, as I wasted a lot of $$$ in figuring out how to make it work. :rolleyes:

This is delightful. I really should get some sort of percussion thing going for my left foot.

 

Suggestion: rather than fish a line through a pulley to attach the spoon to the pedal, move the spring from the bottom to the top of the device and attach the pedal directly to the spoon. This would save a bunch of parts and, I think, provide the same motion.

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Funny, I was thinkin the same thing...direct drive, basically, with a spring return. Eliminating the string saves a bunch of parts nd simplifies the assembly (yeah, I've been a manufacturing engineer). Also, I think you could decrease the pieces of 2x4...but all in all, TAH, a neat piece of homespun engineering!

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The movie that inspired my gizmo is the Ronald Coleman version of "A Tale Of Two Cities"...very-happy.png.197c47f720636f02390cc2b0a33804da.png' alt='smiley-veryhappy'>

 

soo, if they don't applaud or they talk through your songs, you haul out the big blade and replace the spoon and ...

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on the other hand' date=' having the rope in there deals with the problem that the end of pedal actually moves in an arc rather than a straight line[/quote']

 

True enough...the first version of this contraption (this is Version 3), was as you and Daddymack suggested, and couldn't get consistent contact throughout the arc. Version 2 was made from a cut-down mic boom, with a kitchen whisk engaging the corrugated surface, and it had similar problems, even though it worked from the side, as well as being physically larger.

 

Version 3 (forevermore known as "La Madame Guillotine" smiley-lol), so far has worked best, with no need for adjustment, once everything was in place.

 

When I make the next one, one that'll fold, it'll involve less wood/weight, most likely.

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Can you do your laundry while doing the gig with that thing?

 

only at the risk of electrocution... :rolleyes:

 

Also TAH, you do realize you don't need the entire washboard and frame, right? You could eliminate a lot of wasted space just having the contact surface trimmed to the width of a 2x4, and hinge mount that with a locking pin, and you could even form it to match the curvature of the pedal motion arc....sorry, I get carried away sometimes...;)

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By the way' date=' is your washboard surface metal or glass?[/quote']

 

Metal, but looking for a glass one, to check out if there's much variation in tone. Don't know if glass ones are being made these days...mine came from Rhythm Band (http://cdn.opentip.com/Musical-Instruments/Rb-Musical-Washboard-p-3592207.html?gclid=CKaC7J3FrL0CFUoV7Aod7TsASw), mostly because RBI is nearby and a buddy, who works there, gets me a decent discount..

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Also TAH, you do realize you don't need the entire washboard and frame, right? You could eliminate a lot of wasted space just having the contact surface trimmed to the width of a 2x4, and hinge mount that with a locking pin, and you could even form it to match the curvature of the pedal motion arc....sorry, I get carried away sometimes...;)

 

Hmmmm....that's an interesting idea! Next time I go hit the flea markets, I'll look for another one (or three) and try your suggestion. Been wondering about how I might make the action horizontal, instead of vertical, as well.

 

Just in passing, this gizmo has brought my lovely wife and lovely mom-in-law a lot of amusement...every time she (M-i-M) visits, she asks to see it, and tries it, herself, while doodling around on my daughter's piano...I'm building her one for her next birthday.

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Metal, but looking for a glass one, to check out if there's much variation in tone. Don't know if glass ones are being made these days...mine came from Rhythm Band (http://cdn.opentip.com/Musical-Instruments/Rb-Musical-Washboard-p-3592207.html?gclid=CKaC7J3FrL0CFUoV7Aod7TsASw), mostly because RBI is nearby and a buddy, who works there, gets me a decent discount..

I have an old glass one my cousin gave me in the barn. I've never tried to use it. I also have a tub for a washtub bass.

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