When I first started playing the washboard, I though it would be fun to use magnet to stick things that make noises to it. But with it being made of zinc or aluminum, not sure, I was forced to glue magnets on the washboard behind the metal. This was fun but it was never really that convenient.
Recently however, I realized that magnets would stick on to the stainless steal one I recently acquired from the Columbus Washboard Company and have been wondering what to do with that. So this week I was looking at the bits and pieces of stuff lying around in my studio and not finding a suitable piece of wood, settled for a thick slab of Plexiglas.
The actual idea was to make a woodblock with a ribbed surface that can be rubbed as well as tapped, and that would give a “distinctive” sound, meaning different from the other sounds I already have. And although I had forgotten how much of a mess Plexiglas can make (it gets everywhere and sticks on everything; static electricity?), I’m very happy with the results. Personal criticisms are that it’s just a bit too wide, but it’s pretty.
