Homegrown Music and...Musical Instrument! The homegrown ""bonker box""

(Page 4 of 4)

July/August 1979
By Marc Bristol 
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Don't attempt to make these "extra" side cuts until the assembly has been glued and had time to set fully. Then simply drill a pair of 3/8" diameter starter holes-each centered upon the joint between the side panel and the drum top and connect the bores by cutting along the "seam" with a saber saw. (You can vary the lengths of these slits . . . remembering that a longer cut will produce a lower tone.)

RELATED CONTENT

There are several ways to make "drumsticks" for your homegrown instrument. Chopstick stopped with 3/4" diameter hard rubber "super balls" (the high bouncers that can be found in most any toy store)-are almost ideal. Just drill a hole in the ball-slightly smaller than the diameter of your stick-and fasten the two parts together with contact cement. (It might be prudent to cover the "energetic" sphere with a square of chamois leather-and wrap the over lap to the stick with a rawhide thong-to keep the ball from taking flight during a hot solo . . . unless you're trying to bring down the house!)

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CRAFTSPERSON

Should you be interested in owning a bonker box but lack either the time, ambition, or mechanical ability to build your own . . . there are a couple of craft organizations that sell the drums in a variety of sizes. Furthermore, many of the home-business-made bonkers feature extra decoration and top-quality exotic hardwood construction. Catalogs are available from Buckhorn Mountain Woodcrafts (Dept. TMEN, 465 Buckhorn Mountain Road, Winlock, Washington 98596) and from Hum Drums (Dept. TMEN, 2321-B Roosevelt, Berkeley, California 94073). Be sure to include a self- addressed, stamped envelope with your request for information from either of these two outfits.

TILL NEXT ISSUE..

Many thanks to Irene Scyriver for asking me to look into the subject of bonker boxes, to Mark Filler for providing me with a great deal of information on this unusual instrument, and to Chuck Berry (whose song, "Promised Land", came on the radio as I was writing this final paragraph).

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