Whamola

[Smokin' cowboys]

Im seriously considering building a whamola, just one question about the pickup. Do you think i could get away with mounting a standard electric bass pickup (probably an epiphone or gibson one) vertically ? or will that just not work ?

Thanks:thumb:

[myles]

whaqrts a whamola :confused:

[Peg Dizzler]

Vertically? As in, the same as a pickup would be on a regular guitar or bass? Or... length-wise with the string? Just trying to clarify. :)

I don't see why it wouldn't work, assuming you're using a typical bass string and whatnot.

That's so cool that you're going to attempt to build such a thing though, I hardly know anything about them...
But to anyone who's wondering... here's Claypool playing one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4_H4T2lj-4&search=claypool

Almost sounds like a fretless, but with alot of attack. And it looks really hard to play.

[Smokin' cowboys]

Yeah, its basically a one string upright bass with a lever to change the pitch of the string. heres another good vid of Les claypool playing one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzNGFfKQ4bQ&search=whamola


Yeah just to clarify, when i say mounting the pickup vertically i mean the opposite to how it is on a standard bass, in other words it will be parallel with the string.

[mikespahn]

does any company actually make a whamola or are they strictly custom built? i'm assuming they are custom cause i've never seen anyone but les play one.

it would be pretty cool to have one though. now i'm considering building one too. do you have any diagrams or up close detailed pics of one?

[SüP]

does any company actually make a whamola or are they strictly custom built? i'm assuming they are custom cause i've never seen anyone but les play one.

it would be pretty cool to have one though. now i'm considering building one too. do you have any diagrams or up close detailed pics of one?

It just looks like a length of wood with a string on it...so, definitly custom built.

[Smokin' cowboys]

Yeah, they are all custom built. I have seen some custom built ones for sale on internet sites. This site: http://yessy.com/brinlevinson/whamola.html has some pictures to look at.

[neatobassman]

It would work. Claypool has half of a P pup on his.

[The Forgotten Bassist]

Sounds like a cool idea, can't se why the picku pidea wouldn't work.

Good luck if you build it, and put up some clips of you when you do build it.

Does anyone know if there are specific leanths for the neck of a whamola or are they variable?

[Specialsauce]

i saw claypool in concert last month. he played one. it was absoluteley sick. My question is where the hell are you gonna get the whammy-lever and a one string bridge.

[Peg Dizzler]

It's all custom... :D

Doesn't look like it's hard to make, until you realize you have to make the hardware too... haha!

[Smokin' cowboys]

It will all be custom made, im hoping most of the hardware i can take directly from an upright or electric bass and just make some adjustments.

[mikespahn]

if you are successful in making it you should definately post some pics

[moghes69]

for the bridge, you could probably get by with a saddle made of wood and drilling a hole for a string through anchor.

[the101er]

Just use one mono rail for the bridge.

For the pickup, you can use any pickup, it usually runs the same way as the strings

[EADG]

I thought pickups screwed up when you ran them parallel to the string, but I might be wrong.

[doodooking]

Every whamola I saw had a pickup running parallel to the string.

[Smokin' cowboys]

Im definitely going to build some form of custom bass, if its not a whamola then it will be an electric upright bass. Ill post pics of the project (whatever i finally decide on) once it gets off the ground.

[Smokin' cowboys]

Just thought id let you guys know that ive decided to start building an electric upright bass, much like this one: http://www.nedsteinberger.com/instruments/bass/basscr-eu.html


Im not going to rule out a whamola as a future project though.

Anyway, take it easy.