# How does an "electric jug" musician perform on his instrument **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 19, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-an-electric-jug-musician-perform-on-his-instrument/149578 "2003-01-19T03:12:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-an-electric-jug-musician-perform-on-his-instrument/149578/1 "2003-01-19T03:12:28Z")
OK, stop snickering. A related question would be what is an electric jug? Then how is it played. I did a google search on “electric jug.” I got appliance related sites. I added “music.” I got web sites for varous jug bands. I then realized that this would be more work than anticipated. Thus, I am coming here. I have not yet done a SDMB search, but I regularly lurk around, and I have never seen the question. I assume an acoustic jug would be blown in for sound. Filling it to a certain level would adjust to the desired tone. Exactly how that would be plugged in and amplified is a mystery to me. Any jug musicians out there? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-an-electric-jug-musician-perform-on-his-instrument/149578/2 "2003-01-19T03:21:12Z")
Well, here’s how you play a jug. You apparently don’t put water into it (at least, he doesn’t), it’s just a neutral bass tone. [http://www.schnipp.com/jug.htm](http://www.schnipp.com/jug.htm) And I found a guy who amplifies his washtub bass. I would assume that amplification for a jug would be the same–use a boom to get a mike close to the jug. [http://www.jugmusic.com/wtb-play.html](http://www.jugmusic.com/wtb-play.html) > [@](#): > > To mic the WTB, I used to just put a Shure SM-57 down about 2 inches from the front of the tub and that seems to do just fine. > > Later, I switched to an Audio-Techinca ATM25 microphone, designed for kick-drums. This mic has a low-end frequency response of 35Hz, about 5Hz lower than an SM-57. It will also handle higher Sound Pressure Levels, a benefit when placing it close to a WTB or kick-drum. > > A mic stand with boom adjusted down by the floor, or very short desk-type stand is good for the microphone. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-an-electric-jug-musician-perform-on-his-instrument/149578/3 "2003-01-19T03:39:45Z")
Shades of Roky Erikson. I know nothing about playing one, but I saw Roky perform a couple of times, and he blew into the top, sometimes cupping his hand near the opening. He wiggled, too, IIRC. _Bedouin, you’re tribe’s ascending, From the egg into the flower. Alpha information sending, States within the heaven shower…_ ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-an-electric-jug-musician-perform-on-his-instrument/149578/4 "2003-01-19T03:42:15Z")
Yeah, and he wiggled the jug, too. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-an-electric-jug-musician-perform-on-his-instrument/149578/5 "2003-01-19T03:49:27Z")
I have no idea if there is such a thing, but it wouldn’t be what Duck Duck Goose describes, which is simply close-miking an acoustical instrument. It’s the same thing as saying that putting a microphone close to an acoustic guitar turns it into an electric guitar. An electric instrument has a pre-amp built into it.