JohnInKansas is right-- people are entitled to know who's doing the Washtub Bassist Survey and for what, although it's incredible to me that anyone who considers the thought and effort put into the questionnaire could suppose that it's just someone trolling for email addresses.

The survey is a feature of the Washtub Bass Page, whose purpose is to organize information about the washtub bass and make it available to the whole wide world. At that site you can find pix of 50 or more wtbs or variants thereof, dozens of suggestions about the best strings or the best way to mike a wtb, links to many wtb-related websites, and lots of building and playing tips.

The survey results will be published on the Page and sent to the participants. I also plan to share the data with Jim Uticone, who's writing a book about the wtb and its plunkers. No personal information of any sort will be used without permission.

The survey does ask for names and e-mail addresses, but believe it or not it's not by way of tapping into the affluent wtbassist demographic and its vast discretionary income. It's to encourage responders to own up to their data, so the survey results aren't muddled with a bunch of facetious and factitious responses. And it provides a way of following up on particularly interesting responses. These, by the way, are the only two pieces of required information (and people can even leave them out too, if they want-- we just won't include their material in the summary.)

Every topic with a checklist also has a box for comments, where folks can embellish on the stock answers.

I hope all you plunkers will participate.

Lauren Miller