Bumbasses

[Paul M. Gifford]

Now that we've got the lowdown on "Limber Jacks" and "Steppin' Sams," what
about the bumbass?

Can anyone share what they know about them in the U.S.? This German
instrument, originally a long pole with a single wire stretched over a cow's
bladder and bowed with a notched stick, was later built with a drum head
(instead of a bladder), with a mechanism that when bowed sounds like a
snare drum. It has a carved devil's head at the scroll and a couple of
cymbals. To play it, you bow it and bounce it simultaneously.

There is (or was) a guy in Wisconsin making versions of them commercially,
calling them "stump fiddles." I have heard the instrument also called "pogo
cellos." I saw one that looked like it was made in the '40s or '50s, with a
label "Cleveland Bumbass Company," Cleveland, Ohio. The one I've got
is a very nice one, bought in Toledo, Ohio, but no indication as to its
origins.

I suppose this is mainly limited to German, Polish, and Czech communities,
but would like to know more.

Paul Gifford