Instruments played by Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts
The Instruments of John Randall
John plays a non specified drum kit with Zildjian 5A sticks, and on occasional numbers with home made cane blat sticks,
He is regarded as one of the UK’s best washboard players and has enjoyed playing or recording sessions with Big Boy Arthur Crudup, Blues Band, Dave Kelly and others.
When Brett Marvin & The Thunderbolts first started, he used a home made bamboo washboard, later playing the traditional type ACME metal washboards, discovering that glass boards were too slippery, and having too shrill a sound.
After wearing out all the ACME washboards that he was able to get his hands on, he eventually invented his own home made washboard of titanium and beech.
He has two models of these, one very large, designed to be played on the lap or around the neck, and one more portable version of the same.
He uses thimbles on all eight fingers, but has never been able to find thimbles big enough for his thumbs.
When the Bretts were playing the university circuit, his nails would turn black and his fingers would bleed He puts so much raw power into his playing that he once fell off the back of a stage while playing, the rest of the band carried on…
Over thirty years of playing, John Randall has worn through more steel thimbles than Saville Row. A recent find led to him buying the entire stock at a local sewing shop! .
