`Y`olian? Why-olian?

[pete1951]

My quest for the answer to `Why didn`t National make these` is about to arrive.

With the well balanced on a couple of brackets (to check action, intonation etc.) it sounds unremarkable, I`m sure (well I hope) that when the well is finished I will have an amazing sounding guitar. (I thought that about my Dual-olian, which was underwhelming to say the least)
PT

[resotonic]

Did you cast the bridge? Haven't seen that 'Y' configuration before...

[pete1951]

Ever year my local university has to teach its new undergraduate students basic casting. So every Autumn term there's a window for someone to get an odd thing cast while the students get a demonstration.
PT
The Y bridge was used by National on some early mandolin, why the didn't carry on using it, I don't know,but may be about to find out!

[lexluthier]

Hi Pete! Very impressed with the effort you're making just to 'find out', and hugely interested in the results.
Are you going to take the experiment all the way with that donor guitar and have you decided how the sound well is to be constructed yet?
I've spent a fair bit of time myself going through various thought exercises on how I might construct the sound well should I ever get around to a wooden tricone project. Still in flux on that one! (Also, Ive been staring quizzically at a big old wok lid for quite a while now, just by co-incidence! A cunning plan is forming.......) 

Always enjoy seeing what you come up with and admire your industry, keep it up Sir, nothing ventured, nothing gained!


Regards, Chris

[pete1951]

Well,the wells were not well made. (Sorry, have not been well). I've talked to MM and he has sent some photos of an early well. It looks like the first wells were not pressed, but made by hand around a former or block out of a strip of brass, so there is a join on one edge. Hitting things with a hammer is something that comes naturally to me so that's how I will make it..( I do have a sheet metal bender, I may make 3 right angle bits and do some fancy metal-bashing on the corners. The old Eko will live again, but if the Y bridge is less than ok it may turn into a Dobroish thing.
PT

[lexluthier]

I've no idea of your metal working knowledge so forgive me if I'm teaching Granny how to suck eggs:-
Forming tight right angles in brass thick enough to support a platform/the cones and the string pressure required may prove to be problematic. You may need to make the brass softer by annealing before trying to work it as you could well find it will fracture before it even gets to 90 degrees. The trick is in slowing the cooling after heating. 

Chris

[pete1951]

My metal working skills are limited , but I can get by. The well is a bit more `origami` than sheet metal work but will do. There are a number of cuts , along the bottom of the well, these close up as the well is bent around , then they are soldered together. The cuts are not at right angles to the well but at an angle so they overlap a little as the curve is made, they are then soldered .

PT

[Deleted]

Is there something to the cone orientation for optimizing bass and treble of the original tricone design... Guess we will find out...

[lexluthier]

Hi Pete.
Your metal working skills look just fine Sir(well good!) I just imagined you using a thicker gauge and know the problems that can come with that.
Looks like it's going great, very much looking forward to the results, very inspiring. I wish you would do more videos on your builds, always love seeing what you've come up with and I think it would be appreciated by many to see some step by step videos rather than the just the end product. Just a thought....

Chris

[pete1951]

Feb 3, 2016 22:45:45 GMT lexluthier said:

I wish you would do more videos on your builds, always love seeing what you've come up with and I think it would be appreciated by many to see some step by step videos rather than the just the end product. Just a thought....

Chris

I wish I was better at making videos. I have to get one of my children to upload them and because I don't understand the technology I've often done something wrong! If I could do it with a hammer things would go more smoothly.
PT

[pete1951]

Well here is (I hope) a 2 min. video of the Y-cone, the well is not yet fixed and there are (as yet) no sound holes. The coverplate will also `focus` the sound a little. If it has worked you will hear an unremarkable but OK tone. Maybe another video after the well is well fixed, the neck-stick stuck and whole thing has some holes in it ( ok that last pun didn`t work but at least I tried)

PT
After a few false starts I got I playing, the strings are new nickel, so a bit scratchy . Am off to drill holes.

[snakehips]

Hi there !

Sounds pretty good actually !
Good sustain etc

[pete1951]

Still no neck-stick etc. but a few holes to let out the bass......I think it sounds `better` , anyway, I think I will make a guitar of it and see.
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PT

[Deleted]

very good.
As for video making, you can download videopad off the net (you might have to pay £25 or so for the licence later).
But if I can use it, anyone can. You just upload your mobile phone vids, and cut n paste bits here and there, and even add subtitles / effects if you need.
TT

[pete1951]

Now with Extra Large sound holes ( many early tricones had holes all over the place, and the now `standard` tricone has a larger area of sound holes to coverplate holes ratio than most single cone resos.) The well is now fixed, the `neck stick`fitted (I call it the neck stick , but in fact it is there to stop the pull of the strings distorting the top) It will soon be making a noise!

PT