As I mentioned in the Les Claypool blog, the whamola can be discussed in great detail. As you can see in the picture (provided eventually), Les’ whamola is a homemade job. As the story goes, a fan gave Claypool his first whamola. He made improvements to the design and added a pickup so it would be audible.

This whamola is primarily made out of a metal or wooden rod which holds the bridge and tremolo bar in place. On the main ‘body’ sits a fretless, wooden fretboard When the instrument first hit the stage at The Rave, Les was tapping a funky-ass beat on the lowest note (a low B, perhaps) with a drumstick. As he threw in a slew of muted notes and harmonics, the jam continued to build momentum, culminating with a violent grab of the whammy bar and a one-of-a-kind bass solo from a one-of-a-kind bassist. Claypool’s muscle memory was impeccable, taking the tremolo from its base position to precisely the intended note, time after time.

You can check out Les Claypool playing the song named for the instrument right at the bottom of this page!

Brin Levenson of Whamola Laboratories has been handcrafting these fine one-string bass instruments since graduating from the California Institute for the Arts in 2001. They range in price from $450 to $600, which is the average price range for a standard bass guitar. What makes these whamolas worth the hefty price tag is that each bass is made to order, with great handiwork and attention to detail.

Anyone aspiring to be the next Les Claypool can be that much closer with the purchase (and practice!) of a whamola. Don’t hesitate to shop around, though. I’m sure that there are other luthiers that just might be building whamolas out there, also. Give this obscure bass instrument a look. It might be a bit unnecessary to own, but it is definitely a great listen.